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| Kanonone Waterhole at Pohue Bay is an anchialine pond that hosts endemic and native species and could be more accessible to the public if the County purchases the property. Photo by Shalan Crysdale |
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| Pohue Bay has the only white sand beach in Ka`u. Photo by Megan Lamson |
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| Council member Smart |
The resolution calls for negotiations with landowners, and buying the property with Two Percent money raised from county property taxes as well as additional funding from other sources.
County Council member Brittany Smart is introducing the resolution to purchase part or all of the 16,000 acres recently known as the proposed site for the Nani Kahuku `Aina hotel, condominium and golf course development. Years ago it was known as the proposed site for the Riviera Resort, with a resort and marina.
Smart’s proposal gives the following reasons for preserving these Kahuku lands:
*The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is a federally listed endangered species and is the rarest sea turtle in the Pacific Ocean and the Pohue Bay area is known for sighting and nesting sites;
Smart’s proposal gives the following reasons for preserving these Kahuku lands:
*The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is a federally listed endangered species and is the rarest sea turtle in the Pacific Ocean and the Pohue Bay area is known for sighting and nesting sites;
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| Artist's rendering of the never-built Riviera Resort at Kahuku, proposed in the 1980s with hotels, condos and marina. Geologists testified that the area is susceptible to inevitable lava flow and earthquakes. |
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| Pohue Bay Petroglyphs. Photo by Andrew Zenk from azenk.org |
*Pohue Bay is the only white sand beach in Ka`u (within a forty mile radius) and has limited public access;
*Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park 2010 Hawksbill Sea Turtle Report recorded Pohue Bay with “nine nests from two returning hawksbills [that] were protected and over 1,300 hatchlings reached the ocean at this important nesting site;”
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| Nani Kahuku `Aina, 16,000 acres just makai of the Kahuku section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, would become a preserve and recreational area rather than a resort under a resolution before the County Council. |
*Feeding sites for the threatened green sea turtle and for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, rare anchialine ponds that host endemic and native shrimp species and insects, intertidal pool complexes that provide nursery habitat for marine invertebrates and fish, all exist in this area;
*Purchase of this parcel in the Ka`u region would benefit the island community as well as nearby towns by allowing access to Pohue Bay, which is currently under private ownership, previously planned for resort development, and currently restricted for private use only; and
*If the property is developed by a private party, the future use of this significant natural resource, historical, and cultural area would be subject to construction activities, possibly without input from the residents of Ka`u and the Native Hawaiian community.
A BAN ON SCUBA SPEAR FISHING, from South Point along the entire western Ka`u Coast and extending into Kona and to North Kohala’s `Upolu Point, is proposed by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources. The BLNR voted last Friday to take the issue to public hearing.
Calling for participation in the hearing, the Lost Fish Coalition issued a statement saying that “there has been a decade long endeavor to develop and fine tune a number of essential fisheries management recommendations for West Hawai`i. This effort is finally coming to fruition; but to ensure that, we all need to help.”
Calling for participation in the hearing, the Lost Fish Coalition issued a statement saying that “there has been a decade long endeavor to develop and fine tune a number of essential fisheries management recommendations for West Hawai`i. This effort is finally coming to fruition; but to ensure that, we all need to help.”
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| Traditional spear fishing in Hawai`i was done without the use of scuba. Photo from Bishop Museum Archives, Honolulu |
The hearing date is yet to be set but is expected this summer with a decision possibly this fall.
Scuba dive spear fishing is considered particularly detrimental at night since fish are often sleeping and can’t swim away. Hawai`i is one of the few places left in the Pacific Islands where spear fishing with scuba is still allowed and islands south report recovery of the reef life that maintains native fish populations and attracts visitors for snorkeling.
The regulations would make it illegal to have scuba diving gear, spears and speared fish on a boat, or otherwise in one’s possession on land or sea.
The BLNR proposal also calls for more regulations to restrict aquarium fish gathering.
The rules would cover the 147 mile nearshore waters in the West Hawai`i Fishery Management Area, formed in 1998.
The public hearing will be held in Kona and perhaps in Ka`u and is expected sometime this summer, with a decision sometime this Fall.
The West Hawai`i Fisheries Council supports and helped develop the proposals to restore and maintain reef populations. In places where aquarium fish collecting has been banned, yellow tang and goldring surgeonfish that are popular with collectors have seen a population rebound. Achilles tang and multiband butterfly fish have yet to see a resurgence. Pebble Beach at Kaohe Bay in South Kona would be designated as a Fish Replenishment Area and collecting for aquariums would be banned.
Outside the restricted area, the state would limit collecting to a list of 40 fish. The proposal is considered a test case for the rest of the state.
Scuba dive spear fishing is considered particularly detrimental at night since fish are often sleeping and can’t swim away. Hawai`i is one of the few places left in the Pacific Islands where spear fishing with scuba is still allowed and islands south report recovery of the reef life that maintains native fish populations and attracts visitors for snorkeling.
The regulations would make it illegal to have scuba diving gear, spears and speared fish on a boat, or otherwise in one’s possession on land or sea.
The BLNR proposal also calls for more regulations to restrict aquarium fish gathering.
The rules would cover the 147 mile nearshore waters in the West Hawai`i Fishery Management Area, formed in 1998.
The public hearing will be held in Kona and perhaps in Ka`u and is expected sometime this summer, with a decision sometime this Fall.
The West Hawai`i Fisheries Council supports and helped develop the proposals to restore and maintain reef populations. In places where aquarium fish collecting has been banned, yellow tang and goldring surgeonfish that are popular with collectors have seen a population rebound. Achilles tang and multiband butterfly fish have yet to see a resurgence. Pebble Beach at Kaohe Bay in South Kona would be designated as a Fish Replenishment Area and collecting for aquariums would be banned.
Outside the restricted area, the state would limit collecting to a list of 40 fish. The proposal is considered a test case for the rest of the state.
The following list of fish have robust populations that would be still available for aquarium collecting outside of Fish Replenishment Areas: Yellow Tang, Zebrasoma flavescens; Chevron Tang, Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis; Goldring Surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus; Achilles Tang, Acanthurus achilles; Tinker’s Butterflyfish, Chaetodon tinkeri; Orangespine Unicornfish, Naso lituratus; Forcepsfish, Forcipiger flavissimus; Goldrim Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigricans; Potter’s Angelfish, Centropyge potteri; Fourspot Butterflyfish, Chaetodon quadrimaculatus; Yellowtail Coris, Coris gaimard; Ornate Wrasse, Halichoeres ornatissimus; Orangeband Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus; Bird Wrasse, Gomphosus varius; Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Acanthurus dussumieri; Multiband Butterflyfish, Chaetodon multicinctus; Saddle Wrasse, Thalassoma duperrey; Brown Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscus; Flame Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus jordani; Thompson’s Surgeonfish, Acanthurus thompsoni; Peacock Grouper, Cephalopholis argus; Bluestripe Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira; Redbarred Hawkfish, Cirrhitops fasciatus; Psychedelic Wrasse, Anampses chrysocephalus; Hi Whitespotted Toby, Canthigaster jactator; Fisher’s Angelfish, Centropyge fisheri; Hi Dascyllus, Dascyllus albisella; Milletseed Butterflyfish, Chaetodon miliaris; Blacklip Butterflyfish, Chaetodon kleinii; Pyramid Butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys polylepis; Shortnose Wrasse, Macropharyngodon geoffroy; Black Durgon, Melichthys niger; Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris; Blackside Hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri; Hi Longfin Anthias, Pseudanthias hawaiiensis; EightlineWrasse, Pseudocheilinus octotaenia; Fourline Wrasse, Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia; Smalltail Wrasse, Pseudojuloides cerasinus; Lei Triggerfish, Sufflamen bursa; and Gilded Triggerfish, Xanthichthys auromarginatus.
For more see www.lostfishcoalition.com LOST stands for Leave Our Shallow Tropical Fish in their Sea Habitat.
For more see www.lostfishcoalition.com LOST stands for Leave Our Shallow Tropical Fish in their Sea Habitat.
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| The Ka'u Forest Reserve watershed. Photo from Department of Land and Natural Resources |
KA`U FOREST RESERVE’S Draft Management Plan is the topic at a public meeting this Saturday at Na`alehu Community Center, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers.
Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
Food and childcare will be provided during the meeting. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com.
KILAKILA O KA`U celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage. For vendor spaces, call 968-1781; for camping, call 557-7043.
The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers.
Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
Food and childcare will be provided during the meeting. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com.
HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND has its third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve on Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up for the events with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.
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| Photo from Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park |
FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK sponsor a sneak preview of Kahuku Unit’s Kona Trail this Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park ranger John Stallman guides this four-mile roundtrip trek through highland pastures that offers participants excellent bird-watching opportunities along with information about the area’s natural and cultural heritage. $50 for Friends members; $70 for non-members. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Non-members are welcome to join the nonprofit Friends in order to get the member discount. Call 985-7373 or email institute@fhvnp.org.
KILAKILA O KA`U celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage. For vendor spaces, call 968-1781; for camping, call 557-7043.