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| Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo has issued a call for letters of support from Ka`u individuals and organizations for preservation of Kaunamano. Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers |
THE BOARD OF KA `OHANA O HONU`APO requests letters of support for acquisition of Kaunamano, the 1,363-acre parcel at the south end of Honu`apo Bay that is currently for sale.
The Trust for Public Land is assisting the county, Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo, the Keanu family of Ka`u and the Ka`u community to protect these lands in perpetuity. The county has recommended funding for the purchase, and the partners are seeking state and federal matching funds. TPL will include support letters received by this Tuesday, Sept. 2 in its state funding application. |
| Trust for Public Lands board members toured the site in January. Photo from TPL |
TPL describes Kaunamano as “a place of great historic significance as a seat of government for Ka`u chiefs who kept a watchful eye on Kaunamano from a vantage point overlooking the large coastal property and the Kahua `Olohu makahiki grounds directly mauka of the property. The property contains at least 444 ancient Hawaiian cultural sites with more than 3,900 features, including enclosures, mounds, platforms, walls, salt pans, walled terraces, petroglyphs, papamu, heiau, ceremonial sites, burial sites, a refuge cave (and other lava tubes) and a portion of Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail which connects the coastal villages of Honu`apo to the north with Waikapuna to the south. Many of these sites are in the largely intact ancient coastal village of Pa`ula. Native coastal plants dominate the coastal landscape, `opae `ula (native red shrimp) abound in the large coastal cave of Puhi'`ula, and its pristine waters are home to numerous native fish, limu and other marine species.
“Acquisition would protect native gathering rights, subsistence fishing, the Ka`u community’s access to the property’s nearly four miles of coastline, native ecosystems, possible endangered species, cultural sites and burials, and a cultural landscape of historic significance. Acquisition would also allow for some recreational practices to continue such as recreational fishing, flying kites from the property’s lookout area Pohina Pali Lookout, and possibly camping. Excluding the coastal village, the property is grazed by a local rancher. Since there are no trees on this land, the huge, open vistas from the top of the property down to the shoreline allow ocean views almost unparalleled from any other site in Ka`u. The property offers high educational and cultural benefits from being able to visit and learn from the many cultural sites. Kauanamano means “’the multitudes are placed here.’ Protecting Kaunamano will honor a place where Ka`u’s kupuna lived and where the people of Ka`u visit today to remember their past.”
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| Kaunamano includes nearly four miles of Ka`u coastline. |
In letters of support from individuals, TPL suggests discussing personal connections to the property and why is it important that the properties be kept undeveloped. “Please speak to what you personally care about. For some, it will be preserving Ka`u’s rural/local/country character, for others it will be the cultural sites, and for others it will be being able to teach Ka`u youth about Ka`u’s history.”
Organizations can also send letters of support. Letters can include answers to the several questions. How does the organization’s mission relate to protection of these properties in Kaunamano? How could the organization’s students/clients/beneficiaries benefit from the properties remaining undeveloped? Would the organization’s beneficiaries benefit from Kaunamano functioning as a place of learning for area schools and the community, and/or for the perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural practices? How? What is the organization’s vision or wish for the property?
Send support letters to Laura Ka`akua at laura.kaakua@tpl.org, or Laura Ka`akua, The Trust for Public Land, 1003 Bishop Street, Suite 740, Honolulu, HI 96813.
TEN PADDLERS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA helped Hawai`i Wildlife Fund clean Kamilo Beach Thursday. The group filled 31 bags with 449.5 pounds of debris within a couple of hours, said HWF coordinator Megan Lamson.
Marine debris from Kamilo has shown up in an art show in Anchorage, Alaska. HWF has been sending material to artist Pam Longobardi since July. Her work is featured in the exhibit called Gyre, which is raising awareness of ocean plastic that ends up on Alaska’s coast.
HWF’s next Ka`u Beach Cleanup in on Sunday, Sept. 21 as part of the international annual Get the Drift & Bag It effort. To sign up, call 769-7629 or email kahakai.cleaups@gmail.com.
Organizations can also send letters of support. Letters can include answers to the several questions. How does the organization’s mission relate to protection of these properties in Kaunamano? How could the organization’s students/clients/beneficiaries benefit from the properties remaining undeveloped? Would the organization’s beneficiaries benefit from Kaunamano functioning as a place of learning for area schools and the community, and/or for the perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural practices? How? What is the organization’s vision or wish for the property?
Send support letters to Laura Ka`akua at laura.kaakua@tpl.org, or Laura Ka`akua, The Trust for Public Land, 1003 Bishop Street, Suite 740, Honolulu, HI 96813.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
NO LAYOFFS AT KA`U HOSPITAL are planned in the first round of budget-cutting measures announced by Hawai`i Health Systems Corp, according to a report in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. All of HHSC’s East Hawai`i Region facilities escaped without layoffs that will begin by December as the organization tries to close a $48 million budget shortfall.
Dan Brinkman, interim East Hawai`i Regional CEO, told reporter Erin Miller, “We have made reductions to some of our contract workers” and eliminated some positions as staff members resigned. For now that, combined with other measures, has been enough to keep layoffs at a low level.
NO LAYOFFS AT KA`U HOSPITAL are planned in the first round of budget-cutting measures announced by Hawai`i Health Systems Corp, according to a report in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. All of HHSC’s East Hawai`i Region facilities escaped without layoffs that will begin by December as the organization tries to close a $48 million budget shortfall.
Dan Brinkman, interim East Hawai`i Regional CEO, told reporter Erin Miller, “We have made reductions to some of our contract workers” and eliminated some positions as staff members resigned. For now that, combined with other measures, has been enough to keep layoffs at a low level.
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| Paddling crew became Ka`u Coast cleanup crew Thursday. Photos from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund |
According to HHSC, its facilities are facing decreased state subsidies and health insurance reimbursements, while operating costs continue to rise and the need for health care in a growing population increases.
HHSC officials have been meeting with representatives from the state Legislature to discuss strategies and possible long-term solutions.
Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green, told Miller he continues to be concerned about ensuring the hospital system has enough funding to remain fully staffed.
See hawaiitribuneherald.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HHSC officials have been meeting with representatives from the state Legislature to discuss strategies and possible long-term solutions.
Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green, told Miller he continues to be concerned about ensuring the hospital system has enough funding to remain fully staffed.
See hawaiitribuneherald.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
TEN PADDLERS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA helped Hawai`i Wildlife Fund clean Kamilo Beach Thursday. The group filled 31 bags with 449.5 pounds of debris within a couple of hours, said HWF coordinator Megan Lamson.
Marine debris from Kamilo has shown up in an art show in Anchorage, Alaska. HWF has been sending material to artist Pam Longobardi since July. Her work is featured in the exhibit called Gyre, which is raising awareness of ocean plastic that ends up on Alaska’s coast.
HWF’s next Ka`u Beach Cleanup in on Sunday, Sept. 21 as part of the international annual Get the Drift & Bag It effort. To sign up, call 769-7629 or email kahakai.cleaups@gmail.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Henry Curtis |
LIFE OF THE LAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HENRY CURTIS questioned the value of Hawaiian Electric Co.’s latest plan to triple the amount of rooftop solar by 2030. The utility announced the plan as part of its effort to achieve the highest level of renewable energy in the nation by that year.
HECO at present receives 328 megawatts of electricity from its customers who have solar systems. That amount will increase by 35 megawatts per year until in reaches 900 megawatts in 2030.
The plan amounts to a seven percent increase per year, much lower than in previous years. According to Curtis, in Hawai`i, installed solar has grown between 70 and 200 percent each year for the past seven years. Globally, installed solar has grown at 43 percent per year for more than a decade.
HECO’s announcement follows its decision last September to slow the growth rate of solar installations because many circuits had reached or were approaching their maximum penetration level.
See ililanimedia.blogspot.com.
HECO at present receives 328 megawatts of electricity from its customers who have solar systems. That amount will increase by 35 megawatts per year until in reaches 900 megawatts in 2030.
The plan amounts to a seven percent increase per year, much lower than in previous years. According to Curtis, in Hawai`i, installed solar has grown between 70 and 200 percent each year for the past seven years. Globally, installed solar has grown at 43 percent per year for more than a decade.
HECO’s announcement follows its decision last September to slow the growth rate of solar installations because many circuits had reached or were approaching their maximum penetration level.
See ililanimedia.blogspot.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY HAS LOWERED the number of visitors it expects to come to the islands, reported Audrey McAvoy in West Hawai`i Today. David Uchiyama, HTA’s vice president for brand management, said the agency expects 8.2 million visitors to come to the islands this year and 8.4 million next year.
“The year has not turned out as we had hoped in terms of continuing the same growth trend,” Uchiyama told hotel and travel agency representatives at a conference in Honolulu. “But the experience in recent years is that we’re going to be able to continue this with the dynamic diversification that we’ve found in international markets.” According to Uchiyama, markets in Australia, China and South Korea fuel continued expansion.
China is expected to send 11.4 percent more visitors for a total of 170,000. Although airlines have added service from Beijing, demand hasn’t increase as much as expected, Uchiyama said.
DURING KAHUKU: BORN FROM A HOTSPOT on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, participants learn about the birth of the islands from the Hawaiian hotspot and about past eruptions that impacted Kahuku. Visitors will be able to identify various pu`u (hills) and other volcanic features and learn about their formation. Free.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY HAS LOWERED the number of visitors it expects to come to the islands, reported Audrey McAvoy in West Hawai`i Today. David Uchiyama, HTA’s vice president for brand management, said the agency expects 8.2 million visitors to come to the islands this year and 8.4 million next year.
“The year has not turned out as we had hoped in terms of continuing the same growth trend,” Uchiyama told hotel and travel agency representatives at a conference in Honolulu. “But the experience in recent years is that we’re going to be able to continue this with the dynamic diversification that we’ve found in international markets.” According to Uchiyama, markets in Australia, China and South Korea fuel continued expansion.
China is expected to send 11.4 percent more visitors for a total of 170,000. Although airlines have added service from Beijing, demand hasn’t increase as much as expected, Uchiyama said.
See westhawaiitoday.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Ceramicist Clayton Amemiya. Photo from Volcano Art Center |
AN EXHIBIT OF WOOD-FIRED CERAMICS by Clayton Amemiya continues daily through Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Amemiya uses an anagama, or climbing kiln, that is a 12-foot-long tunnel, about 4½ feet tall and 4½ feet wide, built on a hillside. The firebox is at the bottom, and the exit flue is at the top. Hot flames are drawn from the firebox, through the chamber and out the flue.
The speed and intensity of the fire and how each piece is positioned in the kiln determine the final look of each piece. Flame and flying ash affect the clay surfaces, so that no two pieces look the same. Even though it takes four days to tend the fire, the anagama allows Amemiya to get much wider variations in glaze and surface than he could with a gas or electric kiln.
Free; park entrance fees apply.
DURING KAHUKU: BORN FROM A HOTSPOT on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, participants learn about the birth of the islands from the Hawaiian hotspot and about past eruptions that impacted Kahuku. Visitors will be able to identify various pu`u (hills) and other volcanic features and learn about their formation. Free.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. |