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Friday, May 22, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, May 22, 2015

Piton de la Fournaise volcano of La Reunion Island erupted as ambassadors for the park attended Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's BioBlitz and Biodiversity & Cultural Festival and signed a sister park agreement. Photo from La Reunion National Park
NEWS AND EVENTS OF THE KA`U agricultural community were shared yesterday at the meeting of the Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District in Pahala. 
      Members discussed the new mobile slaughter unit that will allow residents who raise even only a few cattle, goats, pigs and sheep to have them legally processed. The mobile slaughter unit will move from place to place around the island to service small producers. A meeting on the plan and on joining the cooperative that will operate the mobile slaughter unit will be held Sunday, June 14 at 5 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
Mobile slaughter services are coming to Ka`u. Photo from Hawai`i Island Meat
     See www.HawaiiIslandMeat.com. Contact HawaiiIslandMeat@gmail.com. The project is funded by the state Department of Agriculture with help from Big Island Resource Conservation & Development, Hawai`i Small Business Development Center and The Kohala Center.
       Members discussed an upcoming training on water conflict mediation, open to the Ka`u agricultural community, on Saturday, June 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. It is sponsored by The Kohala Center and organized by the center's Rural Cooperative Development Specialist Melanie Bondera. To sign up, contact mbondera@kohalacenter.org.
      The recent Green Sand community runaway fire that burned a house and destroyed waterlines was discussed in terms of the planning for future water service for agriculture in the community. Better pipes and funding for water storage for ag and firefighting were mentioned by Jeremy Buhr, who represents that community.
      John Cross, of Olson Trust, announced that the hydroelectric plant above Ka`u Coffee Mill is moving forward with Taylor Construction Co., Inc. getting ready to build the building to house the hydroelectric plant itself. The hydro plant at Keaiwa could be operational by early next year, he said.
      Members of the cooperative also discussed various ways of designing the sub-organizations that will manage water from various sources. Some organizational templates favor landowners, according to the amount of land owned, in decision making while others favor the user farmers and ranchers in the structure of the organizations.
      The next Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District meeting will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 8 a.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill. For more information, call Jeff McCall at 937-1056.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando and Daniel Gonthier,
President of La Reunion National Park, sign the sister park agreement at Kilauea
Visitor Center headquarters on May 20. NPS photo 
HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and La Réunion National Park, located on a French volcanic island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, signed a sister park agreement May 20 to fortify mutual collaboration and cooperation between them. 
      Both Hawai`i Volcanoes and La Réunion National Parks feature active volcanoes and are celebrated throughout the world for their geological, biological and cultural attributes. Both islands are located in the middle of vast oceans and are situated over volcanic hot spots. La Réunion’s Piton de la Fournaise (Peak of the Furnace) is listed among Earth’s most active volcanoes and stands 8,632 feet above sea level. Like Kilauea, it is a shield volcano and currently erupting.
      La Reunion island is about the size of Kaua`i and has many landscapes similar to Kaua‘i and the Big Island.
      Both parks are designated as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which seeks to encourage identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
      “La Réunion is a wonderful ambassador on behalf of the precious world heritage of France. Our resources join us together – shield volcanoes and endemic and endangered species. We are proud to share with the community the joining of two of the wonders of the world,” said Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. She and President of La Reunion National Park, Daniel Gonthier, signed the agreement in Volcano.
      The sister park relationship enables both parks to enrich their personnel through projects of international cooperation, accomplished primarily through exchange of managerial, technical and professional knowledge, information and data technology.
      Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park also has sister park agreements with Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes in South Korea and with Wudalianchi National Park in China. Like Hawai`i Volcanoes and La Réunion, Jeju is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
       Representatives from all three sister parks participated in the BioBlitz and Biodiversity & Cultural Festival held May 15-16 at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Keiki explore Kilauea Iki and other Hawai`i Island national parks during Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park's summer junior ranger program.
NPS Photo from Jessica Ferracane
KEIKI EIGHT TO 13 YEARS OLD are invited to “Find Your Park” and become junior rangers through Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Keiki o Hawai`i Nei summer program. The fun-filled, three-day program begins Wednesday, June 24 and ends Friday, June 26. The program is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. 
      Keiki o Hawai`i Nei is designed to encourage a child’s enthusiasm for discovery by connecting them with the park’s resources and staff, and to inspire their appreciation of what is uniquely Hawaiian by exploring the natural and cultural heritage of Hawai`i.
      Participants must bring and be able to carry their own day pack with water, snacks, lunch and raingear, and hike up to three miles over uneven terrain at a leisurely pace.
      Children will explore Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and visit national parks on the west side of Hawai`i Island. Transportation is provided, and there is no cost to enroll.
      The program is co-sponsored by Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association and Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      To reserve a space, call Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at 985-7373 or email institute@fhvnp.org. The deadline to register is Friday, June 19.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

APPLICATIONS CAN NOW BE MADE for annual grants from the State Land Conservation Fund to protect Hawai`i lands having valuable cultural, natural or agricultural resources. Grants from the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Legacy Land Conservation Program can be used for acquisition and conservation of watersheds, coastal areas, beaches, ocean access, habitat protection, cultural and historic sites, recreational and public hunting areas, parks, natural areas, agricultural production, open spaces and scenic resources. 
      State agencies, county agencies and nonprofit land conservation organizations may apply. Proposed projects may include acquisition of fee title or conservation easements. County agencies and nonprofit project applicants must be able to provide at least 25 percent of the total project costs.
      “Legacy Land grants help local agencies and organizations protect the lands and resources that improve the health and quality of life for Hawai`i’s residents and visitors – parks for outdoor recreation, forested watersheds for clean drinking water, cultural landscapes for preservation of heritage and agricultural lands for fresh local food,” DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said. “Through Legacy Land, the Department forms partnerships to share the costs and responsibilities of purchasing and protecting these lands for the public, allowing the state to secure more of these resources for the public with a smaller portion of funding,” Case said.
      Project applications will be reviewed by the Legacy Land Conservation Commission, which will nominate projects for funding. Projects are subject to the approval of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, consultation with the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, review by the Department of the Attorney General and the approval of the Governor. Final awards are subject to the availability of funds.
      Starting June 1, forms and instructions for the 2015-2016 grant cycle will be available at dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/llcp/apply/. In order to be considered for funding, applicants must submit Agency Consultation Forms by July 1. Grant applications must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 15.
Earth Matters Farm and Hawai`i Farmers Union United Ka`u Chapter President
Greg Smith host tomorrow's meeting and potluck. Photo by Ron Johnson
      For more information, see 
http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/llcp/ or call 808-586-0921.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U FARMERS UNION UNITED MEETING begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Earth Matters Farm invites Ka`u residents to the meeting and to share their garden eats afterward until 1 p.m. The farm is at the corner of South Point and Kama`oa Roads.
      Speakers include Bob Shaffer, a soil consultant; Gabriel Howearth, founder of Seeds of Change; and Anna Lisa Okoye, from The Kohala Center.
      For more information, call HFUU Ka`u Chapter President Greg Smith at 443-3300.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.


See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.