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| Tropic Care Army Reserve personnel completed their Ka`u tour of duty yesterday. See more below. Photo from Jessie Marques/Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. |
KA`U’S AINAPO TRAIL IS FEATURED on Hawai`i’s new website, the prime resource for state forest hikers. Managed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Division of Forestry and Wildlife, one of the most important features of the site, hawaiitrails.org, is its mobile-responsive design allowing it to adjust to a variety of different devices and screen sizes. In addition, the updated website provides hikers with useful resources and content not found on or provided by other online sources such as trail head directions via GPS, detailed information on approved trail use activities, trail features, amenities, and timely weather and safety/hazard warnings. Features of the new and improved Na Ala Hele website include Google map interface, integrated GPS trail head location finder, mobile first responsive web design, click on trail or search for trail options, trail details and information search engine, easy-to-read trail information sections and updated photos and content.
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| Ainapo Trail offers expansive ocean views. Photo from Na Ala Hele |
“We wanted an entirely new look and to establish it as the official site for all authorized public forestry program trails and roads,” said Aaron Lowe, Na Ala Hele’s acting program manager and project lead. “We have created the one and only stop for people who are looking for sanctioned, improved trails. All other trails, with the exception of a few other state and city trails, are not improved, and therefore are most likely closed and/or dangerous. People need to know this.”
In addition to the new features, the Na Ala Hele staff has been working to collect new photographs of trailhead signs, trail features, amenities, points of interest and views to upload to the new site. The program hired Hawai`i trail writer Stuart Ball to update trail descriptions statewide.
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| Ainapo Trail ends at the summit of Mauna Loa. Map from Na Ala Hele |
The Na Ala Hele program contracted the Hawai`i Information Consortium to redesign and build the site. Since that time, both Na Ala Hele staff and HIC have been working to make the website and mobile version user-friendly. HIC used a User-Centered Design approach by inviting multiple users with varying degrees of technical ability to perform different assigned tasks on the new site. This provided developers an opportunity to collect user feedback about what worked and what needed to be fixed or changed.
“UCD allows us to put the users first and design a site to meet their needs rather than expecting them to adapt to the site,” said Russell Castagnaro, HIC General Manager. “This has been a fun and exciting project to be a part of. It is always a pleasure working with Aaron and the Na Ala Hele staff, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with Na Ala Hele in the future.”
DLNR’s Division of State Parks maintains its own website with information about state parks in Hawai`i and hiking trails in the parks at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/.
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DLNR’s Division of State Parks maintains its own website with information about state parks in Hawai`i and hiking trails in the parks at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/.
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| Army Reserve personnel show their shakas in Tropic Care's pharmacy at Ka`u High School. Photo by Michael Worthington |
TROPIC CARE ARMY RESERVE personnel completed their Ka`u tour of duty yesterday. It was the second time the Army Innovative Readiness Training mission brought trainees to the remote district. It previously set up camp in June 2013.
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| Normand Dufresne and Jewel Castro, of Hawai`i Island HIV/AIDS Foundation, reached out to the community during Tropic Care. Photo by Michael Worthington |
Ka`u residents received free medical screenings, school sports physicals, dental services, eye exams, hearing screenings, nutritional services, veteran services, prescription eyeglasses and more when Tropic Care began on Tuesday at Ocean View Community Center and Ka`u High School.
Sponsors included Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, County of Hawai`i and Hawai`i Department of Health.
Tropic Care services are available at Kea`au High School this Tuesday through Saturday.
Tropic Care services are available at Kea`au High School this Tuesday through Saturday.
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KA`U RESIDENTS CAN NOW APPLY to be permanent absentee voters. The Office of Hawai`i County Clerk is sending out applications that will authorize employees to mail an absentee ballot automatically for all upcoming elections.
Seasonal absentee ballot applications, which are for the upcoming August elections, are available online at http://elections.hawaii.gov.
For more information, call 961-8277 or email hiloelec@hawaiicounty.gov.
Seasonal absentee ballot applications, which are for the upcoming August elections, are available online at http://elections.hawaii.gov.
For more information, call 961-8277 or email hiloelec@hawaiicounty.gov.
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IN THE CURRENT ISSUE OF Volcano Watch, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists ask, “Where (and how) you gonna go when the volcano flows?”
“In his popular single Volcano, Jimmy Buffett sings, “I don’t know where I’m a gonna go when the volcano blow,” the article states. “His lyrics referred to Soufrière Hills, a then-dormant volcano on the island of Montserrat in the West Indies, where he recorded the song in 1979. Sixteen years later, the volcano erupted for the first time in over 400 years.
“In his popular single Volcano, Jimmy Buffett sings, “I don’t know where I’m a gonna go when the volcano blow,” the article states. “His lyrics referred to Soufrière Hills, a then-dormant volcano on the island of Montserrat in the West Indies, where he recorded the song in 1979. Sixteen years later, the volcano erupted for the first time in over 400 years.
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In the past 148 years, lava flows erupted from Mauna Loa's
Southwest Rift Zone have crossed Hawaiʻi Island’s
main road (now Hwy 11) six times.
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“Island of Hawai`i residents, especially those living in South Kona and Ka`u Districts, which are at particular risk from Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone, might also wonder where they’re gonna go when the volcano erupts – even if it flows, rather than “blows.” But, more than knowing where to go, a greater challenge might be how to get there.
“Hawai`i Island’s Highway 11 is a busy roadway, used by both residents and visitors to travel between West and East Hawai`i. When people drive the stretch of road between the South Point Road intersection (Ka`u) and Ho`okena (South Kona), they likely notice the lava flows alongside the highway, but may not give much thought to the lava’s origin or impacts.
“In the past 148 years, Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone eruptions have sent lava flows across the main road six times – in 1868, 1887, 1907, 1919, 1926 and 1950. Some of these eruptions sent more than one lava flow across the roadway, blocking traffic in several places for weeks or longer.
“The 1868 lava flow is visible from Highway 11 at mile-markers 70-72, just west of the South Point Road intersection. This lava flow was part of a series of events that started on March 27 with a brief Mauna Loa summit eruption, which initiated up to 100 or more felt earthquakes each day.
“Then, on April 2, 1868, the strongest earthquake known so far in Hawai`i struck. With an estimated magnitude of 7.9, this earthquake, probably centered in Ka`u, literally knocked people off their feet – or off their horses, if they were riding – and destroyed rock walls and structures throughout the district. It also triggered multiple landslides, one of which rushed through a village as a mud flow that killed 31 Hawaiian farmers and generated a tsunami that swept the Ka`u and Puna coastlines and killed another 41 people. Earthquakes continued for the next five days but were weaker and less frequent.
“In the past 148 years, Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone eruptions have sent lava flows across the main road six times – in 1868, 1887, 1907, 1919, 1926 and 1950. Some of these eruptions sent more than one lava flow across the roadway, blocking traffic in several places for weeks or longer.
“The 1868 lava flow is visible from Highway 11 at mile-markers 70-72, just west of the South Point Road intersection. This lava flow was part of a series of events that started on March 27 with a brief Mauna Loa summit eruption, which initiated up to 100 or more felt earthquakes each day.
“Then, on April 2, 1868, the strongest earthquake known so far in Hawai`i struck. With an estimated magnitude of 7.9, this earthquake, probably centered in Ka`u, literally knocked people off their feet – or off their horses, if they were riding – and destroyed rock walls and structures throughout the district. It also triggered multiple landslides, one of which rushed through a village as a mud flow that killed 31 Hawaiian farmers and generated a tsunami that swept the Ka`u and Puna coastlines and killed another 41 people. Earthquakes continued for the next five days but were weaker and less frequent.
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The 1887 lava flow crossed the government road (about 1,000 feet
south of today's Hwy 11, traveling nine miles in less than nine
hours. Photo from USGS HVO by J.J. Williams, courtesy of NPS
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“On April 7, a voluminous eruption began low on Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone. Lava gushed from a fissure and quickly advanced downslope, crossing an area of today’s Highway 11 and reaching the ocean, a distance of about 16 kilometers (10 miles), in about three hours. Area residents fled their homes and escaped, but 37 buildings in Ka`u were destroyed. The eruption ended on April 11, 1868.
“Continuing west on Highway 11, near mile-markers 73-74, you can see the 1887 lava flow. The eruption started on Jan. 16, when lava briefly broke out at the summit of Mauna Loa. Two days later, fissures on the volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone, just above what is now Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, erupted a channelized `a`a flow that advanced 24 km (15 mi) to the ocean in about a day. The eruption, which was accompanied by frequent and sometimes strong earthquakes, shut off on Feb. 2.
“The 1907 Mauna Loa lava flow crossed the government road (predecessor of Highway 11) in two places – near today’s mile-markers 75 and 78-79. The 1907 eruption began just after midnight on Jan. 10, when glow was noticed at Mauna Loa’s summit, followed four hours later by a Southwest Rift Zone eruption west of the 1887 vent.
“Lava spewing from this vent quickly split into two branches, changing from pahoehoe to `a`a flows, reportedly up to nine m (30 ft) thick, as they moved downslope. Within three days, both branches had crossed the government road, where they burned telephone poles, cutting off all communication, and blocked traffic. The 1907 flow did not reach the ocean, but had it not split, it might have. The eruption lasted about two weeks.
“The 1919, 1926 and 1950 Mauna Loa eruptions and their impacts on the circle-island road will be described in next week’s Volcano Watch. For now, think about where (and how) you’re gonna go when the volcano flows.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
“The 1907 Mauna Loa lava flow crossed the government road (predecessor of Highway 11) in two places – near today’s mile-markers 75 and 78-79. The 1907 eruption began just after midnight on Jan. 10, when glow was noticed at Mauna Loa’s summit, followed four hours later by a Southwest Rift Zone eruption west of the 1887 vent.
“Lava spewing from this vent quickly split into two branches, changing from pahoehoe to `a`a flows, reportedly up to nine m (30 ft) thick, as they moved downslope. Within three days, both branches had crossed the government road, where they burned telephone poles, cutting off all communication, and blocked traffic. The 1907 flow did not reach the ocean, but had it not split, it might have. The eruption lasted about two weeks.
“The 1919, 1926 and 1950 Mauna Loa eruptions and their impacts on the circle-island road will be described in next week’s Volcano Watch. For now, think about where (and how) you’re gonna go when the volcano flows.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| After Dark in the Park features the Hawaiian language opera Ha`upu. Image from NPS |
KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS HAWAI`I presents the Hawaiian language opera Ha`upu Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitory Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Based on the legend of Hina and her son Kana, this all-school production tells the story through beautiful and powerful mele (song), oli (chant) and hula (dance). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and seating is limited.
Free; park entrance fees apply.
KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life during A Walk into the Past. Programs are every Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
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/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June_2016.pdf. |
