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| As lava continues to enter the ocean at an area referred to as Kamokuna, it forms a delta that creates many hazards. See more below. Photo from USGS/Hawaiian Volcano Observatory |
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| Tawhiri Power's Draft Pakini Nui Habitat Conservation Plan is the subject of a public meeting Thursday. Photo by Peter Anderson |
As of March 2016, two endangered Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) fatalities have been observed at the facility. Tawhiri has determined that the incidental take (a legal term including, but not limited to, any type of harm or harassment) of four endangered species could occur from continued facility operation: Hawaiian hoary bat, Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis), band-rumped storm petrel (Oceanodroma castro) and Hawaiian goose (Nene; Branta sandvicensis).
Low wind speed curtailment will be employed as a minimization measure. Mitigation for the Hawaiian hoary bat will consist of habitat improvement at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and associated bat monitoring to evaluate improvement.
Mitigation for the Hawaiian petrel and band-rumped storm petrel will consist of a monetary contribution toward maintenance of a cat-proof fence around a petrel nesting colony at Kahuku, along with predator control. Mitigation for nene is contribution of funding to the Department of Fish & Wildlife for recovery of the species. All mitigation measures were developed to provide a net ecological benefit to the species, according the state Department of Land & Natural Resources.
Copies of the draft HCP are available for review as a link provided in the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s June 8, 2016 issue of the Environmental Notice. Copies will also be available at the public hearing.
Lalamilo's HCP will also be considered at the meeting. That project is in South Kohala.
Persons who are unable to attend the hearing and wish to provide testimony may send comments to Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325, Honolulu, HI 96813, attention Kate Cullison, or katherine.cullison@hawaii.gov. Comments should be received by Monday, Aug. 8.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Mitigation for the Hawaiian petrel and band-rumped storm petrel will consist of a monetary contribution toward maintenance of a cat-proof fence around a petrel nesting colony at Kahuku, along with predator control. Mitigation for nene is contribution of funding to the Department of Fish & Wildlife for recovery of the species. All mitigation measures were developed to provide a net ecological benefit to the species, according the state Department of Land & Natural Resources.
Copies of the draft HCP are available for review as a link provided in the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s June 8, 2016 issue of the Environmental Notice. Copies will also be available at the public hearing.
Lalamilo's HCP will also be considered at the meeting. That project is in South Kohala.
Persons who are unable to attend the hearing and wish to provide testimony may send comments to Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325, Honolulu, HI 96813, attention Kate Cullison, or katherine.cullison@hawaii.gov. Comments should be received by Monday, Aug. 8.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| Apply for free school meals. Image from HIDOE |
HAWAI`I STATE DEPARTMENT of Education offers free and reduced price meals for children unable to pay the full price of meals served under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Each school has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by an interested party.
Children from households whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Applications are now being accepted for the current 2016-2017 school year. Application forms are being sent home with a letter to parent/guardian. To apply for free or reduced price meals, households should submit an electronic application online at ezmealapp.com or complete a paper application. The information provided on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program officials.
For officials to determine eligibility, households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families must list the child’s name, date of birth, grade, school code and their SNAP or TANF case number and the signature and name of an adult household member. Households not receiving SNAP or TANF must list the names of everyone in the household, the amount of income received by each person, how often the income is received and the source of the income, the name and last four digits of Social Security number of the household’s primary wage earner, or if no adult household members have a Social Security number, leave this space blank and mark the box labeled “Check if no SSN” and the signature of an adult household member.
See hawaiipublicschools.org.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Applications are now being accepted for the current 2016-2017 school year. Application forms are being sent home with a letter to parent/guardian. To apply for free or reduced price meals, households should submit an electronic application online at ezmealapp.com or complete a paper application. The information provided on the application will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program officials.
For officials to determine eligibility, households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families must list the child’s name, date of birth, grade, school code and their SNAP or TANF case number and the signature and name of an adult household member. Households not receiving SNAP or TANF must list the names of everyone in the household, the amount of income received by each person, how often the income is received and the source of the income, the name and last four digits of Social Security number of the household’s primary wage earner, or if no adult household members have a Social Security number, leave this space blank and mark the box labeled “Check if no SSN” and the signature of an adult household member.
See hawaiipublicschools.org.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| A lava delta is forming at Kilauea's ocean entry site. Photo from HVO |
FORMATION AND DANGERS of lava deltas are explained in UHawaiian Volcano Observatory’s current issue of Volcano Watch. Lava recently began entering the ocean at Kamokuna, near Kalapana.
“Lava streaming into the ocean cools rapidly and shatters into sand-sized and larger angular pieces of glassy rock,” scientists explain. “As these fragments accumulate on the steep submarine slope, they build an unstable foundation upon which lava flows can spread above sea level. This new land is called a lava delta.
“As lava deltas grow seaward and along the shoreline, they slowly settle or sink as the loose debris shifts under the weight of the overlying lava flows. When the underlying debris can no longer support a delta's growing mass, or is undercut by a deeper submarine landslide, the delta collapses into the ocean.
“During a collapse, hot rocks, molten lava within tubes, and/or surface lava flows instantly come into contact with seawater. With temperatures higher than 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit), active lava causes seawater to flash to steam, which triggers an explosive blast of rocks, steam, and molten lava fragments into the air. The largest of these explosions have hurled rocks nearly a meter (yard) in size as far as about 300 m (330 yards) inland from the collapsed delta and have scattered rock debris over areas the size of several football fields.
“During a large delta collapse in 1993, and despite a well-posted closure in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, a photographer was swept out to sea. More than a dozen other people were also injured when they attempted to flee the hot rocks and lava fragments hurled onshore.
“Unexpected large waves produced by normal ocean swells or sudden collapse of an active lava delta can send scalding hot water crashing onto shore, both inland and adjacent to lava deltas. People standing in these areas have received second-degree burns from the hot water swept onshore. In 2000, the deaths of two severely burned individuals found near an active coastal lava flow were caused by the inhalation of acidic steam from the ocean entry, according to the medical examiner.
“Scientists cannot predict the timing or size of a delta collapse, or the exact direction or distance that rocks will be hurled during a collapse-triggered explosion. The best way to avoid these hazards is to never walk onto an active lava delta, and, once a new lava delta extends a few tens of meters (yards) from the old sea cliff, stay at least 400 m (one-quarter mile) away from where lava enters the sea. Small rock fragments can even fall beyond this distance during large explosions triggered by lava delta collapse.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
“As lava deltas grow seaward and along the shoreline, they slowly settle or sink as the loose debris shifts under the weight of the overlying lava flows. When the underlying debris can no longer support a delta's growing mass, or is undercut by a deeper submarine landslide, the delta collapses into the ocean.
“During a collapse, hot rocks, molten lava within tubes, and/or surface lava flows instantly come into contact with seawater. With temperatures higher than 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit), active lava causes seawater to flash to steam, which triggers an explosive blast of rocks, steam, and molten lava fragments into the air. The largest of these explosions have hurled rocks nearly a meter (yard) in size as far as about 300 m (330 yards) inland from the collapsed delta and have scattered rock debris over areas the size of several football fields.
“During a large delta collapse in 1993, and despite a well-posted closure in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, a photographer was swept out to sea. More than a dozen other people were also injured when they attempted to flee the hot rocks and lava fragments hurled onshore.
“Unexpected large waves produced by normal ocean swells or sudden collapse of an active lava delta can send scalding hot water crashing onto shore, both inland and adjacent to lava deltas. People standing in these areas have received second-degree burns from the hot water swept onshore. In 2000, the deaths of two severely burned individuals found near an active coastal lava flow were caused by the inhalation of acidic steam from the ocean entry, according to the medical examiner.
“Scientists cannot predict the timing or size of a delta collapse, or the exact direction or distance that rocks will be hurled during a collapse-triggered explosion. The best way to avoid these hazards is to never walk onto an active lava delta, and, once a new lava delta extends a few tens of meters (yards) from the old sea cliff, stay at least 400 m (one-quarter mile) away from where lava enters the sea. Small rock fragments can even fall beyond this distance during large explosions triggered by lava delta collapse.”
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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| Marlene Hapai meets Ka`u residents at Ocean View Community Center Monday evening. |
MEET MARLENE HAPAI Monday at 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Hapai is a candidate for Hawai`i County mayor. Call 939-7033 for more information.
HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK celebrates its 100th birthday Monday by waiving entry fees. At Kilauea Visitor Center, enjoy cookies and music at 9 a.m., plus cultural demonstrations and turtle program information from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park gives away 100 native seedlings each of koa and mamaki trees to local residents Monday at 9 a.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
EARLY WALK-IN VOTING for the Aug. 13 primary election begins next week. Weekdays between Monday, Aug. 1 and Thursday, Aug. 11, hours are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. For election information, call 961-8277.
KA`U HIGH & PAHALA Elementary School presents a Back-to-School Kick-Off Monday at 3 p.m. An Informational Fair continues to 5 p.m., and light dinner and welcome is at 5:15 p.m. Visit classrooms and meet teachers from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Call 313-4100 for more information.
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/news/news.html. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
