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| The state of conservation in Hawai`i and what it means to have hosted the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress are topics at After Dark in the Park tomorrow. Image from IUCN |
THE IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS closed Saturday in Honolulu, setting the global conservation agenda for the next four years and defining a roadmap for implementation of historic agreements adopted in 2015.
“Clearly Hawai`i’s commitments to conservation and sustainability are aligned with the world’s priorities and with the strategic issues of importance to the International Union for Conservation of Nature,” observed Gov. David Ige, on the last day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Hawai`i 2016. Thousands of delegates and members from 192 member countries spent ten days in Hawai`i at the planet’s most important and high-level conservation gathering. Ige deemed it a tremendous success and thanked state and federal agencies, elected officials, conservation organizations and volunteers who consistently spread the message: “What is clear now, more than ever before, is that we are in this together – one canoe navigating Island Earth.” |
| Photo from DLNR |
The congress provided dozens of opportunities to share the message of aloha and malama honua and to show the world why Hawai’i is so special. At the opening ceremony, Ige emphasized this continuing theme by announcing the state’s Sustainable Hawai`i Initiative. It includes the governor’s commitment to protect 30 percent of priority watersheds and effectively manage 30 percent of our nearshore ocean waters by 2030.
“My Sustainable Hawai`i Initiative, and the efforts of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and all of our partners, are very much in line with the global agenda discussed during the IUCN Members’ Assembly,” Ige said. “Effective management of our lands and ocean and the importance of youth and indigenous culture to conservation efforts were focal points of discussion. By fulfilling our promises here in Hawai`i, we are directly contributing to the global agenda of achieving a more resilient and sustainable Island Earth.”
During the congress, Ige also announced that Hawai`i is joining the Global Island Partnership and will take the Aloha+ Challenge sustainability model to other island communities. These efforts were supported through one of the seven Hawai`i motions, drafted by students from the University of Hawai`i Richardson School of Law, that received international support and were passed unanimously at the Congress.
“The Congress created an unprecedented opportunity to build on the successes of DLNR and other state agencies, the Legislature and our many partners to show the world that we are committed to our core conservation programs and to maintaining our unique way of life,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. “In the days leading up to the congress and over the past ten days, Hawai`i’s conservation efforts received an unparalleled level of attention and awareness. Now the challenge is to continue the momentum created by this experience and engage every single person in Hawai`i and our millions of visitors in doing their part to help protect, preserve and restore the natural and cultural attributes that make our island home such a special place.”
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During the congress, Ige also announced that Hawai`i is joining the Global Island Partnership and will take the Aloha+ Challenge sustainability model to other island communities. These efforts were supported through one of the seven Hawai`i motions, drafted by students from the University of Hawai`i Richardson School of Law, that received international support and were passed unanimously at the Congress.
“The Congress created an unprecedented opportunity to build on the successes of DLNR and other state agencies, the Legislature and our many partners to show the world that we are committed to our core conservation programs and to maintaining our unique way of life,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. “In the days leading up to the congress and over the past ten days, Hawai`i’s conservation efforts received an unparalleled level of attention and awareness. Now the challenge is to continue the momentum created by this experience and engage every single person in Hawai`i and our millions of visitors in doing their part to help protect, preserve and restore the natural and cultural attributes that make our island home such a special place.”
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| Ka`u Learning Academy seeks county approval to increase enrollment. Photo from KLA |
EXPANSION OF KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY in on the agenda of Hawai`i County Windward Planning Commission’s next meeting.
KLA founder Kathryn Tydlacka filed a request to amend a special permit to increase permitted enrollment at the public charter school from 65 students to 100 students and to allow for related facility improvements to accommodate the increase in enrollment. Special Permit No. 14-172 was originally approved to allow establishment of a public charter school and related uses with a maximum enrollment of 65 students within the former Discovery Harbour Golf Course clubhouse situated on 3.69 acres of land within the state Land Use Agricultural District. The property is located at 94-1581 Kaulua Circle.
The meeting takes place on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo.
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The meeting takes place on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S Alcohol and Substance Abuse Division has received an $8.4 million federal grant to launch a large-scale, integrated substance abuse treatment program involving a number of community partners to reverse alarming trends in alcohol and substance abuse among adults, particularly Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
The announcement of the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment grant award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration coincides with National Recovery Month in September.
The announcement of the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment grant award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration coincides with National Recovery Month in September.
“This is great news for Hawai`i because we need to stem the tide,” said Edward Mersereau, chief of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Division. “The federal funds will augment state funding to expand Hawai`i’s capacity to address the needs of individuals at risk for and those who are living with substance abuse and co-existing disorders.”
According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hawai`i ranks among the highest in the nation for excessive drinking rates. In 2015, Hawai`i’s rate increased to 21 percent of residents engaged in excessive drinking, while the national average declined to 17 percent.
The CDC data also showed there was a steady increase in the percentage of women in Hawai`i who drink alcohol during their last three months of pregnancy, climbing from 4.3 percent to 7.9 percent from 2000 to 2015.
According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among individuals who are 12 years and older, 11.3 percent of Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders abuse or are dependent upon substances.
In Hawai`i, there are gaps in service that make access to quality healthcare challenging for residents in geographically remote locations. This is often exacerbated by provider shortages and disconnected systems of care. This results in a small number of the state’s population consuming a proportionately higher percent of Hawai`i’s healthcare resources.
“It will take collaboration with various partners to usher in positive change,” Mersereau said. “The grant will greatly enhance the coordination between primary care and substance abuse treatment providers across the spectrum of care and begin to tear down the historical silos between these provider communities. These partnerships will create a stronger, more effective and sustainable continuum of care. We have to reinvent the current system to have a more integrated, prevention-oriented approach.”
The grant will cover a five-year period and involve screenings, brief interventions and referrals to specialty treatment services in primary care clinics. The plan is to initiate the project at a small number of Hawai`i’s 14 federally qualified health centers, which would be selected based on the diverse ethnic populations they serve and the high need for substance abuse treatment in their geographical area. The project also intends to expand to a minimum of 25 smaller primary care providers during the course of the grant. The goal is to partner with various health plans and providers in order to increase the capacity of SBIRT in primary care settings.
“We believe we are on the right path toward improving overall health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in communities across our state, and we will continue to work toward identifying systemic policy changes that increase access to treatment in primary care and behavioral health specialist settings,” Mersereau said.
According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hawai`i ranks among the highest in the nation for excessive drinking rates. In 2015, Hawai`i’s rate increased to 21 percent of residents engaged in excessive drinking, while the national average declined to 17 percent.
The CDC data also showed there was a steady increase in the percentage of women in Hawai`i who drink alcohol during their last three months of pregnancy, climbing from 4.3 percent to 7.9 percent from 2000 to 2015.
According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among individuals who are 12 years and older, 11.3 percent of Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders abuse or are dependent upon substances.
In Hawai`i, there are gaps in service that make access to quality healthcare challenging for residents in geographically remote locations. This is often exacerbated by provider shortages and disconnected systems of care. This results in a small number of the state’s population consuming a proportionately higher percent of Hawai`i’s healthcare resources.
“It will take collaboration with various partners to usher in positive change,” Mersereau said. “The grant will greatly enhance the coordination between primary care and substance abuse treatment providers across the spectrum of care and begin to tear down the historical silos between these provider communities. These partnerships will create a stronger, more effective and sustainable continuum of care. We have to reinvent the current system to have a more integrated, prevention-oriented approach.”
The grant will cover a five-year period and involve screenings, brief interventions and referrals to specialty treatment services in primary care clinics. The plan is to initiate the project at a small number of Hawai`i’s 14 federally qualified health centers, which would be selected based on the diverse ethnic populations they serve and the high need for substance abuse treatment in their geographical area. The project also intends to expand to a minimum of 25 smaller primary care providers during the course of the grant. The goal is to partner with various health plans and providers in order to increase the capacity of SBIRT in primary care settings.
“We believe we are on the right path toward improving overall health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in communities across our state, and we will continue to work toward identifying systemic policy changes that increase access to treatment in primary care and behavioral health specialist settings,” Mersereau said.
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| Karen Masaki Photo from VAC |
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KAREN MASAKI GETS PARTICIPANTS’ BODIES moving in a four-session workshop on for consecutive Tuesdays beginning tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village.
The Dance Imagined classes explore basic dance technique combined with the pure exhilaration of movement. “Smooth, spikey, graceful, flailing, focused, indirect – whatever can be imagined within provides the source for movement without,” Masaki said.
The Dance Imagined classes explore basic dance technique combined with the pure exhilaration of movement. “Smooth, spikey, graceful, flailing, focused, indirect – whatever can be imagined within provides the source for movement without,” Masaki said.
Classes start with a general warm up, moving through all body parts to get the blood flowing and joints loosened. Focus then shifts to basics of modern dance technique with emphasis on alignment, strengthening legs and feet, working from the core and increasing expressive potential through the torso and arms. A free dance segment follows, accompanied by music ranging from classical to rock to jazz to alternative. Classes end with a movement and breathing exercise.
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| Former HVNP Superintendent Bryan Harry Photo from NPS |
This workshop is appropriate for all who love to move. No dance experience is necessary, and the technique portion will be a basic introduction.
Register at 967-8222 or volcanoartcenter.org.
Register at 967-8222 or volcanoartcenter.org.
CONSERVATION IN HAWAI`I: A Living Legacy is the topic tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Bryan Harry, former superintendent of the park and founding member of Hawai`i Conservation Alliance, discusses the state of conservation in Hawai`i and what it means for Hawai`i to host the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
$2 donations support After Dark in the Park programs; park entrance fees apply.
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. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
