Monday, December 26, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Dec. 26, 2016


Visitors enjoy a guided hike to Pu‘ū o Lokuana cindercone. See story on next year's Kahuku hikes below.
NPS Photo/Janice Wei


2017  PRESIDENT FOR OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION will be  Ron Gall, currently serving as Vice President. Gall takes over as President Sandi Alexander retires.
Ron Gall, new President of Ocean View
Community Association.
Photo by Ann Bosted
     Gall was born and raised in Oregon where he was educated and worked until he retired in 2003. He moved to the Big Island, living first in Miloli`i, then Captain Cook. He and his wife Karen moved to Ocean View five-and-half years ago. After a year on the board, he became Vice President in February 2015.
    Asked what he considered to be the biggest challenge of the new job, Gall replied, “Meeting the expectations of the community and being consistent.”
    Gall summed it up: “We, who volunteer to work for the community, are often asked by prospective members ‘What do I get for my dues’ to which I have to reply that paying dues is a commitment to the community. I feel like JFK – telling them to not ask what the community can do for them, but what they can do for the community.
    “I believe the association should bring people together – not just Ocean View, but all of Ka`u. We need to build community spirit. We rely on volunteers to man the office every weekday morning, to provide the annual Thanksgiving dinner, and other meals like the pancake breakfast.
    “Dues are necessary just to cover our overhead. Insurance at $7,000 a year is a big expense towards keeping the Community Center open. Renting out the building is our biggest source of income, followed by dues, donations and advertising in the newsletter.  This is not a country club. We need community support.
   “I would like to see the community adopt new programs, such as cleaning up the neighborhood. But we also need to take care of necessities – like maintaining the building that dates back to 1979.  It needs a new roof, so we need more members to join and help.”
    Anyone wanting to volunteer, donate or otherwise help Ocean View Community Association can call Gall at 939-7033.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Friendraiser hosted games for keiki.
Photos from Na`alehu School
THE FIRST FRIENDRAISER AT NA`ALEHU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL drew about 150 people  recently. ʻOhana and students gathered for fun, games, prizes, and, most importantly, to make new friends and strengthen existing bonds.  
Fun on the field at the Na`alehu Schoo
Friendraiser event.
     School staff and helpers volunteered their time to run booths and man the event. The community also supported the sixth graders in holding a successful bake sale during the day. Future fundraisers are planned to support the upcoming sixth grade graduation and banquet.
     Student council advisors and sixth grade teachers, Amberly Keohuloa and Nellie Davis,  thanked Punalu’u Bake Shop, KTA, Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Flyin’ Hawaiian Coffee Truck, McDonalds, Hana Hou, Edmund C. Olson, Fitzner Custom Welding, Thomas King Custom Wood Work and Wong Yuen Store for their donations. They also thanked teachers, staff, and the planning committee for all of their hard work in making sure this day happened for all and principal Darlene Javar, "for letting it all happen," they said in a statement.
Nellie Davis and Amberly Keohuloa,
student council advisors and sixth
grade teachers at Na`alehu School.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

KA`U FOOD PANTRY holds its next distribution tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 27 at St. Jude's Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle-mauka from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers are welcomed, beginning at 9 a.m. Ka`u Food Pantry, Inc. is staffed  by volunteers, the non-profit agency's mission to feed the hungry of Ocean View. About 150 families are served by Ka`u Food Pantry, providing one to three days of nutritious food to help people who run short of money, benefits or food by the end of each month.
   Donations of non-perishible foods and funding are welcomed. Ka`u Food Pantry is able to purchase food from the Hawai`i Food Basket for 18 cents a pound. One dollar can buy a half a case of food to help the community. Cash donations may be deductible under IRS Code 501. 
     Write checks to St,. Jude's with Food Pantry on the memo line. One hundred percent of any donation goes to the Food Pantry. Send to St. Jude's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 6026, Ocean view, HI 96737.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

FREE GUIDED HIKES AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK are scheduled for January through March, 2017. Visitors can also explore Kahuku on their own on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Enter the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended. Entrance and all programs are free.
Visitors enjoy a guided hike to Pu‘ū o Lokuana cindercone.
NPS Photo/Janice Wei
    
     Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone  - Take a short, guided hike to an overlook located on the Upper Palm Trail. From the overlook, park rangers point out the prominent geologic features that define the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Learn about the eruptions that created these features and the cultural traditions associated with them. The Mauna Loa Southwest Rift Zone program is offered Jan. 7 and March 25; from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     Pu‘u o Lokuana is a short, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone, Pu‘u o Lokuana. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy an expansive view of lower Ka‘ū. This hike is offered Jan. 8, Feb. 5 and March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
     Birth of Kahuku. Explore the rich geologic history of Kahuku. Traverse the vast 1868 lava flow, see different volcano features and formations, and identify many parts of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku. This guided easy-to-moderate hike is offered Jan. 14 and March 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     People and Land of Kahuku is a moderate two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields, and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored this land. The guided hike is offered Jan. 15, Feb. 19 and March 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
     Palm Trail is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop traversing scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Highlights include relics of the ranching era, sections of remnant native forest and amazing volcanic features from the 1868 eruptive fissures. A guided hike of Palm Trail is offered Jan. 21, Jan. 29, Feb. 26, and March 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Palm Trail in the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
NPS Photo/Sami Steinkamp
    
      ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua - Learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree, and the lehua flower. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku on this program, which is an easy, one-mile (or less) walk. The ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua program is offered Jan. 22, Feb. 12, and March 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
     Pele & Hi‘iaka. - Discover two fascinating Hawaiian goddesses, sisters Pelehonuamea (Pele) and Hi‘iaka, and the natural phenomena they represent. Visitors will experience the sisters coming alive through the epic stories depicted in the natural landscape of Kahuku on this easy 1.7-mile walk on the main road in Kahuku. The Hi‘iaka and Pele program is offered Jan. 28 and Feb. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
     Realms and Divisions of Kahuku - Experience the sense of place that evolves at the intersection of nature and culture on this moderately difficult two-mile, two-hour guided hike on the Kahuku Unit’s newest trail, Pu‘u Kahuku. Explore the realms and divisions of the traditional Hawaiian classification system at Kahuku. This hike is offered Feb. 11 and March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
     Keep up with Kahuku events and visit the calendar on the park website, https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm, and download the Kahuku Site Bulletin https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/upload/2013_11_05-Kahuku-Site-Bulletin.pdf

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY is ongoing through the holidays at Volcano Art Center in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DECORATED Kilauea Military Camp cottage through the holidays.
www.kaucalendar.com