Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017

A 66 year old albatross living in Hawai`i is making international news as the world's oldest-known breeding bird in the wild.
 See story below. Photo from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP'S "HYPOCRICY in denying Russian interference in the election," was the criticism levied by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono on Thursday, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on cybersecurity threats. “It’s more than ironic that we have a President-elect who kept talking about our elections being rigged, but at the same time denying Russia’s interference in our election." Hirono said.

Sen. Mazie Hirono calls out Donald Trump for hypocracy in
denyingRussian intervention in the U.S. election.
Photo from Sen. Mazie Hirono

     Hirono also questioned the witnesses, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Admiral Michael Rogers of U.S. Cyber Command, about the impact of the President-elect’s disparaging comments about the intelligence community might have on efforts to recruit an experienced and skilled cyber workforce.
   "If this attitude doesn’t change on the part of decision makers, including the President, wouldn’t you agree that it would make it that much harder to attract the kind of experienced cyber workforce we need to protect our country?” Hirono asked.
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SEN. MAZIE HIRONO plans to meet with President-Elect Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense nominee General James Mattis on Friday. Hirono, who is a member of the Senate Armerd Services Committee, said she will press Mattis on his commitment to the Indo-Asia Pacific rebalance, his position on civilian control of the military and and the Trump administration’s views on establishing a fair, impartial system to address sexual assault in the military. The meeting will take place in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
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Chis Todd is the new state Rep.
taking the seat of the late
Clift Tsuji

CHRIS TODD WILL REPLACE THE LATE CLIFT TUSJI as a state House of Representatives member from the Big Island. A statement from Gov. David Ige says: "After careful consideration of three nominees selected by the Hawai‘i County Democratic Party, Gov. David Ige today appointed Chris Todd to the State House of Representatives, District 2. Todd will fill the seat left vacant by the late Rep. Clift Tsuji, who died on Nov. 15, 2016."   
      Todd was born and raised in Hilo, where he earned his college degree in economics and political science from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. He held several positions at the Suisan Fish Market before becoming distribution manager for Hawai‘i Paper Products last year.
     Todd coaches football at Hilo High School. His wife, Britney, is a teacher at Kalanianaole Middle School.
     “I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve my community. I look forward to the hard work ahead and will always keep an open door and mind,” Todd said.
     The governor is required by law to make his selection from a list of nominees submitted by the Democratic Party.
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"WISDOM OF THE ALBATROSS," reports BBC news, writing that the large seabird called Wisdom, "the world’s oldest-known breeding bird in the wild, has laid an egg at 66 years of age after returning to a wildlife refuge in the Pacific Ocean."
     The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff has posted photos from the Midway Atoll in the national wildlife refuge, showing the albatross mom with an egg incubating between her feet. Midway hosts the world's largest colony of albatross.
    BBC reports her story: "Wisdom’s journey back to motherhood, at 66 years of age or possibly older, has amazed staff at the refuge.

One of the offspring of Wisdom the oldest known
albatross. Photo from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

    "Laysan albatrosses, which are monogamous, typically live for 12 to 40 years. They spend the vast majority of their lives in the air, flying thousands of miles each year in search of food across vast tracts of the north Pacific Ocean.
    “'I find it impressive that not only has Wisdom returned for over six decades as the oldest living, breeding bird in the wild, but also that biologists here on Midway have been keeping records that have allowed us to keep track of her over the years,' Charlie Pelizza of the Midway Atoll refuge wrote. 'When I made it to lunch, I knew something was up. The staff was abuzz with the news that Wisdom was back and incubating.'
     "The biologist Chandler Robbins, now 98, first placed an aluminium band around the albatross’s ankle at the Pacific Ocean atoll in 1956. Forty-six years later, Robbins spotted Wisdom among thousands of birds near the same nesting area and affixed a sturdier band to her ankle.
    "Wisdom has fledged at least nine chicks since 2006, and travelled roughly 3m miles in her lifetime. Her latest chick, Kukini, hatched in February.
     "Wildlife officials said Wisdom would be likely to incubate her egg for a number of days until her mate, Akeakamai – a Hawaiian word that means a love of wisdom – returned to take over the incubation and she ventured to sea to eat."
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NEW HULA CLASSES ARE STARTING UP IN PAHALA, under Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder. They will be held on Wednesdays at Pahala Community Center, with registration on Feb. 1 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The classes are sponsored by Uhane Pohaku Na Moku O Hawai`i. Classes are traditional and modern, Kahiko and `Auana.
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VOLCANO WATCH INTRODUCES CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY in this week'
s presentation by scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
     "Most readers are familiar with HVO—the first volcano observatory in the United States, and one of the oldest such facilities in the world. But how well do you know the other four U.S. Geological Survey volcano observatories, and how work in Hawaiʻi has influenced each?
      "We start our exploration with the second oldest USGS observatory—the David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.
      "CVO was founded after the devastating May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, during which the observatory’s namesake lost his life while monitoring the activity. During the two-month buildup to that eruption, a steady stream of volcanologists set up camp in Vancouver, collocated with U.S. Forest Service headquarters. Many of these scientists were current or past Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff, since Hawaiʻi is an ideal place for USGS scientists to gain familiarity with studying and monitoring active volcanoes.
     "Following the catastrophic 1980 eruption, several smaller explosions and lava extrusions occurred at Mount St. Helens, which demanded continuous observation to better understand how the volcano worked and to provide warnings of volcanic hazards. Most of the monitoring techniques used there had been pioneered in Hawaiʻi; for example, laser ranging and tilt to assess deformation, and strategies to sample gas emissions.
    "The acknowledgement that Mount St. Helens is just one of over a dozen large volcanoes in the Cascade Range of Washington, Oregon, and California led to Cascades Volcano Observatory's permanent establishment in 1982. The observatory rapidly built basic monitoring networks on all the volcanoes for which it is responsible.
      "After Mount St. Helens went quiet in 1986, CVO focused attention on other Cascade volcanoes and volcanic processes. Scientists designed experiments to understand volcanic landslides, studied how sediment from a volcano can influence river systems, and mapped each of the volcanoes to better understand their past activity.

Cascades is a sister to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the home of
Mount St. Helens. Photo from USGS

      "Working groups were formed for each Cascade volcano to develop volcano response and coordination plans, which are critical tools for ensuring smooth communications and effective responses during a volcano crisis. The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, a collaborative effort of the USGS and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance that is headquartered at CVO, also quickly grew into a world renowned team of experts that responds to volcanic crises around the world at the request of foreign governments.
      "CVO’s preparation and vigilance paid off when Mount St. Helens rumbled back to life in September 2004, beginning a period of lava dome growth with occasional small explosions that lasted until early 2008. The eruption was a great opportunity for scientists to further develop new technologies to study the eruption, including remote cameras (based on an HVO design), as well as robotic “spiders” that hosted multi-parameter instrument packages and could be deployed by helicopter.
      "After 2008, CVO embarked on a mission to upgrade monitoring at all Cascade volcanoes, including better seismic networks, continuous GPS stations, gas monitoring sensors, and other instruments. In 2004, there were only four continuous GPS stations dedicated to volcano monitoring in the Cascades—one at Mount St. Helens and three at South Sister, Oregon. Today, there are several dozen GPS stations spread across the Range.
      "CVO’s work is not done, however. Some Cascade volcanoes still have relatively few monitoring instruments. Educating local populations about volcanic hazards—especially if the “volcano in their backyard” hasn’t erupted in several hundred years—also remains a priority. In these efforts, CVO and HVO work together, exchanging staff to facilitate the sharing of ideas and best practices.
      "Next week, we’ll visit the observatory that tracks volcanoes in the Last Frontier—Alaska! Until then, please join us for this coming week’s Volcano Awareness Month talks at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Jan. 10 and Hilo’s Lyman Museum on Jan. 12.
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VOLCANO ACTIVITY UPDATES: Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 9 and 34 m (30–112 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g lava flow was still active and entering the ocean near Kamokuna. On Dec. 31, nearly all the eastern Kamokuna lava delta collapsed into the ocean, along with a large section of the older sea cliff east of the delta. Significant hazards are associated with ocean entries and delta collapses, so visitors to the coastal lava viewing area are cautioned to heed all warning signs and to stay outside closed areas. A younger branch of the 61g flow is advancing slowly to the east of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, but none of the 61g flows pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.
     ew small-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath the volcano, primarily in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit caldera at depths less than 5 km (3 miles). GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone.
      No earthquakes were reported felt on the Island of Hawaiʻi during the past week.
      Visit the HVO website http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
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SPAGHETTI DINNER FUNDRAISER at St. Jude's Church in Ocean View on Friday, Jan. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 for one person or  $15 for two, $20 for a family. 939-7555.

TIMELESS TREASURES, Saturday, Jan. 7 - Feb. 12. Illustrations of Hawaiian folklore by artist Dietrich Varez on display at Volcano Art Center Gallery, daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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