Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017

Stewarding Kawa, from its archaeolgical to surfing sites, is the aim of four non-profit organizations. See story below.
 Photo by Julia Neal

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO MEETS WITH THREE NOMINEES FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP'S CABINET on Thursday. First, Hirono interviews Trump's Secretary of Energy nominee, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 10 a.m. Hirono meets with Trump's Small Business Administrator nominee Linda Mcmahon at noon and Trump's Secretary of the Interior nominee Ryan Zinke at 2:30 p.m. All of the meetings will be at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Hirono will be able to question these cabinet nominations, as she has served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee since 2015. 

     In regard to the Secretary of the Interior nominee, Hirono has been instrumental in federal funding for the operation of parklands and acquisition of preserves acquired in the last decade by the federal government, the state and county in Ka`u.

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THE NEW TELEHEALTH KIOSK FOR KA`U WILL BE UNVEILED FRIDAY, Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc.'s buiilding in Pahala. "KRHCAI's board of directors is excited and eager to promote the use of the telehealth kiosk in our rural medically underserved community because many who don't have medical insurance, primary care, or access to specialists often wind up in the emergency room or are hospitalized, which adds to the high cost of health care,” said Jessie Marques, KRHCAI executive director. “When residents talk with a doctor through the telehealth kiosk, they’ll receive timely care and assistance that they otherwise would not have had access to. And they’ll avoid unnecessary emergency room visits or hospitalization."

TeleHealth will be offered at a kiosk at Ka`u Rural Health
Community Association's building, starting on Friday.
Photo from KRHCA

   American Well, a leading national telehealth technology company, and Hawai‘i Medical Service Association are collaborating to bring telehealth visits with doctors to residents of the Ka‘u community.
    The companies donated a kiosk for HMSA’s Online Care® for video doctor visits at the Ka‘u Rural Health Community Association’s Resource and Distance Learning Center on Puahala Street. This donation makes the KRHCAI’s Resource and Distance Learning Center a new and important destination for convenient health care services, says a statement from the hui.
      In addition to providing additional access to care, the kiosk will establish a new internship for clinical support staff (certified nurses aides, community health workers, and practical nurses) on how to educate others in underserved areas on the benefits of telemedicine technology.
      The KRHCAI mission is to improve the lives of underserved community members through programs and outreach focused on health, education, research opportunities, and economic sustainability. Its Ka‘u Rural Health Academy serves University of Hawai‘i at Hilo students for whom the kiosk internship will serve as an opportunity to learn and then educate remote communities in critical need of health care access.
      “Serving the Ka‘u community has been HMSA’s privilege for generations,” said HMSA President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Stollar. “We deeply appreciate our partnership with the Ka’u Rural Health Community Association to connect residents with doctors on Hawai`i Island and with specialists on O`ahu, Maui, and Kaua`i through HMSA’s Online Care. These innovations are part our Māhie 2020 vision to improve the health and well-being of everyone in the state of Hawai`i.”
      Danielle Russella, President of Consumer solutions at American Well, noted, “American Well has always believed that we could use the power of technology to deliver care further into communities – particularly if access is a real barrier – and where it’s most needed.”
      “We have the unique advantage to take what we’ve developed and use it to make a profound impact on people’s lives. With our longtime partner HMSA and through their relationship with the Ka’u Rural Health Community Association, we’re contributing to healthier living by making care easier and more accessible.”

Jessie Marques, (second from left) is founder and Executive Director of Ka`u Rural
 HealthCommunity Association, which opens a Telehealth Kiosk in Pahala on Friday.
Photo from KHRCA

     American Well makes video doctor visits accessible to consumers with simple health issues like cold, flu or infection and streamlines follow-up visits helping patients and doctors manage more complex healthcare issues like diabetes, asthma or behavioral health. American Well bring online healthcare into people’s homes and workplaces through working with HMSA and other health plans, health systems and employers, as well as a consumer telehealth app, Amwell. A patient using Amwell can connect to a board-certified doctor of their choosing in just minutes for a live video visit carried out over smartphone app, tablet, kiosk, phone, or web.
      For more information on Ka’u Rural Community Health Association, visit krhcai.com.
     To learn more about HMSA’s telehealth approach, visit hmsaonlinecare.com. For more about American Well, its telemedicine kiosk services and technology, visit americanwell.com
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FOUR NON-PROFITS WANT TO STEWARD Kāwā and other lands in the 784-acre, county-owned, oceanfront property between Punalu`u and Honu`apo. The four are competing for County Stewardship Grants and permission to care for the area. Charmaine L. Kamaka, Director of the County Department of Parks & Recreation, reviewed the four applications, recommending one for funding, gave no opinion on two, and said she is unable to recommend the fourth one.
     The Stewardship Grants receive money from the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission, which also helps to purchase land for perpetual conservation, using the Two Percent Fund, so named because two percent of all Hawai`i Island property taxes are disbursed to it.

Protecting nature and cultural sites while respecting the surfing tradition at Kāwā.
Photo by Julia Neal

    Kāwā is a rich archeological site, a nesting beach for endangered turtles, and is popular with surfers and fishermen. The Kāwā properties were acquired by the County of Hawai‘i, using monies from the Two Percent Fund in addition to funding from state and federal grants. Initially 234 acres were bought in January 2008, and in November 2011 three additional parcels totaling 550 acres were acquired for conservation and open space preservation.
     In 2012 Hawai’i County voters approved a Quarter Percent Fund to maintain properties acquired through the Two Percent Fund.
     Non-profit organizations must apply to the Department of Parks & Recreation for PONC Stewardship Grants to conserve and manage the County’s open spaces. The applications are initially reviewed by PONC, which makes funding recommendations to P&R. P&R also reviews the applications and PONC’s recommendations, then makes recommendations. P&R’s recommendations go before the Count Council's Finance Committee, which makes its recommendations to the County Council. The County Council makes the final decisions. The PONC Maintenance Fund had a balance of $1,882,099 as of December 1, 2016.
     In 2016, P&R received grant applications from five non-profits, of which four were proposing to use the funds in Kāwā - the other was for Waipi`o.  Kamaka wrote a six-page evaluation of the four Kāwā applications.
     She reported that the first applicant, Na Mamo O Kāwā. is requesting $48,850 to “restore the property and its significant features including a freshwater spring, a heiau (temple) and other features. It would implement a native revegetation plan, create and initiate a cultural site monitoring plan and maintain safe and secure access to the property.

Kāwā is known for its springs, estuaries and brackish waters, a nursery for fish.
Photo by Julia Neal

   “Na Mamo O Kāwā describes itself as a Hawaiian organization comprised of life-long residents, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, academics, ecologists, educators and natural resource managers,” wrote Kamaka. “Since Na Mamo O Kāwā did not identify its members or their qualification for implementing this grant request, I am unable to provide a recommendation regarding its ability to complete this project according to the project plan,” she concluded.
     Kamaka’s evaluation of the second application by Hawai`i Wildlife Fund for $13,200 reads: “Hawai`i Wildlife Fund proposes to continue its ongoing work restoring the estuary and fishpond located at the southern end of the property . . . members and community volunteers have been working on the natural features monthly since October 2014, during which time they have performed 23 workdays and removed 3,725 cubic feet of invasive species that are harmful to water bodies.” She also discusses youth groups, educational benefits, and the applicant’s proposed partners.
     Kamaka concludes her appraisal of the application: “Given its ongoing work on the estuary and fishpond, collaboration with industry experts and narrow scope of its project, . . . I recommend this applicant”.
     Regarding the third applicant, The Honu Project, with a request for $24,665, she writes that it “Proposes to monitor and protect Hawksbill sea turtles and their nesting habitat within the subject property . . . protect identified nests and hatchlings, collect data on the turtle population, control non-invasive species, and promote public stewardship of the area through education outreach. “Its narrow focus and scope increases the chances of successful completion. However, a lack of details relating to the specific skills of the individuals, including the project coordinator, leave me uncertain about recommending this applicant’s ability to complete the project”.

Kāwā and its springs have been a busy place for campers in the past.
Photo by Julia Neal

     Kamaka’s evaluation of the fourth Kāwā application for $354,190 reads: “Team Hawai’i International Athletics was created mainly to offer sports to the youth in and around Pana`ewa community of Hilo. The groupis seeking to steward the subject land actually is Hui Nohana Hawai’i, which the application describes as a social club under Team Hawai’i International Athletics. Hui Nohana Hawai’i states its members “have close ties to the Kāwā Bay” and are very knowledgeable about Ka`u.
     Hui Nohana Hawai`i proposes to build bathrooms and showers, designate an area for a lifeguard stand, and plan for other improvements. This would conflict with Hawai`i County Charter, which states, ‘Moneys in the maintenance fund shall not be used for planning, design, development or construction of new buildings, facilities, or infrastructure . . . . Hui Nohana Hawai`i is seeking $160,000 for two Ford F350 diesel trucks. Due to the vagueness of its application, the group’s background and the high cost of its proposal, I cannot recommend Hui Nohana Hawai`i has the ability to complete its project”.
     The PONC Stewardship Grant program was criticized in 2015 when no applications were approved, although the fund had $1.1 million. (See Ka’u Calendar Newsbriefs of 7/4/2015). The first and only Stewardship Grant was awarded in 2016 to Pohaha I Ka Lani for Waipi’o Lookout, Hamakua District.
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MATS FOGELVIK, THE AWARD-WINNING KA`U WOODWORKER, will display a hall table and coffee table at the annual Hawai’i Wood Guild Invitational Masters Show, which begins this Saturday, Jan. 14. While the show will not be juried this year, members of the public can choose the winner of the Peoples’ Choice award by voting for pieces they consider the best of the 55 entries.

      The attention-grabbing coffee table was created by Fogelvik using veneered Carpathian Elm burl on the surface of the table top. He used veneered curly Koa, on the edge and the legs. The dazzlingly shiny and durable surface was done with epoxy and polyurethane clear coat, which should make the table last for generations.    

Mats Fogelvik and his tables will be at the annual Hawai`i
Wood guild Invitational Masters Show.
Photo by Ann Bosted

     Fogelvik, a native of Sweden and resident of Ocean View, is a fixture on the exclusive Hawaiian woodworking circuit. He is featured in several coffee table books, has entered the show since he moved to the Big Island, and has served the Hawai`i Woodworkers Guild as a volunteer and board member. Collaboration New Zealand invited him on an expenses-paid trip to New Zealand this spring to collaborate with woodworkers and other artists on the other end of the Polynesian Triangle.

      The hugely popular wood show has been organized and presented by volunteer members of the Hawai`i Wood Guild. This will be the seventh show at Isaacs Art Center, and the 31st annually by the non-profit organization for professional woodworkers from around the island.

     Since entries to the show will no longer be juried, participation is now by invitation. Nineteen award-winning woodworkers were invited to display pieces, such as furniture, wood sculptures and other unique creations. The Isaacs Art Center is a gallery staffed largely by volunteers in Waimea. All the unique hand-crafted pieces are for sale. The gallery also displays additional outstanding Hawaiian art.    

      The show opens on Saturday with an artists’ reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and continues through Feb. 24.  It is sponsored by the Hawai`i Wood Guild, the Hawaii Forest Industry Association and the Isaacs Art Center. Proceeds from sales at the show will support scholarships for students of the Hawai’i Preparatory Academy.

      When not creating award-winning pieces of furniture, Fogelvik is the President of the Hawai’i Ranchos Road Maintenance Corp. and daddy to Koa, the dog.
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RED CROSS VOLUNTEER  meeting, Thursday, Jan. 12. at 7 p.m.,  HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office. New volunteers welcomed. 929-9953.

THE SCULPTURE GARDEN at Volcano Art Center will welcome visitors to  a talk in the moonlight by sculptors Henry Biachini and Liz Miller, 7 p.m. at the Art Center in Volcano Village on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Volcano Art Center's Sculpture Garden offers a moonlight sculpture tour and talk
on Thursday, 7 p.m. Image from Volcano Art Center

PANCAKE BREAKFAST, Saturday, Jan. 14,  8 a.m. - 11. a.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033.

BIRTH OF KAHUKU hike, Saturday, Jan. 14 hike form 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY will be celebrated in Kona and Hilo. In Kona, the 36th Anniversary Birthday Commemoration of the civil rights leader will be Sunday, Jan. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Old Kona Airport Beach Park, Makaeo Pavillion. Art, songs, music by local schools and the community will be featured. In Hilo,  it will take place Monday, Jan. 16 at the recently rernovated Mo`oheau Bandstand from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with performers, speakers and artists commemorating MLK.

THE WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON organizers will hold marches for women, men and children on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Kona and Hilo. In Kona the march goes from Queen Ka`ahumanuHwy, south of Henry Street, followed by a Rally for Common Ground from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Edible World Institute at 75-5699 Kopilo Street in Kailua-Kona. The purpose, according to a statement from organizers is to "unifiy around common ground, resist threats to our rights and environment, and to celebrate work for equality, solidarity and stewardship. Entertainment, food and booths staffed by various organization wiill be on hand.

     The Hilo March and following gathering will be held at the Mo`oheau Bandstand from 10 a.m.  to 3 p.m.. The Hawai`i County Democratic Party will have a booth at each event.

KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE's annual meeting is set for Discovery Harbour Community Center on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. Bring a dish to share. Find out how to be a part of the Ka`u Chamber. RSVP at 443-3127.

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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