Ka`u News Briefs Monday, May 1, 2017

Tiny Houses, according to proponents of the bill at the legislature, would provide affordable abodes for
farmers to stay close to their crops and livestock and also make farm worker housing more affordable.
Photo from Hawai`i Farmers Union United

THE TINY HOUSE INITIATIVE in the Hawai`i Legislature faces a final vote on Tuesday. Hawai`i Farmers Union United is asking for support from citizens, announcing "The tiny House Bill has made it through the House, through four committee votes, and through a joint Senate/House Conference!" The organization calls the bill "a real step towards food security." Farmers Union statewide Presidetn Vince Mina urges all supporter to write and call their state Senators to "let them know you support the HB@ Tiny House bill to help our farmers live on their farms and grow more local food."
     The Hawai`i State Legislature's description of the bill says it "Authorizes Authorizes tiny homes of less than 500 square feet for farm workers in agricultural districts in a county with a population of more than 180,000 but less than 250,000 (making it only applicable to Hawai`i County.)  County council may adopt ordinances for the oversight of tiny homes, as defined in this act. (HB2 CD1)."

     State Board of Agriculture Chair Scott Enright wrote that his department is concerned that "these 'tiny homes' do not become de facto residential dwellings if the County is unable to adequately monitor and enforce the farm worker/family occupancy requirement for these 'tiny homes.'”

     Testimony can be submitted at www.capitol.gov. See HB1.

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A GROWING NATIVE HAWAIIAN, PACIFIC ISLANDER AND ASIAN AMERICAN POPULATION should be recorded and analyzed by the federal office of Management and Budget, according to Sen. Mazie K. Hirono. She, Sen. Brian Schatz and nine other U.S. Senate Democrats urged OMB to update its standards for the collection of racial and ethnic data, not been updated since 1997.

     Hirono made the announcement today, the first day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

      “A lack of disaggregated data on the AAPI community has led to the ‘model minority’ myth that—based on the current federal data—virtually all Asian American, Pacific Islanders are self-sufficient, well-educated, and upwardly mobile. However, in reality these metrics differ widely among different AAPI subcategories," wrote the Senators. “Better data collection will more accurately reflect the AAPI community’s realities and needs such as educational challenges, language access, poverty, and disability. Without access to better data, these disparities would remain concealed behind the model minority myth leaving our communities invisible to policymakers and our needs unmet.” 

   The letter also requests OMB to require all federal departments and agencies to follow disaggregated classifications noted in a recently-released U.S. Census Bureau report titled 2015 National Content Test: Race and Ethnicity Analysis Report.

      The letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Ben Cardin (D- Md.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D- Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

     The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center support the letter.

     Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, said, “Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – communities that are incredibly diverse and trace their heritage to more than 50 different countries and speak more than 100 different languages – are acutely aware of the importance and need for strong federal data collection standards. These standards impact many aspects of health access, coverage and quality and produce data that the federal government and our communities rely upon.”  

 John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said,

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community represents more than 100 countries and 56 languages, but that rich heritage is essentially invisible without disaggregated data. Such data is critical to our ability to get the proper level of services and representation. Our community delivered a strong message to OMB that we demand to be counted.”

     Christopher Kang, national director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, said, "It is imperative for federal agencies to collect detailed data on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders so the government is able to determine the best ways to allocate resources that account for our community's economic, health and educational disparities, as well was our cultural and linguistic diversity. We are encouraged to have strong support from Members of Congress, hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals on the need to change federal data collection standards so that our communities are not misrepresented or left behind."

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Island youth listen as Ranger Noah explains how

 shards of volcanic glass, called Pele's Hair, are formed. 

NPS Photo/Janice Wei

FREE SUMMER JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAMS begin June 6 and June 13 at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Deadline to register is noon, Wednesday, May 17. Keiki from ages seven to 13 years old are invited to become Next Generation Stewards.

     A fun-filled, three-day program for keiki ages seven to 10 is June 6-8, and a program for youngsters ages 11 to 13 is June 13-15.

       Each age group begins Tuesday and ends on Thursday. For the first two days, Next Generation Stewards begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. On the last day (Thursday), the program begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. The programs will start and end at the Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai.

The summer junior ranger program is designed to encourage a child’s enthusiasm for conservation by connecting the child with park resources and staff, and to inspire his or her appreciation of what is uniquely Hawaiian by exploring the natural and cultural heritage of Hawai‘i.

Participants must bring and be able to carry their own day pack with water, snacks, lunch, and raingear, and hike for age-appropriate distances over uneven terrain at a leisurely pace. All interested applicants must submit an application to register. Contact Education Specialist Gwen “Lanakila” Anderson at (808) 985-6020 or email gwen_anderson@nps.gov for information and an application.

Applications are due by noon on Wednesday, May 17, and selections will be made, and parents notified, on May 18.

      The summer Next Generation Stewards junior ranger program is co-sponsored by the Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association and the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

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KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL is accepting applications for the National Youth Advisory Council 2017-2018. The National YAC consists of ten high school students (15-18 years old) from diverse

backgrounds across the nation to participate selected to participate in this service-learning and leadership development initiative. Participants will contribute to and inform KAB on End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify Communities Impact Goals while acting as ambassadors and leaders for youth service in their communities. The National Youth Advisory Council, thanks to the generous support of the Wrigley Co. Foundation, creates a framework for youth engagement at the national, state and local level.
To review the application and instructions to prepare the application, visit the KAB website. Applications accepted through May 5, 2017 5:00 pm HT. Application must be submitted on-line and is available by clicking here.

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Cyril Pahinui has taught many classes and performed
often in Ka`u. 

CYRIL PAHINUI AND LED KA`APANA, who have taught Hawaiian music in Ka`u and supported numerous concerts and programs here, are nominated for People's Choice Awards Favorite Entertainer of the Year by the Hawai`i Academy of Recording Arts for the 40th Annual Na Hoku Hanaohan Awards.

Led Ka`apana, with roots
in Ka`u.

     The other nominees are: Kupaoa Hoku Zuttermeister, Kawika Kahiapo, Eauhou, Josh Tatofi, Kalani Pe'a, Jeff Peterson, Amy Hananaiali`i and Ra`iatea Helm.
      Deadline to vote online is May 13 at

http://www.nahokuhanohano.org/favorite2017

     The Na Hoku Hanohano Awards ceremony will be held in Honolulu at the Hawai`i Convention Center on Friday, May 19 as part of a Music Festival with workshops. See www.nahokuhanohano.org for workshop and show tickets.  

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NOAA’S HAWAIIAN HUMPBACK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY is seeking to fill four primary and seven alternate seats on its advisory council. The council ensures public participation in sanctuary matters and provides advice to sanctuary management. 

     Ka`u residents may qualify to be selected for the following open seats: business/commerce (primary and alternate); conservation (alternate); Native Hawaiian (primary); ocean recreation (alternate); and tourism (primary).
     Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen as primary or alternate members should expect to serve a three-year term.
     “The members of our advisory council represent an extremely important element of our community,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent. “Their input, experience and expertise assist sanctuary managers in making informed and timely decisions on how best to protect and conserve our important cultural and natural resources.”

     Applications are due by Wednesday, May 31. To receive an application kit or for further information, please contact Shannon Ruseborn via email at Shannon.Ruseborn@noaa.gov; by phone at 808-725-5905; or visit the sanctuary website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html. Completed applications should be submitted to: Inouye Regional Center, ATTN: NOS/HIHWNMS/ Shannon Ruseborn, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

Ka`u residents with expertise in Hawaiian culture, conservation, business,
 tourism or outdoor recreation can apply to become an advisor to the
Hawaiian Humpback National Marine Sanctuary. Photo from NOAA 

     The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai‘i through the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship. Join us on Facebook.
     A statement from NOAA says its "mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources." See Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels.

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www.kaucalendar.com

Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, May 1, 4 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue/Wed, May 2/3 & 16/17, 9 a.m.; Thu, May 18. The county has shut down the  Na`alehu site for participating via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. See hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

Dance Imagined, Tue, May 2, 10 – 11:30 a.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Karen Masaki offers a five-session series that explores basic movement technique, building strength and flexibility. $50. 967-8222

Hula Pele, Tue, May 2, 4 – 5 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Kumu Ab Valencia offers a four-session series that pays homage to Pelehonuamea and her home at Kīlauea. $200. 967-8222

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, May 2, 6 – 8 p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

Open Mic Night, Wed, May 3, 6 – 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp’s Lava Lounge in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Call 967-8365 after 4 p.m. to sign up and for more details. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch meeting, Thu, May 4, 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-2442 & 928-2015 An Evening of Hawaiian Languag

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, April 30, 2017

If the Ocean View Solar project is allowed to proceed, at least five solar installations, each covering more
than two acres, would be seen dotted among the sparsely separated homes in this photo. Homeowners
count the sweeping ocean vistas and open ranch-like atmosphere among the attractions of this rural
residential subdivision. Photo by Ann Bosted

AN ATTEMPT BY A SOLAR DEVELOPER to convince a few Ocean View residents that a highly unpopular industrial-scale solar proposal could be mitigated met with minimal success during a recent meeting held in Ocean View.

Kevin White represents the Chinese
Company wanting to put industrial solar
in Ocean View neighborhoods.
Photo by Ann Bosted

     Kevin White, a Director for Market Development at SPI Energy, headquartered in Shanghai, China, met with residents to discuss his company’s plans to build a 6.5 megawatt solar project on 26 scattered housing sites among rural homes. The project has been on hold since September when the state Public Utilities Commission received a 73-page formal complaint from residents who contended that the project should not be in the Feed In Tariff program to sell electricity to Hawai`i Electric Light Co. 

     HELCO and the developer, SPI Energy, applied to the PUC in August 2015 for permission to construct an overhead transmission line to connect the project to the grid. The application triggered a community meeting in February 2016 before PUC Chair Randy Iwase and then Consumer Advocate Jeffery Ono. Iwase and Ono listened with interest to the plethora of complaints about the project. They acknowledged that the project was more than a NIMBY (not in my back yard) issue, and Iwase told residents that their testimony “has not fallen on deaf ears.”

    Ono, writing that the project is not in the public interest, recommended that the overhead transmission line be "undergrounded" at the developer’s expense. He also recommended that the PUC require the developer to pay up front for the costs of removing the transmission line, the substation and all the 26 solar installations at the end of the 20-year project. He cited SPI Energy’s lack of a “Community Give-Back Program.” White’s meeting could be seen as a reaction to Ono’s criticism.

    Before the transmission line issue could be decided, the PUC received the formal complaint, asking that the project be either terminated or relocated. The PUC immediately put the Transmission Line Application on hold.

     On Sept. 14, Iwase told the Honolulu Star Advertiser: “Nobody is going to move on the FIT project.  We have suspended any action on the application pending a review or an investigation or resolution of the complaint.”

OVCA President, Ron Gall, tries to control the acrimonious audience, 

as Kevin White looks on.  Residents loudly voiced opposition to 

the industrialization of their town, contending the solar project will

erode property values and destroy the town's ranch-like ambience.

Photo by Ann Bosted

    After a six-month lull, White contacted the Ocean View Community Association and asked to rent space for a community meeting.  In a pre-meeting phone call with the The Ka’u Calendar, White, who is based in Roseville, California, stated that SPI wanted to explore ways of helping the community, suggesting that the company could donate a second well to the town, as mitigation for the project. However, at the meeting, White did not offer the well, saying it would cost $5 million, “and we can’t get close to that.”

     Residents loudly told White, “Go away,” and “We don’t want you here ruining our community.” Others said, “Your panels will be good for target practice,” and “This program was set up for agricultural people, not for you.” One said, “You are scamming us for roads and poles.” Another asked, “Have you heard of the Monkey Wrench Gang?”

     One resident contended: “As soon as your project was made public, our land and home values went down. This affects all of us. Everyone in Ocean View will take a hit”.

All the 'Ohi'a trees on 13 three-acre building sites would be leveled, 

and the sites bulldozed if the project to build solar installations 
among homes is allowed to go forward. If the lots were used 
for homes, far fewer trees would be removed. Photo by Ann Bosted

    Another asked that SPI move the project, suggesting a lease on 30 to 40 acres from Kamehameha Schools or other Hawaiian landowners to make the solar installations contiguous. It was pointed out that sites closer to the port of Kawaihae up the west coast of the island would be more convenient for transporting imported equipment, and they would be closer to the majority of the electric company's customers.

     White, who was vacationing with his wife in Hawai`i for a week, told the audience: “If I was in your shoes, I would feel the same way.” He acknowledged that moving the project would be the “number one solution,” adding “I understand that – I would want the same thing.”

     Residents recalled that the project had been conceived in 2011 when Pat Shudak bought three acre lots for the project, at prices above the going rate, in order to speculate on  entitlements for solar power. He sold the package to SPI. One resident told the meeting that SPI can make more money by taking the state and federal tax credits - and then flipping the project once it is complete - than from selling solar power. 

    “They can get 65% of the cost back from taxpayers like us and then if they sell the project for, say, 80% of the cost, they will have received 145% of the cost – amounting to a 45% profit before producing one kWh of power for the grid.  That is why they want to ruin our neighborhood.”

Three phase power, good roads, cheap land and  

a lucrative FIT program were the incentives for 

solar installers to buy up housing lots to  install 16  

two-acre solar power generating plants among

homes in Ocean View. Photo by Ann Bosted

     A written motion to ask SPI to donate its 18 building sites in Ranchos to Habitat for Humanity was objected to by a resident who said that “poor people” in Ocean View would cause problems. It was pointed out that Habitat for Humanity’s homes are all built to code and that the prospective owners invest at least 400 hours of “sweat equity” in their construction. In addition, prospective owners are extensively interviewed and their backgrounds checked. They also pay affordable mortgages, the resident contended.

   Most residents were neither in favor nor against the motion. Since many said it needed more discussion, the motion was tabled.

     In spite of verbal opposition to their project, the SPI representatives handed out slips of paper, and White requested that each person write down three items that the town needs. The Whites collected the slips without divulging the contents. Some residents loudly encouraged others to write: “Go away, go away, go away.”  

     Sandi Alexander, former President of Ocean View Community Association, was clearly amused by White’s “Santa Clause-type ploy.” She told The Ka’u Calendar “I don’t believe they have any clue who they are dealing with and how much opposition they will continuously have to deal with until this goes away. 

     “Why would anyone want to invest in technology that is already out of date?  We are going to be stuck with outdated, horrible, structures rusting away, and we are going to have to deal with them. My first choice is ‘no project at all and my second is ‘project elsewhere,’” said Alexander. 

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THE MYSTERY HAZE OF 1950 is the title of the latest Volcano Watch by scientists of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, who produce the weekly column and pinpoint the origin of the word vog:

     On June 13, 1950, Honolulu was suddenly blanketed by the thickest haze seen since record keeping began there in 1906. Interestingly, the haze was first noticed four days earlier at Johnston Island, 800 miles southwest of O‘ahu, and then on June 12th at Wake Island 1,500 miles west-southwest. The total area covered by the dense haze layer was estimated to be 1,200,000 square miles.

Fume rises from lava fountains erupting along a six-mile long fissure on 

Mauna Loa's Southwest Rift Zone on June 2, 1950. Such fume may

have ultimately been responsible for the Mystery Haze in Honolulu

 on June 13. Photo from Air National Guard, 199th Fighter Squadron

     The Weather Bureau in Honolulu, led by an up-and-coming new meteorologist named Robert H. Simpson, described the phenomenon as a “dry haze…due to a concentration of salt particles…and other impurities such as smoke.” The Bureau surmised that the haze was trapped beneath a stable layer of air we know today as the inversion layer, which prevented vertical movement of the haze. So, although the Weather Bureau was able to roughly characterize the nature of the haze by where it was found, its cause was still a mystery.

      This was the era of atmospheric nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, so an atomic blast was the first suspected cause. But that was quickly ruled out after Geiger counters, operated by the Hawai`i Sugar Planters’ association, detected no radiation.

Robert Homer Simpson, left, led the Weather Bureau in
Honolulu, founded Mauna Loa Observatory and later
led the National Hurricane Center. He lived to
the age of 102.

   Simpson and his colleagues at the Weather Bureau had three remaining hypotheses for what caused the thick haze:

     The first was that there had been a cataclysmic eruption (like Krakatoa in 1883 or Katmai in 1912) someplace on Earth at some distance, probably to the southwest. However, none was known in recent times.

     A second hypothesis was that a giant dust storm somewhere in the world had ejected fine dust particles high into the atmosphere and they were carried to Hawaii by winds aloft. Although dust from storms in the Gobi Desert of northern China and Mongolia has been detected in Hawai`i, no such storm was happening then.

     The third hypothesis was that the haze was indirectly caused by the Mauna Loa eruption going on at the time. According to mainland geologists, Mauna Loa could not have directly caused the haze because it was a “quiet” type of volcano, not explosive, like Krakatoa in 1883. They acknowledged that the Mauna Loa eruption, specifically its ocean entries, probably contributed to the haze but was not a main component because the haze appeared to move toward, rather than from, Mauna Loa.

      More testing was done on the particles collected from the haze. Hawai`i Board of Health analysis showed “500 to 600 times the normal amount of suspended particles in Honolulu’s air.” Twenty-two percent of the particles were salt and the rest were unidentified dark, slightly acidic solids. Pineapple Research Institute scientists found more sulfate than salt in the soluble particles (prompting the term ‘smalt’ for the haze—combining the words ‘smog’ and ‘salt’), suggesting a volcanic source.

      With Mauna Loa looking more likely as the source, Simpson suggested that high altitude winds might have carried emissions westward to Wake (and Johnston?) Islands, where lower level winds blew the haze back to Hawai`i. A colleague, Captain Charles K. Stidd, commanding officer of the 199th weather station, Hawai`i Air National Guard, suggested that, because the inversion layer rose above the elevation of Mauna Loa’s vents during the time that haze covered the Hawaiian Islands, it may have allowed Mauna Loa emissions to remain within the lower atmosphere around the islands. Capt. Stidd called the haze “vog.” Once the inversion layer dropped below Mauna Loa’s erupting vents, the haze was again confined above the inversion layer. Trade winds then cleared it out of the Hawaiian Islands and minds.

Mauna Loa Observatory, founded by Robert Homer Simpson. Photo by Forrest Mimms III

     Simpson, the weatherman searching for the mystery haze’s origin, later founded what is now the Mauna Loa Observatory (a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration atmospheric research facility), among his other career contributions. Since the time of Simpson, Stidd, and the 1950 Mauna Loa eruption, our understanding of vog and its effects on humans, agriculture, and the natural environment has increased as well.

      Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff recently updated the U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet on vog. This four-page document, Volcanic Air Pollution in Hawai`i, can be found online at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017.

   Visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for 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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Dance Imagined with Karen Masaki begins on Tuesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. at the Volcano Art Center campus in Volcano village. The five-session series begins with a general warm up, moving through all body parts to get the blood flowing and joints loosened. Attention will then shift to explorations of spinal and joint movements and breathing exercises to build fluidity and strength. No dance experience required. See www.volcanoartcenter.org.

A Hula Pele Workshop with Kumu Ab Valencia, begins on Tuesday, May 2 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Volcano Art Center. As King David Kalakaua said, “Hula is the language of the heart, therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian People.” The classes continue Tuesdays, May 9, 16, and 23. See www.volcanoartcenter.org.

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