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| Ka`u ranches and farms will be visited in June by surveyors for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, attempting to include every farm and ranch in the U.S. Agricultural Census. Photo by Julia Neal |
A panel discussion, After Sugar: Making a Living from the Soil with hemp, microgreens, sugar cane, canoe plants and regenerative farming, will be moderated by Hawaii Farmers Union president Vincent Mina. The panel features "Ginger" John Caverly, Bobby Pahia, and Greg Smith, of Earth Matters Farm on South Point Road in Ka`u.
Keynote speaker, hemp farmer Doug Fine, will host #LetsTalkHempHawaii with presentations and panels covering a broad range of topics for farmers, processors, manufacturers, legislators, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in participating in the emerging Hawai`i hemp industry.
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| Industrial hemp is the subject of the inaugural Hawai`i Hemp Conference which will feature two of Ka`u's state legislators and its U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Image from HERB |
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who co-sponsored HB525- the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, will talk via recorded video about the federal legislation. The Future of Hemp Legislation in Hawai'i panel will include Ka`u state legislators Rep. Richard Creagan and Sen. Russell Ruderman, who have supported hemp cultivation and production in Hawai`i, joined by Sen. Mike Gabbard. They will discuss the current hemp legislation and a Hawai`i Department of Agriculture Pilot Program.
State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who has advocated a local hemp program since the 1990's, will also make an appearance via recorded video.
"The time is now to get into hemp," says event coordinator Morris Beegle. "Sales continue to grow by 25-30 percent annually on the mainland, over 30 states have passed pro-hemp legislation, and Hawai`i is about to come online in a big way." The conference features the #LetsTalkHemp Speaker Series and is produced by Colorado Hemp Company and presented by Functional Remedies.
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| Ka`u legislators Sen. Russell Ruderman (l) and Rep. Richard Creagan (third from right) attended the blessing of an industrial hemp trial project in 2015 on O`ahu. Photo from state Dept. Agriculture |
A mini-expo and marketplace, free and open to the public on June 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will offer such hemp products as bodycare, clothing, food and supplements, animal treats, nutraceuticals, paper, building materials, bioplastics, chemical replacement ingredients, nano-fiber technologies, and more.
Hawai`i Hemp Conference includes additional networking and entertainment activities including a welcoming E Komo Mai Happy Hour, Dinner and Concert on Friday June 9 with music from Off the Grid, Lava and Green Flash, Saturday night June 10 offers up another networking, dinner and after conference party with musical artist Damon Williams. On Sunday, June 11 there will be A Hui Hou (Farewell) Brunch with live jazz followed by a Hawai`i Farm Tour to conclude the inaugural Hawai`i Hemp Conference.
For complete details, ticket information and registration, please visit: HawaiiHempConference.com
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PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP SEED, to be made available to licensees in an upcoming industrial hemp pilot program, is a project of the state Department of Agriculture. The DOA project includes: Awarding seed development contracts to contractor/(s) selected at the end of an RFP process; obtaining a controlled substance registration from Hawai`i state Department of Safety; importing seeds to be further developed into a line of industrial hemp for Hawai`i by the contractor/(s) selected upon receipt of all necessary licenses.
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| Ka`u's pastures will be documented and ranchers visited druing the Census of Agriculture surveys in June. Photo by Julia Neal |
Proposals are being reviewed through May and a program coordinator is expected to be selected this summer, with a program inspector this winter. Growers will be able to apply for licenses from Jan. 1-April 1, 2018. See http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/hemp/
FEDERAL CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE representatives will visit local ranches and farms through June. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will survey for crop acreages and livestock in an attempt to ensure all farms and ranches are recorded for the nationwide Census of Agriculture. The survey covers demographics, crop diversity and value of production. For more information, contact the NASS Pacific Region-Hawaii Field Office at 808-522-8080. See surveys at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.
ERUPTIONS ARE NOT THE ONLY HAZARDS created by volcanoes, notes the latest Volcano Watch column from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientists:
dated many landslides not previously recognized in a rainy corner of the Pacific Northwest—the Columbia River Gorge in Skamania County, Washington. These landslides, formerly hidden by dense forest, occurred over at least tens of thousands of years, and about a dozen are still moving. Their slip planes (sliding surfaces) occur entirely within volcanic deposits laid down by eruptions that occurred about 25 million years ago in the ancestral Cascade Range—deposits from volcanoes that have long since eroded away.
Tectonic forces operating over
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| Portion of a landslide map of the western Columbia River Gorge centered on the previously known Cascade landslide complex. Gray areas are presumed stable terrain. Landslides presumed now to be inactive are shown in orange or brown (submerged parts). Active landslides are shown in buff color. |
They can create havoc millions of years after their fires have grown cold, because with time, their deposits can weaken to produce landslides. This happens because volcanic deposits are commonly rich in volcanic glass, a non-crystalline form of silica. In wet climates, this glass can readily transform into soft, weak minerals (primarily clay) through chemical weathering.
Both volcanoes and landslides are important for landscape evolution in Hawai`i and worldwide. In Washington State, an old legend makes the connection between them.
In one version of a legend of the Klickitat people, the chief of all gods (Tyhee Saghalie) and his sons (Pahto and Wy'east) came to the land along the Columbia River and decided to stay, but the sons quarreled over which area each would get. To settle the dispute, the chief sent Pahto to the north side of the river and Wy'east to the south. He then built a great bridge across the river, the Bridge of the Gods, so that the family could continue to meet.
Both volcanoes and landslides are important for landscape evolution in Hawai`i and worldwide. In Washington State, an old legend makes the connection between them.
In one version of a legend of the Klickitat people, the chief of all gods (Tyhee Saghalie) and his sons (Pahto and Wy'east) came to the land along the Columbia River and decided to stay, but the sons quarreled over which area each would get. To settle the dispute, the chief sent Pahto to the north side of the river and Wy'east to the south. He then built a great bridge across the river, the Bridge of the Gods, so that the family could continue to meet.
But the brothers renewed their quarrel, this time over a beautiful maiden, Loowit. The quarrel escalated. Massive rocks were hurled; the ground shook. Villages were buried, forests were destroyed, and the great bridge collapsed into the river. As punishment, the father turned the angry sons and the maiden into volcanoes—Pahto became Mount Adams, Wy'east became Mount Hood, and Loowit became Mount St. Helens.
Geology tells the same story. Northwest Indians really could walk across the Columbia River atop the massive Bonneville landslide, which slid across and dammed the river almost 600 years ago. When the landslide-dammed lake overtopped the blockage, the bridge "collapsed" to form a great rapids—the Cascades of the Columbia. This landslide is part of a legacy left by ancient Cascade volcanoes. Until recently, the extent of this legacy had not been fully appreciated.
A recently completed USGS study (https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim3358) mapped and Geology tells the same story. Northwest Indians really could walk across the Columbia River atop the massive Bonneville landslide, which slid across and dammed the river almost 600 years ago. When the landslide-dammed lake overtopped the blockage, the bridge "collapsed" to form a great rapids—the Cascades of the Columbia. This landslide is part of a legacy left by ancient Cascade volcanoes. Until recently, the extent of this legacy had not been fully appreciated.
dated many landslides not previously recognized in a rainy corner of the Pacific Northwest—the Columbia River Gorge in Skamania County, Washington. These landslides, formerly hidden by dense forest, occurred over at least tens of thousands of years, and about a dozen are still moving. Their slip planes (sliding surfaces) occur entirely within volcanic deposits laid down by eruptions that occurred about 25 million years ago in the ancestral Cascade Range—deposits from volcanoes that have long since eroded away.
Tectonic forces operating over
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View of headscarp of Red Bluffs landslide adjacent to the Bonneville
landslide, looking northwest and showing the bedded volcaniclastic
sediments (gray layers) that are dipping about 7 degrees toward the
viewer and in which sliding has occurred. The slightly darker gray and
orange-brown unit in the top quarter of the scarp face is Columbia River
Basalt. The slowly creeping Crescent Lake landslide, on which the
photographer is standing, is a reactivated part of the Red Bluffs landslide.
USGS photo by T. Pierson
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the last few million years have tilted the beds of volcanic deposits southward toward the downcutting Columbia River, which facilitates sliding along weak zones within the weathered, clay-rich sediment beds. The discovery of so many previously unknown landslides was made possible by the availability of three new technologies—LiDAR, GPS, and InSAR, which were essential for this project.
The discovery of these landslides has implications for hazards today. The Bonneville landslide has a volume of about 1 cubic kilometer (think of a box a half a mile wide, long, and high) and runout distance of about 6 km (3.7 mi). Another such large landslide rapidly sliding into the Columbia River today could have a catastrophic impact on downstream communities and on the transportation and energy-distribution infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest.
Hawaiian volcanoes have their own landslide stories. In fact, over the last several million years, 17 distinct landslides have occurred throughout Hawaiian Islands. These landslides were the subject of a Volcano Watch article on January 23, 2014 https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=212.
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KA`U LIBRARIES are offering their annual Summer Reading Program beginning on june 4 at both the Pahala and Naalehu branches. Weekly movies, crafts, and activities illustrate this year's theme, Build a Better World.
Children, teens, and adults are invited to participate, and can sign up at one of our branches. This year participants will be able to earn badges for rewards and lucky prize drawing entries. They will earn a badge for every 100 minutes of reading.
For more information or to sign up for the program, everyone is invited to call us 939-2442 or 928-2015, or visit http://www.librarieshawaii.org.
The discovery of these landslides has implications for hazards today. The Bonneville landslide has a volume of about 1 cubic kilometer (think of a box a half a mile wide, long, and high) and runout distance of about 6 km (3.7 mi). Another such large landslide rapidly sliding into the Columbia River today could have a catastrophic impact on downstream communities and on the transportation and energy-distribution infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest.
Hawaiian volcanoes have their own landslide stories. In fact, over the last several million years, 17 distinct landslides have occurred throughout Hawaiian Islands. These landslides were the subject of a Volcano Watch article on January 23, 2014 https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=212.
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| http://kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory_2017 |
KA`U LIBRARIES are offering their annual Summer Reading Program beginning on june 4 at both the Pahala and Naalehu branches. Weekly movies, crafts, and activities illustrate this year's theme, Build a Better World.
Children, teens, and adults are invited to participate, and can sign up at one of our branches. This year participants will be able to earn badges for rewards and lucky prize drawing entries. They will earn a badge for every 100 minutes of reading.
For more information or to sign up for the program, everyone is invited to call us 939-2442 or 928-2015, or visit http://www.librarieshawaii.org.
