Friday, September 01, 2017

Ka'ū News Briefs Friday, September 1, 2017

Example of the Keanakāko'i Tephra sequence exposed on the southeast side of Kīlauea Volcano's summit caldera showing some of the identified units labeled with the revised nomenclature scheme. See story below. USGS photo by D. Swanson\
LEAVING HIS SENATE POST TO RUN FOR LT. GOVERNOR is Josh Green, the longtime state Senator representing west Ka'ū and Kona. He announced his candidacy this morning.
     Said Green," Every day, families across our state tell me we need fresh leadership, not politics as usual. Hawai'i families want government to work for them, to get results that make their lives better, and to reflect our shared values. That's what I believe government should do, and that's why I'm running to serve as Lieutenant Governor."
     "As a local doctor, I’ve spent my life caring for Hawai'i families. I’ve had the privilege of taking care of our moms and dads, our keiki and kupuna: delivering babies, stitching up wounds, or just being there to hold the hand of a sick child or an elderly grandmother in the hospital."Serving in the State Senate, I’ve worked to pass legislation that strengthens and supports Hawai'i families, including universal healthcare for our keiki, guaranteed insurance coverage for Hawai'i’s autistic children, stronger protections for victims of sexual assault, and new programs to reduce maternal mortality.
Dr. Josh Green is the west Ka'ū and Kona state Senator who
announced today that he is running for Lt. Governor.
With him are his children Maia and Sam and wife Jaime.
     "And as a husband and father of two young children, I have the same hopes and concerns as every parent in Hawai'i.
     "My wife Jaime and I want our kids, Maia and Sam, to grow up in a Hawai'i where no family has to live in poverty, or has to choose between buying food or buying medicine for a sick child.
     "Usually, a campaign at its launch will ask friends and supporters to attend a fundraiser, or do some volunteer work for the campaign. Instead, I’d like to humbly invite anyone who wants to help build a better Hawai'i to join me in A Day of Service.
     "Please consider taking a few hours this Labor Day weekend to volunteer your time, attention, and care to someone in the community who really needs it.
     "Choose a homeless shelter, a women’s shelter, retirement home, long-term care ward, hospice, or other charitable organization that helps Hawai'i families in need, and offer your service.
     Green said that today he would serve as a volunteer doctor for homeless in Honolulu. Tomorrow he volunteers at a local clinic in Kona, providing medical care to families in the Filipino community.
     He offered his cell phone number for anyone to contact him regarding serving as a volunteer this weekend and the coming months. It is 937-0991. His email is joshuaboothgreen@yahoo.com and his website is joshgreen.org.

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

RUNNING FOR THE STATE SENATE FOR WEST KA'Ū  through Kona in the 2018 elections will be Kona County Councilman Dru Mamo Kanuha. He announced his candidacy for state Senate District 3 today. Current state Senator for the district is Josh Green who announced yesterday that he is running for Lt. Governor (see above story).
      “Since the people of Kona gave me the opportunity and privilege to serve on the County Council in 2012, it’s been great to bring people together to get things done for our community. Now I look forward to working for all of the people of Kaʻū and Kona at the state Senate,” Kanuha said.
Dru Kanuha is running for State Senate to
represent west Ka'ū and Kona.
     Kanuha was born and raised in Kona, and graduated from Kealakehe High School and the University of San Diego. Kanuha worked at the State Capitol and at Kamehameha Schools’ Land Assets Division before being elected to the County Council in 2012. He is currently in his third term representing Council District 7.
      Kanuha said he is proud of improvements in transportation and recreation he advanced in Kona during three terms: building Laʻaloa Avenue as a mauka-makai connector to relieve traffic congestion on both Kuakini Highway above and Aliʻi Drive below, completing the Māmalahoa Bypass Extension from Keauhou to Nāpoʻopoʻo to alleviate congestion in South Kona, and opening the new playground at Kailua Park to families. He said he is especially proud of  "welcoming the community to Aliʻi Kai Park – delivering on a promise made by the county over four decades ago."
      While on the Council, Kanuha’s colleagues elected him Chair from 2014 to 2016, and he currently serves as chair of the Governmental Relations and Economic Development Committee. He was also chosen by his colleagues as president of the Hawaiʻi State Association of Counties, a body that advocates for the counties at the Legislature, and is on the board of directors of the National Association of Counties and its Western Interstate Region.
     “I believe my experience working for my constituents at the state and federal levels will make me a more effective state senator, fighting for access to quality education and health care, building a stronger economy, and making more affordable housing available to local families,” Kanuha said.
      “Having been blessed to grow up in West Hawaiʻi and raised with the values of compassion, respect, and aloha for the land, water, and people, it would be an honor to bring those values with me to the Hawaiʻi State Senate and work hard to address the needs of our people from Nāʻālehu to Ocean View, South Kona to Kealakekua, Kainaliu to Keauhou, Kailua to Kalaoa.”

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

ESCALATING FIRE DANGER in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has prompted park officials to close Hilina Pali Road from the Mauna Iki Trailhead and Mauna Loa Road at the gate past Kīpukapuaulu. Non-motorized day use such as hiking and bicycling will be permitted, and backcountry camping on Mauna Loa is allowed with a permit.
      In addition, ‘Āinahou Ranch access will be restricted to essential personnel and authorized vehicles only. Campfires are prohibited at Nāmakanipaio Campground and Kīpukapuaulu until further notice. The use of fuel stoves is allowed.
National Park Service and County of Hawai'i firefighters extinguished
woodland fire by 8 a.m., Friday morning. NPS photo
     On Thursday afternoon, a fire burned nearly three acres of seasonally dry ‘ōhi‘a woodland and scattered koa trees, forcing park officials to close Mauna Loa Road from Highway 11 and temporarily evacuate Nāmakanipaio Campground. National Park Service and County of Hawai‘i fire crews responded to the blaze, located about one fourth mile west of Kīpukapuaulu. As of 8 a.m., Friday, the fire was 50 percent contained, and its spread had been halted.
      No structures or homes were threatened. Park officials report that the fire was started unintentionally, and its cause is under investigation.
     “We’ve had an extremely hot and dry summer in the park, and across the island which escalates the risk of fire,” said Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Chief Ranger John Broward. “Hot components on motor vehicles have historically contributed to the increased risk of fire, and by reducing the number of vehicles, we can mitigate the potential for a catastrophic event,” he said.

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

NEW NOMENCLATURE FOR TEPHRA DEPOSITS is the subject of this week’s Volcano Watch article, written by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists.
USGS geologist Don Swanson (right) explains Keanakāko'i Tephra  
 stratigraphy exposed near the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to scientists 
who visited Kīlauea during a Geological Society of America field trip in 
May 2017. USGS photo by T. Neal
     According to the article, after 80 years of using the “wastebasket term” Keanakāko‘i Tephra, to name all the explosive deposits produced by Kīlauea between about 1500 and the early 1800s, University of Hawai‘i and HVO scientists have discovered a need for more specificity. The article states that they have therefore, “developed a new nomenclature that is simple and reflects the various processes that formed the different deposits. They couldn't use geographic names, as is the norm in geology. There simply aren't enough suitable names around the caldera for what ultimately became a 12-unit classification, with some of the units subdivided still more.
     “Instead, they opted for a nomenclature that instantly allows a beginner to tell which of two units is the older. The units range from A to L, in order of decreasing age. Unit A was erupted in about 1500 and the four subdivisions of unit L (themselves in temporal order, L1 to L4) in the early 1800s. Letters, rather than numbers, were used to avoid confusion with an earlier numbered nomenclature that never really took off.”
     The article states, “We've limped along, using colorful terms for some of these subdivisions of the Keanakāko'i. Names such as ‘mystery unit,’ ‘footprints ash,’ ‘layer 6 scoria,’ ‘basal reticulite,’ ‘golden pumice,’ ‘eastern pumice,’ and ‘unit H’ have become the beloved jargon of the in-group studying the Keanakāko'i. These names may never go away completely, but as more scientists tackle research issues in the Keanakāko'i, a more systematic nomenclature became desirable. Something had to be done to clean up the mess.
USGS graphic explaining tephra deposits. 
     “…There’s been predictable pushback: the new terms lack color, are too hard to remember and too disruptive to old thinking, are not descriptive (as if 'mystery unit' or 'unit H' is descriptive!). But c'est la vie, that's life. We think that, once the shock is over, the new nomenclature will make things easier for future researchers.
     “Eruption style and intensity that produced the Keanakāko'i Tephra are exceptionally diverse for a basaltic shield volcano. The new nomenclature takes this diversity into account. The boundaries between units conform to important changes in eruption style and, commonly, to different directions the explosion debris was dispersed.
   “Maps of the different units show that their vents moved around in the caldera, sometimes shifting locations hundreds of meters in only a few years. Varying mixtures of steam from heated groundwater and volcanic gas powered many of the explosions, steam alone powered others, and at least four explosions were probably driven by volcanic gas only.
     “The caldera was a dynamic place during the 300-plus years just before written history began at Kīlauea (in 1823), and the newly defined subdivisions of the Keanakāko'i Tephra help us understand this energetic and dangerous time better than did the previous terminology. So, out with the old and in with the new!”
     To see the full article, visit http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/.

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

KA'Ū COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN will be considered for adoption at the Hawai'i County Council Planning Committee's next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 9:15 a.m. The Planning Committee Agenda can be found at hawaiicounty.granicus.com/viewpublisher.php?view_id=1 and the Ka'ū CDP Steering Committee agenda can be found at: hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp/steering-committee/steering-commitee-meetings/september-6-2017.

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

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR FALL TROJAN SPORTS:
Girls Volleyball: today, Friday, Sept. 1, Ka'ū vs. Lapahoehoe, away game.
Eight-Man Football: tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 2, Ka'ū vs. Kohala, away game. 
Cross Country: tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 2, Ka'ū vs. Kealakehe, away meet.
Pick up the September edition of The Ka`u Calendar delivered
free to 5,500 mailboxes throughout Ka`u, from Miloli`i 
through Volcano. Also available on stands throughout
the district. See it online at www.kaucalendar.com


SUNFLOWER CRAFT REGISTRATION for keiki ages 6 to 14 opened today, Sept. 1, and continues through Sept. 15. The craft class will take place on Monday, Sept. 18, at Kahuku Park from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 929-9113 for more.

REALMS AND DIVISIONS OF KAHUKU, a moderately difficult two-mile, guided hike on Kahuku Unit’s newest trail, Pu‘u Kahuku, explores the traditional Hawaiian classification system. The hike is scheduled for tomorrow, Sept. 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Bring a snack for the talk story segment of this hike. For more information, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

KA'Ū COMMUNITY FUN DAY & FUN-RAISING EVENT offered by Hope Dia-Mend Ministries is set to take place tomorrow, Sept. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Nā'ālehu Community Center and field. For more information, call 808-929-8137 or visit hopedia-mendministries.com/jubilee. The event flyer also indicates entertainment, a keiki water slide and bouncy castle, a silent auction, Portuguese horseshoe tournament, classic car displays, vendor booths, carnival games and jail & rail. As part of the fundraising effort, chicken plates will be pre-sold at $10 each or 5 for $45 and chili & rice plates will be pre-sold at $5 each or 5 for $22. Game wristbands will be pre-sold at $10 each and can be purchased for $15 each at the event. Organizers welcome event sponsors and donations.

GREEN MACHINE: A Tiki Mama event sponsoring Hawai'i Island Food Bank takes place tomorrow, Sept. 2, at Tiki Mama's, along Hwy. 11, on Road to the Sea. Gates open at 4 p.m. A donation of $10 and a one can of food is suggested.

Late registration fees start Sept. 11. See
Ka'ū News Briefs from Aug. 30, 2017.

HIKE TO THE TOP OF PU'U O LOKUANA this Sunday, Sept. 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., within the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the formation and various uses of this grassy cinder cone and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū on this free, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top. For more detail, visit nps.gov/HAVO.

HAM RADIO OPERATORS INVITES all American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio and families to attend a potluck picnic on Sunday, Sept. 3, at Manukā Park. For more details, call Dennis Smith at 989-3028.

A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING is set for Monday, Sept. 4, 4 p.m., at the Ocean View Community Center. For more details, call 939-7033.

KA'Ū COFFEE GROWERS COOPERATIVE MEETS TUESDAY, Sept. 5, from 6 pm. to 8 p.m., at the Pāhala Community Center.


REGISTER 5TH GRADE GIRLS FOR GEMS BY SEPT. 15. Ka‘ū fifth grade girls are invited to start registering for GEMS, Girls Exploring Math and Science. The annual all day event has been set for the Crown Marriot King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel for Nov. 9.
     Registration is on a first come, first served basis, and space is limited. Registration fee is $20 and scholarships are available. No girl will be turned away because of financial need.
     All fifth grade girls residing in the West Hawai‘i School complex in public, private, or home-schooled are welcome. Sponsorship of girls by individuals or businesses will be accepted. For more information about GEMS, to sponsor a girl, or to request a registration packet, contact Cindy Armer, GEMS chairperson at cbarmer@hotmail.com or 808-896-7180. Remember GEMS registration form must be postmarked by 9-15-17. See more details on Ka'ū News Briefs from August 15, 2017.