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| The Hoola One engineering team from University of Sherbrooke in Quebec tests their new invention to remove micro- plastics from beaches along the Kaʻū Coast this month. Photo from Hoola One Facebook |
TESTING A NEW INVENTION, THE HOOLA ONE MACHINE, TO HELP REMOVE MICROPLASTICS FROM BEACHES, is scheduled in Kaʻū from April 17 through 30. The project is a partnership between the school of engineering at University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada and Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund.Microplastic debris is the most difficult to collect and remove from the beach because it takes so much time, said Bill Gilmartin, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund's Research Director. He explained that Hoola One is designed to separate very small microplastic pieces - up to two inches in diameter - from beach sand. Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund will assist with field tests at Kamilo Beach.
The students raised over $70,000 in Canadian dollars to design and build Hoola One. Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund launched a fundraiser for $15,000 to bring the machine and students to Hawaiʻi. Pāhala Plantation Cottages will provide their housing.
A statement from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund says that "Thanks to funding support from the Will J. Reid Foundation and many individual donors on our FB and online campaign, HWF raised enough money to cover the shipping. The device left Quebec in mid-Feb and arrived in Honolulu on Mar 13th, where it cleared customs" and was shipped to Hilo.
Another HWF statement said that student work can lead to "future models to clean beaches around the world to reduce wildlife losses to plastic ingestion."
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund also suggests helping by choosing to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items consumed and disposed of of daily. More info a is available at wildhawaii.org. More information and a video of the Sherbrooke effort are available at hoolaone.ageg.ca and facebook.com/ProjetHoolaOne.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund also suggests helping by choosing to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items consumed and disposed of of daily. More info a is available at wildhawaii.org. More information and a video of the Sherbrooke effort are available at hoolaone.ageg.ca and facebook.com/ProjetHoolaOne.
SLIGHT MAUNA LOA ACTIVITY UPTICK has U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory scientists keeping a closer eye on the big volcano where most of Kaʻū rests. No significant changes were recorded in
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| USGS HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal. USGS photo |
Tina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge at USGS HVO told Sherry Bracken, during a recent Island Issues radio interview, "When I arrived in 2015, right off the bat I intended to focus a lot of my energy on preparing for a potential eruption at Mauna Loa , because it was showing signs of unrest. We were seeing elevated counts of earthquakes, and steady rates of deformation, indicating accumulation of magma in the shallow reservoirs beneath the summit."
In retrospect, she explained that "Mauna Loa experienced a spurt of unrest from about 2015 into 2017, and then it really began to slow down. For some time there, we were – of course – much more focused on Kīlauea," which violently erupted last year.
Said Neal, "Just within the last three or four months, I would say we've seen a return to inflation and slightly elevated earthquake counts atMauna Loa . So the lull or the quieting we saw in early 2018 has ended, and we're now looking at a slight uptick in activity.
"This began to calm down, actually, in the summer of 2018, and we downgraded the volcano from – then the alert level was ADVISORY back to NORMAL.Said Neal, "Just within the last three or four months, I would say we've seen a return to inflation and slightly elevated earthquake counts at
"The bottom line is that we are still watching Mauna Loa very carefully and it could well be moving towards a period of increased concern, but we have yet to raise the alert level from its lowest, quiet state to the next step up. We would need to see this pattern continue for a little while longer and then maybe have some different characteristics.
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| Deformation data for Mauna Loa over the past five years shows a steady increase in activity. USGS image |
"Mauna Loa is not imminently going to erupt, but we are watching it closely." Neal said, "there is some suggestion – geologically, looking back – that during periods of Kīlauea quiet, Mauna Loa is more active and vice-versa. So, now that we're in a period of pause of activity at Kīlauea , one could suppose that this might be at a time of enhanced possibility of eruption at Mauna Loa . So that factors into our vigilance."
The largest earthquake forMauna Loa in the past month was a M3.3 event, at a depth of approximately 2.7 km (1.7 mi) below ground level, near the summit on March 31. USGS received no felt-reports following this event. Data from Global Positioning System instruments on Mauna Loa indicate slow inflation of the summit magma reservoir system. The rates of deformation are lower than during the period of more intense unrest from 2014-2017. Gas and temperature data from a station on the Southwest Rift Zone and within the summit caldera showed no significant changes over the past month.
HVO continues to monitor the volcano closely and will issue another update in one month, or earlier should conditions change significantly.The largest earthquake for
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THE NUMBER OF HOMES & CONDOS SOLD ON HAWAIʻI ISLAND IN MARCH dropped by double digits, according to a report today in Pacific Business News. Two-hundred and five sold in March, compared to 250 sold in March 2018, before the volcanic disaster that wiped out 750 houses and sent the visitor count tumbling.Median price for a house was slightly higher, $382,500 in 2018 and $283,880 this March.
The number of condominiums sold in March dropped 16.47 percent to 71 units. Eighty-five sold during March last year. Median price of condos sold in March was $375,000, a drop of 8.54 percent from $410,000 last March. Statistics for the PBN story came from Hawaii Information Service on behalf of Hawaiʻi Island Realtors.
The number of condominiums sold in March dropped 16.47 percent to 71 units. Eighty-five sold during March last year. Median price of condos sold in March was $375,000, a drop of 8.54 percent from $410,000 last March. Statistics for the PBN story came from Hawaii Information Service on behalf of Hawaiʻi Island Realtors.
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| Former Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Photo from Wikipedia |
"Now, more
than a year later and thousands of families separated with thousands more
locked in cages and kept in unconscionable conditions in detention
centers, Nielsen has resigned, and I welcome her decision. History will
not judge her kindly.
"Sadly, new
reports are saying Nielsen resigned because -- believe it or not -- she wasn't extreme
enough for Trump. We know the president will only nominate yet another
cabinet member who will easily bend to his will and be complicit in the
horrendous treatment of families and individuals simply seeking an opportunity
for a better life in the United States .
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.
Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes
throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on
stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com
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Baseball:
Sat., April 13, 3 p.m. , @Kamehameha
Fri., April 19, BIIF Semi-Finals
Sat., April 20, BIIF Semi-Finals
Fri., April 26, BIIF Finals
Sat., April 27, BIIF Finals
Wed.-Sat., May 8-11, HHSAA
Softball:
Fri., April 12, BIIF Semi-Finals
Sat., April 13, BIIF Semi-Finals
Fri., April 19, BIIF Finals
Sat., April 20, BIIF Finals
Wed., May 1-4, HHSAA
Boys Volleyball:
Tue., April 9, 6 p.m. , host Waiakea
Fri., April 12, 6 p.m. , @Keaʻau
Wed., April 17, 6 p.m. , Kamehameha
Fri., April 19, 6 p.m. , host Honokaʻa
Mon. April 22, BIIF First Round
Wed., April 24, BIIF Semi-Finals
Thu., April 25, BIIF Finals
Thu.-Sat., May 2-4, HHSAA
Track:
Sat., April 13, 9 a.m. , @HPA
Sat., April 20, 9 a.m. , @Kamehameha
Fri., April 26, 2 p.m. , BIIF Semi-Finals
Sat., April 27, 3 p.m. , BIIF Finals
Fri.-Sat., May 3-4, HHSAA
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
UPCOMING
TUESDAY, APRIL 9
Free Vision Screenings, Tuesday, April 9, Nāʻālehu Elementary. Students receive free comprehensive eye exam and sunglasses. If given a prescription, keiki will receive free eyeglasses with choice of frames, with parental consent. Mission co-sponsored by Tūtū & Me and Project Vision Hawaiʻi. pidf.org/programs/tutu_and_me, projectvisionhawaii.org, 808-430-0388
C.E.R.T. Discovery Harbour/Nā‘ālehu, Tuesday, April 9, 4 p.m – 6 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Community Emergency Response Team info and training scenarios. Public welcome. Dina Shisler, dinashisler24@yahoo.com, 410-935-8087
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
Scholarship Application Deadline for American Association of University Women-Kona, Wednesday, April 10. Two $1,000 awards for two-year vocational program attendees. Application packets at kona-hi.aauw.net. sharonnind@aol.com
Ki‘i, Wednesday, April 10, 10 a.m. – noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Acclaimed artist James Kanani Kaulukukui Jr. shares his expertise and the essential role of ki‘i, statue, in Hawaiian society. Free; park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/havo
THURSDAY, APRIL 11
Free Vision Screenings, Thursday, April 11, Volcano School of Arts & Sciences. Students receive free comprehensive eye exam and sunglasses. If given a prescription, keiki will receive free eyeglasses with choice of frames, with parental consent. Mission co-sponsored by Tūtū & Me and Project Vision Hawaiʻi. pidf.org/programs/tutu_and_me, projectvisionhawaii.org, 808-430-0388
Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, April 11, 6:30 p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197
‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, April 11, 6:30 p.m., Aspen Center. okaukakou.org
Tales of Forgiveness and Tales of the Three Monks, performed by Storyteller Jeff Gere, Thursday, April 11, 6:30 p.m., Volcano Art Center. $10/VAC member, $15/non-member. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
FRIDAY, APRIL 12
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, April 12, 9 a.m. – noon, Ocean View Community Center. Free disability legal services provided by Hawai‘i Legal Aid. ovcahi.org, 939-7033
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, April 12, 9 a.m. – noon, Ocean View Community Center. Free disability legal services provided by Hawai‘i Legal Aid. ovcahi.org, 939-7033
Community Dance, Friday, April 12, 7 p.m – 10 p.m., Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Minors allowed with supervision only. Alcohol-free event. Variety of music. Snacks provided; additional pūpū welcome. Free. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Annual Manuka/NARS Cleanup, Saturday, April 13. Free; donations appreciated. RSVP: kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, 769-7629
Parenting Class & Saturday School, Saturday, April 13, 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Ocean View Community Center, downstairs. Sponsored by Nā‘ālehu Elementary School. 939-7033, ovcahi.org
Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Saturday, April 13, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m., Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033. ovcahi.org
Soft Pastel Still Life with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, April 13, 9 a.m. – noon, Volcano Art Center. $45/VAC member, $50/non-member, plus $10 supply fee. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. Register: volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
Nā Mamo O Kāwā ʻOhana Work Day, Saturday, April 13, meet 9:30 a.m., Northern Gate, Kāwā. RSVP: James Akau, jakau@nmok.org, 561-9111. nmok.org, facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii
Zentangle: Celtic-Inspired Knotwork with Ellen O'Dunn, Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Bring drawing supplies; loaner supplies available. Bring snack to share. $30/VAC member, $35/non-member, plus $10 supply fee. Register: volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
Hula Kahiko - Kumu Kini Ka‘awa with Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School, Saturday, April 13, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery. Hula performance. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org
Nā Mea Hula with Loke Kamanu & ‘Ohana, Saturday, April 13, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery porch. Hands-on cultural demonstration. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org
Lava Lounge Entertainment, Saturday, April 13, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp. Soul Town performs. $5 cover per person. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com
SUNDAY, APRIL 14
Palm Sunday Services, April 14, 9:30 a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. 939-7000
Ocean View Easter Egg Hunt at Kahuku Park happens Sunday, April 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by D-Tech solutions, Robert Unger, 238-8441, is accepting donations of plastic eggs and individually wrapped candy.
MONDAY, APRIL 15
Discovery Harbour Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Monday, April 15, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net
Mobile Spay & Neuter Waggin', Monday, April 16, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church,
Ocean View. Low income pet parents and those with limited transportation qualify for mobile spay/neuter service. Free. Surgery by appointment only. Hawai‘i Island Humane Society, hihs.org, 796-0107
ONGOING
Beginning Farmer Institute Cohort Applications open through Monday, April 15. Free training program which "prepares new producers of any age or operation type for a successful future in agriculture." Applications at nfu.org/education/beginning-farmer-institute.
Two $1,000 Scholarships are available from American Association of University Women-Kona to any female high school graduate or older women attending a two-year vocational program leading to a marketable skill at Palamanui Campus . Applications must be postmarked by Wednesday, April 10. Application packets available at kona-hi.aauw.net. Contact sharonnind@aol.com.
Kaʻū Coffee Fest invites non-profits, clubs, cooperatives, and businesses to sign up for booths at the 11th annual Kaʻū Coffee Fest Hoʻolauleʻa on Saturday, May 4 at Pāhala Community Center. The all-day event comes with music, hula, coffee tasting, and meeting the famous Kaʻū Coffee farmers. See
Booth fees are $100 for food vendors; $60 for non-food items and crafts, including coffee and coffee samples; and $35 for pre-approved information displays. No campaign and other political displays. Fifty percent discounts for non-profit organizations and cooperatives selling food, crafts, and coffee. Vendors must also obtain county vendor permits costing $30 each and a Department of Health permit, if serving food. Call Gail Nagata 933-0918. Apply by Friday, April 26. Application at KauCoffeeFestival.com. Email to biokepamoses@gmail.com; mail to Brenda Iokepa-Moses, P.O. Box 208 , Pāhala , HI 96777
Exhibit: On Sacred Ground by Dino Morrow is open daily through Sunday, May 5 at Volcano Art Center Gallery. The public is invited to see documentary and portrait photography of Hula Arts at the Kīlauea Program. Visit volcanoartcenter.org for more information.
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Exhibit: On Sacred Ground by Dino Morrow is open daily through Sunday, May 5 at Volcano Art Center Gallery. The public is invited to see documentary and portrait photography of Hula Arts at the Kīlauea Program. Visit volcanoartcenter.org for more information.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
