Thursday, September 19, 2019

Kaʻū News Briefs, Thursday, September 19, 2019

The late Del Bothof, in his Volcano vineyard. He was honored at the recent sixth Volcano Winery Harvest Fest to
raise money for Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences. Photo by Julia Neal 
THE MEMORY OF DEL BOTHOF WAS HONORED at the recent sixth annual Volcano Winery Harvest Festival fundraiser for Volcano School of Arts & Sciences 8. The sold-out event, attended by 250 people, was blessed with clear skies and cool mountain air. A statement from Volcano School called it  "an especially beautiful and heartfelt evening"  as guests paid tribute to Volcano Winery owner Del Bothof, who passed away this summer.
Music from the The Kuahiwis was a great pairing with the wines poured
during the 6th annual Volcano Winery Harvest Festival. Photo from VSAS
     School principal Kalima Kinney said, "Volcano School students, families, teachers, and staff are forever grateful to Del and (his wife and co-owner) Marie for creating and hosting this remarkable event. It has grown into our signature fundraiser, and this year's gathering was our most successful yet. We truly felt Del's presence and love for the community that night."
      The event raised more than $14,000, a new record. Last year's event raised a little over $10,000. The funds will go to sustain and expand Volcano School's Healthy Food Program and Food Sustainability initiatives.
      Said Kinney, "Nutritious food is a foundation for successful learning and Volcano School has been proud to offer students free, healthy breakfast and lunch for every student, every day. We're also dedicated to using local products in student meals to support local farmers and food sustainability efforts, to reduce our school and community's reliance on imported food." 
Long community tables let friends, old and new, talk story at the Volcano
Winery Harvest Festival. Photo from VSAS
     Attendees enjoyed a wide selection of Volcano Winery wines, along with beers from Hilo Brewing Company and coffee from Rusty's 100% Kaʻū. Delicious food courtesy of Café Ono, Eagle's Lighthouse Café, Volcano School's Keakealani Kitchen, Ohelo Café, Papaʻa Palaoa Bakery, Tuk-Tuk Thai Food Truck, Volcano's Lava Rock Café, and WikiFRESH, plus a special selection from Kīlauea Lodge, "kept guests happily well-fed."
     The raffle highlighted the evening. The 30 packages included handmade donations from the school community, area businesses, and artists; hotel stays from the Royal Kona Resort, Grand Naniloa Resort, and Hotel Renew in Waikiki; golf from Mauna Kea Resort; activities from Fair Wind Cruises and Kapohokine Adventures; and much more.
The raffle table showed off some of the great prizes. Photo from VSAS
     The Volcano School ‘ohana and Volcano Winery representatives said they would like to acknowledge and thank Brian Hatayama of Islandwide Canopy Tents for donating tents, tables, and chairs; Chelsey Hanselman of Hawaiʻi Paper Products; Jason Morton of HFM Food Service; and The Kuahiwis – TR Ireland, Grant Ka‘au‘a, Kiliona "Moku" Young – for their musical entertainment.
     Volcano School of Arts & Sciences is a tuition-free, Hawaiian-focused, public charter school, dedicated to the mission of learning through Volcano's unique natural and cultural resources to become creative global citizens. VSAS is open and is currently accepting enrollment applications. Contact 808-985-9800, or email enrollment@volcanoschool.net.

Tables under the trees at the Volcano School fundraiser. Photo from VSAS
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MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IS PROVIDING MORE JOBS in Kaʻū and around the state. Kaʻū jobs are created by state Department of Land & Natural Resources, Kamehameha Schools, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Nā Mamo O Kāwā, and other non-profits and government agencies.
     According to Olivia Peterken's story in Pacific Business News last evening, natural resource management accounted for some 4,697 jobs statewide in 2018, a 33 percent increase over five years. PBN quoted from a new economic report from University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization. Entitled Characterizing Hawaiʻi's Natural Resources Management Sector: Jobs, Education, Salaries, and Expenditures, it found much Natural Resources Management job growth through nonprofits and academic groups. It also found that state government contributes the most, with 1,500 positions, 1,000 of  them through state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
     Kimberly Burnett, research economist at UHERO, who worked on the report, told PBN: "A lot of these new jobs are because of the changes we're seeing in our environment and in our natural resources. I think a lot of the government sector is trying to address these climate mitigation issues, like sea level rise and warming temperatures, so that's where a lot of the job growth is coming from."
     PBN noted that "despite the increase in Hawaiʻi's NRM jobs over the past few years, the state's NRM budget has remained relatively the same. For the 2018 report, Hawaiʻi's NRM expenditures hovered around $542 million, about the same amount reported in 2014." Burnett told PBN that the combination of growth in jobs and the lack of sufficient budget stretches thin the NRM departments that reallocate resources to support salaries for the growing number of positions. "Basically, they're cutting in other places in order to create jobs," Burnett said. "The reality that we're hearing from many of these agencies is that they're getting the positions, but not the support to do the work that people in these positions need to do."
Kaʻū Forest Reserve, where many jobs have been created to manage natural resources.
Photo by Rob Schallenberger
     The report also shows starting salaries in Natural Resource Management are on the rise. Fifty nine percent of survey respondents reported a starting salary of $41,000 per year or higher for administrative staff, while 77 percent reported a starting salary of $51,000 a year or higher for professional and managerial employees. "The increase in salary is another factor that may be stretching resources for Hawaiʻi's NRM groups," PBN reported.
     Burnett told PBN that a category "that I feel is being cut a lot is building fences to protect the watersheds. Right now, we are just responding to what we can see, so agencies are putting out sand bags and sending people to deal with monthly emergencies, utilizing more of a reactive strategy rather than a long-term proactive strategy that protects the resources."
     Hauoli Mau Loa Foundation, a private, Honolulu-based grant-making group with a mission "to enhance stewardship, preservation and protection of the environment," helped to fund the report.
     "One of [Hauoli Mau Loa's] objectives is to retain students and have them go into Hawaiʻi's Natural Resource Management sector," Burnett told PBN. "Part of the survey's purpose is to understand that, if you're interested in protecting the environment and natural resources, you can do that in Hawaiʻi." See the full report.

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MAUNAKEA: A WAY FORWARD was previewed by Mayor Harry Kim today. During an Office of Hawaiian Affairs meeting in Hilo, Kim said he is not quite done developing his "path forward" toward solution to the standoff that has left Protectors of Maunakea blocking the access road to the summit since July 13, in protest of the building of the world's largest telescope atop a mauna they hold sacred. After some arrests, Gov. David Ige asked Kim to help.
     Said Kim, "This presentation is beyond a yes-or-no of the TMT project. This is about asking Hawaiʻi's people to come together and find a new path to go forward in a good way."
Mayor Harry Kim read from his not quite finished plan for Maunakea. Photo from Big Island Video News
    Among his ideas is "a cultural center to protect and preserve the historical and cultural specialness of Hawaiʻi and its people." Another is "an umbrella management authority that gives strong deference to the voices of the host island and the Hawaiian community." The mayor said OHA knows "how important that is."
     Kim said he seeks the positive, "because what is happening, I think, is something nobody wants: a polarization of the people of this land."
     Kim read excerpts from "version 109" of his plan: "In recent years, the Hōkūleʻa gave birth to a phenomenal Hawaiian cultural renaissance, reigniting the Hawaiian’s desire to discover, grow, and explore new frontiers, with the pride, the wisdom, and courage of their elders. In recent months, Mauna Kea has added to this remarkable Hawaiian cultural Renaissance. The Hawaiians' identity and the pride of being Hawaiian, and with this the reverence, the sacredness, for the total environment. When respectfully integrated with a comprehensive understanding of Mauna Kea and Hawaiian culture, astronomy can be such a catalyst for positive and transformational changes in Hawaiʻi. Under the leadership of dreamers, innovators, and an awakened community, this can be the leverage for not only Mauna Kea issues, but to understand and address wrongs of past to make us a better people and place."
     Kim said he hoped to present the final version of his plan to the governor this week.

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DEFEND FILIPINO WORLD WAR II VETERANS' right to bring family members to the U.S., is the request from Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, plus a dozen of their colleagues. In a letter to the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, the Democrats urge him to rescind the Trump Administration's decision to terminate the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program. The program allows adult children of Filipino WWII veterans, along with their spouses and children under age 21, to enter the United States while they await an available immigrant visa. 
Hawaiʻi legislators are defending the right of Filipino 
WWII veterans to bring family member in to the U.S.
Photo from Filipino Veterans Recognition and 
Education Project, filvetrep.org
      The Senators wrote, "Over the past two years, the Trump administration has repeatedly attacked immigrants, and once again, its anti-immigrant disposition is reflected in this harmful and unnecessary action to end a program that helps elderly World War II veterans – who are now in their late 80s and 90s – reunite with their children and siblings. By abruptly and cruelly terminating this program nearly two years early, you are breaking yet another promise to Filipino World War II veterans and denying them the relief they deserve for their service to our country. We strongly urge you to reverse your decision to keep these veterans separated from their families by ending the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program."
     Filipino veterans were granted citizenship in recognition of their service to the United States during World War II. Many of their children, however, were not. Due to the volume of immigrant visa applications from the Philippines, it can take more than 20 years for families to be reunited. Under the FWVP program, which Hirono was instrumental in creating the FWVP program in 2016.
     In July, Hirono met for a second time with the Milla Family – the first family in Hawaiʻi to benefit from the FWVP program in 2017. After waiting more than 20 years for an immigrant visa, the FWVP program enabled Jeorge Milla to be reunited with his mother in Hawaiʻi, while awaiting his visa. Jeorge and his wife Juseline are now employed in Hawaiʻi, their two daughters Jasmine and Jeraldine are attending college, and they have all earned their green cards.

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VENDOR BOOTH SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR THE KAMAHALO CRAFT FAIR at Cooper Center in Volcano. The 12th annual event will be held Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, Nov. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Booths are open for crafters with quality homemade and homegrown products. Food vendors must prepare all food items in a certified kitchen and must have a Department of Health permit displayed prominently at their booth.
     The Kamahalo Craft Fair is a project of the Cooper Center Council. Proceeds are used to fund community activities and projects such as the Friends Feeding Friends hot meal program.
     Application online at thecoopercenter.org. Direct questions to 936-9705 or kilaueatutu@gmail.com.

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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
2019 Kaʻū High School Fall Athletics Schedule
See khpes.org/athletics-home for details and updates

Football, Division II:
Thu., Oct. 3, 7 p.m. Kamehameha hosts Kaʻū
Sat., Oct. 12, 1 p.m., Kaʻū hosts HPA
Sat., Oct. 19, 11 a.m., Kaʻū hosts Pāhoa
Sat., Oct. 26, 1 p.m., Kohala hosts Kaʻū
Fri. and Sat., Nov. 1 and 2, Div II BIIF Championship
Fri. and Sat., Nov. 15 and 16, HHSAA Div II Semifinals
Fri., Nov. 29, HHSAA Div II Championship

Girls Volleyball, Kaʻū District Gym:
Tue., Sept. 24, 6 p.m., Makualani hosts Kaʻū
Fri., Sept. 27, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts HPA
Wed., Oct. 2, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts Pāhoa
Fri., Oct. 4, 6 p.m., Parker hosts Kaʻū
Tue., Oct. 8, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts Ehunui
Thu., Oct. 10, 6 p.m., Konawaena hosts Kaʻū
Mon., Oct. 14, 6 p.m., BIIF Div II First Round at Keaʻau
Tue., Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m., BIIF Div II Semifinals at Keaʻau
Wed., Oct. 16, 4 p.m., BIIF Div II Finals at Keaʻau
Wed.-Sat., Oct. 23-26, HHSAA DII Tournament, Oʻahu

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UPCOMING
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21
6th Annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run Race Day, Saturday, Sept. 21, 7.a.m, Ka‘ū coffee Mill. 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon races through macnut and coffee fields along slopes of Ka‘ū. Sponsored by Ka‘ū Coffee Mill and ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou. Online registration open through midnight, Sept. 19: webscorer.com/register?raceid=166020. Race day (not online) registration closes at 6:30a.m. okaukakou.orgkaucoffeemill.com

Exhibit - 45th Tiny Treasures Invitational, Saturday, Sept. 21, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m.,Volcano Arts Center Gallery. Features small works created at the Volcano Collaboration. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org

Free Haircut, Shower, Clothes, Saturday, Sept. 21, 9a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Kady and Drew Foster, 12 haircut slots available. Free hot showers. Big Island Giving Tree will hand out clothes and personal care items like razors and toothbrushes. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Saturday, Sept. 21, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo

Zen Pen - Writing as Spiritual Practice with Tom Peek, Saturday, Sept. 21, 9:30a.m.-4p.m.Volcano Art Center. $65/VAC member, $75/non-member. Bring personal object, handheld mirror, and lunch. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

1st Annual Church Bazaar, Saturday, Sept. 21, 10a.m.-2p.m., Pāhala Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Auction, thrift shop, baked goods, craft goods, plants, and more. $10/steak plate; priority to pre-sale ticket holders. See church member or call Parish Office at 928-8208 for tickets.

Mixed Media Encaustic - Beginner and Intermediate with Mary Milelzcik, Saturday, Sept. 21, 10a.m.-2p.m.Volcano Art Center. $55/VAC member, $60/non-member, plus $25 supply fee. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Sept. 21, 10a.m.-1p.m.Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Hula Kahiko - Kumu Hula Paul Neves with Hālau Ha‘a Kea o Kinohi, Saturday, Sept. 21, 10:30-11:30a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery. Hula performance. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.comvolcanoartcenter.org

Nā Mea Hula with Kumu Kaho‘okele Crabbe with Hālauolaokalani, Saturday, Sept. 21, 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery porch. Hands-on cultural demonstration. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.comvolcanoartcenter.org

Ham Radio Mtg., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2-3p.m.Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Dances of Universal Peace, Saturday, Sept. 21, 6-7:30p.m., Methodist Hall, across from Nā‘ālehu Post Office. 939-9461, hualaniom2@yahoo.com

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Ka‘ū Community Coastal Cleanup and Debris Survey, Saturday, Sept. 22. Free; donations appreciated. Limited space available; B.Y.O.-4WD okay. R.S.V.P. required, kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com. 769-7629, wildhawaii.org

Palm Trail, Sunday, Sept. 22, 9:30-12:30p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult hike - 2.6 mile loop. nps.gov/havo

Kahuku ‘Ohana Day, Sunday, Sept. 22, noon-3p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Live music, family-friendly activities, hikes and more. Free. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24
H.O.V.E. Road Maintenance Corp. Board Mtg., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 10a.m., H.O.V.E. RMC office, 92-8979 Lehua Lane, Ocean View. 929-9910, hoveroad.com

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 11:30a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Volunteers welcome. Dave Breskin, 319-8333

Operatic Theater with Artist-in-Residence, Alan Olejniczak, Saturday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.KīlaueaVisitor Center Auditorium. Olenjniczak, playwright and librettist, presents excerpts from the first draft of an audio drama about the natural history and future of Hawai‘i Island. Free; park entrance fees apply. 965-6101, nps.gov/havo

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25
Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wednesday, Sept. 25 – last Wednesday, monthly – 9-11a.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years and older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i – referral required, 961-8626, for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

Guided Hike On A 60 Year Old Lava Lake, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 10a.m.-2p.m.Kīlauea Iki Overlook, HVNP. Organized by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate to challenging 2.4 mile (one way) hike. $80/person. Register online. Park entrance fees may apply. 985-7373, admin@fhvnp.orgfhvnp.org

Pū‘ohe Demonstration, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 10a.m.-noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Make a Hawaiian bamboo trumpet. Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
Ka‘ū Food Basket, Thursday, Sept. 26, 11a.m.-noon, multipurpose room, Ka‘ū District Gym, Pāhala.

Ka‘ū Community Children's Council, Thursday, Sept. 26, 3-4p.m., Classroom 35, Building F, Nā‘ālehu Elementary School. Provides local forum for community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues to benefit students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com, ccco.k12.hi.us

Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thursday, Sept. 26, 4-6p.m.Cooper CenterVolcano Village. Free community dinner for all. Additional packaged goods to take home for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org

ONGOING
6th Annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run Registration, webscorer.com/register?raceid=166020. 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon races through mac nut and coffee fields along slopes of Ka‘ū starting at 7a.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Sponsored by Ka‘ū Coffee Mill and ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou. okaukakou.orgkaucoffeemill.com

Tutoring for Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary is Available to All Students of the school, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Grades Kindergarten-2nd will be in room 3; grades 3-6 will be in room 6 on Mondays, room 11 on Tuesdays through Thursdays; middle school students, will be in building Q; and high school students will be in room M-101 in the science building. Contact khpes.org or 808-313-4100 for more.

Nationwide 2019 Congressional App Challenge submissions from middle and high schoolers are open through Nov. 1. Submit to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, CongressionalAppChallenge.us, apps "designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science." All skill levels, all devices and platforms, and all programming languages, accepted. 

Vendor Booth Space is Available for the Kamahalo Craft Fair. The 12th annual event will be held Thanksgiving weekend, Friday, Nov. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Booths are open for crafters with quality homemade and homegrown products. Food vendors must prepare all food items in a certified kitchen and must have a Department of Health permit displayed prominently at their booth. Application online at thecoopercenter.org. Direct questions to 936-9705 or kilaueatutu@gmail.com.

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