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| The state Board of Land & Natural Resources is looking for new members to oversee state owned lands, including all the light green land shown on the ownership map above. Most Kaʻū state land is comprised of pristine native forests. The darker green is Hawaiian Home lands, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is in light blue, and Kamehameha Schools is in dark blue. The Nature Conservancy is in pink. Olson Trust is in darker yellow. Map from State of Hawaiʻi |
These are volunteer board positions that require attendance at BLNR meetings on O‘ahu twice a month and more often as needed.
BLNR members are nominated and, by and with the advice and consent of the state Senate, appointed by the governor, for a term of four years. At twice monthly meetings, the BLNR reviews and takes action on departmental submittals, including land leases and conservation district use applications. Chairing the BLNR is the DLNR department head, Suzanne Case, formerly head of The Nature Conservancy in Hawaiʻi. She led much preservation work to conserve native forests in Kaʻū.
Nominees are required to provide publicly viewable financial disclosure information prior to appointment to the BLNR. For further information about the responsibilities of a BLNR member, please refer to Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 171-4. For more information and to submit nominations, visit boards.hawaii.gov.
CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KAʻŪ, Kanani aʻo Kaʻū, on August 17 at Pāhala Community Center, from 5 p.m. to
To find out more,
email hawaiiancivicclubkau@gmail.com
or call 808-747-0197.
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A NATIONAL BAN ON CHLORPYRIFOS pesticide was urged this week by Sen. Mazie Hirono and 14 of her U.S. Senate colleagues. They sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, asking him to reconsider the decision not to ban the pesticide. A release from Hirono states it is linked to brain damage in children and known to cause serious harm to human health. The Senators ask the EPA to ban Chlorpyrifos immediately in "the interest of protecting public health."
Last year – due to legislation introduced by east Kaʻū's Sen. Russell Ruderman and now-Lt. Gov. Josh Green, a physician who was west Kaʻū's senator at the time, and west Kaʻū's state Rep., physician Richard Creagan – Hawaiʻi became the first state to pass a law banning Chlorpyrifos. At the national level, Kaʻū's legislators Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard have also thrown their support behind banning the pesticide.Per FactCheck.org, Chlorpyrifos, first registered as an insecticide in 1965, is the most used conventional insecticide in the U.S. Roughly 6 million pounds was used on 10 million acres between 2009 and 2013. Humans can be exposed to Chlorpyrifos by ingesting food, inhaling it, and through the skin. While it has rarely been found in drinking water and outdoor air, it can be carried long distances in the air. It is toxic to birds, and extremely toxic to fish and non-target insects, such as bees.
Chlorpyrifos toxicity leads to over-stimulation of the nervous system, similarly to Sarin gas. Symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, and confusion. High doses can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Extremely high doses can lead to death.
Late filmmaker and former Pāhala resident Danny Miller took up the issue in the award winning film Poisoning Paradise, narrated by Kaʻū natives Demetrius Oliveira and Alika Atay and co-produced by Teresa Tico.
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| Made with the assistance of the writing, directing, and filming talents of producer Teresa Tico and late filmmaker and former Pāhala resident Danny Miller, Poisoning Paradise takes up the issue of pesticides in the Hawaiʻi environment. One of its narrators is Pāhala resident Demetrius Oliveira. The film has won awards at film festivals internationally. See poisoningparadise.com. |
The Senators state that Chlorpyrifos "threatens agricultural workers" who are exposed from mixing, handling, and applying the pesticide, and being in recently sprayed fields. "Chlorpyrifos is one of the pesticides most often linked to acute pesticide poisonings… This is significant given widespread under-reporting of pesticide poisonings due to such factors as inadequate reporting systems, fear of retaliation from employers, and reluctance to seek medical treatment."
The EPA's decision, say the Senators, to "reject the petition to ban Chlorpyrifos… simply makes no sense from a public health or legal perspective." They assert the EPA is resisting "taking action that would protect children's brains. If you fail to reverse this decision, more children, farmworkers, and American families will be exposed to this pesticide and they will suffer as a result," the Senators concluded.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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PLAN B, TO BUILD THE THIRTY METER TELESCOPE IN THE CANARY ISLANDS, instead of Maunakea, receives support from scientists in Spain and some opposition from environmental groups there. When TMT submitted its back-up building permit request for siting TMT on Palama Island in the Canaries, Astrophysics Institute Director Rafael Rebolo told the Associated Press that Spanish officials solidly back the TMT if the project "needs us." TMT executive director Ed Stone said the preferred site remains Maunakea, with plans for the alternative site going through negotiations since 2016 with a building permit requested more recently.
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| Message from County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department |
Said Magec, the island of La Palma and
Magec said the municipality of Garafía already hosts 14 telescopes, with 20 more projected. He said it is the "poorest municipality in the Canary Islands. They have never received a financial compensation for the use of their land. That is why the struggle for dignity that is being fought in Hawaiʻi is not strange to us."
Magec said the backup site onLa Palma is used by the pro TMT community to put pressure on Hawaiian authorities, but "that has now turned against them when used by TMT opponents. It has been assumed that the supposed arrival of the TMT on the Canary Islands will not be hindered by administrative or judicial procedures and that the people and local organizations will not oppose it."
Magec said that in the Canary Islands, "the feeling is growing that our mountain has already exceeded the capacity to house more telescopes and that we have already paid a high price for astronomical science. We are strongly opposing a project that will have a very negative impact on a unique natural area of high value that is part of the European Natura 2000 network, one of the world's largest networks of protected natural areas."Magec said the backup site on
He said a suit was filed against the Spanish government's agreement to lease La Palama land to TMT for $1,250 annually. A Canary Islands Superior Court judge revoked the concession "because of violations of European environmental laws and a wrong estimation of the value of the concession. This means they will have to start the procedure from the beginning, causing a substantial delay."
Said Magec, "If they insist in getting authorisation to build the TMT in this legally protected area on La Palma, each step will lead to additional legal action on our part. We will not hesitate to take it to the Supreme Court of Spain because we are convinced that, in relation to the TMT, public administrations are making decisions that are in conflict with Spanish and European Laws. We have no less reason or less determination than the Hawaiian TMT opponents.
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Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, located in the
Canary Islands. Photo from Wikipedia
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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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See khpes.org/athletics-home for details and updates; Bowling TBA.
Football, Division II:
Sat., Aug. 24, 1 p.m., Kaʻū hosts Kamehameha
Girls Volleyball, Kaʻū District Gym:
Tue., Aug. 20, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts Hilo
Fri., Aug. 23, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts St. Joseph
Wed., Aug. 28, 6 p.m., Kaʻū hosts Kohala
Cross Country:
Sat., Aug. 31, 10 a.m., @Christian Liberty
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.
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
THURSDAY, AUG. 8
Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Aug. 8, 6:30p.m. , United Methodist Church
Peter Lee & the Road Ahead, Thursday, Aug. 8, 7-8:30p.m. , Volcano Art Center. Martha Hoverson discusses the role that Peter Lee, an immigrant from Norway , played in the early development of tourism in Hawai‘i. Free; $5 donation to VAC suggested. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
FRIDAY, AUG. 9
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, Aug. 9, 9a.m. -noon , Ocean View Community Center
Community Dance, Friday, Aug. 9, 7-10p.m. , Cooper Center Volcano Village
SATURDAY, AUG. 10
Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Saturday, Aug. 10, 8-11a.m. , Ocean View Community Center
Exhibit - Nani Ka ‘Ikena by Photographer Jesse Tunison, Aug. 10-Sept. 15, daily 9a.m.-5p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery. Opening reception Saturday, Aug. 10, 5-7p.m. , Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org
Nā Mamo o Kāwā ʻOhana Work Day, Saturday, Aug. 10, meet 9:30a.m., Northern Gate, Kāwā. RSVP to James Akau, jakau@nmok.org, 561-9111. Bring a water bottle, lunch, closed toed shoes, long sleeved t-shirt, and pants. Tools, gloves, water, and light refreshments provided. nmok.org, facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii
Zentangle Inspired Labyrinth Shrines with Lois and Earl Stokes, Saturday, Aug. 10,
Jazz in the Forest: A Samba Trip to Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 10, 5:30-7:30p.m., Volcano Art Center. Jean Pierre and the Jazztones with Sarah Bethany. Tickets, $20/VAC member, $25/non-member, available for purchase online. Beer, wine, and pūpū available for purchase at event. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
SUNDAY, AUG. 11
Medicine for the Mind: Teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, Sunday, Aug. 11 – 2nd Sunday, monthly – 3-5p.m. , Volcano Art Center
Ka‘ū Homeschool Co–op Group, Monday, Aug. 12 and Aug. 26, 1p.m. , contact for location. Parent-led homeschool activity and social group, building community in Ka‘ū. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351
TUESDAY, AUG. 13
facebook.com/hawaiihumpbackwhale, sanctuaries.noaa.
gov, dlnr.hawaii.gov
Registration Open: Butterfly Magnets Craft, Tuesday, Aug. 13-19,
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 14
Lā‘āu Lāpa‘au Demonstration, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 10a.m. -noon , Kīlauea Visitor Center
Volcano Winery's Annual Fundraising Harvest Festival Tickets are on sale at volcanowinery.com or (808) 967-7772. Proceeds benefit Volcano School 4-7p.m. The $50 per person tickets include live music entertainment by Young Brothers; delicious food and drink from local restaurants; award-winning wines and teas from the Volcano Winery; tours of the vineyards and a huge raffle.
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. Prices increase after July 9. okaukakou.org, kaucoffeemill.com
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