Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, January 11, 2020

Kaʻalaiki Road near the waterfalls is often used by Kaʻū residents, but but not recommended for  visitors when flooding closes Hwy 11during heavy rains, like today's,  which shut down Hwy 11 with flooding at Kawa Flats at 8:50 p.m. 
See below a weather update. Photo by Julia Neal

OHA PROPOSES TO RESTORE HAWAIIAN EXPERTISE IN STATE LAND USE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. In its package of bills for the 2020 Hawaiʻi Legislature, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs states that "Since 2016, a number of state boards and commissions with land use and resource management responsibilities have been required to attend a Native Hawaiian law and public trust training course; in addition, several of these boards are required to have at least one member possess experience or expertise in relevant Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices or resource management approaches. Combined, these requirements seek to ensure that decisions impacting our lands and resources are more informed as to the rights, values, and practices of Native Hawaiians, and have the potential to enhance our islands' sustainability and resilience for present and future generations."

Kaʻū has some of the largest swaths of pristine land  managed by the state.
Map from Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

     OHA charges, however, that "despite the regular provision of notice to board and commission administrators, the vast majority of boards and commissions subject to the training course requirement have failed to fully comply with their training responsibilities. As a result, land use and resource management decision-making may continue to be less than fully informed on Native Hawaiian concepts, practices, and rights associated with the ‘āina. Moreover, requiring only a single member of critical decision-making bodies, such as the Land Use Commission and Board of Land & Natural Resources to have experience or expertise in Hawaiian practices or resource management approaches, has not resulted in decisions that consistently recognize or incorporate Native Hawaiian knowledge, values, and rights. These issues in turn have led and continue to lead to substantial conflict, distrust in government decisions and processes, and even legal action against the state, and may further foreclose critical opportunities to ensure our islands' resiliency and self-sufficiency through culturally-informed land use and resource management."

     The OHA proposal would:

     Require an annual report by OHA and DLNR of all individuals who have failed to meet the one-year training deadline under the law; prohibit individuals who have failed to meet their requirement from serving on a permitted interaction group or voting on any matter before their respective boards or commissions, until they have attended a training course; remove untrained individuals from their respective boards or commissions at the end of the regular legislative session following their deadline to complete the training course, unless they complete the training course or are reconfirmed by the Senate before the session ends; and allow the individual votes of untrained council, board and commission members to be challenged and subject to being nullified and voided following a contested case proceeding.

     The measure would also require that four of the nine-member LUC and four members of the seven-member BLNR be appointed from a list of nominees submitted by OHA, similar to the way in which OHA nominees are appointed to the various island burial councils. The requirement would take effect after the end of the current terms of all sitting BLNR and LUC members.

     "Such meaningful representation of Native Hawaiian perspectives will particularly ensure that land use and resource management decisions incorporate and benefit from Native Hawaiian practices, values, and knowledge relating to the ‘āina," says the OHA statement to the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

     See more on OHA efforts below.

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Ancient Hawaiian hula site, ʻImakakāloa Heiau, is one Kaʻū cultural location.
Photo from Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation

PROTECTING HISTORIC SITES is another OHA initiative. According to Office of Hawaiian Affairs, "State historic preservation laws provide a process by which county grading- and construction-related permit applications can be vetted for potential impacts to iwi kūpuna and archaeological/historical sites; this process includes the opportunity to attach permit conditions as well as develop and apply other protective measures to mitigate any potential impacts.  Historic preservation laws further impose criminal and civil penalties for the knowing desecration of iwi kupuna, burials, and archaeological/historical sites, and for failing to stop work upon the discovery of a burial."

     Despite these laws, states OHA, concerns have been raised regarding landowners and contractors who ignore county permitting requirements before beginning construction work, thereby avoiding the procedural protections established under historic preservation laws, and likely impacting countless iwi kūpuna and archaeological and historical sites. "These concerns have been compounded by written statements from the State Historic Preservation Division that impacts to iwi kūpuna from unpermitted grading or construction activities cannot be investigated or enforced after-the-fact, due to the likelihood that any evidence of such impacts have already been destroyed. For unscrupulous landowners and contractors, this admitted lack of after-the-fact enforcement may even represent a significant financial incentive to engage in unpermitted work especially where iwi kūpuna may be found, as the otherwise minimal penalties for unpermitted work may be far less than the costs of complying with permitting processes and conditions protecting iwi kūpuna and historic sites.”

     This OHA proposal would seek to better protect Native Hawaiians' ancestors by:

South Point holds many areas where iwi kūpuna were laid to rest,
but soil erosion from human activity may have covered up
some of the history. DLNR photo

     Increasing maximum fines for violations to the chapter, including unpermitted grading or construction activities that would have otherwise involved historic preservation review; prohibiting further work or permit issuance for the subject property where unpermitted activities occurred, until submission and approval of a work schedule that includes recommended actions from SHPD staff or a department-approved archaeologist who has inspected the worksite for evidence of potential impacts to iwi kūpuna or historic sites; holding landowners and contractors jointly liable for all assessment and mitigation costs associated with unpermitted activities; requiring the establishment of a citizen complaint intake process and the development of informational resources for citizens to document/report potential HRS 6E violations and impacts to iwi kūpuna or historic sites; requiring the posting of notice at worksites regarding iwi kūpuna and historic preservation laws, and informing workers and the public of the citizen complaint intake process; and amending the historic preservation special fund, which collects historic preservation fines and fees, to explicitly allow fund monies to be dedicated towards enforcement related activities.

     See more on OHA efforts in future Kaʻū News Briefs.

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FLASH FLOODING SHUTDOWN HWY 11 AT KAWA FLATS at 8:50, as heavy rains continued into the night. The Flash Flood Warning also continued for Kaʻū and much of the windward side of Hawaiʻi Island, reported the National Weather Service. Local areas expected to experience the most flooding include Wood Valley,  Nāʻālehu and Kāwā Flats. The public is warned to not cross running water, and to avoid streams, rivers, drainage ditches, and culverts, even if they are currently dry. Rock and mud slides are also a possibility.

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DECIPHERING KĪLAUEA'S 2018 ERUPTION is the subject of a free, public talk on Thurs., Jan. 16 at 7 p.m in the University Classroom Building (UCB), Room 100, on the main UH-Hilo campus, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo. U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo scientists Lopaka Lee and Cheryl Gansecki will tell the story of magma sources within Kīlauea Volcano as revealed by analyses of lava samples collecting during the eruption. This is one of many programs offered during Hawaiʻi's 11th annual Volcano Awareness Month this month.

     For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov, call 808-967-8844 or see volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo.

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KAʻŪ HOSTED TWO GIRLS BASKETBALL GAMES yesterday, with Junior Varsity facing Honokaʻa and Varsity facing Pāhoa.

     The Trojans put up a good fight against the Dragons in the Varsity game, scoring 35 to 54, to Honokaʻa. During the game, Grace Smith scored 8 pints for Kaʻū, Kaohinani Grace scored 7, Riley Ann Brown and CeAndra Silva-Kamei each scored 6, Shania Lee Silva scored 4, and Melinda Eder and Heidi Vidal each scored 2.

     In the JV game, the Daggers scored 48 points to the Trojans' 11. Kaʻū's Kawai Smith scored 6 points for the home team, Hulali Baji scored 3, and Candace Keohuloa scored 1.

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.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment. 

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events. 

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

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

SUNDAY, JAN. 12

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Sunday Walk in the Park: Halemaʻumaʻu Trail, Sunday, Jan. 12 – second Saturday, monthly – 10a.m.-noon, meet at Kīlauea Visitor Center, HVNP. Organized by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate 1.6 mile round trip hike. Free for members. Register online. Park entrance fees apply. 985-7373, admin@fhvnp.org, fhvnp.org

Medicine for the Mind: Teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, Sunday, Jan. 12 and 26 – 2nd Sunday, monthly – 3-5p.m., Volcano Art Center. Free; calabash donations welcome. Dress warmly. Patty Johnson, 345-1527, volcanoartcenter.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co–op Group, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 9a.m., Ocean View Community Center. Parent-led homeschool activity and social group, building community in Ka‘ū. Call to confirm location before attending. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Lauhala Weaving Ku‘uipo Kakahiki-Morales, Tuesday, Jan. 14 – second Tuesday, Monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Public Information Mtg. by County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management's Solid Waste Division, Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Nā‘ālehu Clubhouse, 95-5635 Māmalahoa Hwy, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend and give input. The Solid Waste Division will be discussing the facilities' operating days and the possibility of modifying the current schedule for transfer stations. Visit hawaiizerowaste.org or call the Solid Waste Division Office at 961-8270 for more.

After Dark in the Park – What's Happening at Kīlauea Volcano's Summit?, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7-8p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. What are the potential hazards at Kīlauea’s summit? Could explosive activity return? What is known about the water lake? How is it monitored? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists Matt Patrick and Tricia Nadeau as they answer these questions and more. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on Maile Street. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.com or 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū, Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St. in Pāhala. The free class series on Chronic Kidney Disease lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong. Bring a pen and whomever cares/cooks/shops for the person(s) with CKD. Enroll online by Friday, Jan. 10 at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.

Nāʻālehu School Family Reading Night, Thursday, Jan. 16 – third Wednesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Hawaii Wildlife Fund - Ka‘ū Community Cleanup, Saturday, Jan. 18. Space available. BYO-4WD also welcome. R.S.V.P. in advance to 769-7629, mattieHWF@gmail.com, or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com. wildhawaii.org

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Hike Back in Time To The 1969-74 Mauna Ulu Eruption, Saturday, Jan. 18, 10a.m.-1p.m., Mauna Ulu parking lot. USGS HVO geologist Dr. Carolyn Parcheta leads a two-hour guided walk along the fissure that started the Mauna Ulu eruption, the longest observed effusive rift eruption at the time which built lava shield, Mauna Ulu, growing mountain, a prominent landmark on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Jan. 18 and Feb. 4 – every other Tuesday – 10a.m.-1p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Pupule Papales Band, Saturday, Jan. 18, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

ONGOING

Apply for Mosaics of Science by Monday, Feb. 3. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's 12-week paid summer internship position is designed to engage university students and recent graduates with on-the-ground work experience in the National Park Service. A $4,800 stipend, and all travel costs are covered, including a week-long career workshop in Washington,  D.C. to meet with NPS managers.

     The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed. 

     The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
     For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at jody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511

Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call 808-938-1088.

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.