Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, May 16, 2020

Pūhāhonu, the turtle rising for breath, is the tiny peak of the massive volcano. New research deems it the
largest shield volcano in the world, much larger than Mauna Loa, the former title holder. Pūhāhonu
was formerly called Gardner Pinnacles. Photo from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

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KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP WILL REOPEN ON JUNE 1 for accommodations and plans to start serving meals at its Crater Rim Café. When its bowling alley,  luʻau, and bar reopen depends on the schedule of reopening Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the location of the KMC campus. It also depends on state and county health directives connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. The store and gas station remain open.
      Crater Rim Café announced its Father's Day Dinner Special with prime rib for Sunday, June 21 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant will offer sit-down and Grab & Go dinners. For dine-in seating, reservations are required by calling 967-8356. See more below.

Kīlauea Military Camp plans to open its accommodations and restaurant
on June 1. Photo from militarycampgrounds.us

     Volcano House is also taking reservations for check-in beginning June 1, pending reopening of access to its site within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Park.

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PŪHĀHONU, THE TURTLE RISING FOR BREATH, IS THE LARGEST MOUNTAIN IN HAWAIʻI, and the hottest and largest shield volcano on earth. Mauna Loa is no longer seen as the biggest mountain. University of Hawaiʻi School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology recently published the study that measured Pūhāhonu, formerly called Gardner Pinnacles. It's a volcano located within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Only five acres at the surface, it rises above the ocean between French Frigate Shoals and Maro Reef.
     An article this week in Phys Org says, "Geoscientists and the public have long thought Mauna Loa, a culturally-significant and active shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, was the largest volcano in the world. However, after surveying the ocean floor along the mostly submarine Hawaiian leeward volcano chain, chemically analyzing rocks in the UH Mānoa rock collection, and modeling the results of these studies, the research team came to a new conclusion. Pūhāhonu, meaning 'turtle rising for breath' in Hawaiian, is nearly twice as big as Mauna Loa."
     Michael Garcia, lead author of University of Hawaiʻi's SOEST study, said "It has been proposed that hotspots that produce volcano chains like Hawaiʻi undergo progressive cooling over 1-2 million years and then die. However, we have learned from this study that hotspots can undergo pulses of melt production. A small pulse created the Midway cluster of now extinct volcanoes and another, much bigger one created Pūhāhonu. This will rewrite the textbooks on how mantle plumes work.
     "In 1974, Pūhāhonu (then called Gardner Pinnacles) was suspected as the largest Hawaiian volcano based on very limited survey data. Subsequent studies of the Hawaiian Islands concluded that Mauna Loa was the largest volcano but they included the base of the volcano that is below sea level that was not considered in the 1974 study. The new comprehensive surveying and modeling, using methods similar to those used for Mauna Loa show that Pūhāhonu is the largest.
     "This study highlights Hawaiian volcanoes, not only now but for millions of years, have been erupting some of the hottest magma on Earth. This work also draws attention to an infrequently visited part of the state of Hawaiʻi that has ecological, historical, and cultural importance."
     Garcia told Phys Org: "We are sharing with the science community and the public that we should be calling this volcano by the name the Hawaiians have given to it, rather than the western name for the two rocky small islands that are the only above sea level remnants of this once-majestic volcano."

     Friends of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge gives the history of westerners finding in 1820, when Captain Joseph Allen of the Nantucket whaler, Maro, reported seeing "a new island or rock not laid down on any of our charts... It has two detached humps... We call it Gardner's Island."

Pūhāhonu, Gardner Pinnacles, is known for its giant ʻopihi. 
Photo from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

     According to Friends, Pūhāhonu is noted for giant ʻopihi, the endemic Hawaiian limpets, and 27 species of stony coral. Acropora table corals occupy the leeward side, while tube, stony, and soft corals live throughout the reef. Pūhāhonu is known for some of the most variety in fish species in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. It is home to seabirds, insects, and one plant, a succulent called sea purslane. Nineteen seabird species live there, a dozen of them nesting.

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A NEW VISITOR CENTER IS AN OPTION PRESENTED IN CONCEPT TWO, the second of four alternative plans for the future of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park facilities. The public is invited to comment and make suggestions for the future of the park through June 15. Concept Two, illustrated in the Park's Disaster Recovery Project documents, includes a new visitor center with interior restrooms, constructed east of Kīlauea Visitor Center. It includes a covered lanai, outdoor exhibits, theater, visitor parking, bus parking, and pedestrian circulation.
     A new visitor center would be large enough to accommodate visitor functions, space currently provided by KVC and previously provided by Jaggar Museum. It would allow a single, easy-to-find stop for the interpretation of the Park's defining features in a coordinated and consolidated manner.
New covered picnic tables would be constructed in the existing picnic area adjacent to the 1877 Volcano House.
     Visitor use in the Kīlauea Visitor Center building would be relocated to the new visitor center. The existing KVC building would be repurposed as an education center, with existing NPS office and auditorium uses being maintained. The existing education center in the NPS administrative area would be repurposed for NPS administrative use.

See the larger concept drawings online at Disaster Recovery Project.

     A new USGS HVO & PIERC-KFS Field Station, parking, and wastewater system would be constructed near the Visitor Emergency Operations Center, in a currently forested area. An administrative bypass lane, additional fee booth, and replacement staff parking would be added to the entrance station.
     Crater Rim Drive would be realigned, and a roundabout would be constructed to improve traffic flow, safety, and wayfinding at the Crater Rim Drive intersection. Existing water and communications lines would be utilized with minor relocation and connection spurs.
     See Concept Three in Sunday's Kaʻū News Briefs and Concept Four in Monday's Kaʻū News Briefs. See all four concepts and provide input here. To be mailed the design concepts, or to receive answers to questions, call (808) 460-6212, or email havo_planning@nps.gov. The comment period will end Monday, June 15. The National Park Service will use community feedback to determine which concept, or modified concept, will be the proposed concept. NPS will evaluate the impacts of any proposed alternative.

State Sen. Kai Kahele included this photo, from a 2015 Kāneʻohe Bay Air
Show at the Marine Corps Base on Oʻahu, in his Armed Forces Day
message. Photo from Kahele

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IT'S ARMED FORCES DAY and state Sen. Kai Kahele, himself a National Guard pilot, sent out this message:

     "Pres. John F. Kennedy declared National Armed Forces Day an official holiday to honor all the brave men and women who serve our country. Today, we close out Armed Forces Week by celebrating every branch of our military.

     "Hawaiʻi is one of few states in the country with one base from each branch of the military — with the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard all represented throughout our islands. With 11 military bases in Hawaiʻi, the military creates around 100,000 civilian jobs in our beautiful home state.

     "It's wonderful that we have a week dedicated to our military every May, but we can't let our commitment to them end today. When we ask our service members to put their lives on the line for us and our families, we must always have their backs. This means providing proper mental and physical healthcare, good job opportunities, and housing options for veterans when they come home.

     "There's a long way to go to make sure we're keeping our word to our veterans and their families. In Congress, Kai will honor the commitment of our service members, veterans, and their families.

     "Mahalo to all the men and women who serve."

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MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR FATHER'S DAY at Crater Rim Café in Kīlauea Military Camp for Sunday, June 21 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Seating is limited due to social distancing. Grab & Go dinners will be available. The main course is Prime Rib and Vegetable Alfredo Pasta Bake, with salad, mashed potatoes, and steamed rice side dishes, and cheesecake dessert, for $27.95 per person. Call 967-8356 for dine-in reservations, Grab & Go orders, and current event information. KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

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No COVID-19 cases so far in the zip code areas of Volcano, 

Pāhala, and Ocean View. White indicates zero cases, light 

yellow indicates one to five cases. The 96772 area in 

Kaʻū has one case recorded. Map from DOH

A FALSE POSITIVE ON A COVID-19 TEST reported Friday on Hawaiʻi Island led to a retraction by the Department of Health. DOH reports on Saturday, one new case on Hawaiʻi Island, and one on Oʻahu.
     Seventy six COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on Hawaiʻi Island since the pandemic began, with all but today's victim recovered.
     DOH confirms 639 cases statewide since the pandemic began, with 415 on Oʻahu, 117 in Maui County, 21 in Kauaʻi County and 10 cases involving residents diagnosed outside the state.
     The daily message from Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno says, "Know that all policies of distancing, face coverings, cleanliness, and personal health remains in effect. Thank you for doing your part to keep Hawaiʻi safe. Thank you for listening and a humble and grateful recognition of all service personnel on this National Armed Forces Day. This is your Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense."

     In the United States, more than 1.5 million cases have been confirmed. The death toll is over 89,420.
     Worldwide, more than 4.63 million have contracted COVID-19. The death toll is over 311,000.

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At last year's Kaʻū Coffee College, Brittany Horn instructs coffee farmers on using yeast during processing.
Photo by Lora Boronova

Kaʻū Life: The Way We Were Last Year

KAʻŪ COFFEE COLLEGE drew many coffee farmers, buyers, roasters, and enthusiasts to Pāhala Community Center last year in May to wrap up the eleventh annual Kaʻū Coffee Festival. The Coffee College and other Festival events are on pause this year during the pandemic.

     Andrea Kawabata, of the University of Hawaiʻi Agricultural Extension Service, who is working through the pandemic online and on the ground, gave a presentation last year on increasing yields on farms. She laid out some basic rules: Seek science, keep records, spend wisely. Understand that time is money and be committed.

     She advised that the simplest way to grow more coffee is to plant more coffee in areas where coffee trees are weak. Replace them where coffee trees have died or been taken out.

Andrea Kawabata from University of Hawaiʻi Extension Service 

encourages coffee farmers to seek science, keep records, 

and spend wisely. Photo by Lora Botonnova

     She also emphasized proper use of pesticides, and provided examples of using poisons that can weaken the coffee plant and lead to mites and other infestations, that lead to a higher cost and losses in the long run. She said that keeping trees healthy is the best practice, along with careful pesticide management when needed.

     Kawabata provides coffee berry borer integrated pest management recommendations to growers throughout the state, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, and in an emerging coffee growing business in California.
     Dr. Adel Youkhana, of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, advised farmers on making accurate predictions of their Kaʻū coffee crops. He is also an expert on productivity and carbon sequestration on the growing of coffee, particularly in shade-grown coffee.
     Brittany Horn, founder and owner of Pacific Coffee Research, talked about the introduction of coffee yeast to the Kaʻū Coffee fermentation process. Ongoing trials with coffee cupping feedback help each farmer to determine the yeast protocol for coffee. Yeast helps to quicken the fermentation process, which is one of the key steps in processing coffee.
     Cal Westergard, of the state Department of Agriculture, advised farmers on the safe use of pesticides on their Kaʻū Coffee farms.

Gloria Camba, left, and Bong Aquino, right, still smiling after a week of Kaʻū Coffee Festival events last year. 

Photo by Lora Botonova

Read online at kaucalendar.com. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar 

directory for farms, ranches, takeout. Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is 

free, with 7,500 distributed on stands and to all postal addresses throughout 

Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano throughout the district. Read online at 

kaucalendar.com and facebook.com/kaucalendar. To advertise your 

business or your social cause, contact kaucalendarads@gmail.com.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Daily, weekly, and monthly recurring Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, Meditation, and more are listed at kaucalendar.com. However, all non-essential activities are canceled through the end of May.

MOST EVENTS ARE CANCELLED to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state is under a stay-at-home order, with l4 days of quarantine required for anyone coming into the state. Interisland travel is restricted. Those in Hawaiʻi should stay at home unless needing to obtain food or medical care.

ONGOING

Free COVID-19 Screenings are at Bay Clinic during business hours, with appointment. Call 333-3600.

     The next drive-thru screening at Nāʻālehu Community Center will be held Wednesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Screening will be carried out by Aliʻi Health, with support from County of Hawai‘i COVID-19 Task Force, Premier Medical Group and Pathways Telehealth.
     A testing team from Aloha Critical Care in Kona will provide testing at St. Jude's every other Wednesday. The next date is May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
     Wearing masks is required for everyone.

     To bypass the screening queue at community test sites, patients can call ahead to Pathways Telehealth, option 5 at 808-747-8321. The free clinic will also offer on-site screening to meet testing criteria. Physicians qualify those for testing, under the guidance of Center for Disease Control & Prevention and Hawaiʻi's COVID-19 Response Task Force.
     Those visiting screening clinics will be asked to show photo ID, and any health insurance cards – though health insurance is not required to be tested. They are also asked to bring their own pen to fill in forms.
     For further information, call Civil Defense at 935-0031.

ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Market in Nāʻālehu is open three days per week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – from 8 a.m. to noon. The goal is no more than 50 customers on the grounds at a time. Vendor booths per day are limited to 25, with 30 feet of space between vendors. Masks and hand sanitizing are required to attend the market. Social distancing will be enforced.
 A wide selection of fresh vegetables and fruits, prepared take away foods, assorted added value foods, breads and baked goods, honey, cheese, grass-fed beef, fish, vegetable plants, masks, handmade soaps, coffee, and more are offered on various days. Contact Sue Barnett, OKK Market Manager, at 808-345-9374, for more and to apply to vend.

Volcano Farmers Market at Cooper Center on Wright Road, off of Old Volcano Highway, is open on Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with much local produce, island beef, and prepared foods. Call 808-967-7800.

Free Breakfast and Lunch for Anyone Eighteen and Under is available at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary and at Nāʻālehu Elementary weekdays through May. Each youth must be present to receive a meal. Service is drive-up or walk-up, and social distancing rules (at least six feet away) are observed. Breakfast is served 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Food is being delivered to Ocean View.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen is open, with a modified menu and increased health & safety standards, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot showers, the computer lab, and in-person services and bible studies are suspended. Services are posted online on Sundays at stjudeshawaii.org.

The Food Basket Food Pantries Distribution, where families can receive 14 days of food per family:
     The Pāhala location is Kaʻū District Gym at 96-1149 Kamani Street, distributed by the ʻO Kaʻū Kākou Pantry, on Tuesday, May 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030.
     The Volcano location is Cooper Center at 19-4030 Wright Road Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. Call Kehau at 443-4130.
     The Nāʻālehu location Sacred Heart Church at 95-558 Mamālahoa Hwy, under their Loaves and Fishes program, on Thursday, May 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Call 928-8208.
     The Ocean View location for May was Kahuku Park on Monday, May 11, 10 a.m. to noon. Call The Food Basket, 933-6030, for the next date.

On-Call Emergency Box Food Pantry is open at Cooper Center Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon. Call 967-7800 to confirm.

Free Book Exchanges at the laundromats in Ocean View and Nāʻālehu are provided by Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Everyone is invited to take books they want to read. They may keep the books, pass them on to other readers, or return them to the Book Exchange to make them available to others in the community. The selection of books is replenished weekly at both sites.

Make Reservations for Father's Day at Crater Rim Café in Kīlauea Military Camp for Sunday, June 21 from 5  p.m. to 8 p.m. Seating limited due to social distancing. Dinner also available to go. The main course is Prime Rib and Vegetable Alfredo Pasta Bake, with side dishes and dessert, for $27.95 per person. Call 967-8356 for dine-in reservations, to-go orders, and current event information. KMC is open to all authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium Closed for Renovation through June 30. The Park is closed until further notice due to COVID-19 spread mitigation. A popular seven-and-a-half minute 2018 eruption video will be shown on a television in the exhibits area, once the Park and center reopen, and is available online for free download.

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