Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, March 7, 2022

Public Input due on March 11
Input on the proposed Disaster Recovery Project plans at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, including

new locations for visitor and research entities, parking and roadways is due March 11. 

Comment by clicking on Open at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=92891.

See Story Map for visual interpretation of the project elements. NPS photo from November 2018 shows 

extensive damage to the closed southwest portion of Crater Rim Drive.

 THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCED TODAY IT WILL EMPTY FUEL STORED IN RED HILL that led to the tainting of drinking water for thousands of military families, other O'ahu residents and workers, forcing them to leave their homes. Rep. Kai Kahele, serving Kaʻū and all of rural Hawai'i in Congress, issued a statement, covering his role in negotiations. The decision by the Pentagon comes about a month after he and Congressman Ed Case introduced a measure in the House of Representatives, asking Congress to force the closure of fuel storage at Red Hill.

On Feb. 11, Congressman Kahele, with Rep, Ed Case to his left, introduced
Red Hill Watershed and Aquifer Initiative Act to require U.S. Navy to defuel Red
Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility by end of 2022 and permanently close the facility.

    Kahele wrote: "Earlier this morning, I received the call I had been hoping to receive: Admiral Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command informed me that the Secretary of Defense had approved the permanent shut down of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.    

    "Today is a historic day in Hawaiʻi – it is a day of both relief and celebration. It is proof that when we come together as a community, change is possible. It is proof that when we come together to work towards a common good, we can make a difference.
    "I would like to mahalo to my colleagues in the Hawaiʻi Congressional Delegation and former colleagues in the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. I also want to thank Ernie Lau and the Board of Water Supply for their courage and leadership. I would also like to send a huge mahalo to the community members and the families who stood on the front line of this issue. Your work and dedication was an inspiration, not only to Hawaiʻi, but across the United States, and it is because of you that we are here today.

Congressman Kahele (Right) briefs fellow Members of House Armed Services 
Committee on the unfolding crisis at Red Hill, including Seapower and
Projection Subcommittee  Chair Joe Courtney (D-CT) (Top Left)
and Readiness Subcommittee Chair John Garamendi (D-CA) (Middle).

    "I fully support the Department of Defense in its decision to permanently defuel and permanently close the World War II-era fuel storage tanks at Red Hill. This is a much-needed and overdue step, but it is in no way an end to the Department's obligations to the people of Hawaiʻi on this issue.

    "It is imperative that the Department of Defense guarantee funding for full remediation of Oʻahu's aquifer. The community has been loud and clear: ola i ka wai. Water is life."
    Kahele also said the federal government must be responsible for cleanup: "At this point, the extent of contamination and environmental damage is not yet known. We know fuel continues to drip, as we speak, from the rock formations into our fresh water aquifer right now. Our federal government must commit to seeing the full remediation of this precious resource through - and restore the fresh, pure drinking water for the people of Hawaiʻi.
    "I encourage the Department of Defense to work quickly - and with the utmost care - to relocate the millions of gallons of fuel and shut down these tanks. We will fully expect the continued partnership from the Department to restore the aquifer to its prior state - clean and safe - as it was prior to contamination. While today is truly a day to celebrate, we must do so with cautious optimism. For while today may signal the end of the Red Hill as a fuel storage facility, it is only the beginning of the hard work ahead."

Admiral Aquilino called Kai Kahele
this morning to say Red Hill will 
be shut down for fuel storage.

    "We must hold the Navy accountable. We must make sure that the impacted resources are fully remediated, and we must make sure that the families that have suffered health impacts receive the care and support they need in the months and years ahead."
    "Our work is not yet done. But we have seen how this extraordinary community, working with dedicated federal and state leaders, can truly help to create a better Hawaiʻi."

IN REGARDS TO RED HILL, CONGRESSMAN ED CASE said, “Secretary of Defense Austin’s directive today that the Navy proceed to defuel and close Red Hill is exactly the right decision for assuring both safe drinking water and national security.” He said, “It is painfully clear that protecting the natural resource of our aquifer cannot be assured through the continuation of Red Hill. It is also clear that other fuel storage distribution strategies will fulfill our real national security needs in this difficult century for the Indo-Pacific."

IN REGARDS TO RED HILL, SEN. MAZIE HIRONO SAID: "I strongly support the Department of

Defense's decision to close the Red Hill facility... I would like to commend leadership at the Department of Defense—especially Deputy Secretary Hicks, with whom I have been in weekly contact over the last few months—for reaching the conclusion that shutting down this facility is the right thing to do for the people of Hawaiʻi and for our environment. The military plays a vital role in Hawaiʻi and it is important we work together going forward.
    "There is a lot of work to do, including defueling the tanks safely and the long term cleanup efforts that will be required to close down the facility. I will continue to work very closely with the DoD, the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Hawai'i to make sure this happens."
    "Additionally, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will work closely with DoD to ensure the Department has the resources to develop and implement a long-term plan to ensure we are able to meet the strategic fuel reserve needs of the Indo-Pacific Region and protect national security as the nation shifts to a more distributed force posture in the Pacific."

Noah Gomes shares the history
of hunting native birds of Kahuku,
during Coffee Talk at Kahuku,
Saturday from 9:30 a.m. 11 a.m.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

HISTORICAL HUNTING OF NATIVE BIRDS OF KAHUKU is the topic at Coffee Talk with Noah Gomes, this Saturday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Meet at the Kahuku Unit Visitor Center of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

     A statement on the event quotes Mary Kawena Pukui and the 'Olelo No'eau:  Ka Wela O Ka Ua. It  describes the chiefs in their feather capes and helmets as rainbows.

     The statement from the Park says, "In the recent past the vast lands of Kahuku held a treasured resource, so valuable that people were willing to fight each other for access to it. This now-depleted resource was Kahuku's native birds. How and why did people hunt native Hawaiian birds? Will we ever hunt them again?"
    Gomes will help answer these questions in his presentation about this historic practice. He completed his Master's research on the Traditional Hawaiian Bird Hunters in 2015 at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. He has a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies and an M.A. in Hawaiian Language and Literature. He is from Wahiawā, Oʻahu and participates in the conservation of native Hawaiian birds. 

         Attendance is limited to 25 and reservations are required by calling 808-464-3550 to leave a message and receive a return call. Coffee will be available during the event for purchase by credit card only.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

MANAGE CONFLICT IN YOUR WORKPLACE WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is the topic of this month's free talk hosted by the non-profit Ku'ikahi Mediation Center. It's one of the events in the Finding Solutions, Growing Peace Brown Bag Lunch Series. Talks are on Third Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom.

    Speaker Diane Petropulos quotes Daniel Goleman, who said a person can have emotional competence by virtue of: 'empathy, which involves reading the feelings of others, and social skills, which allow handling those feelings artfully,
    In this talk, explore how high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can lead to outstanding workplace performance, based on our potential for learning self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, and adeptness in relationships.
    Petropulos is a certified online dispute resolution mediator and a member of a federal mediator panel resolving Equal Employment Opportunity claims and other workplace disputes. She is a former lecturer at the master's level in the Human Resource Management Program at UH-Manoa. Since 2001, Petropulos has mediated hundreds of court cases on behalf of Maui Mediation Services, where she currently serves on their Board of Directors.

    Ku'ikahi's Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session and connect with others interested in Finding Solutions, Growing Peace.

    To get the Zoom link, register online at https://freebrownbagtalk.eventbrite.com.

    For more information, contact Ku'ikahi Mediation Center at (808) 935-7844 or info@hawaiimediation.org. Or visit www.hawaiimediation.org.

    This lunch-and-learn series is made possible, in part, with funding from County of Hawai'i and Hawai'i Island United Way.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA HAS A NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR KAŪ STUDENTS. The new scholarship is for Land & Sea Camp courtesy of the Gary and Apolonia Stice ʻOhana. "Their generous gift will pay the full registration fee for a student from Kaʻū who will be entering grades 8-12 in the fall," said Science Camps founder Mike Richards.

Scholarships for Kaʻū students, grade 8-12, are available for
Science Camps of America, to be held in Pahala this summer.
Photo from Science Camps of America

    

    "Hawaiʻi Island is the classroom, with exploration spanning the magnificent forests, shores, and mountains," said Richards. Land & Sea Camp is one of two science camps held in Pāhala each year by Science Camps of America. Land & Sea camp is from July 1-10 and Air & Space Camp will run from July 11-20. Teens can attend one or both of the sleepaway camp sessions.
     Land & Sea Camp offers hands-on experience with geology, forestry, marine biology, environmental engineering, and ecosystems. Air & Space Camp invites students to investigate the atmosphere, climate, astronomy, planetary science, aerospace engineering, and space exploration. "Either way, teens will make lifelong connections with campers from around the globe as science becomes an adventure," said Richards.
    The Stice ʻOhana joins the Edmund C. Olson Trust as sponsors of scholarships for Kaʻū students to attend Science Camp. To apply, visit https://scicamp.org/scholarship.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

Ian Tibbets is missing.

IAN TIBBETS OF OCEAN VIEW IS MISSING. Hawai‘i Island police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the 55-year-old man. Tibbetts is described as Caucasian, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 155 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen in the Ocean View area in the latter part of January 2022. Police ask that anyone with information on his whereabouts to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, or Officer Augustine Akiu, Jr. of the Ka‘ū Patrol Division at (808) 939-2520.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

                      SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

                      at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html. 

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at 
www.kaucalendar.com