Kaʻū News Briefs, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023

Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the invasive species that damages fruits and other Hawai'i crops and is
one of the reasons that much produce can not be exported. Photo by Sheina Sim/PBARC

COFFEE BERRY BORER AND COFFEE LEAF RUST are two of the many invasive species damaging Hawai'i agriculture and wildlife targeted by $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture going to Hawai'i's Plant Pest & Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program. Jill Tokuda, Congresswoman for Kaʻū and all of rural Hawai'i, and Ed Case, Congressman for urban Hawai'i, made the announcement Friday, the funding coming from the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.

Coffee Berry Borer destroys coffee beans and costs
Kaʻū Coffee farmers much money and labor to fight them.
Photo from state Department of Agriculture

    Case said, “Invasive species pose an especially grave threat to Hawai‘i’s unique ecosystems, natural resources and agricultural communities because of its unique geography. Hawai‘i is the most isolated island chain and one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world. A 2014 survey identified 9,975 endemic species in Hawai‘i. Tragically, due to invasive species, Hawai‘i has become the endangered species and extinction capital of the world. We currently have 503 species listed as endangered, more than any other state and almost half of the total endangered species nationwide.”
    Tokuda said, “I have walked through farms devastated by infestation and disease. I've talked with farmers struggling to keep their family farms going. This funding from the USDA comes at a crucial time for Hawaiʻiʻs ecological system which has been increasingly threatened by invasive species. We are on the front lines of a climate crisis that has given rise to widespread infestations, and our producers are left with ruined crops and

Hala scale insects significantly damages
the native hala plant, used for weaving.
Photo from state Department of Agriculture

 spending their hard earned money fighting these pests. They need support from the federal government, and I’m dedicated to making sure that Hawaiʻi receives its fair share of resources in future years to protect our precious crops.”
    The funding comes at a time when farmers were devastated last year by the combination of a drought, an infestation of the coffee berry borer beetle and the coffee leaf rust fungus. Funding is focused on the prevention of invasive species from entering the islands and for the prevention and mitigation of fruit fly impacts.
    Specific projects include: Hawai'i Detector Dog Program; Molecular diagnostic catalog for tracking invasive noctuid moth introductions in Hawai‘i; integrative identification methods for Bactrocera fruit flies; developing molecular diagnostic tools to determine strain and mating status of fruit fly incursions; identification of oriental fruit fly larvae trap captures; field testing of bait stations containing a fungal pathogen to control invasive fruit flies; development of protein food odor based chemical lure for female oriental fruit fly; optimizing bacterial probiotic establishment for Medfly Sterile Insect Technique; and developing an insecticide rotation to combat spinosad-resistance in three species of invasive Tephritidae fruit flies.
    Additional programs are the management of hala scale insect in Hawai'i, and survey of its potential biological control agents in its native range; enhanced mitigation and rapid response to introduced snails, earthworms, and flatworms in Hawai‘i, and and a systems approach for the management of coffee berry borer in Hawai'i and Puerto Rico with emphasis on biological control.
    The Hawai'i members of Congress issued a joint statement, saying, “Our year-round growing cycle produces some of the highest quality crops in the world, from sugar and pineapple to cattle and specialty crops like fruit and cut flowers. Hawaiʻi’s unique crops are also more susceptible to invasive species and have no natural defenses to combat the threats. This is why we are united in fighting to secure as much funding to support Hawaiʻi’s plants and agriculture resources as possible."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

HAWAI'I IS ONE OF STATES WHERE THE FEWEST PEOPLE QUIT JOBS during COVID a period of time also called The Great Resignation. WalletHub reports Hawai'i as 45th in the ranking of places where the most people quit. The place where the fewest quit was New York, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, District of Columbia and Connecticut. Hawai'i was next, with Rhode Island, California and Wisconsin following.
    The place where the most people quit jobs was Alaska, followed by Wyoming, Montana, Louisiana, Delaware, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia.
    The resignation rate for Hawai'i was 2.53 percent. In New York it was 1.8 percent. Where the most. people quit, in Alaska, it was 4.37 percent.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View. Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS
Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.