Kaʻū News Briefs March 28, 2024

 Kaʻū High students are learning to become Student Resource Ambassadors. See more below. Photo by Jennifer Makuakane

COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER MICHELLE GALIMBA has announced her bid for reelection. She issued the following statement:

    "I would like to announce that I will be seeking re-election for the Hawaiʻi County District 6 County Council seat for the 2024-2026 term. It has been a privilege and honor to serve as the County Councilmember for our District for the past year.
    "I love the un-spoiled natural and cultural beauty of our district: its wide-open spaces; its farms and ranches; its rocky coastline and pristine waters; its tight-knit, deep-rooted communities; and the richness of place - both in present time and in the traces of the past - that makes living in our district so unique and profound an experience. To serve this place and its people by advocating for our interests at the County government and by ensuring that our perspective is represented at the County Council is the reason I sought election two years ago and is the reason I seek re-election for the next two year term.
    "I have learned a lot about the specific needs of the many communities in our far-flung district - stretching from the rain-forests of Volcano Village to the southern tip of our island at Ka Lae to the fishing villages of South Kona. Ours is a diverse district - and island - but we share many common concerns. Safe, decent housing that is affordable and accessible for working people, as well as for our young people and kupuna is one of those common and critical concerns. I am proud to say that in the past term, the County Council has authorized the allocation of over $15 million in funding to affordable housing projects around the island.

Michelle Galimba seeks second term on the County Council.
Photo from votegalimba.com

    "Another critical concern in our district is public safety. I have advocated for increased public safety resources for our district, especially for the fast-growing community of Ocean View, including increased police presence and, in the long run, a fully-staffed police station.
    "Another key area of public safety is animal control. Unfortunately our island suffered a breakdown in its animal control services in 2020. The tragic mauling death of one of our community members last year underlined the gravity of the situation. It has been and will continue to be a long road to get our animal control services back on track. Early last year, the Council established the Animal Control and Protection Agency. I have been working closely with the new Administrator of the Agency to ensure that animal control officers are deployed in our district, and to establish an Animal Control and Protection Agency base of operations in our District, so that officers and facilities will be available to address our animal control needs in a timely and accessible manner.
    "With the recent application by Black Sands LLC for a Special Management Area permit for Punaluʻu, the future of this beloved place has again become the subject of intense discussion for our community. As for so many, Punaluʻu is a place entwined with my life from early childhood onward. The importance of protecting the natural and cultural heritage of Punaluʻu - and other sites in our District - is unquestionable. It is also critically important that all voices be heard in the discussion about the future of Punaluʻu. This is a place with a complex history and present. Finding our way to the best possible future for Punaluʻu will not be simple, and we need to hear each other with respect and aloha. Having served for many years on the Kaʻū Community Development Plan (CDP) Steering Committee, I am glad to see that the CDP is an important part of the discussion and the framework for the future of Punaluʻu. I also support the work that the members of the Kaʻū CDP Action Committee are doing to create an ongoing space for bringing the ideas and aspirations of the Kaʻū CDP forward into fruition.
    "Supporting our communities by advocating for the repair and maintenance of our parks and other recreational facilities has been a priority for me during the last year, as well as working with the Department of Environmental Management and the Department of Public Works to address the problem of abandoned cars and other trash issues in public areas.
    "I humbly ask for your vote so that I can continue to serve our communities, district and island. If you would like to learn more about my background, values, and vision, please visit my website at https://votegalimba.com/."

    

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KAʻŪ STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN RECYCLING EDUCATION & OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY over the next three years to become Student Resource Ambassadors. Three cohorts of 20 students each are offered training for Hawaiʻi Youth Clean Stream Campaign & Waste-to-Wealth Initiative, with support of $1.5 million from an EPA Recycling Education & Outreach grant. Some training sessions offer stipends. The program is for students in ninth through 12th grades, with preference given to sophomores and juniors.

    Partners are Recycle Hawai'i and Kaʻū Global Learning Lab Academy and its Principal 'Aina Akamu at Kaʻū High & Elementary School. The Recycle Hawai'i Director for this program is Justin Canelas.

     Student Resource Ambassadors in the first cohort are set to begin their journey on June 1. Application deadline for students to enroll for Fall is July 31. To sign up with the Program Coordinator, contact Jennifer.Makuakane@k12.hi.us or 808-313-4141.

    A kick-off event featuring students enrolled in the program is planned for Saturday, April 27, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House. Community members will have an opportunity to discuss the program with grant partners, elected leaders, and participants. 

    "The three-year project will focus on fostering the development of leadership skills among Kaʻū youth through community-based education campaigns that promote composting, raise awareness about plastic pollution, and inform the public about ongoing recycling opportunities created by the students in the program," says a statement from the partners.

    "This initiative aims to embed environmental justice principles into programs designed to reduce landfill waste on Hawaiʻi Island, while empowering youth-led community action." It features the addition of community coordinators proficient in Marshallese and Hawaiian languages facilitating outreach and engagement in Kaʻū and on the Big Island. Hiring for these positions begins this Summer.

    "This initiative represents a significant step forward in promoting environmental justice and empowering youth voices in our community," said Akamu. "By incorporating indigenous knowledge and reaching out to underserved populations, we are ensuring that all members of our community have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from these environmental initiatives."

    Canelas said, "We aim to empower the youth of Hawaiʻi Island to become environmental stewards and champions of waste reduction. By engaging students in hands-on learning experiences and providing them with the tools and resources to effect change in their communities, we are fostering a generation of local leaders committed to environmental sustainability."

    Here is more from the program announcement:  
    Each cohort of Student Resource Ambassadors will embark on a year-long journey immersed in educational programming focused on waste reduction themes. Year one will concentrate on composting, year two on marine debris and plastic pollution, and year three on clean stream recycling and waste-to-

wealth circularity. These themes will culminate in the launching of local educational campaigns aimed at increasing awareness and participation in community-based recycling and composting programs.
    A sub-cohort of Student Resource Ambassadors will participate in the Creative Content Summer Fellowship, where they will undergo intensive training to develop marketing skills and further the program's goals during the summer break. This fellowship will equip participants with professional-level skills in data analysis, audio-visual production, conference organization and program impact tracking. The SRAs also receive high school credits and paid stipends by participating in the program.
   During the first year, Student Resource Ambassadors will travel to Cooperstown, NY, Nov. 19-24, for the National Recycling Congress

to engage with leaders in the sustainability field and present the educational campaigns they’ve developed. In spring of 2025, the SRAs will travel to San Francisco to attend the Zero Waste Youth Convergence to network with other youth in the national zero waste program, and develop the skills to host their own Zero Waste Youth Convergences in Kaʻū in 2026 and 2027. In the spring of 2026, the student cohort from Kaʻū High will host a local Zero Waste Youth Convergence conference for local Hawai'i youth. 

    Student Resource Ambassadors will also prepare for hosting the National Zero Waste Youth Convergence in 2027, featuring speakers and youth participants from across the country.
    For more information about the Hawaiʻi Youth Clean Stream Campaign and Waste-to-Wealth Initiative,  contact Justin Canelas - the EPA Recycle Education Outreach Program Director at Recycle Hawaii - via email: program@recyclehawaii.org.

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The former Jaggar Museum, and two buildings operated by the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the Okamura Building and the Geochemistry Annex, are slated for removal starting Monday, April 8. Restrooms at Uēkahuna will temporarily close for the duration of the deconstruction project. Portable lua (restrooms) will be available. Ranger programs will continue. 

Photo by Janice Wei/ National Park Service

THREE BUILDINGS WILL BE DISMANTLED AT HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK starting Monday, April 8. They sustained damage during the 2018 summit collapse and eruption of Kīlauea volcano.    What: The removal of the former Jaggar Museum, and two buildings used by the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS HVO), the Okamura Building and the Geochemistry Annex. The restrooms at Uēkahuna will temporarily close for the duration of the deconstruction project. Portable lua (restrooms) will be available and ranger programs will continue.    When: Dismantling of the exterior walls and roofs begins Monday, April 8, and will continue for the next several months. The buildings will be deconstructed one section at a time. Work will likely begin on the north side of the Okamura Building and Observation Tower then proceed to Jaggar Museum and the Geochemistry Annex.     Where: Uēkahuna bluff, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.     Why: Work continues on Phase One of the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Disaster Recovery Project. The buildings were irreparably damaged during the 2018 eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea volcano, the most destructive eruptive event in Hawai'i in more than 200 years. Construction has begun on the new USGS HVO field station near the historic ballfield at Kilauea Military Camp.     How to stay informed: Construction closures and delays are updated on the park's new construction webpage: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands. USING ACOUSTIC SIGNALS TO ID THE START OF MAUNA LOA'S ERUPTION in 2022 is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, the weekly article and activity update by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:     The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa occurred late in the evening of November 27th. The eruption was preceded by intense earthquake activity about half an hour prior to glowing lava seen on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) webcams. How does HVO narrow down the precise time that the eruption started? Panel A is a thermal image showing first observation of strong 'lava glowing' at Mauna Loa, time-stamped 11:36 p.m. HST on November 27, 2022. An example waveform from  the array of sensors at the 'Āinapō (AIND) field station is shown in panel B. Coherency plots of wave velocities are shown in panel C and the direction of the computed eruption source compass direction, relative to the 'Āinapō array, is shown in panel D. The colored dots in panels C and D represent incoherent signals (shown in light and dark blue) and  coherent signals (shown in red, orange and yellow).  Times for panel B, C and D are  expressed in Hawaii Standard Time (HST).  The black vertical line in panels C and D  marks the early onset of the eruption at 11:23 p.m. HST. The grey vertical line shows the  time when the thermal image in panel A was taken.  Both of the vertical lines mark times before changes in the acoustic processing because it takes about 2 minutes for sound to  travel from the eruption vent to the 'Āinapō array. Image from USGS     Remote cameras are critical to confirm eruptive activity but, in many cases, worldwide, views of the activity can be obscured. Clouds, fog or volcanic gas can block views. Or cameras may not cover the eruption site. Hence, HVO and other global observatories establish numerous methods to attempt to identify eruption activity even if the volcano cannot be clearly seen.     One way to monitor volcanoes is by measuring the sounds of an eruption. These sounds can rapidly travel away from the eruption vent in the same way that a rock thrown into calm water can make ripples that move away from the "plop point."     The global volcano monitoring community routinely installs clusters of acoustic sensors (called arrays) on the flanks of volcanoes that can measure both the audible noise (sounds we can hear) and the inaudible noise which have frequencies that human ears can't sense (infrasound). Computer processing is then used to look for signals that come from a distinct direction, similar to the way humans train their ears and brains to determine where sounds come from.     HVO currently monitors our volcanoes using rapidly processed 'near real-time' data from acoustic arrays which measure pressure changes around our most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa (figure panel B). The grouped sensor arrays are deployed in the field to allow computers to look for correlations in acoustic energy from Hawaii's likely eruption centers.     The processing compares all waveforms of the array and looks at consistency (called coherency) of the waves under a range of conditions. In the plots (figure panels C and D) strong waveform coherency are Annual Gravity Survey at Kīlauea A gravimeter was deployed on the floor of Kīlauea caldera last weekend  during the annual Kilauea gravity survey conducted by USGS Hawaiian Volcano  Observatory . Nearby is the GPS station. The gravimeter is the small, shoebox-sized  instrument, which can measure a change in the force of gravity to one-in-one  billionth of the force that humans  feel every day. USGS photo by A. Ellis marked by red and orange dots and incoherent waves are marked by light and dark blue. As an analogy, incoherent sounds are like the sounds you hear in the middle of a forest on a windy day and more coherent sound would be from a car honking on the road.     Coherent acoustic signals often have characteristics that allow them to be distinguished by the processing of array data, and two good indicators of coherency come from the wave speed and wave direction across the array. For example, near the surface of the Earth the sounds usually travel at speeds of about 0.3-0.4 km/s (~300-400 yards per second) (figure panel C). HVO's 'Āinapō infrasound array is located in the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and has a compass direction of about 300 degrees (figure panel D) pointing back to Mauna Loa summit. Automated detection can use these characteristics (coherency, wave speed and direction) to improve our ability to rapidly understand when an eruption is occurring at Mauna Loa summit.     Panel D of the figure shows that the compass back direction becomes very stable at about 11:25 p.m. HST which indicates that mild eruptive activity had started. Its timing was probably approximately two minutes earlier, at about 11:23 p.m. HST, given that it takes about 2 minutes for sound to travel from the summit of Mauna Loa to the 'Āinapō array (shown as a black vertical line in figure panels C and D.) Indeed, panel A of the figure shows that by 11:36 p.m. HST, lava flows being generated by the new eruption were rapidly expanding across Mokuʻāweoweo, Mauna Loa summit caldera (grey vertical line in C and D). The progression and expansion of the lava is followed by a strong intensification of that activity around 11:40 p.m. HST (C and D). This shows the value of using multiple lines of information to evaluate eruptive activity.     In addition to acoustic methods, staff at HVO utilize a full range of volcano monitoring methods including seismic, deformation, gas, and webcam imagery. The data collected improve our situational awareness; evaluating the different datasets together can help scientists to understand the volcanic processes happening at any one time. This, in turn, helps HVO to keep the public well-informed about our active volcanoes. Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.     Disbursed seismicity continues below Kīlauea's summit and along the Koa'e fault system southwest of the caldera. Average earthquake counts in this region over the past week have remained below 40 detected events per day, well below the amount detected during the January–February intrusion or prior to recent summit eruptions. Tiltmeters near Sand Hill and Uēkahuna bluff continued to record modest inflationary trends over the past week. No unusual activity has been noted along the rift zones.     Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.     Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity has remained at low levels over the past month. Ground deformation indicates continuing slow inflation as magma replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO2 emission rates are at background levels.     Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) ENE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on March 23 at 9:06 p.m. HST and a M3.1 earthquake 2 km (1 mi) SSW of Pāhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on March 22 at 9:45 p.m. HST.     HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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