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| After a long wait over the years, a kupuna signs the document to receive a parcel of Hawaiian Home Lands on Saturday with many more lots around the island promised. DHHL photo |
NATIVE HAWAIIANS WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE 68 FARM LOTS on Saturday at Honomu north of Hilo and Maku'u in Puna. The event was laced with promises of offering additional lots in the near future. Kaʻū is one of the places with Hawaiian Home Lands but no awards are planned in near future due to lack of infrastructure.
Saturday marked the largest agricultural lot offering by Department of Hawaiian Home Lands since the late-1980s. Homestead lots range in size from one to five acres. In Honomū, 16 one-acre subsistence agricultural lots were offered. In Makuʻu, 20 five-acre agricultural lots and 32 two-acre subsistence agricultural lots were offered.
A DHHL statement says that nearly 200 beneficiaries and their 'ohana celebrated the occasion at Keaukaha Elementary School.
"ʻOhana are built on the ʻāina and it is the department's commitment to keeping our families in Hawaiʻi
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| Generations gathered on Saturday to witness the transfer of farm and subsistence-ag lots to Hawaiian families. DHHL photo |
Subsistence-ag lots are less than three acres in size and near existing infrastructure. This homestead model allows beneficiaries to live and grow food on their lots for home consumption or small-scale economic agricultural activity, says the DHHL statement.
Beneficiaries who opt to grow produce and other crops commercially must create a farm plan, like a business plan, as part of their lease, and lessees must cultivate at least two-thirds of the land.
With both lot types, beneficiaries have the option of constructing a single-family home or supplemental dwelling unit.
"This momentous occasion marks an exciting milestone for DHHL beneficiaries, providing not only the opportunity to build homes but also to cultivate a future grounded in food sovereignty and self-sustainability," said Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke.
In the near term, an additional 40 subsistence agricultural lots are slated for development in Honomū within the next two years. More than 1,600 lots are planned for various homesteads across Hawaiʻi Island including Laʻi ʻŌpua, Kaumana, Honokaʻa, Palamanui and Panaʻewa.
Jeffrey Kekoa, President of Kaʻū Hawaiian Home Land Association, explained that when beneficiaries sign up for a DHHL agriculture award, they can specify which island. They can specify one district on that island, or islandwide. He said he signed up just to be awarded a lot in Kaʻū. However, there won't be any awards of ag in Kaʻū, Kekoa predicted. He said the ag lots do not have any infrastructure. The ag lots at Ka Lae and mauka Wai‘ōhinu do not have roads or water service.
He noted that the DHHL chair said last year during a commissioners' meeting in Hilo that he would rather spend elsewhere.
KAʻŪ TROJAN GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM returned home victorious on Saturday, beating big schools, including Division I's McKinley High and also Kaimuki, but losing to the host team at Sacred Hearts Preseason Invitational Tournament on O'ahu.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Troy Gacayan and Assistant Coaches Tyra Wong Yuen and Precious Jara, Trojan Girls
team won its first game Thursday against Kaimuki 45-27. Trojans lost to the host team Sacred Hearts 24-43 on Friday night. Trojans beat McKinley 49-16 on Saturday afternoon.
Gacayan noted that this is his first year coaching Trojan Girls Basketball after coaching Trojan Boys JV and Varsity for two seasons several years ago. "It is my simple way of giving back to the community," he said. "Thank you to all the parents, school administration, donors and residents for all your support in helping make this trip happen for these girls from the small country community of the District of Kaʻū." He said the team came home with a 2-1 record and "with a lot of opportunities to gain a lot of experience and lessons learned. Great job girls!"
The Trojan Girls' first regular season game is Tuesday at Kea'au. It is followed by three home games, Monday, Dec. 2 hosting Honoka'a, Saturday, Dec. 7 hosting Konawaena and Monday, Dec. 9 hosting Kamehameha.
Trojans go on the road Thursday, Dec. 12 to Waiakea and host Kealakehe at home Tuesday, Dec. 17. The team hits the road again on Saturday, Dec. 21 traveling to Kohala, and to Christian Liberty Academy on Tuesday, Dec. 23. The play resumes in January.
QUANTIFYING CORROSION DOWNWIND OF KILAUEA is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, the weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This week's article is by scientists from Aotearoa, New Zealand. The authors are Carol Stewart of Massey University, Zhengwei Li and Anna de Raadt of BRANZ Ltd., and Graham Leonard of GNS Science:
In December 2022, a team of scientists from Aotearoa New Zealand teamed up with scientists from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to carry out a small pilot study of atmospheric corrosion rates on the Island of Hawai'i. The purpose was to expand our knowledge base of how metal corrodes in different environments—specifically metal that is often used as building and roofing material.
In New Zealand we have carried out studies in extreme coastal environments (exposed to high rates of marine aerosol deposition) and in geothermal environments (exposed to hydrogen sulfide and minor amounts of sulfur dioxide), but we do not have access to sites exposed to moderate to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide. This is of particular interest for future volcanic eruptions in New Zealand, such as an eruption in the Auckland Volcanic Field, which is overlain by the city of Auckland. Study findings will also have applicability to other parts of the world, including in Hawaii, downwind of volcanic eruptions.
With permission from the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and landowners, we mounted specially prepared rectangular metal samples (150 by 100 mm; just under 6 by 4 inches), called coupons, of mild steel, copper, zinc, and hot-dip galvanized (HDG) zinc coating, at three locations downwind and one upwind of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit crater. Mild steel is the base material for many steel structures and its corrosion rate is fundamental to estimating the service life of such structures. Copper is widely used in power distribution systems and HDG is used to protect steel structures, claddings, and fastenings.
A year later, the coupons were retrieved and returned to the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ)'s corrosion laboratory for analysis. Corrosion products were removed and then the cleaned coupons weighed to determine their mass losses over the year they were exposed. These results were used to calculate first-year corrosion rates. These can be used to assess the resistance of these materials to atmospheric corrosion under the influence of volcanic emissions. We also classified the corrosivity of each site according to the accepted international classification scheme (ISO 9223).
. Our results indicate that all sites are classified as 'Medium' over the study period. This is similar to inland coastal regions of New Zealand with moderate exposure to wind-driven marine aerosol and geothermal regions not immediately adjacent to geothermal features such as hot springs and fumaroles. We note that our study period coincided with a period of mostly low SO2 emissions from Kīlauea and thus we likely underestimate corrosivity at other times with higher emissions.
We were particularly interested in the relatively high corrosion rates of copper and zinc at Site 1, which was the closest to Kīlauea's summit vent but upwind relative to the prevailing trade wind field. Our previous work in the Rotorua geothermal field has suggested that copper, in particular, is highly susceptible to relatively low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. Potential explanations include the presence of hydrogen sulfide at Site 1, and the influence of other environmental factors such as the higher rainfall at this site.
We thank HVO and the landowners who hosted the corrosion test rigs as well as everyone who has been supportive of and interested in this study. We will continue to share new findings and insights, and we welcome expressions of interest from any parties interested in progressing this work. This could include areas such as understanding the variability of atmospheric corrosivity across the island of Hawai'i, assessing corrosivity rates during heightened activity from Kīlauea, and assessing the durability of materials that are commonly used for buildings and construction on the island.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY. Over the week ending on Thursday, earthquake rates beneath Kīlauea summit and upper-to-middle East Rift Zone were about double that of the previous week. About 10 earthquakes were located beneath the summit, and about 70 were located in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone. Ground deformation rates continue to show slow inflation at the summit and near the September 15-20 middle East Rift Zone eruption site. Future intrusive episodes and eruptions could occur with continued magma supply.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL. Three earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the week ending Thursday: a M1.7 earthquake 13 km (8 mi) ENE of Honaunau-Napoopoo at 9 km (6 mi) depth on Nov. 15 at 9:26 p.m. HST, a M4.1 earthquake 19 km (11 mi) SE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on Nov. 14 at 12:42 p.m. HST, and a M3.2 earthquake 0 km (0 mi) N of Volcano at 28 km (17 mi) depth on Nov. 14 at 6:09 a.m. HST.
The HVO report says the team continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.
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| Kaʻū Trojans Girls Basketball team started the season with a pre-season winning record on O'ahu this week. Photo by Assistant Coach Precious Jara |
KAʻŪ TROJAN GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM returned home victorious on Saturday, beating big schools, including Division I's McKinley High and also Kaimuki, but losing to the host team at Sacred Hearts Preseason Invitational Tournament on O'ahu.
Under the guidance of Head Coach Troy Gacayan and Assistant Coaches Tyra Wong Yuen and Precious Jara, Trojan Girls
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| Victorious Kaʻū Trojans Girls Basketball team beat McKinley and Kaimuki on O'ahu at the Sacred Hearts Invitational Tournament. Photo from Coach Gacayan |
Gacayan noted that this is his first year coaching Trojan Girls Basketball after coaching Trojan Boys JV and Varsity for two seasons several years ago. "It is my simple way of giving back to the community," he said. "Thank you to all the parents, school administration, donors and residents for all your support in helping make this trip happen for these girls from the small country community of the District of Kaʻū." He said the team came home with a 2-1 record and "with a lot of opportunities to gain a lot of experience and lessons learned. Great job girls!"
The Trojan Girls' first regular season game is Tuesday at Kea'au. It is followed by three home games, Monday, Dec. 2 hosting Honoka'a, Saturday, Dec. 7 hosting Konawaena and Monday, Dec. 9 hosting Kamehameha.
Trojans go on the road Thursday, Dec. 12 to Waiakea and host Kealakehe at home Tuesday, Dec. 17. The team hits the road again on Saturday, Dec. 21 traveling to Kohala, and to Christian Liberty Academy on Tuesday, Dec. 23. The play resumes in January.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.
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Scientists with USGS and GNS Science install coupons at DESD seismic station on Dec. 9, 2022. Photo by Carol Stewart of Massey University |
In December 2022, a team of scientists from Aotearoa New Zealand teamed up with scientists from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to carry out a small pilot study of atmospheric corrosion rates on the Island of Hawai'i. The purpose was to expand our knowledge base of how metal corrodes in different environments—specifically metal that is often used as building and roofing material.
In New Zealand we have carried out studies in extreme coastal environments (exposed to high rates of marine aerosol deposition) and in geothermal environments (exposed to hydrogen sulfide and minor amounts of sulfur dioxide), but we do not have access to sites exposed to moderate to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide. This is of particular interest for future volcanic eruptions in New Zealand, such as an eruption in the Auckland Volcanic Field, which is overlain by the city of Auckland. Study findings will also have applicability to other parts of the world, including in Hawaii, downwind of volcanic eruptions.
With permission from the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and landowners, we mounted specially prepared rectangular metal samples (150 by 100 mm; just under 6 by 4 inches), called coupons, of mild steel, copper, zinc, and hot-dip galvanized (HDG) zinc coating, at three locations downwind and one upwind of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit crater. Mild steel is the base material for many steel structures and its corrosion rate is fundamental to estimating the service life of such structures. Copper is widely used in power distribution systems and HDG is used to protect steel structures, claddings, and fastenings.
A year later, the coupons were retrieved and returned to the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ)'s corrosion laboratory for analysis. Corrosion products were removed and then the cleaned coupons weighed to determine their mass losses over the year they were exposed. These results were used to calculate first-year corrosion rates. These can be used to assess the resistance of these materials to atmospheric corrosion under the influence of volcanic emissions. We also classified the corrosivity of each site according to the accepted international classification scheme (ISO 9223).
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| Progression of corrosion after approximately six months' deployment time. Coupons of copper (on left), mild steel (center) and zinc (right) on 21 June 2023. Photo by Carol Stewart of Massey University |
. Our results indicate that all sites are classified as 'Medium' over the study period. This is similar to inland coastal regions of New Zealand with moderate exposure to wind-driven marine aerosol and geothermal regions not immediately adjacent to geothermal features such as hot springs and fumaroles. We note that our study period coincided with a period of mostly low SO2 emissions from Kīlauea and thus we likely underestimate corrosivity at other times with higher emissions.
We were particularly interested in the relatively high corrosion rates of copper and zinc at Site 1, which was the closest to Kīlauea's summit vent but upwind relative to the prevailing trade wind field. Our previous work in the Rotorua geothermal field has suggested that copper, in particular, is highly susceptible to relatively low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. Potential explanations include the presence of hydrogen sulfide at Site 1, and the influence of other environmental factors such as the higher rainfall at this site.
We thank HVO and the landowners who hosted the corrosion test rigs as well as everyone who has been supportive of and interested in this study. We will continue to share new findings and insights, and we welcome expressions of interest from any parties interested in progressing this work. This could include areas such as understanding the variability of atmospheric corrosivity across the island of Hawai'i, assessing corrosivity rates during heightened activity from Kīlauea, and assessing the durability of materials that are commonly used for buildings and construction on the island.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY. Over the week ending on Thursday, earthquake rates beneath Kīlauea summit and upper-to-middle East Rift Zone were about double that of the previous week. About 10 earthquakes were located beneath the summit, and about 70 were located in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone. Ground deformation rates continue to show slow inflation at the summit and near the September 15-20 middle East Rift Zone eruption site. Future intrusive episodes and eruptions could occur with continued magma supply.
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL. Three earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the week ending Thursday: a M1.7 earthquake 13 km (8 mi) ENE of Honaunau-Napoopoo at 9 km (6 mi) depth on Nov. 15 at 9:26 p.m. HST, a M4.1 earthquake 19 km (11 mi) SE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on Nov. 14 at 12:42 p.m. HST, and a M3.2 earthquake 0 km (0 mi) N of Volcano at 28 km (17 mi) depth on Nov. 14 at 6:09 a.m. HST.
The HVO report says the team continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.
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