Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 16, 2011

Fireweed is taking over good pasture in Ka`u. The invasive species can look like a beautiful daisy field.
Photo from hawaiianinvasivespecies.org

FIREWEED that looks like beautiful fields of daisies are taking over good pasture land in Ka`u, according to ranchers who attended Sen. Gil Kahele’s forum Friday in Ocean View. Fireweed started in Waimea and is spreading around the island, according to David Ka`awa. Volunteers who work on the fountain grass problem in Ocean View said that they could possibly help with fireweed control as well.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC LIGHT CO. turned on the power for the new Ocean View water distribution system last week, and water samples are being taken to send off to a lab and with results reported to the state Department of Health. Sen. Gil Kahele gave the update at his community forum Friday in Ocean View. He said it will take several months for the well water to be certified as potable and the new spigots to be turned on for residents and businesses.

AN ARREST WAS MADE in connection with last Wednesday’s house fire in Miloli`i. Canines were used to help determine that arson was involved. The damage to the unoccupied house is estimated at $480,000. The house location is on Kai Avenue in one of the northern Miloli`i subdivisions.

La Reunion representatives Alain Gerente, Marie Gerente, La Reunion film commissioner Edy Payet, vice president
Jean-Francois Sita, La Reunion President Robert Didier meet with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park chief of
interpretation Jim Gale, along with La Reunion public information officer Corrine Peyron-Beaulieu.
Photo from NPS/Stephen Geiger

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN LA RÉUNION island in the Indian Ocean and the Big Island were stressed by La Réunion Pres. Robert Didier last week during his visit to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
     Didier was accompanied by La Réunion’s vice president Jean-Francois Sita, film commissioner Edy Payet and public information officer Corinne Peyron-Beaulieu. They explored the park as part of a four-day mission to “build a bridge” between La Réunion and Hawai`i Island. They are promoting sister park status between Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Réunion National Park. Both national parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and both are home to active volcanoes.
     Both are located in the middle of vast oceans over volcanic hot spots. La Réunion’s active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise (“Peak of the Furnace”), like Kilauea, is listed among earth’s most active volcanoes and last erupted in 2010. It stands 8,632 feet above sea level, and is also a shield volcano. La Réunion’s national park comprises 40 percent of the 970-square-mile island. By comparison, the Island of Hawai`i is 4,028 square miles.
     The La Réunion president said, “Tourism is key to our economic success. We want to have tourism but also environmental respect. Our ecology, our biodiversity, is unique.” In 2010, approximately 400,000 tourists visited La Réunion. Didier said the goal is to increase the number of visitors to 600,000 by 2015.
     Other similarities between the two islands include a multicultural population. La Réunion has a mix of people from European, African, Malagasy, Indian and Chinese ancestry. Both islands have dense rainforests, a high level of endemism, and are home to white-tailed tropic birds – an important national symbol in La Réunion. La Réunion also has olivine creating green sand beaches.

     Part-time Volcano residents and La Réunion citizens Marie and Alain Gerente were instrumental in planning the La Réunion visit to Hawai`i, and accompanied the delegation as liaisons and translators.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS is calling for local artists to participate in the Fall Fling Arts & Crafts Fair at Punalu`u Bake Shop on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. Booth fees are $25. Contact Robert Domingos at mingokau@gmail.com or Jym Duncan at 929-8694.

Live music on KAHU radio's Bobby Gomes' Friday show
was provided by Pahala school students under the
guidance of Trini Marques.  Photo by Julia Neal

KAHU RADIO plans more live music and participation by local students in broadcasting at 91.7 FM after it takes some days off from local direct broadcasting from Oct. 18 – 22 when it moves broadcasting equipment to a Crown Castle tower between Pahala and Na`alehu. During the downtime, KAHU will be available at KAHUFM.com. Ka`u school students led by Trini Marques sang on Bobby Gomes' live show on KAHU last Friday. 

THE KA`U COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE continues through Tuesday. Those needing food can stop by the Ka`u Family Center in Na`alehu with a photo I.D. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and receive emergency food for their family once a month. Normally the center gives a two-day supply, but lately, due to low rations, only a one-day supply is available.
     Food drive collection sites are Pahala Community Center, Monday and Tuesday, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Na`alehu Island Market, today, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Ka`u Family Center, Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Discovery Harbour Community Association, Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and Kahuku Country Market, daily, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

SHORT FILMS BY LOCAL YOUTH will be debuted at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s third annual Digital Mountain youth film festival on Sat., Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center. This year’s theme is “It’s My Trail.” The public is encouraged to attend and to vote for their favorite film in advance. The public is also invited to participate in a potluck dinner preceding the festival at 5 p.m.

     Awards, including MacBook Pro laptops and Olympus digital cameras, will be presented at the event to winners selected by a weighted combination of judging by a variety of professionals and popular voting. See films and vote on YouTube: www.youtube.com/itsmytrail. People may vote once each day for their favorite film on YouTube, or by emailing itsmytrail@gmail.com. The Digital Mountain youth film festival is free. For more information, contact Laura Williams at 985-6304 or laura_williams@nps.gov.
 

A HOLIDAY BAZAAR AND PLANT SALE has been announced by St. Jude’s Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle in Ocean View. Plant and craft donation commitments are being taken now for the Nov. 19 fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be food including hot dogs and chips, homemade baked goods, cakes, pies, jams, jellies, and candies. In addition to plants, there will be crafts and gift items. From Highway 11, turn mauka on Donola Drive to Paradise Parkway.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 15, 2011

Nani Kahuku `Aina's draft EIS is available for review, and comments are due by Nov. 6.

NOV. 6 IS THE DEADLINE to submit testimony for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Nani Kahuku `Aina resort development, Sen. Gil Kahele reminded constituents during his community forum last night in Ocean View. He said that whether people are for or against the project, they should read the EIS and give their opinion. He said that he has remained neutral on the project and wants to let the process take its course. The EIS is available at libraries and online at the Hawai`i Department of Health website under Office of Environmental Quality Control.
     The resort plan calls for hotel, condominium, house, golf course and commercial development and would require a change of county General Plan and state Land Use Commission designation from Conservation to Urban near the coast.
     During the meeting both Kahele and Rep. Bob Herkes talked about efforts since the 1980s to preserve the South Kona and Ka`u Coast for the benefit of all Hawai`i. Herkes said that incredible historic sites of old Hawai`i remain along the coast, simply because it is so dry and rugged and has not been developed.
     Kahele said he worked with Pa`a Pono Miloli`i to stop a development at Kapua and the Riviera. His son Kaiali`i Kahele is now president of Pa`a Pono, and the group is working on a response to the EIS for Kahuku. 

Mayor Billy Kenoi
Photo by Julia Neal

MAYOR BILLY KENOI announced yesterday that tight restrictions on hiring, overtime, purchases and other expenses have allowed the County of Hawai`i to realize a fund balance of $24.682 million at the end of the 2011 fiscal year on June 30. That is $10.74 million more than the county expected to have on hand at the close of the fiscal year, and represents a determined effort by every department to cut costs, conserve resources, and increase the efficiency of county government, said the mayor. 

     “This is the culmination of years of hard work to reduce the size and cost of county government, and I am extremely proud of our employees for pulling together to cut spending and prepare for the future. We know we face some difficult times ahead, and these reserves will be critical to providing the police, fire and other essential services our communities need,” said Kenoi. The county budget for this year is $35.9 million, 8.9 percent less than the budget in effect when the Kenoi administration took office in 2008.

THE NEW MEDICAL VAN for Ka`u and South Kona will be on the road by early December, Rep. Bob Herkes announced last night at Sen. Gil Kahele’s community forum in Ocean View. He said it would be operated by Kona Hospital and likely make its home during the week at Na`alehu School. It will be used extensively in the schools and will travel to remote communities. Telemedicine will be on board. “Down in the village of Miloli`i,” said Herkes, the staff “can be in contact with doctors at Straub or Queens.” Medications will also be distributed from the van. 

Rep. Bob Herkes gives his report on the new medical van for Ka`u and South Kona during the Kahele forum.
Photo by Julia Neal

OCEAN VIEW RESIDENTS say they are considering another tack to prevent Rep. Bob Herkes’ state House district from being cut in half, which would eliminate Herkes as their representative. The redistricting plan would put everyone from Honu`apo through Miloli`i with residents living in resort communities in Kona. Pahala through Volcano would be put with Puna residents. 

     The effort to protect Herkes’ seat comes on the heals of two lawsuits already filed about state Senate reapportionment, one by Sen. Malama Solomon and several other people in Hilo, and a second by Kona attorney Mike Matsukawa. Both go after the Reapportionment Commission and claim it is illegal to include temporary residents like the military when counting the population used for setting up the voting districts. 

     In Herkes’ case, his supporters are considering filing a case with the Circuit Court, stating that they would be unfairly denied representation by the representative whom they have elected. The case would list all of his accomplishments and contend that districting rules require keeping communities together as much as possible. 

Sen. Gil Kahele with some of his constituents who stayed after the forum last night in Ocean View.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE NEW KA`U DISASTER SHELTER AND GYM took a lot of negotiations between the county, state and governor, Rep. Bob Herkes explained. According to a Jason Armstrong story in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald, the Legislature had to provide the money directly to the county instead of to the Department of Education, which had placed it 60th out of 64 on its priority list. Herkes told Armstrong that the gym and shelter is the biggest project he can remember the state financing in Ka`u. The cost is $17.9 million. 

     Herkes noted that the facility will be the first federally certified evacuation shelter in Ka`u. It must be impervious to vog and should also “fit into the feeling of Pahala,” he said. The County Council must formally accept the money for the project to proceed, and Council member Brittany Smart has already issued a statement of thanks to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Herkes, Kahele, former council member Guy Enriques and others who helped push for the funding.

Herds of axis deer damage pastures and farms on Maui.
Photo by Eric Nishibayashi

DON’T LET THE VENISON go to waste, said several constituents at the Sen. Gil Kahele meeting last night. Shooting invasive axis deer from helicopters and leaving them to rot in the wilderness is not the way to manage the elimination of the deer, said Donnamarie Pabre. She suggested that local hunters be allowed to harvest the deer and take home the venison, or that professional hunters bring the venison to a central place to be distributed. She also said that the lives of the deer should be considered, as these animals are not responsible for their introduction here. “Don’t mow them down,” she said. 

     Axis deer, which were recently reported in Ka`u, have damaged agriculture on Lana`i, Moloka`i and Maui, said Kahele. The County Council is creating penalties for anyone moving them here, and the governor and Legislature are also looking into additional measures, said the senator. 

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. submitted a Request for Proposals yesterday to the Public Utilities Commission. It asks for proposals to make energy for O`ahu, and some of it could be delivered by cable from Neighbor Islands. The electricity running by cable would likely be generated by wind and/or geothermal. The RFP, which must be approved by the PUC, also calls for proposals to build interisland cables. 

     Life of the Land applauded the RFP, saying its members appreciate an “open and transparent process geared towards maximizing renewable energy penetration in Hawai`i.”

THE MONGOLIAN BARBECUE at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano happens today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The fundraiser features 14 masters of the wok preparing each diner’s desired stir-fry combination.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 14, 2011

Piton del la Fournaise is a shield volcano on La Reunion Island and is similar to Kilauea Volcano. Photo from Big Think 

PRESIDENT ROBERT DIDIER OF LA REUNION - a French volcanic island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, visited Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park yesterday with a delegation. La Réunion is located east of Madagascar. Its national park Réunion, is a World Heritage Site, and its active shield volcano, Piton de la Fournaise, is one of earth’s most active volcanoes. Reunion is the subject of a film by part-time Volcano residents Alain and Marie Gerente who have presented their work at After Dark in the Park and at many other venues around the world. Reunion’s vice president, information officer and film commissioner also joined the delegation to meet park officials and tour Volcano.

Flumes brought cane to the mill during sugar plantation days. Water will now be used for diversified ag.
Archive photos from Edmund C. Olson Trust II

Water comes from many tunnels.

MAKING EVERY CENT COUNT in restoring the old plantation water system to help agriculture was a priority at yesterday’s meeting of the Ka`u Agricultural Water Co-op. Members said they hope that all of the research to date will contribute to planning an effort to stretch the several millions of dollars approved by the state to develop the best water system for the most farmers. The state is releasing $200,000 for planning before releasing the larger sums of money. The water systems to be restores are from Kapapala near Wood Valley to Ha`ao near Wai`ohinu, along the hillsides mauka of farms and ranches. 

COUNCILMEMBER BRITTANY SMART issued a letter of thanks yesterday to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Sen. Gil Kahele, Rep. Bob Herkes, Mayor Billy Kenoi, the County Council and former Councilmember Guy Enriques for their work in procuring $17.9 million of state funding for the Ka’u Emergency Shelter and Gymnasium.
    “We are very pleased the governor has released these funds, as the health and safety of all residents is our number one priority,” said Smart. She said Ka`u’s 6,500 people, living on more than 900 square miles, lack adequate emergency shelter space. Smart said the gym and shelter will not only protect residents during natural disasters but also promote community resilience and aid in post-disaster recovery.
     The gym and shelter will be built on the grounds of Ka`u High School. Several residents have asked the county to consider a design that would fit in with the historic buildings on the campus and in the town.
     For more information about the project, contact Legislative Assistant Nelson Ho at 961-8026 or email district6@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Chief media contact Jessica Ferracane. Photo from HVNP

JESSICA FERRACANE has been appointed as chief media contact for Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A lifelong resident of Hawai’i and public relations specialist, she has served as president of Irondog Communications, primary PR contact for the Big Island Visitors Bureau and PR director for The Fairmont Orchid.
     Ferracane is a former print journalist and is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in public relations from Webster University.
     Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said that Ferracane’s “diverse background in public relations, the visitor industry and in journalism will serve the park, its visitors, and the media who cover park news, very effectively.” 


     Ferracane is responsible for: creating and distributing press releases; reviewing and processing filming and photography permit requests; coordinating VIP visits; and assisting in crisis communications. Ferracane can be reached via email at jessica_ferracane@nps.gov and by phone, 985-6018.

FIRE DESTROYED a two-story oceanfront home located in the vacation properties area of Miloli`i on Wednesday night. Firefighters battled the blaze from 11:30 p.m. until after dawn. They used all 10,000 gallons in the catchment system next to the house plus 9,000 gallons from the fire engines and tankers they brought down the mountain to Miloli`i. The nearest water source to replenish the fire tankers was in Ocean View. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SEN. GIL KAHELE holds a public forum at Ocean View Community Center tonight at 5:30 p.m. Kahele said he will listen to concerns of constituents who can help him prepare for the upcoming 27th Hawai`i Legislature which begins in January. He will report on the 26th legislative session and address specific issues. Anyone can call 808-586-6760 or email senkahele@capitol.hawaii.gov ahead of the meeting with issues or questions for the forum.

OKTOBERFEST with a live polka band livens up at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church on Paradise Circle in Ocean View tonight. Doors open at 6 p.m. with a German feast at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are one for $12 and two for $20. Call Cordelia at 939-7555. Volunteer to help - call Phyl at 929-7146.

THE ANNUAL MONGOLIAN BARBECUE at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano will be tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The fundraiser features 14 masters of the wok.