Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Three years ago today, tsunami waves washed across Punalu`u Black Sand Beach following a major earthquake in Japan.
Photo by Julia Neal

THIS IS THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY of the tsunami hitting Ka`u, Kona and other areas of Hawai`i following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan. The tsunami ran up onto shore at Punalu`u before dawn, filling the black sand beach pond with seawater. The waves sucked out, leaving the Punalu`u shoreline covered in debris. The small shops next to the ocean were spared as was the pole house owned by the Dahlbergs, though the yards were full of rubbish.

Volunteers helped salvage this Okoe Bay beach house destroyed by
tsunami waves. Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

      Campers at Punalu`u Beach Park and visitors and residents at Punalu`u condominiums were evacuated. Evacuees stayed overnight at Civil Defense shelters at Pahala and Na`alehu Community Centers. As the tsunami waves failed to reach the resort, inland from the beach, there was no damage.
      Campers, condo evacuees and motorists along Hwy 11, who were stopped at inundation zones, added up to some 55 people staying in Na`alehu and 20 in Pahala shelters overnight.
      At Honu`apo, rocks were thrown about and tsunami waves nearly reached pavilions but, like Punalu`u, there was no major damage. Seven groups of campers were evacuated from Honu`apo.
      Ka`u Hospital went into its disaster mode with the health care association’s emergency management network. Some hospital staff living at Punalu`u took shelter at Pahala Plantation Cottages.
      At Honomolino, Sen. Gil Kahele reported the tsunami “crunching” two buildings owned by the Carlsmith family. Many coconut trees came down, exposing their roots, and half the beach was eroded. Waves carried a boathouse out to sea, where it sank, with one wall being carried to the shore at Miloli`i.

      At Okoe, Nicole Skilling’s house, which was built back from the beach in the kiawe trees, seemed to have been lifted off its foundation, sucked out to the shore and thrown back inland by another tsunami wave.

Tsunami waves from Japan lifted Woody Child's Kapua Bay house of its
foundation and twisted its roof. Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

      At Kapua, the family retreat of Woody Childs was lifted off its foundation, and the stone wall was pushed back.

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A BILL TO MONITOR RADIATION IN HAWAI`I from a nuclear power plant damaged by the March 2011 quake in Fukushima, Japan has been passed by the state Senate and is now being considered by the House of Representatives. Proposed and sponsored by Pahala resident Sara Witt, the citizen-initiated bill was introduced by Ka`u’s state Senators Josh Green and Russell Ruderman.

      The bill would fund monitoring around the state to determine radiation levels while the nuclear power plant continues to leak radiation into the ocean, where it can be lifted into the air and re-deposited here.
     The monitoring would be in food, dairy products, rainwater, aquifers and drainage ditches. The state Department of Health would report radiation levels on a website. The program would start July 1 and run through June 30, 2019.
      The status of this and other bills being considered at the state Legislature is available at capitol.hawaii.gov.

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Exploring Kilauea Iki is popular with visitors to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE VISITATION FIGURES released yesterday show that 1,583,209 people visited Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in 2013 – an increase of 6.7 percent from 2012 visitation statistics. 

      “We are pleased to again report an increase of visitors eager to enjoy Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, a World Heritage Site,” said park superintendent Cindy Orlando. “The dual eruptions from Kilauea, the numerous cultural and scientific programs offered, and the incredibly diverse, protected ecosystem of native plants and animals continue to attract people from the mainland, around the world and locally.”

      The new visitation figures come one week after NPS released its economic impact report from 2012, which revealed that 1,483,928 visitors to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park that year spent $113,376,400 in communities near the park. That spending supported 1,353 jobs in the local area.
      To download the report, visit nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.

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After PUC rejection of two `Aina Koa Pono-HELCO contracts, another company is
making plans to import biofuel to Hawai`i Island. Photo by Julia Neal

FOLLOWING THE STATE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION’S second rejection of two proposed contracts for `Aina Koa Pono to produce biofuel for Hawai`i Electric Light Co. at a refinery near Pahala from feedstock grown in Ka`u, another company is making plans to import biofuel to Hawai`i Island that would be sourced worldwide, according to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. 

      Chuck Barker, of Hilo-based Hoku Kai Biofuels, told reporter Tom Callis that the company “has had some initial conversations with HELCO about buying the fuel” and that the company is seeking other customers.
      The company would offload fuel from ships docked in Hilo Harbor using a pipeline that was originally used to transport asphalt products to storage tanks at the harbor.
      Callis reports that Hawai`i Board of Land & Natural Resources “will consider whether to grant in concept a 65-year easement for the pipeline. Final approval is contingent on a finding of no significant impact from an environmental assessment.”
      In a memo to the board, DLNR says the biofuels would be “distributed to various power producers as an alternative to fossil fuels.”
      Barker told Callis, “Our objectives are straightforward: achieve statistically significant progress towards the objectives of the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative and reducing Hawai`i’s grossly disproportionate dependence on fossil fuels, substantively improve the air emissions profiles from electrical power plants, truck and bus and marine fuels exhausts, and do so in a context of less expensive and less volatile pricing to homes and businesses.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. HOPES TO EXPAND its smart-grid program to Hawai`i Island. The utility plans to submit an application to the state Public Utilities Commission by the end of the year and have development of smart grids here by 2018. 

      “We’re continuing to modernize the electric system to provide a solid foundation for our community’s energy future. Our state needs modern electric grids to further improve service, provide customers with more choices and integrate more low-cost renewable energy to reduce Hawai`i’s dependency on expensive imported oil,” said Dan Giovanni, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for operations.

 Smart grid technology helps improve service by providing the capability for remote troubleshooting and faster response times during power outages.


      Customers will also have access to a customized online Web portal, which will provide frequent updates about their energy usage to help them make informed decisions about better managing energy use and their electric bills.


      HECO’s smart grid program calls for integrating a modern wireless communications network into the existing electric grid. The components will include wireless communications relays, sensors to improve outage detection, automated system controls to improve outage restoration and advanced meters.

      See hawaiianelectric.com.

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A rummage sale to support Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Department
is coming up later this month. Photo from DHVFD

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN BEGIN GATHERING items to donate to a rummage sale being held to raise funds for Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Department. The rummage sale takes place Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale at Discovery Harbour Community Clubhouse and Volunteer Fire Department also features hot dog lunches for $5 on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

      Items for the rummage sale may be dropped off at Discovery Harbour Community Clubhouse Wednesday and Thursday, March 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

      Proceed go toward the purchase of supplies not provided the the county.
      For more information, call Captain James at 895-8133.

ALOHA BLUEGRASS BAND RETURNS TO KA`U this month. They will be in residence at Pahala Plantation House March 23 - 27. Keoki Kahumoku joins the band for a concert at Pahala Plantation House Wednesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. Members of the band include Katy Rexford, Rion Schmidt, Annie Carlson, Tyson James, Steve Roy, Kate Hamre, K.C. Groves and David Richey. Donations for the concert are welcome. 

      The band is also holding workshops around the island before their Ka`u visit. For more information, see alohabluegrassband.com.

KA`U CDP STEERING COMMITTEE meets today at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The public is invited and welcome to testify on agenda items. For more information, see kaucdp.info.

KEIKO MERCADO DEMONSTRATES HOW `OHE (bamboo) are carved and used to make designs on fabric tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Samples and hands-on learning opportunities will be available. Free; park entrance fees apply.

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Call 987-5698 for more information.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, March 10, 2014

Access to Kawa is open to foot and vehicular traffic daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by Julia Neal

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS IS WELCOME at Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      Chair Leina`ala Enos and planner Ron Whitmore will provide an update on the status of the CDP project, including progress made on the draft CDP and next steps in the process.
      Whitmore will provide an overview of plans to identify vilable strategies for achieving Ka`u’s community objectives.
      The committee will also discuss recent correspondence between Ocean View Community Development Corporation and the county Planning director which raised questions and concerns related to project administration, draft CDP appendices and CDP’s purpose, process and roles.
      For more information about the Ka`u CDP and the Steering Committee, see kaucdp.info. Steering Committee members and Community Planning assistant Nalani Parlin are available to answer any questions. Contact information is available at kaucdp.info.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i County Director of Finance is authorized to negotiate to acquire all, a portion of,
or a conservation easement for 16,000 acres around Pohue Bay.

HAWAI`I COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT has issued updates on several projects of interest to Ka`u residents.

• Na`alehu Wastewater Facility: There is no final decision on the location of the wastewater treatment and disposal facility. The Wastewater Division plans to hold a community meeting in the near future to discuss the project, but the date of this meeting has not yet been established. 
• Sale of Lehman Brothers Land: Lehman Brothers Holdings is selling the 5,800 acres that includes prime coffee land as well as ranch land mauka of Honu`apo and Waikapuna. The onsite representative for Lehman Brothers is Hayden Akamu, and Joel LaPinta (lapinta.com) is the local representative of Kennedy Wilson, which is marketing the parcels. 
• `Aina Koa Pono Biofuels Facility: The Public Utilities Commission (puc.hawaii.gov) did not approve the revised contract submitted by `Aina Koa Pono (ainakoapono.com) and HELCO to produce biofuel at a new facility near Pahala. 
• Kawa Stewardship Plan: The Mayor’s office is working with local families and community members to draft a stewardship plan. An inventory of archaeological resources is completed and is being used to inform planning. Access to the bay is open to foot and vehicular traffic daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Solar Farms in Ocean View: In 2012, building permits were issued to install commercial solar photovoltaic systems on various lots in Ocean View makai. Solar energy facilities are permitted in the state land use agricultural district with soil classified by the land study bureau’s detailed land classification as overall (master) productivity rating class B, C, D or E. All of Ocean View makai is in the SLU agricultural district, and the LSB in this area is E, so solar energy facilities are a permitted use. 
• Lehua Court: A state land use boundary amendment and change of zone application has been submitted for a 54,000-square-foot commercial center on four lots between Lehua Lane and Mamalahoa Highway in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. The application may come to the Windward Planning Commission soon for review and recommendations. 
• Kahuku Village and Pohue Bay: The owner is exploring alternative proposals for the parcel where Kahuku Village was proposed. The County Council authorized the Director of Finance to enter into negotiations to acquire all, a portion of, or a conservation easement for the 16,000 acres around Pohue Bay. 
• Road to the Sea: The County Council authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement with the state of Hawai`i for the acquisition of the parcel at the end of the Road to the Sea adjacent to Manuka Natural Area Reserve. 
• Ocean View Transfer Station: The land allocation process is complete, and right-of-way access is being secured through the state Department of Transportation. Work is expected to begin after several other solid waste facilities island wide are completed. 

      These items are not on the agenda of tomorrow’s Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meeting and will not be discussed. Planner Ron Whitmore suggests discussing the topics with Steering Committee members during meeting breaks, before or after the meeting or at another time by phone or email. Steering Committee contact is available at the registration table or at kaucdp.info under the Steering Committee link.

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IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING VOTES TODAY until approximately 9 a.m. EDT tomorrow, senators from the U.S. Senate Climate Action Task Force will be holding the Senate floor to urge action on climate change. A significant number of senators are expected to participate throughout the night, including Sen. Brian Schatz.
      “Climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is solvable,” said Schatz. “Congress must act. On Monday night we’re going to show the growing number of senators who are committed to working together to confront climate change.”
      Senators will be actively participating on social media as well throughout the night, using the hashtag #Up4Climate.

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Residents in China saw these lights in the sky 30 minutes before an earthquake.
Image from YouTube

HISTORIC AND LEGENDARY REPORTS OF LIGHTNING before earthquakes, which are usually dismissed as hearsay or fodder for UFO enthusiasts, are now being confirmed by scientists, according to a report by BBC News. 

      Professor Troy Shinbrot, of Rutgers University, reported findings at a recent American Physical Society meeting in Denver. Shinbrot and other scientists experimented with containers of flour and other granular materials, tipping them back and forth until cracks appeared. They found that the action produced volts of charge. Shinbrot speculates that sliding and cracking of soil grains along geological faultlines could generate millions of volts of electrostatic charge and seed lightning in the air above, creating what he calls a natural early-warning system for impending earthquakes.
      With the advent of YouTube and other similar websites, videos of luminous orbs seen during the Fukushima and other earthquakes have been widely shared online and studied by scientists.
      According to Shinbrot, not every major earthquake is preceded by lightning, and not all clear-sky lightning is followed by earthquakes.
      Scientists in Turkey who have erected towers to measure voltage fields in the air over earthquake-prone regions found that there seem to be precursors for some large earthquakes of magnitude five or higher. “But the voltage signal is not always the same; sometimes it’s high, and sometimes it’s low,” Shinbrot said.
      See bbc.com/news/science-environment-26462348.

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Many of Hawai`i's papaya crops are genetically engineered to battle
ringspot virus. Photo from UH-CTAHR

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE and Human Resources has developed a website with information about Agricultural Biotechnology. The stated goal of the site is “to provide an unbiased source of information” so that the public can make informed decisions about biotechnology. 

      The website defines biotechnology as “the application of scientific techniques to modify plants, animals and microorganisms. Agricultural biotechnology applies genetic engineering methods to agricultural products. These procedures directly change the DNA of the plant, usually by inserting genetic material from another organism.”
      Topics covered on the website include a comparison of classical breeding to genetic engineering, genetically engineered crops in Hawai`i and their economic impact, issues including benefits and risks, labeling, culture, co-existence and regulation.
      The website also offers resources for education of students and a game that presents some of the opinions about genetically engineered crops.
      “The use of biotechnology in food production, specifically the use of genetically engineered crops, is a controversial topic, with equally vocal advocates and opponents,” the website states. “Perceptions about foods from transgenic crops range from the belief that they have potential to eradicate world hunger to the perception that they are ‘unnatural’ products that may be hazardous to humans and the environment.”
      The college also produces a newsletter entitled Biotech in Focus.
      See ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotech and ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotechinfocus.

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`Ohe kapala, or bamboo stamps are used to make designs on fabric.
Photo from NPS

A FLASH EXHIBIT AT VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village continues through tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with art by Margaret Stanton and Randy Takake. 

KEIKO MERCADO DEMONSTRATES HOW `OHE (bamboo) are carved and used to make designs on fabric Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Samples and hands-on learning opportunities will be available. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Call 987-5698 for more information.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, March 9, 2014

Trini and Francis Marques, two of the former sugar workers who have helped to build Ka`u Coffee over the last 18 years,
now fearing the land will be sold out from under them. Photo from Ali`i Hula Hands Coffee

THE INSECURITY OF KA`U COFFEE FARMERS' land situation is making headlines beyond Ka`u. Hawai`i Tribune Herald and West Hawai`i Today ran stories this morning reporting that Moa`ula and Pear Tree farms where displaced sugar workers have built the Ka`u Coffee industry could lose their orchards. The 5,850 acres, which includes about 400 acres of coffee lands, could sell to buyers who don't want the farmers to stay there, the coffee growers worry.

     The story by Tom Callis features a photo of Lorie Obra at her coffee shack and farm at Moa`ula. Entitled Uncertainty Brews: Pending land sale has Ka`u coffee farmers unsure about future, the story says that the farmers "think their years of hard work is in jeopardy." It quotes Obra saying, "To be honest with you, I have no idea what's going to happen to the land." The story also quotes coffee farmers Trinidad and Francis Marques, former sugar workers who built the Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands coffee business when Ka`u Sugar shut down in 1996. The story quotes Trini saying, "We took out another ten acres some place else to be proactive. I know the quality of the coffee isn't going to b as great in that other area."

Lorie Obra, Trini Marques and Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President
Gloria Cambra. All three have award-winning  coffee farms on land on
land put up for sale by Lehman Brothers.  Photo by Julia Neal

     The story also quotes Joel La Pinta, whose company Kennedy Wilson represents Lehman Brothers who took over the land in a foreclosure auction after lending and not being paid $105 million loaned to WWK Holdings against the land. 

     La Pinta said that in selling the property, "the coffee farms create a lot of value," according to the Tribune Herald.  The story also refers to Pacific Business News article, reporting that WWK "planned to use the properties for sale for high-end homes on large lots, but it's not clear if they planned to continue the leases." See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

     WWK's land manager Chris Manfredi and the company's consultants and attorneys were able to win acceptance for a Project Unit Development at Moa`ula and Pear Tree, which would have allowed smaller than 20-acre lots at the coffee farms and beyond. At the time, Manfredi described the subdivision as creating an "agricultural community." The subdivision was approved with various infrastructure conditions but has not received any final approvals.

    Mayor Billy Kenoi told The Ka`u Calendar and the farmers at several meetings in Ka`u that he is willing to help raise funds for an agricultural park for the coffee farmers should the land become available as a separate parcel from the 5,850 acres held by Lehman. He also said he wrote a letter to Lehman saying the county wants to protect the farmers. Lehman, however, wants to sell all the land at one time to one entity, according to La Pinta. Others interested in the overall parcels include The Nature Conservancy, which wants to preserve some of the coastal lands, and area ranchers who are using thousands of acres owned by Lehman for pastures. Edmund C. Olson, who owns some 8,000 acres in Ka`u and founded Ka`u Coffee Mill bid more than $12 million for the 5,850 acres at the foreclosure auction in Honolulu but was turned down when Lehman decided to take over the land and sell it on its own.

To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A CORAL REEF RESTORATION AND MARINE CONSERVATION BILL passed the state House of Representatives this session and is up for consideration by the sate Senate during the second half of the Hawai`i State Legislature. Reefs in Hawai`i were decimated at places like Honu`apo on the Ka`u Coast where the sugar factories unloaded its waste into the ocean and at Punalu`u where development led to filling natural estuaries with runoff and soil moved for constructing the Sea Mountain resort and golf course.
     At Honu`apo, now a preserve, coral and fish populations are recovering decades after sugar shut down and following an oil spill created by a an oil storage taken out on the shoreline by a tidal wave. For transporting sugar on ships to the mainland, Honu`apo was dredged in the 1870s to create the harbor and landing.
     The bill’s authors contend that the new law and funding would be an effort toward more policing and management of the coral reefs to prevent such impacts in the future. 

Honu`apo in 1880 before the bay was dredged to bring in ships to pick up sugar from
the mill that sent runoff and waste into the ocean. Photo from www.soest.hawaii.edu

      Justification for HB 2622 states that “The broad range of documented anthropogenic impacts on coral reef health, including impacts from groundings, diving activities, poaching, anchoring and mooring, land and water-based pollutant discharges, and other direct and indirect uses of the State’s coral reefs, indicate that the Department of Land & Natural Resources may need a more consistent and reliable source of funding to maintain these unique areas and to conserve and protect coral reef resources throughout the State.
     The purpose of this Act is to provide for a special fund allowing for the collection and use of moneys for the conservation, supplementation, and enhancement of the State’s coral reefs and other marine resources.”
    The fund would come from fines, attorneys fees, awards, settlements and administrative costs for violations of laws protecting the marine environment. It would also come from “compensatory mitigatation” money collected from federal and state permitted impacts to the marine environment and other grants, awards, donations, gifts from the public and private sector.
   The money would be used for monitoring marine life conservation districts, research, enforcement, education. It would help support management of community-based subsistence fishing areas, fisheries management areas. It would carry out compensatory mitigation measures for impacts to the marine environment. The law would enable the marine life conservation money to be held separately form other state and DLNR funds to focus it on the ocean and nearshore waters.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs submitted testimony in favor of the spceali funds, stating,

The DLNR would use funding to further protect reefs and the
marine environment, according to HB2622.
Photo from U.S. Geological Survey

   “Hawai‘i’s ocean resources form the bedrock of our islands. Hawai‘i’s marine environment and natural resources serve as a cultural, economic, social, scientific and recreational foundation for these islands. OHA notes that economic studies in 2002 and 2003 found an overall contribution of $800 million in revenue generated from our coral reefs and coastal resources, with an added recreational, amenity, fishery, biodiversity and educational value of $364 million per year. A more recent report released in 2011 utilizing ‘innovative economic survey techniques’ found that across U.S. households, the economic value of protecting Hawai’i’s nearshore environment could be estimated at $34 billion a year. While our ocean waters clearly hold cultural, spiritual and biological significance beyond any monetary value, these economic analyses clearly reflect the critical nature of our marine environment to Hawai‘i nei.
     “This measure provides an opportunity to better ensure that planned and unplanned impacts to Hawai‘i’s fragile ocean environment result in appropriate compensation, dedicated to the rehabilitation of our marine resources. Over the last few decades, it has become abundantly clear that Hawai‘i’s ocean environment is subject to constant and ever-growing threats from a variety of sources, ranging from human overuse, to land- and water-based pollution, to climate change, to development projects and vessels groundings.”
    OHA urges the legislature to also allow user fees for non-residents, who use marine life conservation districts where visitation tops a half-million people a year.
     In his testimony to the House, DLNR chief William Aila recommended that the legislature direct his department to prepare a statewide coral reef mitigation plan, and to consider how to address planned and unplanned coral loss; how the value of coral and ecosystem service losses may be calculated and consulting with others to devise the program. He suggested that the DLNR be required to submit a report on findings and plans by Dec. 31, 2015. 

    There was little public testimony. A public school student wrote in with support, as did an organization called Ocean Tourism Coalition.
   Teresa L. Nakama, of Big Island Fisheries Alliance, which also asked for the humpback whale to be removed fro the federal endangered species list, wrote in opposition, saying that “This bill is a complete waste of our hard earn taxpayers' money. DLNR and DAR division already has zone protected areas, contracts with conservationists, and college students from all over the United States that come here for their research papers and the list goes on. Do not waste our hard earn taxpayers money on repetitive projects that already is being done by many others. We already have more rules and regulations and revised HAR and revised HRS that covers these areas of concern. Please oppose this bill and send the funds to serve the overall general public with vital concerns of public education, health and welfare, housing, and elderly care.”
     Nani Polgline wrote in that “The conservation efforts have reached an imbalance in Hawai`i. Public access and usage of coastal areas have become too restricted and locked up with 'conservation' agendas."  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuyu and escort Bradley Llanes at
this weekend's Youth of the Year banquet for Boys & Girls Club.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U’S BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS have received a $10,000 donation from the Edmund C. Olson Trust, II,  which was a major sponsor of the islandwide organization’s Youth of the Year Banquet & Awards this weekend. Attending from Ka`u were Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya and her escort, musician Bradley Llanes. Representing Olson Trust were Kea Keolanui, of the trust's new ecotourism division and Kimberly Ciez, manager of Big Island Trading Co., which sells and serves Ka`u coffee and macadamia at its new location in Hilo. Also on hand was Boys & Girls Club Pahala director Dolly Kailiawa and Na`alehu – Ocean View director Lyonna Medeck-Starks, as well as Boys & Girls Club Ka`u board member Julia Neal.
     Winner of the Youth of the Year award for the Boys & Girls Club of the Big island is Benjamin Cortez, Jr. who has been a Boys & Girls Club member for seven years. He gave a passionate speech about winning a battle against cancer as a infant and the appreciation for all those who helped with his survival, leading him into community service. He will represent the Big Island at the state finals for Youth of the Year. The Hawai`i winner will compete in Washington, D.C. and meet the President of the United States. 

     For more on the Boys & Girls Clubs, see www.bgcbi.com.

A flash exhibit at Nia`ulani through late Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO THE ANNUAL KA`U FARM BUREAU meeting this Friday, March 14 at Pahala Community Center at 6 p.m. Keynote speaker will be state Board of Agriculure chair Scott Enright and County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth. The event is potluck. There will also be an election of officers. For more call Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Christ Manfredi at 929-9550.

A FLASH EXHIBIT AT VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Niaulani Campus runs through Tuesday evening. The five day show, with artists and Margaret Stanton and Randy Takake on site to meet with visitors,  is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.