Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, March 17, 2022

  

An endangered hawksbill turtle whose survival is supported by the National Coastal Resilience Fund,
which receives $34 million in the federal budget this year. Photo from NCRF

MAJOR FUNDING TO PROTECT HAWAI'I'S ENVIRONMENT was signed into law this week, after passing both houses of the U.S. Congress. Rep. Ed Case, who serves on the House Committee on Appropriations made the announcement and his office issued a statement saying, "The bill makes critical investments in environmental protection for our lands and oceans, including efforts to protect endangered species. Case focused on funding and Congressional directives for a number of natural resources issues as a member of both the Appropriations Committee and of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

    Among the Hawai'i initiatives are investments to protect the oceans. “We cannot truly protect our planet without protecting our oceans,” explained Case. “My Appropriations Committee provided increased funding to provide that protection for our oceans, including our corals and wildlife, which feed us, buffer us from climate change, protect our shorelines, and anchor our economy from transportation to tourism.”

    Included in the funding is $17 million for the National Trails System, which will benefit the Ala

Bleached coral documented by the federal Coral Reef Conservation
 Program. Photo from NOAA

Kahakai National Historic Trail. Another $108 million for the Endangered Species Recovery Account will help protect and restore endangered species. The funding includes $4 million for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s State of the Birds program, which focuses on endangered birds in Hawai‘i.

    Other funding includes: $148 million for the protection, research and management of marine mammals, sea turtles and other species; $34 million for the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, also known as the National Coastal Resilience Fund; $33 million for the Coral Reef Conservation Program, which supports coral reef ecosystems management and research critical to national coral reef restoration efforts; and  $4 million for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grants.

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DRU KANUHA IS THE TORCH OF LIGHT AWARDEE FOR 2022. Big Island Press Club selected the state Senator who represents west Ka‘ū into Kona for his introduction of Senate Bill 134 in the 2021 Legislature. If passed into law, it would have prohibited the governor or county mayors from suspending requests for public records or vital statistics during a declared state of emergency.
    A statement from the Press Club said, "Kanuha’s introduction of the bill, with Sens. Gilbert Keith-Agaran of Maui and Donna Mercado Kim of O'ahu, came almost a year after Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation during the novel coronavirus pandemic that suspended the state’s Uniform Information

State Sen. Dru Kanuha

Practices Act, a law that specifies government records are open to public inspection with limited privacy exceptions. Even though Ige, a Democrat, rolled back the blanket suspension of the UIPA in May 2020, he removed the deadline of 10 working days state agencies have to respond to records requests."
    The bill died in a Senate-House conference committee and Ige received the BIPC’s Lava Tube dishonor for his actions in 2021.
    Kanuha said he introduced the measure because he considers “transparency and access to public information really important,” even during an emergency. “I had constituents calling me trying to receive access to a lot of their vital records. And it was almost impossible for them to get it,” he said. “And especially, with a lot of these programs and subsidies that were coming through the feds, a lot of people needed access to vital records – their birth certificates, marriage licenses.
   “On top of that, I think we need to be even more transparent about the actions government is doing, during emergencies, especially,” said Kanuha. He will be presented with Big Island Press Club's iconic Torch of Light award at the organization’s annual meeting later this year.

     Kanuha has launched a campaign to be elected to serve all of Ka‘ū into Kona in the state Senate. \

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AN ENDORSEMENT FOR JOSH GREEN FOR GOVERNOR came from the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly this week. UHPA is Hawai'i's largest university system bargaining unit.

    Its Executive Director Chirstina Fern said, Green, who is a physician and Lieutenant Governor of Hawai'i, believes U.H. "is an extension of the governor, and that we must work hand-in-hand. He would like to see faculty claim their rightful place as thought leaders in our community and have a say in government improvement."

     The union statements says, "Since its founding in 1974, UHPA has fought hard for the rights of Hawai'i's university staff as the exclusive bargaining unit of all University System faculty in Hawai'i.

      Greens campaign organizers responded to the endorsement saying, "Their support of this campaign emphasizes Dr. Green's commitment to excellence in higher education. As Governor, he will work with community partners like UHPA to make sure Hawai'i's students have the educational opportunities they deserve."

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Sam Aruch has a new tool to

 manage food hubs and complex

data sets in agricultural production.

STRENGTH IS IN OUR MEMBERS: GROWING HAWAI'I COOPERATIVES TOGETHER is a webinar series sponsored by The Kohala Center and the Ulu Cooperative. The three sessions were scheduled for Thursdays, March 17, April 21 and May 19 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

  The series is intended for members of cooperatives and anyone interested in learning more about co-ops. 

    The March 17 webinar entitled Members are the Foundation has been postponed and a new date is expected to be set soon. It is designed to focuse on the role and importance of members for cooperative business success. The keynote speaker will be Travis Forgues, executive vice president of membership at Organic Valley, which is the largest farmer-owned organic cooperative in the U.S.

Dave Swanson and Josh Bakke explain
fundraising through cooperatives.

    The second webinar is on Data Management of Membership in a Cooperative, on April 21, featuring Sam Aruch of Natural Resources Data Solutions. He will demonstrate a new tool he developed for complex data sets managed at Hawai'i 'Ulu Cooperative. He said the tool is also applicable to such businesses as food hubs. The third webinar is on Financials & Fundraising for Cooperatives, featuring Dave Swanson, Partner at Dorsey & Blake, and Josh Bakke, CPA at Moss Adams. They will explain how cooperatives can legally raise funds without violating Hawaiʻi and federal securities laws. Local co-ops will also share their experiences about what fundraising approaches have and have not worked.

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                               SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

                 at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at 
www.kaucalendar.com

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Deputy Director of the county Department of Environmental Management, Brenda Iokepa-Moses, led
a public meeting at Pahala Community Center on Wednesday to propose individual septic systems in yards of those
 now hooked up to the old plantation gang cesspool system. Photo by Julia Neal

INDIVIDUAL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS IN EACH YARD, INSTEAD OF A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT for Pāhala, is a new concept presented by County of Hawai'i on Wednesday for homes on the old sugar plantation sewage system. During an informational meeting at Pāhala Community Center, the county suggested paying for septic tanks and other individual wastewater systems for some 175 homes. It would save the county tens of millions of dollars over the option of building a secondary wastewater treatment plant with concrete lined aerated lagoons and sewer collection systems. 

    County representatives said they are looking for an affordable and timely solution to stop operating the gang cesspools left over from plantation days. They became illegal nationwide in 1999, with the changeover taking decades. The gang cesspools in Pāhala built by the C. Brewer sugar plantation, are holes in the ground receiving sewage piped from old sugar plantation houses. The county took over maintenance of the old system years after the sugar company shut down and signed an agreement with the EPA in 2017 to fix the problem. It's called an Administrative Order on Consent.

     County officials said that installing IWS could speed up the process, avoid tearing up streets to put in sewer lines, avoid sewer hook up fees, and save money for the homeowners and the county.

   County representatives said that to install septic and other IWS, each houselot has to be studied for soil type, slope and other factor to design each system, with approval of the state Department of Health.

    The smallest footprint for a septic system would likely be in the smaller yards where the septic tank or other IWS could be installed vertically along with seepage pits for the smaller homes. Some initial impact from installing individual septic in yards could occur in the larger lots, those approximately 10,000 sq. ft. or bigger where leach fields would likely be required. To make room for the leach fields, which could later be covered with grass and other vegetation, portions of the yards would be cleared, with a likelihood of removing some trees and plants, along with moving or removing of some fences, walls, sidewalks, outbuildings and sections of driveways for installation. County representatives said they would repair or replace any damaged infrastructure.          

    The size of leach fields would depend on the type of soil and slope of the yard. An average leach field of about 1,000 square feet for a 2,500 sq. ft. three-bedroom home, is estimated on websites of various septic system companies. 

    To pay for the septic and other IWS, the county could provide vouchers and homeowners could use the money to pay authorized septic installation companies. Alternatively, the county could hire the contractors directly, said county representatives.

    Maintenance of septic systems could include pumping them about every five years. One idea brought up was that the homeowners could continue paying sewer fees, which they already pay to the county for maintaining the old plantation system. Once the septic is in, the fees would go towards pumping and possibly other repairs, when needed.
    One kink in the new IWS plan is that the EPA has already approved a lagoon wastewater treatment system for Pāhala and is pressing the county to go forward. County representatives pointed to economic and technical challenges of constructing the approved system on land it is acquiring for the project from Kamehameha Schools. The lagoon treatment system would require cutting down a macadamia orchard and digging into land that has lava tubes and perhaps graves. They pointed to public objections to the location next to the Norfolk Pine entry to Pāhala and said the iconic trees could be disturbed under the lagoon plan. Approval of Individual Wastewater Systems would mean the land goes back to Kamehameha Schools.

    To switch the plan from lagoon to IWS, the county needs concurrence from the EPA to reopen their 2017 agreement regarding replacing the gang cesspool system. County representatives said the community responded positively to the informational meeting and mentioned that representatives from the EPA are scheduled to discuss the issue with the county on April first and will follow up with an in-person meeting on April 6. They said that the septic systems, which are examples of available Individual Wastewater Systems, could become an example for other disconnected communities to follow. The state has mandated that all cesspools be converted by 2050.

A conventional septic system. Image from EPA

    Brenda Iokepa-Moses, who is Deputy Director of the county Department of Environmental Management, is a Pāhala resident and led the meeting. She noted that discussions about the solution to the sewage problem have been contentious within the community and that she hoped the Individual Wastewater System option could help bring the community together. 

     Also leading the meeting were the Director of Environmental Management, Ramzi Mansour, and facilitator Jessie Marques. In attendance was County Council Chair Maile David and other public officials.

    The EPA's requirement for the county says the county "shall take appropriate measures to fully and properly comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act with respect to the Pāhala Community Cesspools identified including constructing a secondary wastewater treatment facility to serve the Pāhala community (“Pahala Wastewater Treatment Facility”), closing the Pāhala Community Cesspools, and replacing and expanding the wastewater collection system serving Pāhala Community. As soon as practicable, but no later than the deadlines..." The deadlines have been extended to 2023 but the requirement remains unaltered and the county is asking for a change to accommodate the Individual Wastewater System option.

   To completely shut down the old gang cesspools, all of the Individual Wastewater Systems would have to be completed but there would be less flow into the gang cesspools as each IWS is completed.

   To ask questions, give input and for more information, email cohdem@hawaicounty.gov.

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Image from DLNR

PERMITS FOR COLLECTING FOLIAGE, FRUIT, TREES AND MORE within the Hawai'i State Forest Reserves are now available online through the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. State Forest Reserves in Ka‘ū are Kapāpala Forest Reserve and Ka‘ū Forest Reserve.

    Kapāpala Forest Reserve, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, was designated on Oct. 17, 1930 through a Governorʻs Proclamation. It consists of approximately 37,276 acres and lies above Mamalahoa Highway and northwest of Kīlauea crater. Activities are birdwatching, hiking and hunting.

   "The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is a critical watershed for the people of Ka‘ū." says the DLNR website. "The forest reserve’s water sources are used for domestic supplies as well as agriculture, and maintaining this water supply is important for the future viability of agriculture in Ka‘ū. The native forest replenishes springs and other groundwater, and reduces flooding and erosion.

    "The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is important for preserving Hawai'i’s unique native forest ecosystems and its species, including a wide variety of rare or endangered plants and animals. Endangered birds for which the continuing health of the forest reserve may be a critical factor include the ‘Akiapōlā‘au (Hemignathus munroi), Hawai‘i Creeper (Oreomystis mana) and Hawai‘i ‘Akepa (Loxops coccineus).

    "The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve contains resources that are vital for maintaining Hawaiian culture and practices. Hawaiians consider native plants and animals as family and have a strong spiritual connection to the mountain landscape and the forest itself.

    "The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is an important area for public use including hunting, recreational opportunities, cultural uses, personal gathering, and educational programs and activities. Public access is allowed in the Reserve for recreational and cultural uses, including hunting, hiking and gathering of plant material (with a permit)."
    The new permitting platform, developed by DLNR's Division of Forestry & Wildlife, covers personal-use collections and commercial harvesting. While commercial harvest permits are associated with a fee, permits for collecting items in quantities that are determined by DLNR as representing personal use are provided free of charge. 

    People wishing to apply for permits on hardcopy can still do so at any DOFAW District office. The online permitting platform can be accessed under permit topic #5 on the (State Forest Reserve System Permits) DOFAW Permits website. http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/permits/

                                  SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

                 at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at 
www.kaucalendar.com

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Alternatives to this lagoon-style wastewater treatment system are up for discussion this Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m.
at Pāhala Community Center, the meeting led by representatives of county Department of Environmental Management. 

THE PUBLIC MEETING ON OPTIONS FOR PĀHALA'S LONG-DEBATED WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m. at Pāhala Community Center. The county's Department of Environmental Management will host the session for public involvement and issued a statement earlier this month saying:

Alternatives to a lagoon-style wastewater
treatment system planned near Pāhala's
iconic pine tree entrance will be discussed
Wednesday, 6 p.m. at the Community Center.
Photo by Jana Kaniho

    "Hawai‘i County entered into an administrative order on consent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to close the existing Pāhala Large Capacity Cesspools and provide secondary wastewater treatment to Pāhala residents. In January 2021, the (Mayor Mitch) Roth administration determined that the (proposed) Lagoon Wastewater Treatment system was excessively expensive, inefficient, disruptive, and ultimately unfeasible. Hawai‘i County has requested approval from EPA to take a new path, and is gathering community input on its proposal. Representatives from DEM and other departments will be present to answer questions about ongoing efforts to update the connections to the houses currently connected to the large capacity cesspools."

    In the meantime, the county remains in the process of acquiring land through condemnation in Pāhala for a sewage treatment plant, as required by the EPA, while alternatives are researched and brought before the public and EPA. The Kamehameha School land is 14.9 acres at the corner of Maile Street and Hwy 11 and is being subdivided from a larger piece.

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HAWAI'I' STATE GOVERNMENT IS THE LEAST DEPENDENT ON FEDERAL MONEY, among all 50 states, according to a WalletHub study released this week. The metric calculates federal funding as a share of state revenue. It reflects the proportion of state revenue that came from the federal government in the form of intergovernmental aid in 2019.
    WalletHub reports that Hawai'i's citizens are the eighth most dependent on federal money. The metic was calculated by dividing federal funding in U.S. dollars by IRS collections from Hawai'i taxpayers in U.S. dollars. The metric also includes the share of federal jobs in Hawai'i.
    Overall, Hawai'i is rated 26th in dependency on the federal government, according to WalletHub. Alaska is the most federally dependent, followed by Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona and Louisiana. See the study at http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-leastdependent-on-the-federal-government/2700.

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HOW TO START A BUSINESS IN HAWAI'I is the topic of a webinar on Wednesday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., sponsored by Hawai'i Small Business Development Center. The organizers of the event ask the following: Have you ever thought about owning your own business? "How do you go about doing that . . .Deciding on a type of business entity? Setting up your business?Finding the money to start? Identifying your customers and marketing your product or services? Coming up with a business plan? Finding a system for keeping track of all that money you'll be making? We can help you answer those concerns and identify the resources you'll need to help you move forward."
    Register and pay the $15 fee for the webinar with Hawi'i Small Business Development Center at: https://clients.hisbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=5420007. See more at www.hisbdc.org.

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AN APOLOGY FOR PROHIBITING THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS was requested this week in the Hawai'i Legislature. Rep. Patrick Pihana Branco introduced HCR130 requesting the State to make a formal apology for prohibiting the use of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in public schools from 1896 to 1986.

    Branco, a member of the state House of Representatives, explained, "It's about equity; we are a State with two official languages, English and ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i. Sadly, our native language was taken to the brink of extinction after the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i." Branco noted, "This legislation shows respect to Native Hawaiians negatively impacted by the banning of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i."    

Rep. Patrick Pihana Branco

    He said that Native Hawaiians spoke ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, the Hawaiian Language, for more than 2,000 years. In 1896, Act 57 passed, declaring only English would be taught and communicated in Hawai‘i public schools. Because of Act 57, many students were punished for speaking ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i at school, and the number of Hawaiian language speakers declined from nearly 40,000 in 1896 to only 2,000 in 1978. 

     "My great-grandfather would go to school and be beaten for speaking Hawaiian; he would then go home and get punished for speaking English," said Branco. "For a child to be disciplined for speaking his Native tongue is a travesty." He also noted, "The exclusion of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i from Hawai‘i's public schools lasted 90 years, causing generational trauma. The time for a formal apology from the State of Hawai'i is long overdue. We need to begin the process of healing."

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Michael J. Aragon is missing.

MICHAEL J. ARAGON IS MISSING. Hawai‘i Island police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the 29-year-old, who was reported missing on Sunday, March 13, 2022, by family members.
    Aragon Jr’s last known address was in Puna and he was last seen by a family member in June 2019. He is believed to be in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates area in Ka‘ū.
    Aragon Jr. is described as being of Caucasian/Filipino/Hawaiian decent with a slim build, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He has a tribal design tattoo on his right arm.
    Anyone with any information on Aragon Jr.’s whereabouts is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, or Officer Rodney Kekaualua, Jr., of the Ka‘ū Patrol Division at (808) 939-2520.

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Amber Lave is wanted by police. 

AMBER LAVER OF KAʻŪ IS SOUGHT BY POLICE. The 52-year-old is wanted on an outstanding bench warrant and for questioning in connection with a criminal investigation. Laver is 5 feet 2 inches tall, 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She is known to frequent the Ka‘ū and South Kona areas.

    Police remind the public that harboring or concealing a wanted person could result in criminal charges being filed against the person who harbors or conceals the wanted person.
    Those with information on Laver’s whereabouts are encouraged to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 326-4646 ext. 267; or via email at donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov. They may also contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
    Citizens who wish to remain anonymous can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record any calls or subscribe to caller ID.

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                                  SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO

                 at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.

See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at 
www.kaucalendar.com