The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, July 31, 2022

Volcano's 'Ohi'a Lehua Runs drew 135 competitors to the half-marathon and 169 to the 5K on Saturday
as the opening event of the Experience Volcano Hawai'i two-day festival. Photo from Experience Volcano

VOLCANO'S 'OHI'A LEHUA RUNS' results are out for the Half-Marathon and 5K. The kickoff event on Saturday for Experience Volcano Hawai'i Festival saw Egor Gavrilov of Clearfield, Utah take the Half-Marathon in one hour, 21 minutes and 24 seconds. He was followed by David Collier, of Hilo in 1:23:01 and Patrick Stover, of Kailua-Kona in 1:25:15.

The wahine winner, Bree Wee, of Kona, came in fourth overall in 1:28:43. Second for wahine was Laura Ankrum, of Holualoa in 1:30:22. Third was Anna Gavrilova, of Clearfield, Utah in 1:35:04. The race drew 135 competitors.
The 5K winner was River Brown, of Hilo in 18:24, followed by Austin Mohica, of Hilo in 18:35 and Alec Ankrum, of Holualoa in 18:57.
The women's winner was Stephanie Miadinich of Hilo in 21:53, followed by Shaney Ha'a of Keaau in 23.28 and Sofia Mattix, of Kailua-Kona in 23:45. The 5K drew 169 competitors.
See all the age group division winners at https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-66237?lc=en

Race Director Keely McGhee said, "We are so grateful to all of our runners who came out for the third annual Volcano Run. This year, we had over 300 runners who joined us. We were blessed with beautiful, sunny weather in Volcano. It was a very special morning, and it was wonderful to be a part of the Experience Volcano Festival again this year. And, of course we can't forget to say thank you to our sponsors and volunteers who continue to support us: The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, Nutrex Hawaii, Hilo Brewing Company, Hilo Bay Rotary, East Hawaii Health Clinic Sports Cardiology Program, and Bikeworks."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm

DIVERTING ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN KA'U, Volcano Watch discusses Hualalai this week, saying "While our attention is generally drawn to the Island of Hawai‘i’s most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, it is also important to keep watch on the Island of Hawai‘i’s third-most active volcano, Hualālai, which underlies the most populated areas of Kailua-Kona and the central Kona coast."

This map shows the location of the Wahapele vent (star) and lava flow (red) on Hualālai volcano. The approximate boundary between Hualālai and Mauna Loa is indicted by a dashed line. The lava flow extends 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) farther into the ocean. The inset map shows the entire Island of Hawaiʻi, with approximate volcano boundaries indicated with a thick grey line. All eruptions since 1800 are shaded grey, with the exceptions of Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption (blue) and Hualālai's recent eruptions (1800-1801 and earlier, in peach). Geology is from Sherrod and others (2021).

The weekly column is written by scientists and affiliates of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
Hualālai erupts much less often than its neighbors, with centuries rather than years or decades separating eruptions. The most recent documented activity was an earthquake swarm in 1929, which likely corresponded to an intrusion of magma into the volcano. Its most recent eruption occured in 1800–01, and the erupted lava flows from 1800–01 underlie almost the entire Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole. Future eruptions from Hualālai may pose a direct threat to Kailua-Kona and the surrounding communities.
Another geologically recent Hualālai eruption was the Wahapele eruption, which likely occurred sometime between 1200 and 1400 AD. We do not know how long the Wahapele eruption lasted, but based on similar eruptions in Hawaiʻi, it probably lasted a few weeks to months, but probably not more than a few years.
The source of this eruption was Wahapele crater, a vent on the south flank of Hualālai at 1,540 meters (5,053 feet) elevation. The eruption started with the building of the Wahapele spatter cone. It grew to be about 700 meters (765 yards) across—slightly smaller than Maunaulu—with a shallow slope. During this first phase there were a few short lava flows, both ʻaʻā and pāhoehoe.
The eruption then turned violent. Part of the cone collapsed, similar to how part of Puʻuʻōʻō collapsed in 2018. However, unlike what happened at Puʻuʻōʻō, at Wahapele, this collapse led to an explosive phreatic eruption. A phreatic eruption happens when magma mixes with and heats groundwater to steam, causing an explosion, or more often, a series of explosions. It is unclear how long this phase of the eruption lasted—it could have been a few days or longer. A similar eruption at Kīlauea in 1924 lasted 18 days.

Hualālai summit. Photo from SOEST

What we do know is that rock fragments ejected during this phase covered at least 10 square kilometers (roughly 4 square miles, or nearly 2500 acres)—equivalent to the area of Kaluapele, Kīlauea’s summit caldera. Some of the rock chunks were half a meter (about a foot and a half) across! Finer grained material was also produced, and in places these deposits reached a thickness of 3 meters (yards).

After the explosive phase of the eruption, a smaller cone was formed within the cone of the first phase. This new cone was about 400 meters (a quarter mile) across. At the same time, a large ʻāʻā flow headed west, reaching the ocean about 16 kilometers (10 miles) away. At its widest point, the flow was just under 5 kilometers (3 miles) across. Submersible dives in the 1980s suggest that this flow continued for about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) into the ocean.
On land, the vent area and lava flows from the Wahapele eruption cover slightly more than Kīlauea’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption. It is about three-quarters the area of the 1800–1801 eruption, and is the third largest known for Hualālai in terms of area covered. A caveat: most older flows are at least partially covered by more recent flows, so we do not know their full extent—some flows may be much more extensive than their mapped extent, and could be bigger than the Wahapele eruption.
Compared to Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, Hualālai poses a different challenge for monitoring changes in activity. Hualālai’s magma chamber sits 20–30 km (12–19 miles) beneath the surface, about 10 times deeper than the magma chambers of Kīlauea or Mauna Loa. Magma chambers this deep rarely cause surface deformation, so there may not be much warning prior to an earthquake swarm triggered by magma moving to the surface. Evidence from the 1800–01 eruption suggest that magma can move from depth to the surface in less than a day. While this is a worst case scenario, it is good to be prepared in case of any hazardous event, including eruptions, hurricanes, floods, or fires. We currently do not see any indication of volcanic unrest at Hualālai, but we encourage residents to subscribe to the Volcano Notification Service to stay informed.

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, July 30, 2022

Casual strolling, vendor booths and entertainment on the grounds of Kilauea Lodge, one of numerous
venues during Experience Volcano Festival, which continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Photo from Kilauea Lodge

EXPERIENCE VOLCANO CAME BACK LIVE on Saturday, the first major festival in the Kaʻū-Volcano area to come out of the pandemic with people gathering. Festival manager Jesse Tunison described it as bringing a "great sense of normalcy, a very relaxed atmosphere with lots of happy people." He said he met people who planned their trip to Volcano around the festival and noted that vendors were also thrilled to come back. The festival is in its third year.

Experience Volcano continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Festival goers can be stamped to qualify for prizes from many participants. The free festival features food, music, arts, educational presentations and more at many venues from Volcano Winery through Volcano Village and into Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to Atkasuka Orchid Gardens. See more with maps and schedules at www.experiencevolcano.com.

EPA WILL CONSIDER NEW OPTIONS for solving the sewage problem in Pāhala and Nā‘ālehu where illegal gang cesspools are still in operation, handed over to the county by the old sugar plantations.
The EPA recently signed an Administrative Order on Consent with County of Hawaiʻi to give it time to study and present options, including the possibility of using individual wastewater systems, instead of the earlier lagoon style wastewater treatment systems planned under the county's previous administration. The lagoon plan was the source of some community opposition and the cost, according to the county, could have been as high as $400,000 per hookup "and unacceptable."

The EPA posted the agreement with the county to consider new options and is asking for community input. See https://www.epa.gov/uic/closure-cesspools-pahala-and-naalehu-administrative-order-consent-county-hawaii.

Ramzi Mansour, Director of county Department of Environmental Management, made a presentation to the county's Environmental Management Commission this week, and noted that the new options would save the county many millions of dollars. He said the idea supported by his agency is to look at individual wastewater systems versus the packaged units. Later in the meeting Mansour noted that inflation is making cost of infrastructure across the island very expensive.
Mansour thanked community members who brought options to the county, "Definitely Sandra (Demoruelle) from Nā‘ālehu; she played a major role in working with us. I appreciate her involvement. We listened to the comments." More community meetings will be planned. "Hopefully we are now on the right track with the community," said Mansour.
Commissioner Lee McIntosh, of Nā‘ālehu, asked how the county would handle anyone who wouldn't go along with installation of the new sewage treatment system, and also asked what happens to abandoned properties?

Ramzi Mansour, Director of
Environmental Management

Mansour said it will be a legal requirement to comply. He said the two communities of Nā‘ālehu and Pāhala are lucky that individuals will not have to pay for the new system, but legal action with be taken against the individual who refuses to connect and cooperate with the County. An abandoned property would also have to have access to the new system. Mansour emphasized that the new, free sewage systems will only be available to those currently on the old plantation system where the EPA is requiring the county to shut down the cesspools.
Mansour said he wanted to give kudos to Mayor Mitch Roth for making wastewater one of his top priorities. He said that in the last year and a half, there have been accomplishments that had not been done in the last 20 or 30 years. "It is important. It is not easy to appreciate things underground, as well as appreciate parks and highways and bridges. People can't visualize them. Sometimes when you deal with sewers under the roadways, people don't see the value but environmentally it has a high value and we need to keep that in mind as we move forward."
Mansour formerly worked with City and County of Honolulu in as chief of wastewater treatment and disposal, managing and directing operations and maintenance of nine wastewater treatment plants. His deputy is Brenda Iokepa-Moses, of Pāhala.

The EPA has agreed to allow County of Hawaiʻi to study and present alternatives to wastewater treatment plans that would
have taken the sewage from old sugar plantation neighborhoods to large wastewater treatment sites. This image is from an
earlier plan for Nā‘ālehu that would have taken the sewage under Highway 11. Image from Hawai'i County

JEANNE KAPELA WHO IS RUNNING TO HOLD A SEAT IN THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES to represent all of Kaʻū has provided answers to some of the questions asked of her by Civil Beat, the non-profit news service.

Kapela distributed the following Civil Beat questions and her answers via email on Saturday:
What is the biggest issue facing your district?

Local farmers are the heartbeat of West Hawai'i. Our farmers grow some of Hawaiʻi's most iconic agricultural treasures, including Kona and Kaʻū coffee and macadamia nuts. Yet, the looming threat of climate change threatens to undermine food security for our community and wreak havoc on our farmland. To combat climate change, I believe we need to establish a Green New Deal for Hawaiʻi that uplifts workers' prosperity and the well-being of our planet.
I will also fight to protect the Kona name from commercial exploitation by expanding coffee labeling requirements to include ready-to-drink beverages, requiring coffee blenders to disclose the geographic origins by weight of each origin that their blends contain, and increasing the minimum percentage of coffee that is required to advertise a coffee product as being from a specific place (like Kona or Kaʻū) to at least 51 percent.
Regenerative agriculture provides a pathway toward food security and climate resilience. Instead of investing in agribusiness exports and industrial operations that poison our land with pesticides, we should support small and indigenous farmers who restore the land and feed the communities in which they live.
Many people have talked about diversifying the local economy for many years now, and yet Hawaiʻi is still heavily reliant on tourism. What, if anything, should be done differently about tourism and the economy?

Rep. Jeanne Kapela released this photo and segments from her
Civil Beat questionnaire. Photo from Kapela

Diversification is critical to the long-term health of Hawaiʻi's economy. We cannot continue to rely on an unsustainable model of tourism and we cannot continue to allow unchecked numbers of tourists to flood our shores at the expense of residents and our ʻāina.
I support the establishment of green fees for visitors to the islands, which can be used to increase funding for Hawaiʻi's conservation and sustainability programs. New Zealand, the Galapagos Islands, the Maldives, Cancun and Venice all have green fee programs for visitors ranging from $1 to $100. New Zealand spends $188 per tourist on environmental programs. Hawaiʻi spends just $9 per tourist. We need to catch up.
Additionally, we need to seriously consider reinstating carrying capacity limits for each island to prevent our visitor industry from damaging our communities and our environment. Finally, we should establish a task force to create a plan to diversify our economy through sustainable industries, like regenerative agriculture and clean energy. This would create a strategic framework to guide state policy, as is the case with our state's sustainability plan.
An estimated 60 percent of Hawaiʻi residents are struggling to get by, a problem that reaches far beyond low income and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What ideas do you have to help the middle class and working families who are finding it hard to continue to live here?
We need to put people's needs before corporate greed. We can make Hawaiʻi more affordable by investing in truly affordable housing for those earning less than 60 percent of area median income. Instead of giving tax breaks to developers, we should fund housing projects that are overseen by nonprofit organizations, which are not driven by shareholder profits.
I also support linking Hawaiʻi's minimum wage to our cost of living. That way, low-wage workers will receive pay increases that keep up with inflation, rather than having their compensation determined by politics. I believe that we need to establish paid family and sick leave programs for all workers. No one should have to choose between earning their paychecks and protecting their health.
Moreover, we must deliver tax fairness for working families. We should raise the food and renters' credits for low-income households and create a state child tax credit, which we can pay for by closing corporate tax loopholes, increasing income and capital gains taxes for the wealthy, and raising the TAT. Finally, we should make it unlawful for gas companies to engage in price gouging, so that working families aren't being exploited by the oil industry.

Friday, July 29, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, July 29, 2022

Naupaka by Tanya Ibarra is one of the artist offerings at this weekend's Experience Volcano Hawaiʻi Festival Saturday and

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p..with arts, crafts, music, food, hula and more. See more below and at www.experiencevolcano.com.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR KAʻŪ has been issued for Sunday by the National Weather Service. Civil Defense made the announcement Friday afternoon, explaining that a Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. "Strong, gusty trade winds, dry fuel, and low relative humidity could produce extreme fire behavior. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and be difficult to control."
County Civil Defense recommends the following: Limit any activity that involves using open flames such as grilling and camp fires. Do not park cars on dry grass after a trip.

A JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE HELD BY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES Vicky Cayetano and Kai Kahele created a stage this week for questions regarding their Democratic opponent Josh Green. The two, who noted that they are running against each other and have differences, said they are joining together to implore Green to release more information about his income beyond his lieutenant governor's job, including his weekend work as a physician and other money coming into his businesses. They also asked for more detail on his business and government connections with those contributing to his campaign and working with him outside of his job as lieutenant governor. They pointed to several of his companies including Green Health International, LLC.
Cayetano referred to Green's statements that his outside income is from caring for people as a physician.
She said that "the lieutenant governor should not think that "being a doctor should give him a free pass."

Kai Kahele and Vicky Cayetano held a joint press conference
asking questions about their opponent's business and campaign
finances. Photo from Hawai'i Public Radio

Cayetano said the Democratic Party itself should become involved "to deliver the truth, transparency and accountability."

Kahele said, "There is no lieutenant governor in the history of this state that has made more than a million dollars while serving as lieutenant governor in outside income in addition to his $165,000 taxpayer-funded salary as lieutenant governor, State of Hawai'i.....
"If there's nothing to hide, then release the documents. In growing up here in Hawai'i my whole life, this doesn't pass the kukai test, to be frank with you. This is something that the people of Hawai'i deserve answers to. We are voting right now."
The two also talked about consultants working with Green who were involved in a smear campaign during an earlier election for which they were fined and directed to provide money to charities.
See the entire press conference at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qDohdo5VIU.

Green responded by calling the questions attacks and saying that issues instead of attacks should be the focus of the campaigns and that he is known for bringing people together. His wife also came out with statements saying Green is all about bringing people together.

This photo from Hawai'i Volcanoes illustrates the online volunteer application for
opportunities at the park. See https://www.volunteer.gov/s/global-search/Hawaii

THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM FOR NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION AT HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be up and running for August. Eric Hamren, of the Nursery Operations for Ke Ēweiēwe – Plant Restoration programs, announced three August service days.
The Monday, Aug. 8 nursery day invites volunteers to up-pot keiki and participate in general plant care. The Monday, Aug. 22 field and nursery day will see volunteers salvaging native plants along road and trail sides before the maintenance crews clear the area so they can transplant them into pots for a future restoration effort.

On Friday, Aug. 26, there will be a field day clearing aggressive and invasive plants in restoration plots along Mauna Loa Strip Road.
Hamren said, "Since we are still in the early stages of starting back up our volunteer program, we are trying out something different this month to compare results. Please navigate to volunteer.gov to sign up for these service days. Simply type Hawaiʻi into the search bar and all three service opportunities should be listed there. Warning, they may not all be up and active until August 4th."

Other volunteer opportunities listed at https://www.volunteer.gov/s/global-search/Hawaii include Volunteer Map Maker, Backcountry Office Assistant and Visitor Services Volunteer.

THE ECONOMY STREAM OF VIBRANT HAWAI'I has sent out a Call to Action regarding the County of Hawaiʻi's Economic Development Strategy. It says:
"The Hawaiʻi Island Economic Development Board has been contracted by the County of Hawaiʻi to garner community input for the 5-year CEDS that will guide use of the federal funds provided by the US Economic Development Administration. Many of the priority sectors identified by the 300+ stakeholders who came together to develop the Vibrant Hawaiʻi Economic Development Strategy in 2021 have been incorporated into the draft CoH CEDS.
"The industry sectors identified in the updated Hawaiʻi Island CEDS listed alphabetically are: Agriculture and Food Systems, Astronomy and Technology. Construction and Development, Creative Arts Education and Workforce Development, Energy, Transportation, and Shipping, Environment and Climate Change, Government, Health and Well-Being and Tourism."

A focus group to consider the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for each of the industry sectors above focusing most on education, health, and poverty/ALICE on Thursday, Aug. 11.
Vibrant Hawaiʻi states, "We strongly urge Hawaiʻi Island residents to join us for the Economy Stream meeting on August 11th from 9:00-10:30AM." See Link to Vibrant Hawaiʻi Economic Development Strategy here. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at wwwkaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm

EXPERIENCE VOLCANO HAWAI'I FESTIVAL opens Saturday morning for the two-day event. The family friendly festival spans the entire Volcano area from Akatsuka Orchid Gardens, to Volcano Village and Volcano Winery.
Organizers encourage everyone to visit all venues participating in the festival and to receive a stamp to qualify for prizes.

See the video of Experience Volcano Festival happening
Saturday and Sunday at www.experiencevolcano.com
Kilauea Lodge is one of the many venues.

This year's grand prize is provided by Volcano's Hale Hoʻola Spa. The Rejuvenation Package consists of a full body exfoliation, custom facial masks, a steam bath, scalp massage that reveals healthier skin. After completing the treatment, enjoy an hour long Hawaiian Lomilomi massage. This prize is valued at $300.
Other prizes include: A Hand Blown Paper Weight from 2400° Fahrenheit; Wine Tasting Packages at Volcano Winery (must be 21 and over); Volcano Wineries Trio Gift Set (must be 21 and over), Hand Carved Hawaiian Gourd As A Bowl, Kilauea Lodge Gift Certificates, Hawaiian Lilikoi Butters, Hand Made Ribbon Lei, KTA Gift Certificates and Ono Ribbon Scarfs.
Blown glass demonstrations will be on display once more at 2400 Fahrenheit, live & local music will be on the menu at Lava Rock Cafe, Kilauea Lodge, Volcano Art Center, & Volcano Winery.
This year the festival is playing host to over 40 local vendors offering locally made products and goodies with over 50 events taking place at all festival locations.

See the complete list of presenters, venues, a schedule and map at www.experiencevolcano.com.