Kaʻū News Briefs Feb. 14, 2024

PUBLIC MEETINGS IN KAʻŪ FOR THE NEW PUNALU‘U DEVELOPMENT PLAN are not scheduled before the upcoming public hearing before the Windward Planning Commission takes place on Thursday, March 7.                      Representatives of Black Sand Beach, LLC said they have been hosting meetings with small groups of people from the community and noted that numerous public meetings were held throughout the years of the development of the plan.
    The public hearing concerning the request from Black Sand Beach, LLC for an SMA permit to start development begins at 9 a.m. at County Council Chambers in Hilo. The hearing is to take public input on whether the permit should be given to allow development within the Special Management Area, which is dedicated to protecting resources along the shoreline and on land next to the ocean. All of the land below Highway 11 in the planning area for the project is within the SMA.         

    The proposal includes commercial activity mauka of the old Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach pond, some 225 residential and short-stay units up higher on the property, a wellness center with water features in the old tennis court area, rebuilding the old Aspen Center with accommodations around it, rebuilding the golf clubhouse and repairing the golf course. Accommodations would be set back from the shore.
    Conservation land totaling 147 acres along the coast would go into some managed preservation entity, with no plans to make an oceanfront golf green and fairway which are allowed in conservation zoned land and were included in plans by earlier developer proposals.

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Ka'imi Kaupiko with the Miloli'i Opihi team in 2022
Photo by Yolanda Kuahuia

THE ANNUAL MILOLI‘I-KAʻŪ JUNIORS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT COMES TO TO PĀHALA THIS WEEKEND with 38 teams playing in four divisions, 10s, 12s, 14s and 16s age groups. Organizer of the Miloli‘i-Kaʻū Volleyball Club, Ka‘imi Kaupiko, said the play will be all day Saturday and Sunday. Support goes toward travel to the Aloha Summer Classic tournament from May 17-19 on O'ahu. 

    Concessions this Saturday and Sunday at the Miloli‘i-Kaʻū tournament at Herkes Kaʻū District gym will help with the fundraising, said Kaupiko. 

    To donate, go to the games or contact Kaupiko at 808-937-1310.

    Admission on both days is free.

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Sophomore Caleb Crook pitches and Ian Beck catches for the
first Trojan JV baseball team in many years. Photo by Elizabeth Crook

TROJAN VARSITY BASEBALL IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH. Trojan JV Baseball season has just ended.
    Manager and Head Coach Josh Crook praised the JV program, which combined players from Kaʻū High School and Kanu o ka ʻĀina Charter School: "Having a JV team after many years of not having one is a necessary step in building a baseball program here in our community." Trojans drew a team of just 12 players. He said it was a "Small but good group of young men. They were respectful and a pleasure to coach." The JV team was able to secure just four games and practiced every day for January.

Sophomore Riley Koch after his hit.
Photo by Elizabeth Crook

    JV season began with a game against Hilo High School. "It was a great way to begin with the team getting to play at Wong Stadium in Hilo. It was like we were playing in a MLB field it was very exciting and we are very thankful we were able to play there," said the Coach. The Trojan's second game came three days later at home against Pāhoa High School where the Trojans suffered another loss, "but this did not go without growth in each player and as a team."
   The third game was on the road against Waiākea High School. Trojans suffered another loss, "but again it was not wasted. Skills were increasing. There were things we could have done better and some major disappointments but on the positive side they corrected some things they struggled with in the past games."
    The fourth game was at home against Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy. "After a four-day rest, our pitchers were ready, and the team showed up to win. Sophomore Caleb Crook of Kanu o ka ʻĀina pitched five and a third innings and Sophomore Riley Koch of the Trojans closed the game despite having to fight through an ankle injury. Defensively, Freshman Ian Beck of Ka‘ū High School caught an exceptional game. The Coach said, "Ian has got the right personality for a catcher, he's pretty tough and fearless."

    Offensively, Caleb Crook singled to right on a one-hop to the fence to start the game. Multiple times during this game Trojans loaded the bases and continued to score runs and hits when it counted. Sophomore Erwin Rilang of Kaʻū bunted for a hit, and Sophomore Devin Alpin of Kaʻū singled down the line to left field. Sophomore Obten Boaz of Kaʻū (CF), Sophomore Joner Labin of Kaʻū (RF), and Sophomore Samthen Ainos of Kaʻū (LF) all got on base. Freshman Eli Crook of Kanu o ka ʻĀina (SS 3B), and Sophomore Riley Koch of Kaʻū achieved RBIs and base hits.

Freshman Eli Crook after his hit.
Photo by Elizabeth Crook

    "This was a great way to begin the baseball season and it was a huge blessing, to work with and get to know both players and Coaches Roland Alcoran, Jeremy VanArkl and Terry Cox, said the Head Coach. "Baseball is more about just winning baseball games this is a tool used for adults to invest in the lives of the children of our community, and it is at some points difficult but in the end, the investment is well worth it."
    The Head Coach said that the coaching staff "would love to see more community involvement at our home games and support baseball and softball here. Thanks to all who encouraged and helped to make this possible."
    Trojans Varsity Baseball season will start with two home games. First game is on Saturday, Feb 24 at 1 p.m. against HPA. Second game is on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. against Waiākea High School.
Varsity Schedule:
    Feb. 24 @ Kaʻū High School 1p.m.
    Feb. 28 @ Kaʻū High School 3p.m.
    March. 2 @ Keaau High School 3p.m.
    March 9 @ Kaʻū High School 3p.m.
    March 26 @ King Kamehameha  p.m.
    April 3 @Kealakehe High School 1p.m.

   April 6 @ Kohala High School 3p.m.
    April 10 @ Kaʻū High School 1p.m.
    April 13 @ Kaʻū High School 3p.m.

    April 17 @ Konawaena 1p.m.

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Kaʻū News Briefs Feb. 13, 2024

This painting was the late Herb Kane's mural in the old museum next to Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach. Stolen after the place was abandoned, the image was recreated by the original artist on canvas and is in the Herb Kane collection of his family. On Thursday, March 7, a public hearing will take place before the Windward Planning Commission on Black Sand Beach, LLC's proposal. It includes plans for the old museum site, accommodations mauka of the shoreline and other enterprises. The developers seek a permit to build in the Special Management Area, which is designed to protect the shoreline. Painting by Herb Kane

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT PUNALU‘U GOES TO PUBLIC HEARING on Thursday, March 7 in the Hilo County Council Chambers. at 9 a.m. Black Sand Beach, LLC seeks a Special Management Area Permit. According to the application, approval of the permit would "allow for the development of a residential and commercial community consisting of approximately 225 residential and short stay units, village and wellness center, retail uses, rehabilitation and use of golf courses, and dedication of a portion of coastline as a conservation area on an approximately 147 acres portion of a larger 434-acre project site within the Special Management Area."

Plans for Punalu‘u proposed by Black Sand Beach, LLC would include accommodations
set back behind a golf course fairway. Some commercial enterprise would be
close to the Black Sand Beach and Pond. It goes to public hearing on Thursday, March 7.
 Image from Black Sand Beach, LLC

    According to the Planning Department's description of the Special Management Area, which includes all of the property proposed for the development, "The Special Management Area, or SMA, is the area of the island that is in close proximity to the shoreline. In establishing the SMA in 1975, the Hawai‘i state legislature found that 'It is the state policy to preserve, protect, and where possible, to restore the natural resources of the coastal zone of Hawai‘i,’ and, therefore, that 'special controls on developments within an area along the shoreline are necessary to avoid permanent losses of valuable resources and the foreclosure of management options, and to ensure that adequate access, by dedication or other means, to public owned or used beaches, recreation areas, and natural reserves is provided.' (Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, Chapter 205A, Part II)"

    To learn more about the Special Management Area and the SMA permitting process, see an informational video provided by the State Office of Planning.

Details of commercial enterprise planned near Black Sand Beach and the Pond.
Image from Black Sand Beach, LLC

    The Punalu‘u properties proposed for the Special Management Area permit are located in the Sea Mountain at Punalu‘u resort area, east (makai) of Hawaiʻi Belt Road in the vicinity of Nīnole Loop Road, Nīnole, Wailau, Punalu‘u, Kaʻū, Hawai‘i, TMKs: (3) 9-5-019: 011, 015, 024, 026, 030, 031, 033, 035; 9-6-001: 001-003, 006, 011-013; 9-6-002: 008, 037, 038, 041, and 053.
    To give testimony, the public can attend the public hearing in Hilo, or sign up to give speak via Zoom by registering before noon the day before the hearing. Register at https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOmgqzotGSpQv6m54ndW46yEqTysENk. The meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAFoRMb3rfWLQMPd6TAkEGA?view_as=subscriber.
    According to a Planning Department announcement, the Planning Director’s background report (including application) and recommendation report for each agenda item will be available for review at www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov prior to the meeting. This information can also be requested by sending an email to WPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov or by calling (808) 961-8288.

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AT&T MOBILITY PLANS A 150 FT CELL TOWER IN VOLCANO. It is applying to the Windward Planning Commission for a Use Permit to install a telecommunication facility with a 150-foot-tall monopine - looks like a pine tree - tower off Volcano Road. The project would include the cell tower and related equipment and improvements within a 1,440-square-foot portion of a larger 7.383-acre parcel. The property is at 11-3049 Volcano Road, approximately 400 feet south of Volcano Road on the west side of Kahaualea Road.  Hawai‘i, TMK: (3) 1-1-020:159 (por.). 3. 

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National Marine Sanctuaries will host a webinar on corals on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Photo from NOAA

CORAL CAN GET SICK, just like any other animal, and coral diseases can harm whole ecosystems when they spread across reefs. That is the subject of a webinar from the National Marine Sanctuaries to be presented online on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. The webinar, Seaside Chats - Chasing Microbes: Diving into the Mystery of Coral Disease, aims to promote understanding of how the reef responds to pathogens. Lessons are drawn from the outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease as the webinar dives into the depths of coral health research. Register for the webinar at 

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7127094180552200024?utm_medium=email&utm_source=GovDelivery Webinar ID is 615-165-955.

Dr. Alex Wegmann presents a webinar on Palmyra Atoll, which is managed by The Nature Conservancy. Photos from NOAA

        The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series is archived and includes a recent presentation on Palmyra Atoll, which is stewarded by The Nature Conservancy. It features Alex Wegmann, PhD., who

"works in thematic areas of land-sea connectivity, invasive species, seabird restoration, natural climate solutions, coral reef resilience, pelagic conservation, sustainable fisheries, and the application of biotechnology-based solutions to conservation challenges."

     His responsibilities for The Nature Conservancy include advancing cutting-edge science to inform investment and actions at Palmyra Atoll, throughout the Pacific region, and at global scales. Wegmann "takes us to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean and shares how connected we are to it," says a NOAA description.

     National Marine Sanctuaries webinars provide educational and scientific expertise, resources, and training to support ocean and climate literacy. It targets community and families, formal and informal educators and students (high school through college). Visit archives of the webinar series to catch up on presentations here.

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HAWAI‘I ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY WHALE COUNT will be on Saturdays, Feb.  24 and March 30. Register to volunteer to count the whales and learn more at https://oceancount.org/.

     The Hawaiian word for humpback whales is koholā. The whales come to Hawai‘i to give birth, nurse their young and breed before heading north to summer waters.

    National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA recently released this poster of koholā, honoring Hawaiian Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary. The art is by Matt McIntosh of NOAA.

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Kaʻū News Briefs Feb.12, 2024

Hawai‘i Farmers Union United and many hemp startup organizations are asking for testimony to oppose a bill that they claim would be a setback to the emergence of a stable hemp industry in Hawai‘i. See more below. USDA photo

LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH MORE EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT TO ASSIST COFFEE AND ORCHARD CROP INDUSTRIES goes to public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the 2024 Hawai'i Legislature.

    Agricultural Extension Agents Andrea Kawabata and Matt Miyahara are asking for the Kaʻū community's help in supporting the measure. In a statement released Monday, they noted that Kaʻū's state Senator Dru Kanuha and colleagues introduced measure SB2060 Relating to Agriculture. It would establish an Educational Support Associate position within the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources' Kona Cooperative Extension "to support your coffee and orchard crop industries."
    The Tuesday hearing includes video conferencing. Those who plan to submit written testimony are urged to do so as soon as possible. Read more and submit testimony here:

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2060&year=2024

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OPPOSITION TO A BILL ON HEMP IS ENCOURAGED BY HAWAI‘I FARMERS UNION UNITED. The organization sent out a message on Monday asking for testimony against SB3335 at the Hawai‘i Legislature.
    The statement says that "Hawai‘i hemp farmers are asking for your support to ensure years of work in the legislature, which resulted in the passage of a pro-farmer and pro-hemp bill last year, HB 1359, Act 263, are not lost." Farmers Union asks for testimony to the Senate Committees on Health and Human

Services, Judiciary, urging the removal of all hemp elements from SB 3335 relating to medical and recreational cannabis that is a pathway for recreational marijuana.
    Farmers Union stated," This bill will turn Hawai‘i's hemp industry into an import sector, wiping out Hawai‘i farmers and processors. Removing hemp from this bill will not stop the bill from creating a pathway for recreational cannabis if that's what the legislature wants. Please review the following Zoom meeting on YouTube for more details on why co-mingling regulatory structures for a federal approved crop, hemp, with a federally illicit scheduled substance, marijuana, results in losses and impact to all hemp industry sectors (food, fiber, fuel, CBD, etc.): https://youtu.be/HehmZ3ntLCE?si=-OvxpWMv78wW19f1."
    Hawai‘i Farmers Union contends that the "Hawai‘i hemp industry has an agricultural mission that is moving Hawai‘i towards greater sustainability, producing a variety of value-added products in addition to hemp cannabinoids: food, building materials (some of which are being trialed in affordable housing pilot

projects), plastics pilots to replace plastic cutlery, textiles, fuel, etc. Furthermore, the Hawai‘i hemp cannabinoid sector is focused on producing high quality health products, mirroring the success of noni, lion's mane, olena (turmeric), etc. and Hawai‘i CBD products are tested to the highest standards in the U.S. for hemp products ensuring they are free of herbicide, pesticides, metals, mycotoxins, etc. and all hemp product manufacturers in Hawai‘i are expected to follow good manufacturing practices."
    Farmers Union theorizes that the "Legislature is exploring regulating hemp with marijuana because the state has not enforced on imported hemp products that are not legal in Hawai‘i and not made by Hawai‘i farmers, high THC hemp gummies and smokeable products.
    "The recreational marijuana bills will not fix this enforcement issue or touch the imports, but this bill will penalize Hawai‘i hemp farmers and put their business services at risk, banking, insurance, etc. The hemp industry has proposed three regulatory pathways that will address this problem without threatening the greater Hawai‘i hemp industry."

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Eli Crook working for a half-nelson pin against an opponent from Kohala. Photo by Coach Ray Mazyck

THE TROJAN WRESTLING TEAM TRAVELED to Konawaena for their last season tournament before the BIIF Championship on Feb. 17. The Trojans started off the first round hot with 4 out of 5 participants getting wins. Seniors Stephen Alder and La‘akea Kajiwara-Ke both won their first matches by pin in the first round. Freshman Eli Crook was able to secure a big pin in the third round of his first match of the day. 

Stephen Adler facing off against opponent from Kamehameha.
Photo by Coach Ray Mazyck

    In the semi-finals round, Ocean Nihipali-Sesson was able to secure a pin against Wai‘akea to advance into the finals where he had to medical forfeit, defaulting for 2nd place at the tournament. Stephen Adler, La‘akea Kajiwara-Ke, and Eli Crook all had tough semi-final matches and all 3 ultimately lost their match, dropping them into matches to compete for 3rd place. La‘akea caught a forfeit to take 3rd, while Stephen and Eli both wrestled hard against tough opponents and lost both taking 4th place in their respective weight classes. Rain Nihipali-Sesson had a rematch against the Kealakehe girl and had a much closer match, almost securing a pin against her opponent. The Kealakehe girl was able to fight back and pin Rain for the second time on the day. 

    “The level of growth these wrestlers have had this season is monumental, said Wrestling Coach Ray Mazyck. "In all my 25 years of wrestling experience, I’ve never seen this amount of growth within three months of training. These first-year Trojan wrestlers are showcasing the results of their hard work and dedication, and frankly it’s impressive.” 

    Next weekend Trojans travel back to Konawaena for the BIIF Championship to compete for their spot in the State Tournament in O‘ahu Feb. 23-24. The Coach said, “Next week is what we have been training for all season, the top 5 wrestlers from each weight class qualify for state. I have faith that all of our wrestlers will earn their slots in the state tournament. They just have to show up and do what they’ve been training to do.”

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