Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 22, 2012

Today is Count Day for Pahala Public & School Library, when statistics of use are gathered to determine allocation of funding. It is Count Week for all public libraries. However, Pahala Library is only open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Supporters encourage patrons to visit the library today.

HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY and the Japan Association of Travel Agents have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost the number of Japanese visitors to Hawai`i to two million by 2016. Pacific Business News reports that the two agencies plan to launch the initiative on Jan. 1. They said that two million visitors would spend an estimated $4 billion annually, and the state would receive $440 million in tax revenue.
      HTA officials expect 1.4 million Japanese visitors in 2013, up from approximately 1.35 million travelers this year.
      “This MOU represents more than a business relationship and affecting the bottom line,” HTA president and CEO Mike McCartney said in a statement. “The MOU is a natural partnership between the HTA and JATA that reflects and builds upon the historic bond, traditions, cultural heritages and long-term relationship shared between Hawai`i and Japan.” See more at bizjournals.com/pacific/.

HAWAI`I’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE fell to its lowest level since December 2008. The Department of Labor said the unemployment rate for September was 5.7 percent, down from 6.1 percent in August. Statewide, there were 604,000 employed, while 36,650 people reported being out of work last month.

Na`alehu School, where an additional building was recently completed,
will receive electrical and telecommunication improvements.

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE has announced the release of $91.9 million for various capital improvement projects across the state, with $10 million earmarked for electrical and telecommunications improvements at several Big Island schools, including Na`alehu Elementary. 

      According to a statement from the governor’s office, the projects were selected for their potential to immediately address priority work while stimulating the local economy and creating job opportunities. “Our strategy to stimulate job creation and reinvigorate our economy is working,” said Abercrombie, who noted that his administration has released almost $842 million dollars in capital improvement funds this year.

BIG ISLAND POLICE OFFICERS and Special Olympics athletes and volunteers raised more than $20,000 to support local Special Olympians during the annual Cop on Top event held Sept. 28 to 30 in Kailua-Kona.
      Special Olympics West Hawai`i area director Sandie DelaCruz told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald that all 25 athletes and 17 volunteers and coaches would be able to attend state games on O`ahu. The organization will also be able to purchase uniforms, T-shirts and equipment.
      “It is just wonderful that everyone can go,” she said. “This event is the highlight of their season.”
      For more information, to donate, volunteer or participate, visit sowh.org or contact DelaCruz at 987-5057 or sowhsandie@gmail.com.

Walter Ritte is running for the at-large seat for OHA.

WALTER RITTE, A HAWAIIAN ACTIVIST running for the at-large seat for Office of Hawaiian Affairs, believes OHA “should be a beacon for a sustainable future for all of us in Hawai`i." In Civil Beat, he says, “I truly believe that Hawaiians can and must stand to provide leadership in helping to resolve many of our problems in Hawai`i today. Our indigenous knowledge of how to survive on little dots of land in the middle of the vast Pacific for over a thousand years can provide a better future for all of us."
      He points to Kaho`olawe as an example of how “Hawaiians took leadership and followed their values and traditional knowledge to save an island that was condemned to death in the name of national defense. Just as Hawaiians brought people together to save an entire island, OHA needs to provide the Hawaiian leadership, values and knowledge to insure a sustainable future for Hawai`i. This story is being played out not only here in Hawai`i, but in many other places in the world,” he said. See more at civilbeat.com.

TODAY IS COUNT DAY AT PAHALA LIBRARY. Resource allocation, including staffing, is determined by statistics gathered today. Supporters of Ka`u Libraries encourage patrons to visit the library today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., even if only to sit and read or to check out or return borrowed items. Each item that is looked at is also counted, so when finished, patrons should leave materials in collection boxes or areas that are placed throughout the library rather than returning them to the shelves.
      It is also Count Week at Na`alehu Library, which is open Monday through Friday.

STATE SENATE CANDIDATES Russell Ruderman and Daryl Lee Smith and County Council District 6 candidates Maile David and Brenda Ford meet the public at Cooper Center in Volcano Village today at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by League of Women Voters. For more information, call Margaret Drake at 967-7295.

Palila, or Hawaiian Finch

JACKSON BAUER, Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project volunteer coordinator, discusses restoration of the rarely visited forest that harbors the critically endangered palila tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Populations of the Hawaiian finch have been severely degraded by over 200 years of damage by grazing animals. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

TO COMMEMORATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY of its World Heritage Site status and the 40th anniversary of the international World Heritage Convention, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is offering two events this week, one at the park and one at the Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Coast.
      A special World Heritage After Dark in the Park presentation takes place Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. National Geographic Traveler editor Jonathan Tourtellot gives an overview of World Heritage Sites, how World Heritage grows jobs, four common myths about World Heritage and America’s position in the global quest for World Heritage sites. This event is free, and park entrance fees apply.
      World Heritage Anniversary Roundtable is Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairmont Orchid. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Big Island Visitors Bureau, and the Fairmont Orchid invite the public to a destination roundtable with Tourtellot, park staff and travel industry leaders. Discussion focuses on why having a World Heritage Site is important, what it means to organizations, and how to leverage this status in outreach efforts. Admission and parking is free. RSVP online at eventbrite.com, or contact Jessica Ferracane at 985-6018 or jessica_ferracane@nps.gov.

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

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 21, 2012

Cultural tourism advocates met in Pahala on Friday. Left to right are Emi Aoi, of JST travel ; Heather Kanahele, of Kanahele Jewelry; `ukulele instructor BJ Soriano; quilting teacher Donna Masaniai; musician Kahea Dolan; weaver Leviette; massage therapist and yoga teacher Noa Caiserman; musician, composer and radio personality Demetrius Oliveira; singers, musicians and hula dancers Phoebe
and Bobby Gomes; Hale Nani owner Minako Yamazaki; and Ka`u Community Radio manager Christine Ka`ehu`ae`a.  
Photo by Myra Sumida

CULTURAL TOURISM AND AGRITOURISM were the focus of small-group meetings in Ka`u over the last week. A cultural tourism meeting was held at Hale Nani in Pahala where representatives of weaving, Hawaiian jewelry making, quiltmaking, `ukulele, guitar, Hawaiian singing, massage therapy and guest houses gathered to talk about the kind of tourism that is based on cultural exchange.
      Minako Yamazaki, owner of Hale Nani in Pahala, and Emi Aoi, of JST Travel Co. in Nagoya, Japan said that a niche of Japanese return visitors is looking for deeper cultural experience rather than the crowded tourist situations. Aoi reported on thousands of halau, studying hula in Japan, encouraging appreciation of the Hawaiian cultural experience. These Hawaiian enthusiasts would be a perfect fit for the small-scale Ka`u accommodations and classes, she said.
      On Saturday, an organizing meeting was held for agritourism training under a grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture. Participants talked about keeping their operations scaleable to the neighborhoods and small enough so that visitors have a rich experience connecting to the land, people and agriculture of Ka`u. Among participants are growers of Ka`u Coffee, orchids and protea. The program will last through June and is being led by the Hawai`i Agritourism Association.

NO ARCHITECT OR ENGINEERING STAMP will be needed for solar photovoltaics on homes, with a bill initiated by County Council member J Yoshimoto passing unanimously last week. Contractors have been complaining to Council members that the added time and cost for a structural engineer or architect review has been holding back the burgeoning solar industry. The bill does not eliminate the requirement for a building permit, and county Public Works says that county staff time, rather than architects and engineers reviewing and approving the plans, could make the building permit process take more time.

Lava in the Halema`uma`u vent has been rising and falling over the last week and could spill onto the crater floor. Best views are from Jaggar Museum inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.  Photo from USGS

KILAUEA VOLCANO is the target of study through a 2012 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Geochemist Terry Plank will receive $100,000 a year for five years through what is known as the “genius grant.” Her specialty is researching activity deep inside the planet and how it contributes to the life of the world’s most explosive volcanoes. Her academic affiliation is with Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. She is also a Columbia professor.

Terry Plank studies the changing personality of Kilauea
Volcano.  Photo from Columbia University.

      Plank’s science related to Kilauea Volcano includes development of a chemical proxy to measure the heat of plates beneath volcanoes and how measuring the temperature may be able to predict explosions. She also studies the amount and water inside volcanoes before they explode.
      She researches the history of Kilauea Volcano to determine what causes its apparent shift in personalities, from angry and destructive explosions in the past to the gentle oozing of lava today. Plank and researchers have gathered cinders and ash from Kilauea to measure tiny inclusions that reveal the amount of water and carbon dioxide in the magma during the explosive eruption more than three centuries ago.
      Kilauea is currently putting on a show, with lava rising and falling in the Halema`uma`u vent, and some volcano watchers predicting it will spill onto the floor of the crater. Best views are at night at Jaggar Museum with the overlook open 24 hours a day.

Dr. Anita Ciarleglio

UNIVERITY OF HAWAI`I – HILO’S pharmacy program has earned national accreditation for its residency program in community pharmacy, giving licensed pharmacists opportunities for further training here in the Hawaiian Islands. 

       “Pharmacy residency programs are similar to training that allows medical doctors to gain postgraduate training,” noted Anita Ciarleglio, assistant professor in College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacy Practice.
      Accreditation by both the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Pharmacists Association is necessary for the program to be considered a validated educational experience.
       “Receiving a three-year accreditation was a coup for us because we’re so new,” Ciarleglio said. “It means we can continue to concentrate on patient care while giving licensed pharmacists from all over the country the experience they need to get on with their careers and gives them credentials to compete for jobs.”
      Community pharmacy training teaches pharmacists to act as liaison between the community, the hospital and the physician and provide a continuity of care.
      Hawai`i’s College of Pharmacy at UH-Hilo is the only school for pharmacists in the Pacific. In addition to its Residency Program, degree programs include the Doctor of Pharmacy, the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Master’s in Clinical Psychopharmacology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Pharmacy Studies, which are available to students enrolled in the Pharmacy program. Pharmacy students have held outreach programs into Ka`u and South Kona.

AUDITIONS FOR THE AWAKENING OF EVERYONE take place today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The cast for the modern revival of a 15th century Greek morality play includes about 15 characters. Call 928-0007 for more information.

SEASONED AND NOVICE COMEDY TALENTS of all ages are invited to audition for Volcano Art Center’s upcoming cabaret Ho, Ho, Ho! Ha, Ha, Ha! - Comedy at Kilauea today from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Holiday themes are appreciated, but not mandatory. For more information, visit volcanoartcenter.org or contact Tanya Aynessazian or Julie Callahan at 967-8222 or info@volcanoartcenter.org. 

A FORUM FEATURING state Senate candidates Russell Ruderman and Daryl Lee Smith and County Council District 6 candidates Maile David and Brenda Ford takes place at Cooper Center in Volcano Village tomorrow at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by League of Women Voters. For more information, call Margaret Drake at 967-7295.

Palila, or Hawaiian finch. Photo from NPS

THE PROGRAM AT TUESDAY’S After Dark in the Park is entitled The Palila’s Future: Restoring a Mamane Forest on Mauna Kea. Jackson Bauer, Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project volunteer coordinator, discusses the restoration of this rarely visited forest that harbors the critically endangered Hawaiian finch, whose populations have been severely degraded by over 200 years of damage by grazing animals. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

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

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 20, 2012

Lava lake rises and falls rapidly at Halema`uma`u yesterday. Photo courtesy of USGS/HVO

`AINA KOA PONO plans to install the first module of its microwave depolymerization diesel refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala, independent of Public Utilities Commission approval. A statement released yesterday, entitled `Aina Koa Pono: An Update from the Source, says the one unit will be able to process 33 tons of biomass per day and one million gallons of biofuel per year and will be for transportation fuel only.

       “We expect it to be in place by the first quarter of 2014,” writes AKP managing partner Chris Eldridge, who has been hosting private meetings with community members to outline the plan. He writes that the first Micro Dee unit will give the community “an opportunity to see and understand the technology. The fuel it produces will be shipped by truck, likely one a week, to Hilo, and it is intended as transportation fuel.”
      When built out to capacity, the refinery “is to have about 24 to 30 of the 33-ton units, operating in modules of three, for an estimated 900-ton-a-day facility with 24 million gallons a year of biofuel output,” Eldridge writes. Most of the diesel would service a Hawai`i Electric Light Co. contract for 16 million gallons a year, now up for approval by the PUC. Another 8 million gallons would be sold for transportation fuel. The fuel for HELCO would be trucked up Hwy 11 to the power plant near Kona Airport.

`Aina Koa Pono plans to process biofuel for transportation, independent
of PUC approval to sell fuel to Hawai`i Electric Light Company.

      Eldridge notes that AKP has a 20-year agreement to deliver the 16 million gallons of biofuel a year to Keahole power plant. “The fuel must be able to replace imported fossil fuel with no plant modification and meet all the specifications of HELCO.” Eldridge acknowledges that the agreement with HELCO “is subject to review and approval by the Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission, and the PUC has posted a year-long schedule for the process.” 

      Mayor Billy Kenoi stated that the county will oppose the AKP contract with HELCO if it raises electric rates and is sending in the county lawyers to participate in the arguments. Life of the Land has intervened in the case, saying the plan would be unfair to ratepayers, given less expensive alternatives likely on the horizon. The Big Island Community Coalition formed to reduce electric rates has also declared opposition to the `Aina Koa Plan, based soley on the proposed hike in electric bills. Last year the PUC turned down a similar `Aina Koa Pono proposal.
      While the proposal before the PUC asks for surcharges that would increase electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island, Eldridge contends that “this development is being done at AKP’s expense. We have no government funding, and the electric ratepayer pays none of these development costs. Only after PUC approval, plant construction and delivery of fuel that meets all of HELCO’s specifications, will the utility, and therefore the ratepayer, bear any of the costs.”
      He states that the cost of the diesel to be manufactured near Pahala “will be higher at the outset than what HELCO pays for imported fossil fuel, but the world’s oil prices are expected to climb well past our cost. HELCO estimates that over the life of the contract, its customers will save a half billion dollars by using locally produced fuel. That is an average of about $1,300 per electric customer.”

Chris Eldridge, AKP partner

      Eldridge also writes that because the diesel would be locally produced, “residents would benefit from nearly $200 million in general excise and payroll taxes over the contract life – 90 times more taxes than if we continue to import the same amount of fuel. Those taxes can be used to improve schools, build roads and protect the environment.”
      After harvesting existing brush and trees between Pahala and Na`alehu, AKP plans to grow crops to grind and dry into pellets to put through the microwave machines and send the gas up a cooling tower to make diesel. In the press release, Eldridge promises that “no genetically modified crops (GMOs) are in our plan. We are evaluating non-GMO crops that will offer us high yields per acre. These tests have begun; we are working with the Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center and consulting with the Hawai`i Islands Land Trust regarding acceptable, non-invasive crops.”
      Eldridge compares the planned AKP operation and its practices to the “good stewardship” of the defunct sugar operations that shut down in 1996. “Like the sugar plantation that once was the center of a thriving Ka`u community, we intend a planned agricultural operation and good stewardship, not clear cutting that causes erosion. Additionally, unlike sugar cane, we will use perennial crops that will be ratooned (cut instead of bulldozed), further eliminating risks of erosion.”
      The AKP statement says the hui has “a memorandum of understanding with the ILWU for operations and have or are working on project labor agreements with other worker groups. AKP’s Ka`u operation will require 400 construction workers—adding 13 percent to current sector jobs—and 200 permanent jobs,” writes Eldridge.
      “We intend to be good neighbors,” states the AKP partner. “Our principals and all but one of our investors are State of Hawai`i residents. The one makes Alaska home. We are good citizens and contribute to our communities. As a company, we have pledged a $250,000 benefits package geared to environmental and educational issues once we are operational at Ka`u.”
      Eldridge writes that “some complain that agricultural operation and biorefinery will impact tourism in the area, yet it is a place that once was a bustling agriculture and sugar mill area. Other long time residents welcome a return of local jobs.”
       Eldridge also brings up the public hearings on Monday, Oct. 29 at Hilo High School Cafeteria and Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Kealakehe High School in Kona, both at 6 p.m., where HELCO’s current rate hike proposal and `Aina Koa Pono’s request for a surcharge of about $1 per 500 kilowatt hours for its project in Ka`u will be the subject of testimony. Writes Eldridge: “The proposed 4.2 percent HELCO rate increase has nothing to do with our project, and it is unfortunate for us that the issue is being heard at the same time as ours.”

HVO scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua

THE LAVA LAKE INSIDE HALEMA`UMA`U Crater at Kilauea is tantalizing visitors and park staff as it continues repetitive rising and falling, attracting many to the best vantage point: the overlook at Jaggar Museum. The lava lake rose to levels approximately 125 feet or less beneath the crater floor yesterday morning, and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcams suggested the lake rose even higher before sinking again Friday afternoon.
      Dr. Jim Kauahikaua, HVO’s scientist-in-charge, says the lava lake will be visible from the overlook at Jaggar Museum if it comes within about 65 feet of the crater floor.
      All visitors who plan to come after dark are urged to bring flashlights, especially those who park at Kilauea Overlook, which affords panoramic views of the crater and Kilauea caldera. Earth cracks, rocks, and other hazards are not easily seen in the dark.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park urges motorists to
be cautious of nene when visiting Halema`uma`u.
Photo by Julia Neal

      In addition, several pairs of nene, the federally endangered Hawaiian goose, are beginning to nest near the Jaggar Museum parking lot and are sometimes spotted along roadsides and trails. Cars are the leading cause of nene fatalities, and drivers are cautioned to be alert and to drive the speed limit.
      “Safety is our number one priority,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “We encourage everyone to visit during this fascinating episode, but to exercise caution. Staff will be assisting visitors with parking and interpretation of the current activities. If people come prepared and proceed as directed, they should have an unforgettable experience,” she said. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day.

THOSE INTERESTED IN FREE AGRITOURISM WORKSHOPS through the Hawai`i AgriTourism Association are urged to attend an organizational meeting today from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Information will be provided on scope and timing. Those with agritourism potential in Ka`u can sign up for the workshops, which are funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.
      “The intention of the trainings is to help build economic development for the Ka`u agricultural community and its partners,” said Hawai`i Agritourism Association executive director Lani Weigert. For more, visit hiagtourism.org.

AUDITIONS FOR THE AWAKENING OF EVERYONE take place today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The cast requires about 15 characters. Call 928-0007 for more information.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC are invited to a candidate forum sponsored by League of Women Voters of Hawai`i County, American Association of University Women Hilo Branch and Volcano Community Association Monday at Cooper Center in Volcano.
      Hawai`i County Council District 6 candidates Maile David and Brenda Ford discuss issues from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. At 7:15 p.m., Erica Johnson, AAUW co-president and moderator, presents an hour with state Senate District 2 candidates Russell Ruderman and Daryl Lee Smith.
      Candidate profiles and election information are available at vote411.org and lwv-hawaii.com.
      For more information about the forums, contact Margaret Drake at 967-7295.

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

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.