Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 25, 2012

County dump trucks and other county and police vehicles along with an ambulance were stationed along Hwy 11 in front of Kawa
 today, as Abel Simeona Lui and others were evicted from the property in preparation of an archaeological survey.
Photos by Geneveve Fyvie

THE KAWA ARCHEAOLOGICAL SURVEY, organized by Hawai`i County, is set to begin soon as the county takes down unpermitted dwellings and limits public access. Numerous county officials, police and an ambulance were stationed along Hwy 11 this morning as several people were escorted off the property, with at least one woman taken away in a police car.

Lui was escorted from Kawa by Hawai`i
County police this morning.

      Among residents asked to leave was Abel Simeona Lui, who has lived at Kawa for more than 20 years and has claimed ownership through family history. However, courts have turned down his claims to the land numerous times. Lui also claims rights to the property through Hawaiian sovereignty.
      According to a press release from the Office of the Mayor, “Kawa, a 784-acre area that came into the stewardship of the County of Hawai`i through the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation program, is a special place that is home to endangered species and contains many cultural resources, historically significant sites, and burials. It is the County’s kuleana, or responsibility as steward of Kawa to protect and preserve this `aina and these special sites.”
      A site visit to Kawa by the state Historic Preservation Division in September of 2012, “confirmed the presence of a large burial complex, numerous smaller burial sites and hundreds of archeological features. Burial and historical sites are afforded protection under law,” the press release states.
      The county statement says that “after many months of listening, learning and developing a greater understanding of the many special sites at Kawa, the time has come for the County of Hawai`i to move forward in fulfilling its role. In order to provide responsible stewardship of Kawa, the County will be conducting an archaeological survey of cultural, historic and burial features on the property.

Lui spoke with ambulance personnel before leaving Kawa.

      “Access to Kawa will be limited while this archaeological survey is conducted. This limited access will be enforced by the Hawai`i County Police Department.
      “Social service agencies will assist anyone staying at Kawa with securing other living arrangements. Any structure on the property will be disassembled by workers from the county’s Department of Public Works.
      “Once the archaeological survey is complete, a management plan will be implemented to protect the cultural, historical and burial features of Kawa while allowing public access to learn about and enjoy this wahi pana, this special place,” the county statement says.

Lui drove himself away from Kawa, unaccompanied, toward Na`alehu. 

      Prior to the disassembling of structures, Hawai`i County Police were seen speaking with Lui and escorting him to a waiting ambulance at the main entrance to Kawa. After more discussion, a paramedic then escorted Lui across Hwy 11 to his car, which had been packed with his personal items, apparently with help from friends. Lui asked to retrieve his chicken and dog and police allowed a member of the public to retrieve them from his house site. Police escorted him to his car and Lui drove away, unaccompanied, toward Na`alehu.
      Once all members of the public were escorted from the Kawa property, County workers proceeded to build a barrier to limit access to the public during the “operation.” Archaeologists will commence with the survey once the property is safe and secure, according to county officials.

Representative image from ainakoapono.com

MORE `AINA KOA PONO TESTIMONY is going to the state Public Utilities Commission. Pahala homeowner and attorney Teresa Tico writes that the proposal for Hawai`i Electric Light Co. to purchase diesel from `Aina Koa Pono at a cost that would increase electric bills “is inconsistent with the public interest.” She points to the utility's profits soaring in the past year and notes that parent company Hawai`i Electric Industries’ CEO Connie Lau is “the highest paid CEO in the State of Hawai`i, higher than Bank of Hawai`i’s CEO. According to Forbes, her combined compensation for 2012 is $5.29 million dollars.
      “In light of the soaring profits to HEI and the unprecedented compensation package it pays its CEO, we must ask ourselves why we tax payers are paying the highest energy rates in the United States and why HEI isn’t footing the bill for the biofuel project.”

Teresa Tico

      She points out that Mayor Billy Kenoi “has gone on record stating that 'We need affordable alternative energy.' HELCO’s proposal is not affordable nor is it reasonable and necessary. It places the burden of an alternative energy that may not be good for the environment, on the ratepayers who can’t afford it, and returns the guaranteed profit to the corporation that is already enjoying soaring profits. `Aina Koa Pono’s goal is apparently to secure a contract with HELCO (and HECO, and HEI) in order to bolster its chances of financing a refinery that would ultimately be used for transportation fuel. This hui should not be allowed to use the customers of the electric company as its security for financing.”
      Tico also writes that approval could set a bad precedent. “The `Aina Koa proposal is to make fuel for one power plant but will result in hiking electric bills for people across the board, even for those not served by the Keahole power plant. How would the PUC handle similar proposals for biofuel contracts for other power plants –contract that would also raise rates across the board to finance them? How could the PUC protect the ratepayer if it sets this precedent.” She asks the PUC to deny the `Aina Koa Pono application.
      See Aina Koa Pono’s presentation at ainakoapono.com and the microwave depolymerization refinery presentation at the company website for Sustainable Biofuel Solutions at biofuels-solutions.com. See more testimony and the `Aina Koa Pono proposal at puc.hawaii.gov.

Chevron tang (pictured) is one of the ten most popular
tropical fish collected in West Hawai`i waters for aquariums,
according to DLNR.
Photo from animal-world.com

EARTHJUSTICE, THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL, THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY and the Humane Society of the United States filed suit yesterday in state court.
      They were joined by Willie and Kaimi Kaupiko, of Miloli`i, and other individuals. The suit contends that the state Department of Land & Natural Resources should have refrained from issuing aquarium fish collecting permits until environmental studies were completed. The suit points to the Hawai`i Environmental Policy Act, saying the DLNR should have examined impacts of fish and invertebrate collection permits under HEPA, particularly since the agency stated as early as 1998 that “studies to characterize the effects of removal of reef fish on the coral reef ecosystem are necessary if this activity is to continue.”
      Those filing the suit say they hope the court will suspend aquarium fish collecting until a study can be conducted. The complaint says that aquarium collecting on the west side of Hawai`i has increased more than 800 percent over the last 30 years and that “aquarium collectors had significant effects on the populations of seven of the ten aquarium collection fish species examined.”

Axis deer hunting could be allowed on
the Big Island.
Photo from eliteoutfitter.com

FIVE YEARS OF AXIS DEER hunting on the Big Island may be allowed by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources, no licensing, no bag limit. The issue comes up at this Friday’s Board of Land & Natural Resources meeting. DLNR estimates there are only about 100 of the illegally introduced axis deer here. They were shipped in by air/and or boat by people trying to improve hunting on the Big Island. Such activity, however, is a felony.
      The Big Island Invasive Species Committee sends out hunters five days a week and have come up with three deer so far. Anyone seeing the deer can call 443-4036.

WOLD HERITAGE ANNIVERSARY ROUNDTABLE today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairmont Orchid to celebrate Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s 25th year as a World Heritage Site and the 40th anniversary of the international World Heritage Convention. Admission and parking is free. RSVP online at eventbrite.com, or contact Jessica Ferracane at 985-6018 or jessica_ferracane@nps.gov.

GOURD WORKSHOPS WITH JELENA CLAY are offered Saturday, Oct. 27, at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Fees apply. For more, call 967-8222.

KA`OHANA O HONU`APO IS POSTPONING its free family music event, Kanikapila 2, that was scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 28, at Honu`apo Park, according to the organization's executive director Lehua Lopez-Mau. “This event will be re-scheduled for early next year.”

PAU HANA WITH RICHARD ONISHI, a talk story meet and greet session is held at the Pahala Community Center on Sunday, Oct. 28, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more visit friendsforrichardonishi.com.

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 24, 2012

An arial view of the forest in Ka`u between Pahala and Na`alehu, mauka of the Cane Haul Road. Photo by Rob Schallenberger

THE FINAL KA`U FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN Environmental Impact Statement is now posted online with comments from land and resource managers, hunters, recreational users and scientists oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov.

      The state Office of Environmental Quality Control posted the document yesterday, with a letter from state Department of Land & Natural Resources Chairperson William Aila Jr., stating that the DLNR “has determined that this project will not have significant negative effect on the environment.”

      The plan is for the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife to manage the 61,641 acres Ka`u Forest Reserve “to maintain and restore key watershed, preserve a unique ecosystem with critically endangered plants and animals, perpetuate natural resources vital to Hawaiian culture and practices, find suitable sites to reintroduce the `Alala or Hawaiian Crow into the wild, and provide for continued and expanded public use,” says the project summary. It proposes to fence some of the higher elevation lands in the center of the Reserve “in which ungulates will be removed and the native forest protected.” The plan promises walkovers and gates along the fencing “to ensure public access into the management units… Alignment would avoid impacts to botanical, faunal and archaeological resources.” Trails for hunters and hikers would be improved and rare Hawaiian plant species would be reintroduced in selected areas. “Impacts to pig hunting, which is considered by many to be a cultural practice, would occur but be less than significant because of the proposed locations of the management areas,” which would be at higher elevations than where most pig hunters travel.
      The statement says the agency “seeks to balance providing public hunting opportunities in the Reserve with the protection of native ecosystems and watersheds, and the Plan includes actions to substantially facilitate public hunting in the Reserve.”

      Comments include hunters saying they are concerned about more land being cut off from their hunting grounds and resource managers saying that the balance is needed.
      One hunter wrote about the planned release of the Hawaiian crow into the wild: “I think that the bird is good, but they should not eradicate the pig. Hunting is a lifestyle and a source of food, and a culture. I no think the pig make the bird go way cuz before had choke bird and plant but still had choke pig, now no more bird but no more pig either so if the pig affect the bird, wouldn’t have pig and would have bird.”
      Another person wrote: “I support fencing to allow some areas to be kept free from feral pigs and the damage they cause. Pig free walking trails are a desirable future of the forest reserve.”

Rep. Bob Herkes and Sen. Gil Kahele. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR FOR GIL KAHELE is the award recently bestowed by the Hawai`i Psychological Association. The state senator for South Kona, Ka`u through Volcano and into Puna was lauded for “his outstanding contributions to psychology and mental health services in the state and for advocating for the care of the medically underserved,” says a statement from the organization.
      “I am truly humbled with the award that the Hawai`i Psychological Association has given me and for recognizing the work that I have done in support of its mission,” said Kahele. “I will continue promoting medical care for those in need.”
      According to a statement from the organization, along with his work in helping to advance medical care, Kahele has made preserving agriculture land a top priority as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
      The mission of the Hawai`i Psychological Association is to enhance the quality of life for the people of Hawai`i by encouraging, integrating, applying, and communicating the contributions of psychology in all its branches.
      With redistricting, Kahele is unable to run for the senate seat he holds and is running for a district that includes the site of his home in Hilo. Kahele also has a home in Miloli`i. Redistricting put incumbent Josh Green in the position to run for that Senate seat.

STRYKER ARMORED VEHICLES may be coming to the Big Island as the U.S. military plans to move more defense weapons, planes, ships and personnel to Hawai`i. The U.S. Defense Department is looking for a security front facing Asia with more of it based on U.S. soil, meaning Hawai`i and possibly Alaska. A story in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser says that more equipment could come to the Big Island as the U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan in 2014. “The Army said it is considering basing Stryker armored vehicles at the Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawai`i Island as part of a larger plan to pre-position equipment, on land or on ships, around Asia and the Pacific to improve training, engagement and response times and to keep costs down,” the William Cole story says. See more at staradvertiser.com.

Kameron Moses

Kobe Moses

Nai`a Makuakane

TWO KA`U RUNNERS TOOK FIRST PLACE in the first annual Keiki Triathlon in Kailua-Kona last Saturday. Nai`a Makuakane, of Na`alehu, came in first in the 13 to 14 year old group, with a time of 21:33:24 minutes. Kameron Moses, of Pahala, took first place for the 11-12 year old group with a time of 20:13:08 minutes. Kameron’s brother, Kobe Moses, of Pahala, competed in the 9-10 age group, and earned an Honorable Mention with a time of 26:49:39 minutes. The event hosted more than 70 participants beginning with a 100-yard swim, followed by a 3.2-mile cycle and finishing with a 1-mile run. 

      The triathlon was held in conjunction with Mayor Billy Kenoi's 2nd Annual Health Fest, designed to promote public health and wellness. County of Hawai`i Dept of Parks and Recreation, Hawai`i Isle Police Activities League, and Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii sponsored the event.

      PATH, founded in 1986, is a grassroots, community-based, non-profit public access advocacy organization serving the County of Hawai`i. The organizations website, pathhawaii.org, states their mission is “to safely connect people and places on Hawai`i Island with pathways and bikeways.”

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.

      A special World Heritage After Dark in the Park presentation takes place tonight at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. This event is free, and park entrance fees apply.

      World Heritage Anniversary Roundtable is tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairmont Orchid. Admission and parking is free. RSVP online at eventbrite.com, or contact Jessica Ferracane at 985-6018 or jessica_ferracane@nps.gov.

Pahala Open Air Market across the street from Ka`u Community Radio station, Wed. 7 a.m. to noon.
Photo by Julia Neal

PAHALA OPEN AIR FARMERS MARKET is open every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to noon across the street from Ka`u Community Radio on the old Pahala Theatre parking lot on Olson Trust Land. Participants this morning, in its third week of operation, include Ellis and Sokkah Hester with their fresh vegetables grown on the hillside above Pahala; Lisa Dacalio with her Moa`ula Coffee and hand painted gourds; Steve Roscoe with his fresh baked Island Valley Delights, jams, jellies and fresh eggs; Joy Okinisi from McCall’s Flower Farm; Malian Lahey with her edible treats, chai tea and Ka`u Specialty Coffee; and Brenda Iokepa-Moses with coffee, art cards and gifts from Ka`u Coffee Mill. The market is organized by Ka`u Community Radio, Inc.

KA`OHANA O HONU`APO IS POSTPONING its free family music event, Kanikapila 2, that was scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 28, at Honu`apo Park, according to the organizations executive director Lehua Lopez-Mau. “This event will be re-scheduled for early next year.”

Ceasare 'Chaz' D.K. Moses

MAKUA LEGEND HUNTING TOURNAMENT has set a signup deadline for Nov. 24. Organizer Ty Chun said, “Mauka Legend Hunting Tournament Dec. 8 is a memorial in loving memory of our brother Ceasare ‘Chaz’ D.K. Moses, to honor his favorite pastime – hog hunting. In addition to honoring our brother, we plan on raising awareness in the community about Hunter and Ocean Safety.” Moses passed away on June 4 in a fishing accident at South Point.

      The event headquarters where hunters will bring their prey will be Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street in Pahala. Weigh-ins will be held from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be three categories: Biggest Boar, Biggest Sow, and Longest Tusk. Entry fee is $40 per team.
       The event also includes live entertainment by local bands. “We are also in the process of working with the DLNR to have an educational booth there,” said Chun. There will also be a food booth run by the Moses `Ohana. “This is a family friendly event, so we invite everyone, participating or not, to come on down and enjoy the music and `ono food.” For entry forms and sponsorships, contact Chun at 985-9056, 557-8594 or tikeytai@aol.com.

KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL took first on the island and will compete in the finals on O`ahu next week, starting Wednesday.

POP WARNER FOOTBALL KA`U LIONS play Waiakea Na Koa at Malama Field in Hilo on Sunday, first game starts at 8 a.m.

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 23, 2012

U.S. Senate candidates Linda Lingle and Mazie Hirono had their final pre-election debate last night.
Image from hawaiinewsnow.com

THE LAST PRE-ELECTION DEBATE between U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Gov. Linda Lingle drilled into their differing outlooks for the future of Hawai`i. Last night, Hirono summed up the risk of electing Lingle as taking power away from Sen. Daniel Inouye, should Lingle win the critical senate seat that could leave the Senate with a Republican majority and Inouye out of a leadership position. Lingle retorted that she would work with Inouye and that Hawai`i would be less isolated if it had one Republican and one Democrat. The debate, broadcast by Hawai`i News Now on multiple television channels and available for view on the Internet, saw Hirono describing Lingle as “anti-family, anti-working people,” while Lingle claimed that Hirono has “no history of leadership.” The candidates are seeking to take the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Dan Akaka, who is retiring. See the debate on www.hawaiinewsnow.com.

WALK-IN VOTING BEGINS TODAY through Nov. 3 for the election of Hawai`i County Mayor, all Country Council members, county Prosecuting Attorney, President of the United States, one Hawai`i U.S. Senator, U.S. Representatives for each district, all members of the state House of Representatives, state Senators representing Ka`u and Volcano, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustees and for approval or disapproval of County Charter Amendments. Walk-in voting is available in Hilo at the Aupuni Center Conference Room, in Kona at West Hawai`i Civic Center’s Community Room, and in Waimea at Waimea Community Center on Kawaihae Road. Registered voters with photo identification can go to any of these absentee voting polling places. Absentee voting was previously held at Pahala Community Center but was eliminated due to budget cuts. The last day to request Absentee Mail Ballots for the General Election is Tuesday, Oct. 30. The General Election will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Any questions can be directed to Hawai`i County Elections Office at 961-8277. Voter registration deadline was Oct. 8.

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PLASTIC BAG BANNING rules have been set by the County of Hawai`i for West Hawai`i Civic Center at 12 p.m. on Dec. 6 and at 1 p.m. in the Aupuni Center in Hilo on Dec. 12. The county has designed regulations to phase out most one-use plastic bags. On Jan. 17, 2013 no free plastic bags will be allowed at checkout counters, though merchants will be allowed to sell them to get rid of old inventory. On Jan. 17, 2014, “business shall not provide plastic checkout bags to their customers,” the ordinance states. However, plastic bags without handles will be allowed for meat and other perishables, and tiny plastic bags will be allowed for small items like beads, buttons, nuts and bolts. 

      Reusable plastic bags at least three mils thick will be allowed for sale and for stores to give away to carry merchandise.
      Once phased out, fines will be levied according to how many violations a commercial enterprise receives. Fines start at $250 per day for second notice, $500 a day for third notice and $1,000 a day thereafter. The draft rules can be read at hawaiizerowaste.org/reuse/plastic-bag-ordinance-and-reuse/#.UIXOfoZ410Q.

Bill Gilmartin (center) with Suzanne Case, of The Nature Conservancy,
and Sam `Ohu Gon. Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

SCIENTIST BILL GILMARTIN, credited with helping save the Hawaiian monk seal from extinction, received The Nature Conservancy’s Kako`o `Aina Award last weekend during a reception at Mauna Lani Resort. The award honors individuals who provide significant and long-standing support for conservation. Kako`o `Aina means “one who supports the land.” 

       TNC’s executive director Suzanne Case said Gilmartin “has dedicated his professional life to protecting Hawai`i’s marine life and environment. His efforts to save the Hawaiian monk seal are an inspiration to us all. He is a true community treasure.”
       Gilmartin is director of research and co-founder of the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund. He has more than 30 years of conservation experience in Hawai`i as a biologist and member of National Marine Fisheries Service, the Society for Marine Mammology and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Advisory Group. He began studying Hawaiian monk seals in 1978, investigating die-offs on Laysan Island. He worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service from 1980 until his retirement in 1995, initiating and managing the Monk Seal Recovery Team, which pushed for greater measures to aid in survival of seal pups. It launched efforts to relocate newly weaned pups, allowing them to grow and fatten in captivity before returning to the wild. In 1994, he and his team relocated 21 adult males to the main Hawaiian Islands to prevent aggressive “mobbing” behavior during breeding season that sometimes injures or kills females.

Recovery of populations of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals
is one of Bill Gilmartin's endeavors. Photo by Julia Neal

       In 2006, Gilmartin and scientist Hannah Bernard formed Hawai`i Wildlife Fund. Their desire to support the recovery of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals—now down to about 1,000 individuals—is what drew the two together, says a statement from The Nature Conservancy.
      Under Gilmartin’s direction, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund has conducted research and monitoring on the nesting activities of the endangered hawksbill sea turtle. There are fewer than 100 adult female hawksbills known to nest in all of Hawai`i. Through conservation efforts, public awareness, beachfront lighting reductions, fence repairs, dune restoration, beach cleanups, radio and satellite telemetry, coordination of a Turtle Watch program and other activities, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund is helping to preserve hawksbills and their nesting habitats.
       Hawai`i Wildlife Fund leads efforts to remove marine debris along the Ka`u Coast. Through community cleanups that began in 2003, volunteers removed more than 120 tons of marine debris along a nine-mile stretch that is a popular nesting site for the endangered hawksbill turtle and regularly visited by Hawaiian monk seals and humpback whales. Debris includes large bundles of net, many weighing well over 1,000 pounds, which are removed and shipped to Honolulu for use in a trash-to-energy conversion plant. All other trash, including more than 2,000 bags of small plastic items collected to date, are sent to the county landfill for burial.

Miss Aloha Hawai`i Brandy Shibuya

       “Bill’s many accomplishments speak for themselves,” said Case. “We are pleased to present such a deserving individual with our Kako`o `Aina, or Supporter of the Land, award and hope that it will hold a special place in his heart.”
       Dr. Sam `Ohu Gon, the Conservancy’s senior scientist and cultural advisor, presented Gilmartin with a kako`o, or staff carved from milo wood. “In Hawaiian, one who provides unfailing support is called kako`o, which is derived from the word, ko`o—a brace or supporting structure that denotes strength,” he said.

BRANDY SHIBUYA will hand over her crown as Miss Aloha Hawai`i in the Nov. 4 Miss Kona Coffee and Miss Aloha Hawai`i pageants in Kona. Shibuya was crowned Miss Ka`u Coffee for 2011 and Miss Aloha Hawai`i for 2012. The pageant for the 2013 titles will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p .m. at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay in the Kaleiopapa Ballroom. Since her win last year, Shibuya has represented the coffee industry at numerous events, including the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s convention in Portland, Oregon, where Ka`u Coffee took three of the top ten spots in the world. According to Miss Kona Coffee pageant organizers, all contestants in this year’s pageants are from the west side of the island.

Noni Stanford's Lighter Than Air

LIGHTER THAN AIR is the name of a Trash Art Show entry, a hanging lamp created by Volcano resident Noni Stanford from hundreds of cigarette lighters she found scouring the Ka Lae to Wai`ohinu coastline for marine debris. The work is on display at the 24th annual Trash Art Show in Hilo through tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Another marine debris sculpture by Lois Fonseca is comprised of a broken pink plastic fishing float that looks like a cracked plastic planet. The show is open to the public, and art is available for sale. The location is East Hawai`i Cultural Center, 141 Kalakaua Street in Hilo. 

RESTORATION OF THE RARELY VISITED Mauna Kea Forest that harbors the critically endangered palila is the topic at tonight’s After Dark in the Park. Jackson Bauer, Restoration Project volunteer coordinator, discusses the Hawaiian finch, whose habitats 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.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK commemorates the 25th anniversary of its World Heritage Site status and the 40th anniversary of the international World Heritage Convention with two events this week. 

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park marks 25 years as a World Heritage
site. Photo from NPS/Michael Szoenyi

      A special World Heritage After Dark in the Park presentation takes place tomorrow 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. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Big Island Visitors Bureau and the Fairmont Orchid invite the public to a destination roundtable from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 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.

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

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