Ka`u News Briefs Monday, March 10, 2014

Access to Kawa is open to foot and vehicular traffic daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by Julia Neal

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS IS WELCOME at Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      Chair Leina`ala Enos and planner Ron Whitmore will provide an update on the status of the CDP project, including progress made on the draft CDP and next steps in the process.
      Whitmore will provide an overview of plans to identify vilable strategies for achieving Ka`u’s community objectives.
      The committee will also discuss recent correspondence between Ocean View Community Development Corporation and the county Planning director which raised questions and concerns related to project administration, draft CDP appendices and CDP’s purpose, process and roles.
      For more information about the Ka`u CDP and the Steering Committee, see kaucdp.info. Steering Committee members and Community Planning assistant Nalani Parlin are available to answer any questions. Contact information is available at kaucdp.info.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i County Director of Finance is authorized to negotiate to acquire all, a portion of,
or a conservation easement for 16,000 acres around Pohue Bay.

HAWAI`I COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT has issued updates on several projects of interest to Ka`u residents.

• Na`alehu Wastewater Facility: There is no final decision on the location of the wastewater treatment and disposal facility. The Wastewater Division plans to hold a community meeting in the near future to discuss the project, but the date of this meeting has not yet been established. 
• Sale of Lehman Brothers Land: Lehman Brothers Holdings is selling the 5,800 acres that includes prime coffee land as well as ranch land mauka of Honu`apo and Waikapuna. The onsite representative for Lehman Brothers is Hayden Akamu, and Joel LaPinta (lapinta.com) is the local representative of Kennedy Wilson, which is marketing the parcels. 
• `Aina Koa Pono Biofuels Facility: The Public Utilities Commission (puc.hawaii.gov) did not approve the revised contract submitted by `Aina Koa Pono (ainakoapono.com) and HELCO to produce biofuel at a new facility near Pahala. 
• Kawa Stewardship Plan: The Mayor’s office is working with local families and community members to draft a stewardship plan. An inventory of archaeological resources is completed and is being used to inform planning. Access to the bay is open to foot and vehicular traffic daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Solar Farms in Ocean View: In 2012, building permits were issued to install commercial solar photovoltaic systems on various lots in Ocean View makai. Solar energy facilities are permitted in the state land use agricultural district with soil classified by the land study bureau’s detailed land classification as overall (master) productivity rating class B, C, D or E. All of Ocean View makai is in the SLU agricultural district, and the LSB in this area is E, so solar energy facilities are a permitted use. 
• Lehua Court: A state land use boundary amendment and change of zone application has been submitted for a 54,000-square-foot commercial center on four lots between Lehua Lane and Mamalahoa Highway in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. The application may come to the Windward Planning Commission soon for review and recommendations. 
• Kahuku Village and Pohue Bay: The owner is exploring alternative proposals for the parcel where Kahuku Village was proposed. The County Council authorized the Director of Finance to enter into negotiations to acquire all, a portion of, or a conservation easement for the 16,000 acres around Pohue Bay. 
• Road to the Sea: The County Council authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement with the state of Hawai`i for the acquisition of the parcel at the end of the Road to the Sea adjacent to Manuka Natural Area Reserve. 
• Ocean View Transfer Station: The land allocation process is complete, and right-of-way access is being secured through the state Department of Transportation. Work is expected to begin after several other solid waste facilities island wide are completed. 

      These items are not on the agenda of tomorrow’s Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meeting and will not be discussed. Planner Ron Whitmore suggests discussing the topics with Steering Committee members during meeting breaks, before or after the meeting or at another time by phone or email. Steering Committee contact is available at the registration table or at kaucdp.info under the Steering Committee link.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING VOTES TODAY until approximately 9 a.m. EDT tomorrow, senators from the U.S. Senate Climate Action Task Force will be holding the Senate floor to urge action on climate change. A significant number of senators are expected to participate throughout the night, including Sen. Brian Schatz.
      “Climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is solvable,” said Schatz. “Congress must act. On Monday night we’re going to show the growing number of senators who are committed to working together to confront climate change.”
      Senators will be actively participating on social media as well throughout the night, using the hashtag #Up4Climate.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Residents in China saw these lights in the sky 30 minutes before an earthquake.
Image from YouTube

HISTORIC AND LEGENDARY REPORTS OF LIGHTNING before earthquakes, which are usually dismissed as hearsay or fodder for UFO enthusiasts, are now being confirmed by scientists, according to a report by BBC News. 

      Professor Troy Shinbrot, of Rutgers University, reported findings at a recent American Physical Society meeting in Denver. Shinbrot and other scientists experimented with containers of flour and other granular materials, tipping them back and forth until cracks appeared. They found that the action produced volts of charge. Shinbrot speculates that sliding and cracking of soil grains along geological faultlines could generate millions of volts of electrostatic charge and seed lightning in the air above, creating what he calls a natural early-warning system for impending earthquakes.
      With the advent of YouTube and other similar websites, videos of luminous orbs seen during the Fukushima and other earthquakes have been widely shared online and studied by scientists.
      According to Shinbrot, not every major earthquake is preceded by lightning, and not all clear-sky lightning is followed by earthquakes.
      Scientists in Turkey who have erected towers to measure voltage fields in the air over earthquake-prone regions found that there seem to be precursors for some large earthquakes of magnitude five or higher. “But the voltage signal is not always the same; sometimes it’s high, and sometimes it’s low,” Shinbrot said.
      See bbc.com/news/science-environment-26462348.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Many of Hawai`i's papaya crops are genetically engineered to battle
ringspot virus. Photo from UH-CTAHR

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE and Human Resources has developed a website with information about Agricultural Biotechnology. The stated goal of the site is “to provide an unbiased source of information” so that the public can make informed decisions about biotechnology. 

      The website defines biotechnology as “the application of scientific techniques to modify plants, animals and microorganisms. Agricultural biotechnology applies genetic engineering methods to agricultural products. These procedures directly change the DNA of the plant, usually by inserting genetic material from another organism.”
      Topics covered on the website include a comparison of classical breeding to genetic engineering, genetically engineered crops in Hawai`i and their economic impact, issues including benefits and risks, labeling, culture, co-existence and regulation.
      The website also offers resources for education of students and a game that presents some of the opinions about genetically engineered crops.
      “The use of biotechnology in food production, specifically the use of genetically engineered crops, is a controversial topic, with equally vocal advocates and opponents,” the website states. “Perceptions about foods from transgenic crops range from the belief that they have potential to eradicate world hunger to the perception that they are ‘unnatural’ products that may be hazardous to humans and the environment.”
      The college also produces a newsletter entitled Biotech in Focus.
      See ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotech and ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotechinfocus.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

`Ohe kapala, or bamboo stamps are used to make designs on fabric.
Photo from NPS

A FLASH EXHIBIT AT VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village continues through tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with art by Margaret Stanton and Randy Takake. 

KEIKO MERCADO DEMONSTRATES HOW `OHE (bamboo) are carved and used to make designs on fabric Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Samples and hands-on learning opportunities will be available. Free; park entrance fees apply. 

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Call 987-5698 for more information.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, March 9, 2014

Trini and Francis Marques, two of the former sugar workers who have helped to build Ka`u Coffee over the last 18 years,
now fearing the land will be sold out from under them. Photo from Ali`i Hula Hands Coffee

THE INSECURITY OF KA`U COFFEE FARMERS' land situation is making headlines beyond Ka`u. Hawai`i Tribune Herald and West Hawai`i Today ran stories this morning reporting that Moa`ula and Pear Tree farms where displaced sugar workers have built the Ka`u Coffee industry could lose their orchards. The 5,850 acres, which includes about 400 acres of coffee lands, could sell to buyers who don't want the farmers to stay there, the coffee growers worry.

     The story by Tom Callis features a photo of Lorie Obra at her coffee shack and farm at Moa`ula. Entitled Uncertainty Brews: Pending land sale has Ka`u coffee farmers unsure about future, the story says that the farmers "think their years of hard work is in jeopardy." It quotes Obra saying, "To be honest with you, I have no idea what's going to happen to the land." The story also quotes coffee farmers Trinidad and Francis Marques, former sugar workers who built the Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands coffee business when Ka`u Sugar shut down in 1996. The story quotes Trini saying, "We took out another ten acres some place else to be proactive. I know the quality of the coffee isn't going to b as great in that other area."

Lorie Obra, Trini Marques and Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President
Gloria Cambra. All three have award-winning  coffee farms on land on
land put up for sale by Lehman Brothers.  Photo by Julia Neal

     The story also quotes Joel La Pinta, whose company Kennedy Wilson represents Lehman Brothers who took over the land in a foreclosure auction after lending and not being paid $105 million loaned to WWK Holdings against the land. 

     La Pinta said that in selling the property, "the coffee farms create a lot of value," according to the Tribune Herald.  The story also refers to Pacific Business News article, reporting that WWK "planned to use the properties for sale for high-end homes on large lots, but it's not clear if they planned to continue the leases." See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

     WWK's land manager Chris Manfredi and the company's consultants and attorneys were able to win acceptance for a Project Unit Development at Moa`ula and Pear Tree, which would have allowed smaller than 20-acre lots at the coffee farms and beyond. At the time, Manfredi described the subdivision as creating an "agricultural community." The subdivision was approved with various infrastructure conditions but has not received any final approvals.

    Mayor Billy Kenoi told The Ka`u Calendar and the farmers at several meetings in Ka`u that he is willing to help raise funds for an agricultural park for the coffee farmers should the land become available as a separate parcel from the 5,850 acres held by Lehman. He also said he wrote a letter to Lehman saying the county wants to protect the farmers. Lehman, however, wants to sell all the land at one time to one entity, according to La Pinta. Others interested in the overall parcels include The Nature Conservancy, which wants to preserve some of the coastal lands, and area ranchers who are using thousands of acres owned by Lehman for pastures. Edmund C. Olson, who owns some 8,000 acres in Ka`u and founded Ka`u Coffee Mill bid more than $12 million for the 5,850 acres at the foreclosure auction in Honolulu but was turned down when Lehman decided to take over the land and sell it on its own.

To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A CORAL REEF RESTORATION AND MARINE CONSERVATION BILL passed the state House of Representatives this session and is up for consideration by the sate Senate during the second half of the Hawai`i State Legislature. Reefs in Hawai`i were decimated at places like Honu`apo on the Ka`u Coast where the sugar factories unloaded its waste into the ocean and at Punalu`u where development led to filling natural estuaries with runoff and soil moved for constructing the Sea Mountain resort and golf course.
     At Honu`apo, now a preserve, coral and fish populations are recovering decades after sugar shut down and following an oil spill created by a an oil storage taken out on the shoreline by a tidal wave. For transporting sugar on ships to the mainland, Honu`apo was dredged in the 1870s to create the harbor and landing.
     The bill’s authors contend that the new law and funding would be an effort toward more policing and management of the coral reefs to prevent such impacts in the future. 

Honu`apo in 1880 before the bay was dredged to bring in ships to pick up sugar from
the mill that sent runoff and waste into the ocean. Photo from www.soest.hawaii.edu

      Justification for HB 2622 states that “The broad range of documented anthropogenic impacts on coral reef health, including impacts from groundings, diving activities, poaching, anchoring and mooring, land and water-based pollutant discharges, and other direct and indirect uses of the State’s coral reefs, indicate that the Department of Land & Natural Resources may need a more consistent and reliable source of funding to maintain these unique areas and to conserve and protect coral reef resources throughout the State.
     The purpose of this Act is to provide for a special fund allowing for the collection and use of moneys for the conservation, supplementation, and enhancement of the State’s coral reefs and other marine resources.”
    The fund would come from fines, attorneys fees, awards, settlements and administrative costs for violations of laws protecting the marine environment. It would also come from “compensatory mitigatation” money collected from federal and state permitted impacts to the marine environment and other grants, awards, donations, gifts from the public and private sector.
   The money would be used for monitoring marine life conservation districts, research, enforcement, education. It would help support management of community-based subsistence fishing areas, fisheries management areas. It would carry out compensatory mitigation measures for impacts to the marine environment. The law would enable the marine life conservation money to be held separately form other state and DLNR funds to focus it on the ocean and nearshore waters.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs submitted testimony in favor of the spceali funds, stating,

The DLNR would use funding to further protect reefs and the
marine environment, according to HB2622.
Photo from U.S. Geological Survey

   “Hawai‘i’s ocean resources form the bedrock of our islands. Hawai‘i’s marine environment and natural resources serve as a cultural, economic, social, scientific and recreational foundation for these islands. OHA notes that economic studies in 2002 and 2003 found an overall contribution of $800 million in revenue generated from our coral reefs and coastal resources, with an added recreational, amenity, fishery, biodiversity and educational value of $364 million per year. A more recent report released in 2011 utilizing ‘innovative economic survey techniques’ found that across U.S. households, the economic value of protecting Hawai’i’s nearshore environment could be estimated at $34 billion a year. While our ocean waters clearly hold cultural, spiritual and biological significance beyond any monetary value, these economic analyses clearly reflect the critical nature of our marine environment to Hawai‘i nei.
     “This measure provides an opportunity to better ensure that planned and unplanned impacts to Hawai‘i’s fragile ocean environment result in appropriate compensation, dedicated to the rehabilitation of our marine resources. Over the last few decades, it has become abundantly clear that Hawai‘i’s ocean environment is subject to constant and ever-growing threats from a variety of sources, ranging from human overuse, to land- and water-based pollution, to climate change, to development projects and vessels groundings.”
    OHA urges the legislature to also allow user fees for non-residents, who use marine life conservation districts where visitation tops a half-million people a year.
     In his testimony to the House, DLNR chief William Aila recommended that the legislature direct his department to prepare a statewide coral reef mitigation plan, and to consider how to address planned and unplanned coral loss; how the value of coral and ecosystem service losses may be calculated and consulting with others to devise the program. He suggested that the DLNR be required to submit a report on findings and plans by Dec. 31, 2015. 

    There was little public testimony. A public school student wrote in with support, as did an organization called Ocean Tourism Coalition.
   Teresa L. Nakama, of Big Island Fisheries Alliance, which also asked for the humpback whale to be removed fro the federal endangered species list, wrote in opposition, saying that “This bill is a complete waste of our hard earn taxpayers' money. DLNR and DAR division already has zone protected areas, contracts with conservationists, and college students from all over the United States that come here for their research papers and the list goes on. Do not waste our hard earn taxpayers money on repetitive projects that already is being done by many others. We already have more rules and regulations and revised HAR and revised HRS that covers these areas of concern. Please oppose this bill and send the funds to serve the overall general public with vital concerns of public education, health and welfare, housing, and elderly care.”
     Nani Polgline wrote in that “The conservation efforts have reached an imbalance in Hawai`i. Public access and usage of coastal areas have become too restricted and locked up with 'conservation' agendas."  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuyu and escort Bradley Llanes at
this weekend's Youth of the Year banquet for Boys & Girls Club.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U’S BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS have received a $10,000 donation from the Edmund C. Olson Trust, II,  which was a major sponsor of the islandwide organization’s Youth of the Year Banquet & Awards this weekend. Attending from Ka`u were Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya and her escort, musician Bradley Llanes. Representing Olson Trust were Kea Keolanui, of the trust's new ecotourism division and Kimberly Ciez, manager of Big Island Trading Co., which sells and serves Ka`u coffee and macadamia at its new location in Hilo. Also on hand was Boys & Girls Club Pahala director Dolly Kailiawa and Na`alehu – Ocean View director Lyonna Medeck-Starks, as well as Boys & Girls Club Ka`u board member Julia Neal.
     Winner of the Youth of the Year award for the Boys & Girls Club of the Big island is Benjamin Cortez, Jr. who has been a Boys & Girls Club member for seven years. He gave a passionate speech about winning a battle against cancer as a infant and the appreciation for all those who helped with his survival, leading him into community service. He will represent the Big Island at the state finals for Youth of the Year. The Hawai`i winner will compete in Washington, D.C. and meet the President of the United States. 

     For more on the Boys & Girls Clubs, see www.bgcbi.com.

A flash exhibit at Nia`ulani through late Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO THE ANNUAL KA`U FARM BUREAU meeting this Friday, March 14 at Pahala Community Center at 6 p.m. Keynote speaker will be state Board of Agriculure chair Scott Enright and County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth. The event is potluck. There will also be an election of officers. For more call Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Christ Manfredi at 929-9550.

A FLASH EXHIBIT AT VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Niaulani Campus runs through Tuesday evening. The five day show, with artists and Margaret Stanton and Randy Takake on site to meet with visitors,  is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, March 8, 2014

The permitting process for restoration of fishponds such as at Honu`apo may be streamlined under a
Department of Land & Natural Resources proposal. Photo from The Nature Conservancy

OCEAN VIEW IS GETTING A NEW MEDICAL CLINIC. Mango Medical, a primary care medical group based in Waimea, is opening the Ka`u clinic at 92-8691 Lotus Blossom Lane, Nos. 6 and 7 on Monday, March 17. Dr. Doede Donaugh and APRN Cindy Cohen are now taking appointments for new and existing patients, and all insurances are accepted.

Dr. Doede Donaugh

      An explanation of the clinic’s name is on the website mangomed.org. “Well, you may have heard of the proverb ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ and science is confirming the truth of this statement more and more. The little tropical Hawaiian mango, like the apple, is packed with nutraceuticals and probably even more health benefits.
      “We chose to name our practice Mango Medical because in addition to being a full-service primary care medical office that happily sees your colds, aches and pains, bruises, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and lists of other ailments, we want to keep you healthy and well even more. We’ll show you how eating more mangoes, apples, exercise, laughing more and other simple measures can all keep you healthy and perhaps even prevent some of those ailments listed.”

APRN Cindy Cohen

      Donaugh earned her bachelor of science in pre-med and math from Ohio Northern University in 1993, and obtained her doctor of osteopathy from NOVA Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Florida in 2004. She did an undergraduate fellowship in osteopathic manipulative medicine while in medical school because of her passion for the art of osteopathy. She completed her combined internship and residency in Osteopathic Family Practice at Broward General Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 2007. She practiced in various locations in Wyoming and Las Vegas as a primary care physician and served the last three years at Bay Clinic in Na`alehu. She is a member of the National Health Service Corp as a loan-repayment participant, and is also practicing part-time at Ka`u Rural Health Clinic in Pahala.

      Cohen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Utah in 1987 and completed her Family Nurse Practitioner degree at Westminster College in 1998. She has practiced in a variety of settings from providing on scene emergency medical treatment as an AirMed Flight Nurse at the University of Utah Hospital to a nurse practitioner mainly in the rural setting at community health centers and in private practice.
      Cohen practices family medicine and pursued it because she enjoys the variety of providing care to the whole family. She has a special interest in women’s health, pediatrics and hormonal imbalances. She believes that the provider/patient relationship is a collaborative one through determining what best fits the patients needs then discussing various treatment options and education to maximize their health by making dietary and lifestyle changes.

      According to the website, Mango Medical also plans to open facilities in Hilo and Kona.
      Call 939-8100 or fax 939-8102 for more information.

Margery Bronster

A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER that halts Hawai`i County’s registration of farmers growing crops with genetically modified organisms crops is in effect. The TRO also prevents the county from releasing information about the 210 farmers who have registered. 

      Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reports that Third Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura granted the order when an unnamed plaintiff requested it two days after the Wednesday deadline for farmers to comply with the program.
      The county’s recently enacted law banning GMO crops, with exemptions for farmers already growing them, calls for those farmers to register with the county Department of Research and Development and provide information such as types of crops grown, tax map keys of their farms and locations of GMO crops. The law calls for the information to be kept confidential if releasing it would impede the county’s ability to gather accurate information.
      According to reporter Tom Callis, Margery Bronster, attorney for the plaintiff, said, “These are farmers who really fear for their plants, for their farms and for their livelihoods.”
      Bronster said the law fails to provide criteria for the release of information the farmers provide or means for them to keep it confidential if they believe its release would cause them harm.
      Deputy Corporation Counsel Michael Udovic told Callis the law is valid and within the power of the “county’s concern for the public good.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Ka`u is the site of several fishponds. Map from DLNR

STREAMLINING THE PERMITTING PROCESS to restore fishponds in Ka`u and throughout the state is the purpose of proposal by Hawai`i Department of Land & Natural Resources. DLNR seeks public input through Monday. 

      The program covers five permits or authorizations and compliance with seventeen different state and federal laws that currently govern an element of fishpond restoration. The permits are the coastal zone management consistency statement from the state Office of Planning, environment assessment from the Office of Environmental Quality and Control, general permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, water quality certification from the Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch and Conservation District Use Application from DLNR’s Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands.
      Persons wanting to restore a fishpond would have to submit a Conservation District Use application.
      DLNR would create a three-tier review process based of scope of proposed work. Tier I includes minor repair, restoration, maintenance and operation of existing fishponds, construction or placement of minor structures, stocking and harvesting with traditional methods and removal of alien species. Tier II is for emergency repairs or fishpond repair, restoration, maintenance and operation involving work that is in excess of 10 percent but less than 50 percent of the original fishpond structure. Tier III is for repair, restoration, maintenance, and operation involving work that is in excess of 50 percent of the original fishpond structure, and DLNR would have discretion to exclude major projects from the Programmatic Permit due to potential for significant environmental impacts. Tier III also covers dredging involving the use of mechanized equipment and any activity that may moderately affect/alter sandy beaches or sediment deposition.
       Tier II and III proposals would be subject to agency and community review prior to DLNR approval.
      Written comments can be mailed to OCCL, PO Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809 or emailed to michael.cain@hawaii.gov.
      For more information, visit honuaconsulting.com/lokoia or dlnr.hawaii.gov/occl/current-applications.

Hawai`i State Rep. Jessica Wooley

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE HAS APPOINTED JESSICA WOOLEY to serve as the state’s director of Environmental Control, subject to her confirmation by the state Senate. In addition to serving as head of the Office of Environmental Quality Control, Wooley will serve the governor in an advisory capacity on all matters relating to environmental quality control. 

      “Jessica is knowledgeable and experienced in issues pertaining to the environment, water resources, agriculture and land use,” said Abercrombie. “Her legal and public service background will be a great asset in protecting Hawai`i’s fragile environment. Her energy and commitment to the issues involved with the OEQC is a big plus for Hawai`i.”
      Wooley said, “As a public servant, I see this as a tremendous opportunity to have a greater impact. I will be honored to work with the governor and his administration as we continually work to make sure our environment is resilient and able to support the public interest and all of Hawai`i’s policy goals. We must always keep in mind that our very economy, our health and our safety depend on our ability to care for our environmental resources.”
      Elected in 2008, Wooley serves as chair of the House Agriculture Committee. Previously, she was an attorney at Legal Aid, an economist at University of Hawai`i-Manoa and deputy attorney general under Governors Ben Cayetano and Linda Lingle.
      Wooley earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of California, Santa Cruz, along with a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley.

Participants in FHVNP's Sunday Walk in the Park view
Hawai`i's largest petroglyph field.

PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU is a guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain that focuses on the area’s human history. The hike takes place tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. 

POHAI MONTAGUE-MULLINS LEADS A GUIDED HIKE, 1.5 miles roundtrip to the largest petroglyph field in Hawai`i, tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s monthly Sunday Walk in the Park. Participants view hundreds of ancient symbols carved into lava over countless generations. Free for Friends members; non-members can join the organization in order to attend.
      Register for the walk at 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org.

SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

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