Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Monday, June 27, 2016

Preservation of Kauleoli fishing village and apuhua`a in South Kona also includes Ala Kahakai National
Historic Trail, which extends from Kohala south through Ka`u and then north into Puna.
Photo from Trust for Public Land

ALA KAHAKAI NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL is adding more to its jurisdiction in South Kona. Bret Yager, of West Hawai`i Today, reported that the Trust for Public Land helped the organization attain 59 coastal acres south of Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park from willing sellers, and escrow is expected to close next month. It’s Ala Kahakai’s first land purchase.

Ka`u's section of Ala Kahakai is longer than those of other districts.
Photo by Julia Neal

      The landscape envelopes the entire shoreline of Kauleoli ahupua`a, a well-preserved section of the trail and numerous ancient sites at Kauleoli fishing village, such as Hawaiian house foundations, a canoe shed, traditional agriculture areas and salt making ponds.

      The purchase will connect the property to the southern border of Pu`uhonua O Honaunau at the ancient fishing village of Ki`ilea, which was added to the park in 2006, also with assistance from TPL. It will further protect the park and “support continuation of traditions and stories of this treasured South Kona cultural landscape,” according to a statement from TPL.
      “The lineal descendants of the area have been caring for the trail,” Laura Kaakua, native lands project manager for the Trust For Public Land, told Yager. “Now, under ownership of Ala Kahakai, the trail but also the makai lands will have educational, cultural and stewardship opportunities not just for the descendants but anyone who is interested in volunteering.”
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
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U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO, WHO REPRESENTS Ka`u in the U.S. Senate, today applauded the Supreme Court’s 5-3 decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which struck down a Texas law restricting access to reproductive health care. Had the Court ruled in favor of the Texas law, states across the nation could have enacted similarly restrictive laws.

      Hirono joined her Senate colleagues on an amicus brief to the Supreme Court urging the justices to rule in favor of the plaintiff, Whole Woman’s Health, and to preserve access to reproductive health care services.
      “Earlier this year, when the Supreme Court was hearing Whole Woman’s Health, I joined advocates on the Court steps who were holding signs that read ‘Don’t mess with access,’ and ‘Respect my fundamental human dignity,’” Hirono said. “The Court heard their plea and saw the Texas law for what it really was: an unconstitutional restriction on a woman’s right to access reproductive health care. Significantly, the Court looked at the real effect of the Texas law – which was to restrict access to critical health care services – instead of limiting its review to the state’s ostensible justification.
      “Texas, however, is only one state out of many which has enacted predatory laws aimed at shutting down clinics that provide reproductive health care services and highlights how far some states will go to restrict a woman’s right to choose. We must remain vigilant against such measures going forward.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Amy Shoremount-Obra

MUSICIANS COMING TO PAHALA in August will present a concert to support KAHU Radio and honor Ka`u Coffee growers.

      The concert, a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the post-plantation Ka`u Coffee industry, will, in part, raise funds for Hawai`i Public Radio and its efforts to bring a stronger and more reliable signal to all of Ka`u and the entire state. HPR operates KAHU radio and work is in progress on a tower toward expanding the broadcast to the entire community. The coverage is also considered critical for Civil Defense, as much of Ka`u is without any emergency radio reception.
      Opera singer Amy Shoremount-Obra returns to Pahala Plantation House on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. The concert features the soprano, internationally acclaimed violinist Eric Silberger, cellist Daniel Lelchuk and pianist Kwan Yi. It is one in a series in the inaugural year of the Hawai`i International Music Festival, with other performances at Maui Arts & Cultural Center and on O`ahu.
      Shoremount-Obra’s family includes the founders of Rusty’s Hawaiian 100% Island Coffee, including the late Rusty Obra as well as Lorie and Joan Obra, Ralph Gaston and Shoremont-Obra’s husband Rusty Obra. She brought operatic music to Pahala in 2009 as a community outreach program with a grant she received from the Sing for Hope organization in conjunction with her alma mater The Juilliard School. She was accompanied by a pianist and tenor. The trio performed operatic music for Ka`u Coffee growers and other community members at Pahala Plantation House.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
      For more, see himusicfestival.com.

Maiki Cofer and John Poetzel received brown belt certification
last Friday. Photo from Cliff Field

PAHALA DOJO MEMBERS Maiki Cofer and John Poetzel successfully completed their promotion test to the rank of brown belt in the International Karate League on June 24. The promotion brings them one step closer to attaining their black belts. 

      Cofer organized and has been teaching a keiki karate conditioning class for ages five to 10 held every Tuesday and Friday at 5 p.m. before the regular beginners class. The class helps youngsters prepare for the beginners class.
      Pahala Dojo, established in 2009, holds classes every Tuesday and Friday at Pahala Community Center. A beginners class from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. is taught by Sensei Susan Field. An advance class follows from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., taught by Sensei Cliff Field. Classes are open to anyone interested in learning a traditional martial art, and the public is welcome to watch classes.
      Pahala Dojo is a member of the International Karate League. Recently, IKL obtained a 501c3 status and now has 31 dojos across the country.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Mosquitoes in Hawai`i Project works to identify what species
live where.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN HELP the Mosquitoes in Hawai`i Project identify where mosquito species live. The citizen science project, established in May 2015, is powered by iNaturalist, the primary social network for natural history. The iNaturalist app allows individuals to take photos of any living thing and upload them to the cloud to be identified by thousands of volunteers worldwide.

      To get involved, download the iNaturalist app. Go to iNaturalist and set up an account. Capture a mosquito, or rear from larvae wrigglers, in a closed container. Place adult insects in the freezer for 20 minutes to make sure they have expired. Place them on a sheet of paper, and take several pictures, especially on the back. Open the app and import the best photos. Double-check that dates, times and locations are correct. Upload the record.
      Project organizers urge participants to be cautious when around mosquitoes and wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, shoes or boots and repellent.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
      See http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/mosquitoes-in-hawaii.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION encourages residents to meet with county officials who will discuss the planned Ocean View Transfer Station tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.
      Call 939-7033 for more information.

LEARN ABOUT THE EVOLUTION of landscape restoration at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

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

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June_2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, June 26, 2016

Learn about the evolution of landscape restoration at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Tuesday.
See more below. NPS Images by J. Dawson

KA`U'S REP. TULSI GABBARD AND A BIPARTISAN group of Congress members introduced legislation to prevent the sale of firearms to those on the No-Fly list in an effort to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, while providing an appeals process to protect constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

      “We owe it to the American people to work together to try to get sensible gun control legislation actually passed – and in order to do that, it must be a bipartisan effort,” Gabbard said. “Majorities in both parties agree with the vast majority of the American people – we need to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. However, we must also ensure that any action we take does not compromise the rights to due process guaranteed to every citizen. There are valid constitutional concerns related to the lack of due process and transparency for those who have mistakenly been placed on the No Fly List and Terror Watch List. This legislation is a bipartisan compromise that will help to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, while protecting our constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties.”

      H.R. 5576, the House companion to the bipartisan Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act, would give the ability to prevent individuals on the “No-Fly” and Selectee lists from legally purchasing firearms and explosives, create a process for American citizens and lawful permanent residents to appeal a denial in Federal Court, protect ongoing counter-terrorism investigations by giving the Attorney General discretion to allow gun sales to go forward for individuals covered by the act, and implement a five-year “look-back” provision to immediately notify the Attorney General and federal, state and local law enforcement if anyone who is or was entered into the broader Terrorist Screening Database attempts to buy a gun from a licensed dealer.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

THE GREAT CRACK and other features of Kilauea’s Southwest Rift Zone are topics of the current issue of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Volcano Watch.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists investigate a portion
of the Great Crack. Photo from USGS/HVO

      “In 1823, the party of English Reverend William Ellis (1794-1872), including American missionary Asa Thurston and a number of local guides, explored the wild landscape of Kilauea Volcano,” the article states. “Ellis returned with his ailing wife to a family home in London where, in 1824, he began writing up a detailed and important narrative of his journey around the Island of Hawai`i. No other Caucasian visitors had published descriptions of this landscape, and one could say that the ‘history’ of Ka`u and, more broadly, of Kilauea, in the sense of contemporary written documentation, begins with Ellis.

      “The Ellis account (first published in 1825) is significant for several reasons. Not only is it pioneering, it also provides the first European descriptions of active, or recently active, eruptions at Kilauea. A lake – or several lakes – of molten lava spread across the floor of the summit caldera; an awesome spectacle that underscored Hawaiian cultural respect for Pelehonuamea, the volcano deity. 

      “On the western flank of Kilauea, Ellis and company also witnessed the aftermath of a recent outpouring of highly fluid lava, which geologist Harold Stearns, a hundred years later, officially designated the ‘Keaiwa Flow’ (an informal name used by residents of Ka`u at the time). The 1823 flow issued from a 10-kilometer (six-mile) long rupture now known as the Great Crack, and poured into the ocean, destroying one small coastal village at Mahuka Bay.
      “Explosive eruptions occurred at Kilauea’s summit in the decades before Ellis arrived. The 1790 eruption is foremost, but at least seven others, unnoticed by Ellis, took place between then and the early 1820s. Ellis was told about the 1790 eruption but not about the later ones, evidence for which has only recently been discovered.

      “On the west flank (Southwest Rift Zone) of Kilauea, the general assumption made by historians is that nothing much occurred there volcanically in the decades surrounding the unusual 1823 eruption described by Ellis. This assumption, however, is questionable given what we’ve learned in recent years about unreported summit activity. 

      “Ongoing studies have tackled the question of what may be missing from the late 18th to early to mid-19th-century historical record. They use both the Footprints ash, a deposit of the 1790 eruption that fell in part of the area, and the Ellis narrative, which includes important details of how the Ka`u landscape looked back then, to distinguish younger flows from older ones.

William Ellis Photo from wikipedia

      “The geological interpretation of early accounts is daunting, but critical. We cannot reliably reconstruct the route of the Ellis party in terms of his reported travel distances, most of which are more than double what could possibly be true. But directions of travel – the party carried a compass – do seem to be reliable, allowing us to trace a partial route based on descriptions of features that have not changed much in two centuries.
      “Another challenge is descriptive terminology. The terms Ellis and his contemporaries used often had less clear, more poetic meanings than the scientific terms we use today. Much specific terminology we now routinely use simply did not exist then, nor would it be used today by a non-scientist, such as Ellis. We have to guess what Ellis meant by his sometimes colorful terms, and at times we may be wrong in our guess.
      “What has been learned so far is that Kilauea’s Southwest Rift Zone produced far more lava in the decades between 1790 and 1823 than Ellis alone suggests – and from fissures more widespread than only the Great Crack. We suspect this because there are many flows that are not covered by the Footprints ash. The flows instead overlie the ash, and, therefore, are younger than 1790.
      “Care must be taken in our analyses, however, because erosion can remove thin ash quite easily, and the ash in this area was probably thin. Nonetheless, we favor the interpretation that lava flows that lack an ash cover are indeed younger than the ash.
      “The Ellis narrative is a ‘snapshot’ and not a running documentary of Kilauea during his time. In a future column we’ll explore this surprising discovery further.
     “Meanwhile, the engagement of written history and geology, two ordinarily separated academic disciplines, has – once more – proven unexpectedly fruitful in our understanding of Hawai`i’s natural environment.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

TUTU & ME TRAVELING PRESCHOOL is looking for two part-time, on-call teaching assistants to assist in implementing its curriculum for caregivers and keiki during the 2016-17 school year beginning Aug. 1.

      Qualified applicants must be available to report to work at 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday on short notice and on a short- or long-term basis as needed.
      Minimum qualifications include a high school diploma; early childhood education or related course work and/or experience working with children preferred; access to vehicle, valid driver’s license, safe driving record, bodily collision and property damage liability insurance coverage.
      For more info, see www.pidfoundation.org.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Miho Aida Photo from VAC

VOLCANO ART CENTER in Volcano Village presents a film screening and book signing tomorrow at 7 p.m. Miho Aida screens her film The Sacred Place Where Life Begins: Gwich’in Women Speak and signs copies of the book We Are the Arctic.

      See volcanoartcenter.org.

COUNTY OFFICIALS DISCUSS the planned Ocean View Transfer Station with residents Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.
     Call 939-7033 for more information.

THE EVOLUTION OF LANDSCAPE Restoration at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is the topic at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Since its establishment in 1916, various attempts to conserve and protect the park’s rich biological resources have been made by the Territory of Hawai`i, the National Park Service, and citizen scientists – with varying degrees of success. Beginning in 1970, park staff adopted a systematic parkwide approach to managing species and habitats, which continues today. Join Chief of Natural Resource Management Dr. Rhonda Loh to learn more about these Special Ecological Areas, or SEAs, and decades of successful restoration in the park.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Saturday, June 25, 2016

Makahiki grounds being purchased by the county are near a proposed site for Na`alehu's wastewater treatment plant.

THE NEW NA`ALEHU SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT location is of concern to the Keanu family, with their traditional Hawaiian connection to Kahua `Olohu Makahiki Grounds between Hon`uapo and Na`alehu.

      Keoni Fox represents the family in its efforts to preserve the Makahiki Grounds where native Hawaiians held games and celebrations, as well as the larger shoreline area between Honu`apo and Na`alehu. Fox said he believes the county may have selected a sewage plant site that is next to the 13 acres of Makahiki Grounds being purchased by the county for preservation. Hawai`i County Council member Maile David introduced a resolution to purchase the grounds using Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Committee funds, and it passed in November 2015.

Keoni Fox Photo from Fox's Facebook Page

      Fox said the Makahiki Grounds and other important Hawaiian cultural remains extend into state-owned land beyond the Weatherford property being purchased for preservation. He said there are nearby graves and other “sacred sites” and that it would be inappropriate to locate a sewage treatment plant in the area. He said that native Hawaiians were very clean and that piping sewage to the area from Na`alehu would be “disrespectful.”

      He also noted that remains of the Hawaiian village of Pa`ula (Leipana) are on the shoreline below the Makahiki Grounds and should be protected from any sewage plant risk.
      The Trust for Public Lands, which is working with the Fox family and others to preserve the area, described it as containing “at least 444 ancient Hawaiian cultural sites with more than 3,900 features, including enclosures, mounds, platforms, walls, salt pans, walled terraces, petroglyphs, papamu, heiau, ceremonial sites, burial sites, a refuge cave (and other lava tubes) and a portion of Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail… .”

      Fox said this morning that he hopes the county will host a public meeting to gather local knowledge from the community about the cultural and environmental values associated with any proposed sewage treatment site before it is selected.
      He said he understands why the county is considering the site. It is on state land, downhill from Na`alehu, and may be the least expensive option for the county. He said the county has asked the state for a perpetual easement for the site.
      He said another concern about the Makahiki area location is that Na`alehu is upwind, as it is from the nearby location of the former Na`alehu Dairy, which provided an aroma to the Na`alehu village.
      Fox said he understands that time is of the essence to build a much needed sewage plant for Na`alehu, as many homes from sugar plantation days are connected to a gang cesspool, now illegal under federal law. The EPA could fine the county if it does not update the system soon.
      Fox can be reached at 808-351-6279.
      The county is also working to acquire a site for a wastewater treatment plant in Pahala.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Gov. David Ige signed into law bills relating to firearms.
Image from Gov. Ige's Office

HAWAI`I BECAME THE FIRST STATE in the nation to enroll firearms owners in centralized information system. Gov. David Ige signed SB 2954 (ACT 108), which authorizes county police departments to enroll firearms applicants and individuals registering their firearms in a criminal record monitoring service.

      The system, also known as the “Rap Back” system, is a service of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that provides continuous criminal record monitoring for authorized government agencies such as law enforcement agencies. The service notifies the agencies when a firearm owner is arrested for a criminal offense anywhere in the country. This will allow county police departments to evaluate whether the firearm owner may continue to legally possess and own firearms. The law also authorizes the Hawai`i Criminal Justice Data Center to access firearm registration data.
      “This is about our community’s safety and responsible gun ownership,” Ige said. “This system will better enable our law enforcement agencies to ensure the security of all Hawai`i residents and visitors to our islands. This bill has undergone a rigorous legal review process by our Attorney General’s office, and we have determined that it is our responsibility to approve this measure for the sake of our children and families.”

      Ige also signed HB 625 (ACT 109) and HB 2632 (ACT 110) relating to firearms.
      HB 625 specifies that harassment by stalking and sexual assault are among the offenses that disqualify a person from owning, possessing or controlling any firearm or ammunition.
      HB 2632 requires firearms owners to surrender their firearms and ammunition to the Chief of Police if they have been disqualified from owning a firearm and ammunition for the following reasons: diagnosis of significant behavioral, emotional or mental disorder, or emergency or involuntary hospitalization to a psychiatric facility. This measure authorizes the Chief of Police to seize firearms and ammunition if a disqualified firearms owner fails to surrender the items after receiving written notice.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Hawai`i State Legislature confirmed judiciary appointments
during a special session. Photo from wikipedia

THE HAWAI`I STATE SENATE unanimously confirmed M. Kanani Laubach to Hawai`i Island’s District Family Court of the Third Circuit. 

      Laubach is a Partner at Laubach & Frenz, AAL, LLLC in Hilo, where she focuses her legal practice on criminal cases heard in District, Family and Circuit Courts and family law cases involving temporary restraining orders. Prior to entering private practice, Laubach served as a Hawai`i County’s Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. She also previously served as Honolulu’s Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. In addition to her legal experience, Laubach previously worked as a family therapist and visitation specialist with Parents and Children Together, where she taught parenting skills and child development. She attained her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University. She earned her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Hawai`i William S. Richardson School of Law and was admitted to the Hawai`i State Bar in 2003.
      Laubach will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of the Honorable Melvin H. Fujino to the Circuit Court of the Third Circuit.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

`Ohi`a Lehua is the topic of a free program tomorrow.
Photo from NPS

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park offers a free program tomorrow. Learn about the vital role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a tree its flower at 9:30 a.m. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku on this easy, one-mile (or less) walk.

MIHO AIDA, ACTIVIST, FILMMAKER, educator and outdoor adventurer, comes to Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village on Monday to screen her award-winning film The Sacred Place Where Life Begins: Gwich’in Women Speak at 7 p.m. She also signs copies of the book We Are the Arctic, offering books on a sliding scale donation request of $5 to $20.

Miho Aida signs copies of We are the Arctic tomorrow.
Image from VAC

      We Are the Arctic takes readers into the remote, life-sustaining coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which Aida describes as a sacred place for a centuries-old culture and a symbol of enduring serenity and peace. It is the birthing ground for caribou and polar bears. Adventurers seeking a once-in-a-lifetime wilderness experience find it here.

      The book showcases the vast beauty of the untouched wilderness through images from ten of the world’s best conservation photographers. A range of voices, including DJ Spooky, Terry Tempest Williams and former president Jimmy Carter share, through essays, precisely why this place is so special to them.
      “Every American has a stake in what happens to this public land along the wild edge of the Arctic Ocean, and, collectively, we face a choice: preserve the Arctic as the natural life-sustaining treasure as it has been for the lifetime of this planet, or exploit it for what is estimated to be six months of American oil consumption,” Aida said.
      For more information see http://www.wearethearctic.org/we-are-arctic-book.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

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