Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016

Twelve students and mentors hiked from Punalu`u to Ka Lae last week during fall break.
Photos from Nohea Ka`awa

A FIVE-DAY, FOUR-NIGHT KA`U HIKE challenged a dozen high school students over the 2016 fall break from Oct. 10 – 14 through `Imi Pono no ka `Aina, with Emily Leucht and Amelie Sterling. Support came from the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife with Nohea Ka`awa; The Nature Conservancy with John Replogle, Shalan Crysdale and Linda Schubert; Ala Kahakai Trail system with Keoni Fox; and Three Mountain Alliance with Colleen Cole, Kellen Galban, Nick Martin and Chiko Mihara.

The group camped at Honu`apo and other locations
along the Ka`u Coast.

      During the 30-mile hike starting at Punalu`u, students camped at Honu`apo, Waikapuna and Ka`alu`alu. After reaching Ka Lae, they were taken up to Kiolaka`a Cabin to spend their last night.

      Students from Ka`u, Kea`au, Waiakea, Hilo, Pana`ewa and Keaukaha were Meilin Galban- Kinin, Bryana Grace, Ke`alohilani Grace, Keilana Hunter, Keahiloa Kanahele, Kelly Kaneko, Faith Kraus, Keali`i Lovell, Preston Pua-Queja, Pohu Puniwai and Makana Uribe-Bounos.
      `Imi Pono no ka `Aina “means seeking excellence for the land,” noted Nohea Ka`awa. Its mission is to provide conservation-themed programs for students, teachers and community members to strengthen environmental and cultural consciousness and to instill in participants a sense of kuleana so that they will become advocates of the land.
      For more information, see threemountainalliance.org.
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A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL is the newest member of Hawai`i Board of Education. Gov. David Ige appointed Darrel Galera yesterday.

Gov. Ige swears in Darrel Galera to the state Board of Education.
Photo from Office of Gov. Ige

      Galera has a rich background in public education in Hawai`i. He is the School Leadership Consultant and Coach for the Hawai`i Center for Instructional Leadership and is currently serving as chair of the governor’s Every Student Succeeds Act team.

      Galera began his career in education as a social studies teacher at Moanalua High School, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 1984. He has also served as principal at Shafter Elementary, S.W. King Intermediate, `Aiea Elementary, Moanalua High and Castle High. Galera has been recognized as the Hawai`i National Distinguished High School Principal of the Year, Central O`ahu District Principal of the Year and the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program’s Distinguished Teacher, 1989.
      A graduate of Waipahu High School, Galera earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration and bachelor’s degree in Secondary Social Studies at the University of Hawai`i.
      “Darrel has been instrumental in engaging the public all across the state to help build the blueprint for our public school system,” Ige said. “His service on the board will help bridge the work of the Board of Education and the ESSA team.”
      “It’s truly an honor and privilege to serve our students and schools,” Galera said. “I’m inspired by Gov. Ige’s vision and plan for public education in Hawai`i.”
      Galera replaces Jim Williams, who resigned from the board last month.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

DHHL beneficiaries and other Hawai`i Island residents can participate
in an upcoming Ka`u Leadership Training Program.

RECRUITMENT FOR KA`U LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM is now open. The fun, dynamic and highly interactive program builds skills that may be used in community service, jobs and personal lives. Hawaiian Home Lands Trust beneficiaries and other residents of Hawai`i Island are eligible. An ideal class will have a mix of participants: high school to kupuna, beginning to experienced leaders and representatives of community nonprofits, the public/private sector, government, farming/agriculture, arts/culture, education, environment, health and human services, and faith-based organizations. Maximum class size is 30.

      Participants learn how to run effective meetings and work with different personality types, as well as public speaking and project planning and management.

      Class sessions are one weekend per month from January through April 2017. All participants are expected to volunteer 20 to 40 hours to complete a class project within six to nine months after the last class session.
      Classes take place at the new county multi-purpose room at Ka`u High School.
      For more information and to apply, call 808-620-9461, or email Gigi.O.Cairel@hawaii.gov . Deadline is Dec. 16.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Sen. Brian Schatz

U.S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ IS PROUD of Hawai`i’s progress regarding energy. He responded to Blue Planet Foundation’s grade of B- on its annual Energy Report Card, which evaluated the status of transportation, efficiency, renewables, smart grids and economics.

      “Here in Hawai`i, we are making incredible progress toward reaching our state’s goal of running on 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, but there is still much more work to be done,” Ige said. “Having been at the forefront of this effort since my time as lieutenant governor, I can say that this progress has taken creativity, collaboration and innovation every step of the way. I’m proud of our state for leading the country toward a clean energy future, and I look forward to working hard to get us there.”

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

KA`U’S U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD AND A BIPARTISAN COALITION of lawmakers delivered a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper requesting answers on a report that Yahoo searched users’ private emails at the request of the federal government.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

      Joseph Mann reported in Technology News that Yahoo “last year secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers' incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials.”

      “As legislators, it is our responsibility to have accurate information about the intelligence activities conducted by the federal government,” the lawmakers wrote. “There is significant confusion regarding the existence and nature of Yahoo’s software program described by recent reports and the legal questions implicated by the accuracy of specific details. We request information and a briefing as soon as possible for all members of Congress to resolve the issues raised by these reports.”
      In July, Gabbard helped launch the bipartisan Fourth Amendment Caucus, composed of lawmakers committed to protecting the privacy and security of Americans in the digital age. She has introduced the Strengthening Privacy, Oversight and Transparency Act in both the 114th and 113th Congress to strengthen the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and expand its authority to balance the government’s national security and counterterrorism activities with the need to protect the privacy rights of law-abiding Americans.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Bert Naihe performs tomorrow.
Photo from NPS

HAWAIIAN MUSICIAN AND SINGER BERT NAIHE performs songs from his CD, You’re the One, and catchy versions of other favorite tunes tomorrow from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Naihe, who was born and raised in Hilo, is also a musician for Halau o ka Ua Kanileua with Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho.

      Free; park entrance fees apply.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in Hawai`i County Council committee meetings tomorrow via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.

      Human Services & Social Services Committee meets at 9 a.m.; Public Safety & Mass Transit, 9:30 a.m.; Finance, 11 a.m.; Public Works & Parks and Recreation, 1 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 2:30 p.m.
      All meetings take place at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.
      Agendas and live streaming of the meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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

See kaucalendar.com.

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

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Monday, Oct. 17, 2016

Kilauea's lava lake continues at high levels today. Saturday, the level rose high enough to create small, glistening
flow lobes, both east and west, onto Halemaʻumaʻu's floor. See more below. Photo from USGS/HVO

MORE THAN 130 FOOD VENDORS ON HAWAI`I ISLAND ARE FOAM FREE. Inspired to start a change in the way our island uses foam products, a group of wahine from three organizations, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, Surfrider Foundation and Sustainable Island Products, came together to try and tackle the foam reduction issue with a different approach: to endorse the restaurants and food vendors that are already electing to use foam alternatives for their to-go containers and to advocate and educate the others to make the switch. After the loss for the foam reduction Bill 140 at Hawai`i County Council in June, the group compiled a growing list of foam-free restaurants for Hawai`i Island with support from other nonprofits, individuals and distributors, available at goo.gl/tia7Rd. Local foam-free establishments include Coffee Grinds, Ka Lae Coffee, Kilauea Lodge, `Ohelo Cafe, Tuk Tuk Thai Food Truck and Volcano House.

      In her May 2016 testimony, Sarah Rafferty, the Rise Above Plastics coordinator with Surfrider Foundation Kona, told the County Council: “Bill 140 would be an assured step in the right direction toward the Zero Waste goal for our island. To still allow fast-food chain restaurants to distribute these materials on a daily basis in a place that depends so heavily on its natural resources is irresponsible. What message are we sending to our visitors and our keiki when we promote our island’s beauty and preach respect for the land, yet we are purchasing foam products from overseas to be shipped here and stuffed into our landfills after a moment’s use?”

      Rafferty organized a Change.org petition urging Mayor Billy Kenoi to ban expanded polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) food containers on island back in Oct. 2015. As of today, that petition carries over 5,125 signatures of support.

Environmental organizations support reducing food
vendors' Styrofoam container use. Photo from HWF

      Megan Lamson, vice president with Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, said, “We live on an island, and we need to be mindful about what we are bringing in, and to consider how short the useful lifecycle of these so called ‘single-use products’ really is compared to their long life in the environment. EPS foam may take decades or even centuries to degrade. A compostable container, on the other hand, will break down – by definition – in 180 days at a commercial composting facility.

      “Here locally, we are being bombarded with our own `opala (trash), which is a serious issue on an island. In 2008, our county was dealing with over 200,000 tons of solid waste each year. Today, our landfills are filling up, and we have more people eating out of more foam to-go containers, creating even more waste. Scarier yet is that our total global usage of plastic and foam products continues to increase. We really have to stop and think about the huge disconnect between our daily purchases, our waste and our island ecosystems. There is no ‘away.’ Away is our `aina, or it is our oceans, and neither are a proper disposal mechanism for our trash.”
      According to data compiled by Terry Miura, volunteers collected and recorded 37,673 pieces of debris during the Get the Drift and Bag It coastal cleanup events hosted by multiple groups around Hawai`i Island in Sept 2015. Of this figure, five percent (1,925 items) were recorded as plastic/foam food containers, packaging or foam pieces. While cigarette butts continue to rank the number one collected item for Hawai`i Island (and the entire U.S.), foam pieces, packaging and food containers numbers are on the rise.
      Council member Margaret Wille is proposing another foam reduction bill in the Environmental Management Committee that would reduce the amount of foam food containers used in all county facilities and venues and at all county-sponsored events. “While proponents of Bill 140 are concerned that this ‘Styrofoam light’ bill isn’t robust enough, they are also hopeful that this move would push Hawai`i County forward in leading the path towards zero waste,” Lamson said. The first hearing of this new bill is scheduled tomorrow at 3 p.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center.
      “Regardless of what happens during the upcoming hearing, you can take a part in this movement by choosing to eat from foam-free food establishments, compliment the restaurant owners/managers who have opted to select eco-friendly alternatives, bring your own to-go containers and encourage your favorite plate lunch container joint to just ‘hold the foam,’” Lamson said. 
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

From left, HWF Vice President Megan Lamson is joined by Ke Ola
Editor Shana Logan and HWF Executive Director Hannah Bernard.
Photo from HWF

MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED in Hawai`i Wildlife Fund’s 20th anniversary celebration Saturday at Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo. Guests came from around Hawai`i Island, Maui, O`ahu and Oregon. Plus, more than 50 individuals and businesses donated to the event in some way. 

      “We are so thankful for our huge conservation network over these past two decades and are jazzed as we launch into the next 20 years,” said a statement from HWF. “We are humbled and honored by the abundant support we have received for our … celebration: local business sponsors, gifts and discounts, donations, volunteers and community members who attended our event. We mahalo each and every one of you who contributed in any way to our very successful ho`olaule`a.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

  

HAWAI`I RECEIVED A GRADE OF B- on Blue Planet Foundation’s annual Energy Report Card. The card presents a big-picture assessment of Hawai`i’s progress towards energy independence with 100 percent clean energy. The 2016 edition is the organization’s fourth annual report card. By evaluating five key components – Transportation, Efficiency, Renewables, Smart Grid and Economics – and tracking the specific drivers that shape them, the foundation can identify bright spots and opportunities to improve.
      In the past year, according to the report card, demand for transportation fossil fuels decreased slightly, but ground transportation fuel sales are not falling. “Transportation accounts for almost two-thirds of Hawai`i’s fossil fuel consumption, making sustainable mobility solutions essential to moving Hawai`i beyond oil,” the report states.

      Regarding efficiency, “we are on track,” the report states. “Efficiency is still our cheapest and easiest form of clean energy.”

      Regarding the state’s progress toward 100 percent renewable electricity, “we are on track, but we need continued steady progress of about three percent per year. This means laying the groundwork each and every year for renewable capacity that will be installed in the future.”
      One area of poor progress is smart grids. The report says that Hawai`i Island has not installed any smart meters. Smart meters enable a host of clean energy strategies, such as dynamic energy prices to help balance supply and demand. O`ahu’s smart meter pilot has been a strong success, with more than 99 percent of customers in pilot neighborhoods participating. A five-year plan to install smart meters for all O`ahu, Maui County and Big Island customers is now before the state Public Utilities Commission.
      Hawai`i residents overwhelmingly favor solar power, with 96 percent supporting and only one percent opposing. “Utilities and policymakers will benefit from listening to these residents,” the report states.

      When considering economics, only five percent of Hawai`i residents think the state should use the cheapest energy, no matter where it comes from, and 95 percent think other factors are important, like protecting the environment and securing local jobs.

      See blueplanetfoundation.org.
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TILTMETERS AT HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY recorded inflationary tilt at Kilauea's summit, relating to a rise in the lava lake level. It was measured to be 56 feet below the rim of the Jaggar Museum Overlook Vent this morning. On Saturday, lava overflowed onto the floor of Halema`uma`u.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HAS A BUSY SCHEDULE THIS WEEK. The full council meets tomorrow at 9 a.m. Committees meeting in the afternoon include Planning at 1 p.m.; Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability, 2 p.m.; and Environmental Management, 3 p.m.

      Committee meetings continue on Wednesday, with Human Services & Social Services at 9 a.m.; Public Safety & Mass Transit, 9:30 a.m.; Finance, 11 a.m.; Public Works & Parks and Recreation, 1 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 2:30 p.m.
      All meetings take place at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.
      Live streaming of the meetings and agendas are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

Noreen Naughton and Byron Yasui
Photo from NPS

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK FEATURES artists-in-residence tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Musician Byron Yasui and painter Noreen Naughton speak about the creative process and how Hawai`i informs and inspires their art forms.

      $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT ANSWERS Ka`u residents' questions tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

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

See kaucalendar.com.

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

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016

Dr. Cliff Kopp, seen descending from Volcano toward Pahala on a walk around Hawai`i Island to raise
awareness of homelessness, has died. See more below. Photo from Kopp's Facebook Page

OCEAN VIEW’S TEMPORARY TRANSFER STATION IS MOVING from its present park site to the location of the town’s future permanent transfer station, county officials told about 35 residents at a meeting last week. Called by Ocean View residents Mike and Debbie du Bois, the meeting was chaired by Ka`u’s recently re-elected County Council member Maile David. Environmental Management Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd and Solid Waste Director Greg Goodale presented updates and answered questions about the transfer station.

      Leithead-Todd and Goodale announced plans to move the temporary transfer station out of the park and to establish a new temporary transfer station on one acre at the 21-acre site where a permanent transfer station will be built. The temporary transfer station relocation may take about a year to accomplish, officials said. The county is in the process of hiring someone to do the siting, and then officials will get a contract out. When complete, the new temporary facility will be open one day a week, as is the current one, Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Residents line up to drop rubbish at Ocean View's temporary
transfer station yesterday. Photo by Peter & Ann Bosted

     Leithead-Todd said that the long-awaited permanent transfer station would occupy a nine-acre site in the center of the 21-acre parcel so that there would be a buffer of vacant land on the perimeter. It would be open three days a week, or more if the volume of rubbish warranted longer hours. She could not commit to what fire protection facilities would be available there but said the Fire Department requires that an on-site water tank be provided at all new transfer stations in case of fires at the sites.

      Leithead-Todd bemoaned the rise in cost that almost killed the project. She explained that the budget for the whole facility was $3 million, and originally the highway access was to cost $450,000. The state highway department now wants to charge the county $2 million for highway modifications that will comply with modern standards.
      “We are in process of contracting out a new traffic study to try and eliminate the right turn acceleration lane in order to reduce the cost of improvements in the state highway right of way,” Leithead-Todd said.
      State Rep. Richard Creagan has offered his services in negotiating better terms with the state highways department.
      Ocean View resident George Campbell commented that the meeting offered hope.
      “I would like to see the temporary transfer station moved out of the park a lot faster – a year seems to be a long delay,” he said. “As a member of the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. board, I am very concerned about all these heavy vehicles tearing up our roads. The park needs to be a park again, and Ocean View needs a permanent transfer station.”

      Leithead-Todd said this would be her last meeting, as she is retiring before the end of the year, but would forward all her information and community requests to the new director, who will be appointed by Mayor-elect Harry Kim.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Dick Hershberger, left, met with Dr. Cliff Kopp
on Hwy 11 at Punalu`u during one of Kopp's
many walks around the island.
Photo by Dick Hershberger

DR. CLIFF KOPP, KNOWN FOR TREKKING THROUGH KA`U on his walks around the island to raise awareness of homelessness, has died. His death followed Kopp recently finishing one in a series of walks. Cameron Miculka reported in West Hawai`i Today that Kopp suffered a stroke on Thursday and died the next day.

      Ocean View resident Dick Hershberger told The Ka`u Calendar that he worked with Kopp on many of the dentist’s community projects, including Fourth of July and Christmas parades. “It was difficult to say no to Cliff” when he asked for help, Hershberger said, “and everyone who did (help) did so joyfully.”
      Hershberger listed the many community projects Kopp spearheaded, including gardens at West Hawai`i Civic Center and St. Michael’s Church in Kona. The two were active members in Rotary Club, whose projects include drilling deep wells in developing countries to make potable water available.
      “The intent of what he was doing was always above himself – more for the good of the world,” Hershberger said. “May your streets be level and the wind behind you, Cliff!”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

“HOW SHOULD HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COSTS BE ALLOCATED between ratepayers and shareholders,” Life of the Land Executive Director Henry Curtis asks at ililanimedia.blogspot.com.
      “The Hawaiian Electric Companies must submit their final Power Supply Improvement Plans to the state Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 1,” Curtis states. “These plans are supposed to reveal the utilities’ plans for the near, intermediate and long term.
      “One bone of contention is how willing, or unwilling, the utility has been, and is being, regarding the continued growth in Distributed Energy Resources in general and rooftop solar in particular.
      “The HECO Companies wrote in their April 1, 2016 Updated and Revised PSIP, ‘Throughout the process of creating our 2016 updated PSIPs, we have actively sought input from the Parties by thoroughly assessing their January 2016 submissions to the Commission and by engaging the Parties in a series of conferences, meetings, and one-on-one dialogs.’

Henry Curtis

      “Energy stakeholders have noted that seeking input, and actually incorporating input, are two quite different animals. There is a strong belief that the HECO Companies are resisting efforts to increasing on-site generation, and are not using computer models that actually are capable of optimizing Distributed Energy Resources.

      “Hawai`i Electric Light Company just filed its application for a 6.5 percent rate increase.
      “Initial review by some energy stakeholders question whether the 6.5 percent rate hike can be justified.
      “One issue is whether the utility has met the requirement of the Commission to contain and reduce costs.
      “Is a higher rate of return needed to pay for capital to finance projects, in light of the decoupling financial mechanism, which lowered risks to the utility? Since the utility is a safe investment choice, why should the cost to borrow funds increase?
      “A second issue is whether the utility should be fully compensated by ratepayers for fighting the use of rooftop solar?
      “HECO billed HELCO $954,700 for expenses related to hiring outside consultants. This included nearly $100,000 administrative costs for handling the outside costs.
        “The HELCO rate case documents give almost no information on why various outside contractors were hired. …
      “There is scant information about why these consultants were hired, what they are contributing to the utility in 2016, or how contracts with these firms are in the public interest, and therefore, why ratepayers and not shareholders should pay their tab.
      “There are statements in the rate case filing which assert that the utilities were able to get discounts from vendors. Thus, the utilities believe they met the Commission requirement that costs be contained. The utilities assert that details of these savings cannot be revealed to ratepayers. Rather, HELCO will share it with the Commission under the terms of a future confidential Protective Order.”
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Learn from the Public Access Room tomorrow.

HAWAI`I LEGISLATURE’S PUBLIC ACCESS ROOM, a division of the Legislative Reference Bureau, explains how to influence state laws tomorrow at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village at 12 p.m. and Ocean View Community Center at 6 p.m. A drop-in office hour takes place before each event, where attendees can stop in with questions or pick up information.

      Contact PAR to register for the workshop, or just drop in. For more information, call 974-4000, ext. 7-0478, email par@capitol.hawaii.gov, or see lrbhawaii.org/par.

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT MEETS with Ka`u residents Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE BRYON YASUI AND NOREEN NAUGHTON speak about the creative process and how Hawai`i informs and inspires their art forms Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

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

See kaucalendar.com.

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