Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 22, 2011

Hawai`i Islands Land Trust executive director Dale Bonar, Edmund C. Olson
and The Nature Conservancy Hawai`i executive director Suzanne Case
during a ceremony yesterday thanking Olson for placing
conservation easements on his land.

THE KAMA`OA ROAD DISPUTE was put to rest this week when the County Council decided not to reconsider the proposal to sell off the 1.5-mile remnant on the west end of Kama`oa Road to private landowners. Ka`u’s County Council member Brittany Smart opposed selling off the road, saying it could set a precedent for selling off remnant roads elsewhere to private parties who could gate and block them from public access to beaches and to hunting, gathering and hiking trails. She said the county will work on removing the gate that for decades has blocked public access to the portion of Kama`oa Road on the Kona side of South Point Road. 

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS LAND TRUST, a recently formed collaboration of land trusts from around the state, announced yesterday the completion of a preservation agreement with Edmund C. Olson to protect 1,276 acres on O`ahu and 907 acres in the Honu`apo ahupua`a above the cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu. The land is being used for pasture by the Galimba and Andrade families. A small section of the land is native forest and will remain pristine, while the rest of the land will be conserved for agriculture. Cultural sites on the property will also be protected. Within the next few months, Olson and the Land Trust are expected to complete the preservation of more than 8,000 acres of conservation and agricultural land owned by the Olson Trust in Ka`u. The Nature Conservancy is also working on the project.

Bana Grass is one of the plants being
considered for growing biofuel
crops between Pahala and Na`alehu.

THE HAWAI`I AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER on O`ahu is studying options for growing biofuel plants for Ka`u and is expected to provide various sugar cane and Bana grass varieties for test plots on lands above Pahala within the next two months. Stephanie Whalen, director of the organization, said there is an opportunity to integrate ranching, forestry and biofuel production. Livestock can be rotated through freshly harvested croplands and allowed to graze in woodlands in a manner that will allow the biofuels feedstocks and trees to grow. Aina Koa Pono, which is leasing some 8,000 acres from the Olson Trust, plans to meet with ranchers who have month-to-month tenancy on the property to come up with an integrated plan for continued ranching, said spokesman Alexander Causey. 

AINA KOA PONO is also working on plans to build a biofuels processing plant on the edge of Pahala, where it will use a microwave process to produce fuels for the Hawai`i Electric Light Company power plant in Kona.

THE KA`U FEDERAL CREDIT UNION is once again offering free income tax preparation services through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program to the community. VITA promotes tax understanding, awareness and provides worthwhile benefits. Taxpayers may call KFCU at 929-7334, ext. 205 to make an appointment with a VITA volunteer. Appointment times are: Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.; Fridays 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; and Saturdays 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. from Feb. 2 through April 15.

HUNDREDS OF KEIKI ARE CONVENING at `O Ka`u Kakou’s annual Keiki Fishing Tournament at Punalu`u Beach this morning. The competition offers many prizes in various categories. It’s a family day, as keiki must be accompanies by adults.

Tierra Negra and Muriel Anderson will offer a free concert this Wednesday
night at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.

TIERRA NEGRA & MURIEL ANDERSON present their New World Flamenco music this Sunday at 4 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater and again on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Daniel Ho, the Grammy-winning composer and music producer, recommends their music to everyone. Anderson is one of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists. She is the first woman to win the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championships. The concert at Pahala Plantation House at 7 p.m. on Wednesday is free and open to everyone.

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 21, 2011

`O Ka`u Kakou's annual fishing tournament will be held tomorrow at Punalu`u Beach.

COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART said her trip to the opening of the state legislature on Wednesday was very successful in terms of gaining support for Ka`u. She said she has high hopes for being able to get funding for the community disaster shelter and gymnasium in Pahala. She talked with legislators and the governor.

KA`U FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT Chris Manfredi spoke at the legislature this week, cautioning the state to refrain from adding a layer of new food safety laws on the state level before the federal government releases its own new food safety laws. He said that adding layer upon layer of regulations would be tough on farmers and businesses buying farm products.

CHRIS MANFREDI is also the vice president and legislative liaison for the Hawai`i Farm Bureau. He recently traveled to Atlanta for the annual national Farm Bureau convention and to Washington, D.C. to talk with members of Congress. In an op-ed piece he released to statewide media he said the needs of Hawai`i’s farmers and ranchers are straightforward. “We require land, water, labor, transportation and markets. We require science and technology to manage today’s problems and pests. We need these elements at rates that allow us to be profitable. Without these things, there is no agriculture.
     Regarding food security, he said the warning signs are evident. “We must move toward sustainability by producing safe and healthy food, flowers, foliage, fiber and fuel for our fellow citizens. We have a duty to do this. The economics of the food supply have favored imports, causing our local food system to atrophy. The solution is up to you,” said Manfredi. “If you eat, you have a stake in agriculture.”
     “If you value food security, you must create the demand. You must buy local, demand local of your grocer and dine in restaurants that do. Our future hangs in the balance,” he said.

THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL will hold its next meeting this coming Monday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. The date for the 2011 festival has been set for Miss Ka`u Coffee on Friday, May 13; the ho`olaule`a, recipe contest and sales and displays on Saturday, May 14 and education Sunday, May 15. As with the Kona Coffee Festival, many community members beyond the coffee farming community are needed to make the festival a success. Everyone is invited to volunteer.

Blossom DaSilva is sworn in as president of Ka`u's Hawaiian Civic Club.

THE KA`U HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB HELD it annual meeting last night with a feast, installation of officers and entertainment at Pahala Plantation House. Officers are president Blossom DaSilva, first vice president Liz Kuluwaimaka, second vice president Hannah Uribes, secretary Pauahi Pulham, treasurer Lehua Lopez-Mau, and directors Raylene Moses, Debbie Wong Yuen and Shanda Davis-Fujikawa.

THE ANNUAL `O KA`U KAKOU Keiki Fishing Tournament at Punalu`u takes place tomorrow. The tournament is catch-and-release, using poles and barbless hooks. Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m. for fishing from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Many prizes will be awarded.

A FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT will be held next Wednesday, January 26 at Pahala Plantation House at 7 p.m. featuring Muriel Anderson and Tierra Negra, a musical group that will also be performing this weekend in Volcano. 

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 20, 2011

Police Chief Harry Kubojiri encourages Pahala residents to ramp up Neighborhood Watch.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT met with Ka`u residents yesterday at Pahala Community Center. Police Chief Harry Kubojiri told community members that he wants them to feel comfortable connecting with HPD representatives - from Andre Burian, the commander of the Ka`u district and James O Conner, commander of Internal Affairs and Criminal Intelligence, to Ka`u’s community Police Officer Dane Shibuya.
     The police chief said that community meetings and a recent online survey of community concerns “helps us all to improve our services to help you. We are not perfect as an organization. We always can have improvement. The best person to give us our report card is you, the community,” Kubojiri said.
     He described Pahala as a community like the old days where everyone knows each other and can take care of one another. When asked whether there is less crime in this kind of rural, laid-back community, he said the problem is that nowadays people travel from other parts of the island to commit crimes and even fly in from off-island to rip off houses and businesses.
     He and other officers encouraged Pahala residents to ramp up the Neighborhood Watch program and report problems in the community so police can talk to people in trouble to help them get back on the right track.
     Burian summarized the status of issues brought up at previous meetings. He said the camping at Kawa by the Abel Simiona Louie group is being worked on by the county prosecutor’s office. A supporter of Louie told the police that there was new proof that Louie is entitled to live there because of his ancestry. The police chief said that the dispute is not with their department but that police want to make sure everyone is safe.

Legal cattle like these were being displaced by "cattle trespassers"
putting their herds on other people's lands.

CATTLE TRESPASSING was one of the problems brought up. It is a crime to put cattle on pasture without the owner’s permission. Last year a group of people claimed that their ancestors having owned the land gave them the right to introduce and graze cattle even though the land is now owned or leased by other ranchers. The problem pit some paniolo against the trespassers, but “seems to have remedied itself,” said Burian. 

RACING CARS ON HWY 11 was another issue brought up to police. Marian Villanueva and Guy Enriques both talked about a stretch of Hwy 11 near Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, where there is signage to watch for Nene geese. They reported several incidents of cars side by side on both sides of the highway, using the stretch for racing. Gary Domondon said he was hunting and could hear them burning rubber. Others said there are skid marks from the race cars on the highway. Police said they would try to catch them.

JUNK CARS is another issue, and Burian encouraged the community to continue to call in reports. He said more than 40 abandoned vehicles were recently removed through police working with other county agencies and landowners.

TRAPPING WILD DOGS is also important where they are a nuisance and a danger to the public, police officers said. The Humane Society has traps for which there is no charge. They will pick up the dogs once they are caught.

TO MAKE COMPLAINTS about any policing matter, the police officers said it is most efficient to call Dispatch at 935-3311 since the calls are tracked and the reports can sometimes be linked to similar activity in other parts of the island.

`O KA`U KAKOU'S ANNUAL KEIKI Fishing Tournament at Punalu`u takes place this Saturday, January 22. The tournament is catch-and-release, using poles and barbless hooks. Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m. for fishing from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Many prizes will be awarded.