Ka`u News Briefs March 24, 2011

Aesthetician Ursula D'Angelo, of Beauty Calls, visited Ka`u Coffee Pageant candidates to teach them about skin care,
including the application of masks with natural ingredients such as seaweed.  Photo by Nalani Parlin

THE HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY decided yesterday to spend $3 million to shore up the visitor industry following a drop in Japanese arrivals after the devastation of the tsunami on Honshu Island. HTA expects continued cancellation of reservations, with losses statewide through June mounting to $200 million. HTA plans to target China, Korea, Australia and the West Coast in an attempt to make up for the loss. With the state dependent on Japanese tourism tax income, the governor has asked the Council on Revenues to make a new projection for tourism, in order to project the income side of the state budget before it is finalized. More state budget cuts may be on the horizon.

This mobile weather station is designed to gather data
for fighting fires.  Photo from Napau Fire Crew

CHAIN OF CRATERS ROAD and Napau Trail were closed yesterday, about six miles from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center. Helicopters dropped water to cool hot spots and slowed the progress of the wildfire that has now burned more than 2,000 acres. Fire crews were able to fight both flanks of the fire, but there is still no containment. The Napau Fire is about seven miles southeast of Kilauea Visitor Center. Fire Incident Commander Robin Wills said that yesterday was the first day they were able to work successfully with their planning strategy - with all the firefighters’ parts and pieces. 

     The crews are particularly bent on saving the Special Ecological Area, an intact lowland rainforest which has been managed to exclude invasive species and restore native plants and animals. They include ama trees and sandalwood, the Hawaiian bat, Hawaiian hawk,  `apapane and `amakihi honeycreepers, carnivorous caterpillars, as well as the happyface spider.
     The crew numbers more than 40 and is comprised of firefighters from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Whiskeytown National Recreation area, and other parks and national forests.
      Infrared mapping reveals that most of the fire burned single logs, standing dead trees, stumps and large areas of dead vegetation, mostly on the southeast perimeter. Remote automated weather stations are predicting weather factors related to fire. About 2,000 of these weather stations are placed around the U.S., and fire managers can bring them in from Boise, Idaho, where the National Fire Agency Office is located.

The community reefer at the old S&S Dairy for families
who raise and slaughter for home use.

SAVING THE REEFER at the old S&S Dairy just outside Na`alehu is an ongoing fundraising effort for Kaohi Mokuhali`i, the volunteer reefer keeper who keeps the cold storage locker open for local families who raise cattle, pigs and other livestock. In recent weeks she has been selling cinnamon bread from Punalu`u Bakeshop, just to help pay the electric bill, which can be almost $1,000 a month. The reefer is on land leased by Alfred Galimba and Kuahiwi Ranch, and Mokuhali‘i takes care of it, keeping the key to manage access, keeping it clean, and paying the bills. 

Reefer keeper
Kaohi Mokuhali`i

     Mokuhali‘i said that raising livestock and slaughtering for the family is a long tradition in Ka`u, and the community reefer is necessary to keep meat affordable. To buy tickets for the cinnamon bread, call 938-9040 by tomorrow. 

ONE JOURNEY, the high school band with a new CD and music video, is still raising money to fund its trip to the statewide Brown Bags to Stardom talent contest on O`ahu in April. At a recent fundraiser at this radio station, produced by Ka`u Productions, Inc., the band raised money and sold out its CDs but is still short about $500. Donations can be dropped by the radio station or Ka`u High School. One Journey, led by high school music teacher Laura Saijo, has received a lot of attention for its music video shown on OC16 television. The top song is Lovers Dream, written by singer Eunice Longakit and James Tyson. 

AESTHETICIAN Ursula D'Angelo, of Beauty Calls, has been working with Kaʻū Coffee Pageant candidates to help them care for their skin. "It's never too early to start taking care of your skin," advised D'Angelo. She brought fresh ingredients that can be found in the home - such as honey, avocado, oatmeal, green tea and yogurt - and let the girls concoct their own facial masks. The girls topped off their faces with seaweed, which is used in spa treatments to smooth and tone skin. The pageant is Saturday, April 23, and tickets can be purchased from the contenders.

YESTERDAY THE KA`U TROJAN Varsity baseball team took down Pahoa in Pahala, defeating them 7-6. Ka`u got off to a great start, scoring all of twice in the first inning, four in the second and once in the third. They held the Daggers to one run until the fourth inning. The Daggers picked up speed in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring four runs and keeping Ka`u scoreless. However, it was not enough to defeat the mighty Trojans. Callen Koi hit a triple and went three for four, and Dillin Ballo hit a double and went two for four. The big hitter of the day was James Dacalio, coming up with a home run in the third inning.

Ka`u News Briefs March 23, 2011

Olive ridley turtle.  Photo courtesy of Seaturtle.net

THE TURTLE PROJECT reports a very successful season, not only for thousands of baby hawksbills leaving their nests to reach the ocean along Ka`u’s coast, but for a rare olive ridley turtle, whose nest was found and protected at the end of Road to the Sea. The olive ridley nest was saved from the surf and protected by volunteers at `Awili Point. It was the fourth documented nesting of a ridley in Hawai`i. 

Baby olive ridley turtles.  Photo courtesy of the
Hawai`i Volcanoes Hawksbill Turtle Project

     The hawksbills did well, with 39 nests on six beaches: Apua Point and Halape inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park; Kamehame, The Nature Conservancy preserve makai of Pahala; Koloa-Ninole near Punalu`u; Pohue Bay and `Awili. No nests were found at Punalu`u this year. More than 40 volunteers helped to protect these rare turtles at the 40 nests along the Ka`u coast. Hawai`i Volcanoes Hawksbill Turtle Project leader Will Seitz said that more than 4,000 hatchlings made it safely to the ocean, where they will spend the rest of their lives. 

TRACE AMOUNTS of radiation reached Hawai`i yesterday, emanating from the Fukushima nuclear plants that were broken by the tsunami just off the coast of Japan on March 10. The state Department of Health stated that data from Hawai`i RadNet monitors showed no risk of harmful radiation to Hawai`i residents. In Japan, radiation entered the drinking water in Tokyo and into milk, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips and other fresh foods grown near the nuclear plant, but none of the affected foods are being shipped to Hawai`i. 

Older construction, like this home at Okoe Bay, was exempt from setbacks from high tide lines and
  restrictions from building on ground level within inundations zones.  Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

TSUNAMI DAMAGE SEEN around Hawai`i Island hit many structures that would be prohibited from being constructed under today’s building code and setbacks from the ocean. Buildings are usually required to be at least 40 feet beyond the highest wash of the waves. Inside inundation and flood zones, buildings must be constructed with strong materials and high off the ground to let the ocean wash under and through them. The wrecked beach houses at Kapua, Okoe and Honomolino near Miloli`i, as well as the huts along the shore at Kona Village and restaurants hanging close to the bay on Ali`i Drive were all constructed before strict regulations were adopted. The news service Civil Beat quoted Hawai`i County Program Planning Manager Mark Bennett as saying that it might be a good idea to change state law to create a setback farther than 40 feet from the high-tide mark, particularly for properties where the shoreline is variable with a high rate or erosion. A proposal by Coastal Hazard Mitigation Specialist Dennis Hwang of University of Hawai`i Sea Grant program calls for increased setbacks, said Civil Beat. 

REP. BOB HERKES, who has championed disaster preparedness at the state Legislature, is pushing for more mapping of the islands for risk management for tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and other natural phenomena. Sophisticated mapping can layer various disaster risks to help direct planning for new development and delivery of emergency services, said Herkes. 

COUNCIL MEMBER BRITTANY SMART said that she is working hard to secure some $20 million from the state to build a new gym in Pahala that would also serve as a disaster shelter, not only for tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions but also for short-term protection from bad air during vog events. The location is by the tennis courts next to the Ka`u High School campus on land owned by the county. It would be a county facility open to the schools and public for sports and other events. A state bond would be floated to pay for it, and the county is working on a design-build proposal for Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s consideration. Sen. Gil Kahele visited the site last weekend.

Ka`u News Briefs March 22, 2011

Tutu & Me participants Lola DeMotte, Makana Toriano, Uncle Gordon Toriano,  Ian Beck, Penny Burgess,
Jayden Haina- Sesson and Uncle Jeffrey Ha`alilio shower the ohia tree they just planted with water and aloha.
Photo by Nalani Parlin

FLAMES WERE VISIBLE along the south flank of the Napau Fire in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Monday, as helicopters shuttled crews and equipment into the fire area to begin mopping up hot spots. More than 1,900 acres have burned, and there is no forecast as to when the fire could be contained. The Napau Fire is approximately seven miles southeast of Kilauea Visitor Center on the east rift of Kilauea Volcano. It is a lava-caused wildfire from the March 5, 2011 Kamoamoa Fissure Eruption. 

History of the Napau fire in
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

     As firefighters begin cooling and mop-up operations along the north flank of the fire perimeter after establishing secure safety zones, standing dead trees and snags pose high-hazard safety issues. The north flank has the greatest potential to threaten the east rift Special Ecological Area. Fire engines are patrolling the Chain of Craters Road and near the front of the fire, said Gary Wuchner, Napau Fire Information Officer. In addition to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area firefighters, others from Olympic National Park and the U.S. Forest Service in Eldorado, Sequoia, Stanislaus and Los Padres National Forests in California are helping to fight the fire. Chain of Craters Road is open after being closed for the fire, but could be closed again should conditions change. 

Meyer Camp Road, where the biofuels refinery would be located,
about 1.7 miles from Pahala.  Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

A MEASURE SUPPORTED BY `AINA KOA PONO that would allow Hawaiian Electric Industries to spread alternative energy costs among its customers across the state is headed for a hearing before the House Finance Committee. The new legislation was introduced after the Public Utilities Commission rejected a proposal from Hawaiian Electric to increase electric bills in Maui, O`ahu and Hawai`i Counties to pay for biofuel that Hawaiian Electric Light Co. plans to buy from `Aina Koa Pono’s factory and farm planned for Pahala. The PUC ruled that customers on the other islands could not be charged for the cost of electricity they do not receive. 

     In testimony before the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, `Aina Koa Pono partner Chris Eldridge asked the Legislature to pass a new law that would allow the rate increase across the islands. He said that his hui’s contract with Hawaiian Electric to purchase the biofuel is the cornerstone on which they are financing and developing the biofuel refinery and farm planned for Ka`u. He said the contract with HELCO is threatened by the PUC ruling and contended that while “biofuel will soon be cheaper than petroleum-based fuel, it will be more expensive for the first few years while the industry is developing.”
     He said the biofuel refinery will “significantly advance the statewide goal of developing clean and independent energy sources, and will insulate the state from spikes in the price of petroleum fuel. Accordingly, any short-term rate increases in utility rates as a result of this project should be allocated across the state.”
     Said Eldridge, “If the allocation of project costs is not allowed, large-scale biofuel projects like AKP will not succeed.”

New PUC director
Mina Morita

     Rep. Bob Herkes chairs the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee. The measure passed and now goes to the House Finance Committee. The only public testimony on the measure has come from `Aina Koa Pono and Hawaiian Electric. 

     If the measure passes the House and Senate, the Public Utilities Commission, now headed by Mina Morita, would reconsider the electric company’s proposed rate increase to pay for the biofuels.
     `Aina Koa Pono has promised hundreds of jobs for Pahala. The refinery would be on eight acres along Meyer Camp Road, four-tenths of a mile off Wood Valley Road. The land to be farmed to grow grasses to feed the refinery would be on some 11,000 acres between Wood Valley Road and Na`alehu, `Aina Koa Pono representatives say.

A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN for all of Hawai`i County can be seen online, and comments are encouraged. The plan, sponsored by the county and the Federal Highway Administration, was written after a three-day conference on the issue, supported by People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawai`i, Island Planning and other stakeholders. It calls for communities designing safe pedestrian and vehicular traffic, from walking to bicycling, to driving cars and trucks and hauling freight. How to make the roads and highways safe involves engineering for paved shoulders, sidewalks, driveways, access, and illumination; signage and crosswalks; land use and site design; education; enforcement; data analysis; funding and involvement of the public. 

People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii provides a simulated street for the
classroom to help teach road safety to young students in the schools.
Photo courtesy of PATH

     Such classes as Pedestrian Education teach children to walk across streets safely. Students can celebrate a Walk to School Day, learning the protocol of intersections.
     Of particular concern are the high-speed highways through rural towns like Na`alehu and Ocean View. The community could think about more ways to slow people down not only for safety but for the enjoyment of motoring through these communities. The proposed scenic byways plan for Ka`u could also include safety provisions for traffic and pedestrians, said Laura Dierenfield, executive director of PATH. 

TUTU & ME starts its preschool program that involves parents and kupuna today at Pahala Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The program is free and will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is available to children five years of age and under, accompanied by a parent or grandparent. Tutu & Me seeks to promote positive interaction between caregivers and keiki while teaching early education skills. Anyone is welcome to stop by this morning to check out the program or call the office at 929-8571.