Ka`u News Briefs August 18, 2011

Some 13,000 acres between Wood Valley and Na`alehu would be set aside for biofuel farms.  Photo by Julia Neal

BIOFUEL DEVELOPER `AINA KOA PONO will host a public meeting at Pahala Community Center on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. according to the Office of Councilmember Brittany Smart. The company plans a question-and-answer session and to update the public on its plans for a refinery between Pahala and Wood Valley and a biofuel farm on 13,000 acres near the refinery and along the old sugar cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu. The company promised to hold monthly meetings with the community. The last was Feb. 21 in Pahala.

Organic gardening is part of
Pacific Quest's program.

PACIFIC QUEST, which operates a wilderness and agricultural therapy program for youth in Ka`u, is asking for a permit to also operate in Hilo. Pacific Quest wants to establish a living facility on resort-zoned land in Waiakea. A public hearing will be held in the County Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. 

     According to its website pacificquest.org, Pacific Quest aims at helping emotionally distraught teenagers by putting them in stress-free, outdoor environments, and teaching them sustainable life skills like gardening, and physical and emotional health. Pacific Quest has 10 acres of land between Pahala and Na`alehu, seven of which are a certified organic farm and the other three a retreat. The hearing will also consider the revocation of a permit allowing the company to establish a community health center in Waiakea.

THE COUNTY’S DECISION in June to stop bringing free mulch made from green waste to Ka`u is receiving some criticism. Ka`u coffee farmers successfully petitioned Mayor Billy Kenoi to end the program in Ka`u to help stop the spread of coffee berry borers that invaded the district, most likely from Kona. This has made access to mulch more difficult for some farmers and gardeners. Ocean View resident Stephen I. Adler wrote to The Ka`u Calendar expressing his concern over the impact the decision has on farmers not engaged in the coffee business. “Most residents,” he said, “cannot afford to buy needed dirt, mulch or compost. We mix mulch with cinders to make quality dirt. Why should coffee growers have preference over us?” The county Department of Environmental Management has issued a Request For Proposals for mulch to be made that is pest-free, and could consider returning mulch to Ka`u once the new process is in operation.

NAMES OF FIVE FIRE CHIEF CANDIDATES have been released by the county Department of Human Resources. Aaron Arbles, Glen Honda, Gerald Kosaki, Paul Paiva, and Darren Rosari applied to succeed fire chief Darryl Oliveira, who officially retired on Aug. 1 but has agreed to volunteer as temporary fire chief until the next chief is selected. The Fire Commission will host two public hearings and meetings to interview applicants and take public input. The first will be Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 9 a.m. at the Department of Liquor Control Conference Room and the second on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center. Those interested may submit testimony by mail to the Fire Commission, Corporation Counsel, 333 Kilauea Ave., 2nd Floor, Hilo, HI 96720, or by email to the Commission secretary at jkualii@co.hawaii.hi.us. Testimony must be submitted by Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 4:30 p.m.

THE NEW BUILDING CODE approved in July in a five-to-four vote by the County Council was rescinded, said the Office of Councilmember Brittany Smart. Reconsideration of Bill 270 was postponed for 30 days and will be subject to two public meetings. The bill may be viewed at http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=756796&page=1&dbid=0. For further information call the Department of Public Works Building Division at 961-8331.

FERNANDA BLEW into the Central Pacific overnight as a tropical storm and is expected to turn more westerly and weaken into a remnant low by the time it passes south of the Big Island on Monday. Early this morning, Fernanda’s maximum sustained winds were 65 mph with higher gusts, and she was about 1,040 miles east–southeast of South Point, heading northwest at 13 mph.

BLUEGRASS MUSICIANS return to Pahala Plantation House this coming Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. with the same group of musicians who brought down the house in March when they performed in Ka`u. Tyson Alteri sings and plays lead mandolin and co-founded Rockygrass Band Competition in Lyon, Colorado. He now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Katy Rexford sings and plays lead fiddle. She grew up in North Carolina, playing violin in her public school orchestra at age 8. She plays Old Tyme, Country Blues, Irish, Cajun and Western Swing. She lives in San Francisco and sings with the Whisky Richards and Mississippi Rider. She has played and toured with Boz Scaggs, Michelle Shocked, Del Williams and Jesse Jay Harris. Rion Schmidt sings and plays lead banjo. He is a 15-year veteran of the banjo and has been teaching for 10 years. His style of driving Bluegrass banjo was honed in the rugged mountains of Alaska among the glaciers and grizzlies. The stand-up bass player will be Shea McKusic, who is also famous for her Johnny Cash and June Carter duets. Also joining in will be Keoki Kahumoku and friends.
     The concert is free, but donations accepted for the musicians. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House this coming Tuesday.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS, this Saturday in Pahala, will bring together not only stories of days gone by, but many maps, books, photos, charts and other documents from the sugar plantation will be on display. One displaced sugar worker who used to operate a crane at the sugar mill is Manuel Marques, who will display his new business, growing and selling Ka`u Coffee. He will serve it to the public and talk about his transition from sugar to award-winning Ka`u Coffee.
     The event will be held at Pahala Plantation House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Ka`u sugar mill. The anniversary will celebrate history of the plantation and the evolution of agriculture in Ka`u. The event begins at 9 a.m. with parading of a retired Ka`u sugar cane truck from Pahala Armory to the corner of Pikake and Maile Streets in front of the old manager’s house.
     Lunch will celebrate the town’s diversity with Filipino, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese food. Displays of Chinese life and the other ethnic groups from the town will be at stations around the yard and in the house. There will be Portuguese and Filipino dancing throughout the day and a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala.

HVO geophysicist Mike Poland.  Photo from USGS

GEOPHYSICIST MIKE POLAND of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will give an eruption update next Tuesday at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Poland will shed light on Kilauea’s March Kamoamoa fissure eruption and discuss Pu`u `O`o’s current activity. The floor of the Pu`u `O`o vent on Kilauea’s east rift zone collapsed in March. Lava erupted between Napau and Pu`u `O`o, beginning the Kamoamoa fissure eruption that reached over a mile long. The discussion is part of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s After Dark in the Park program. The event begins at 7 p.m. 

Ka`u News Briefs August 17, 2011

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando says "a different approach" is proposed for the new management plan.
Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK hosts public talk story sessions next week on options for a new General Management Plan. The plan can be read online at the park website.

    All session will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22 at Kilauea Visitor Center, Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Pahoa Community Center, and Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Na`alehu Community Center.
    The General Plan was last implemented over 30 years ago. In the meantime the park has more than doubled in size, acquiring more than 117,000 acres at Kahuku, stretching high across the slopes of Mauna Loa, to Volcano. In addition, the number of park goers has grown dramatically, making Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park one of the most visited places in all of Hawai`i.
    Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said options for the new plan offer “a different approach to managing park resources as well as a variety of ways to meet the needs of local residents, off-island visitors and students of all ages who continue to come each year to experience this special place.”
    The Park asks for comments to be sent by Sept. 30 online by going to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havo or by mail to Cindy Orlando, Superintendent, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718.

Small shrimp in anchialine ponds in Ka`u.

TWO RARE SHRIMP are among wildlife species living on and adjacent to Nani Kahuku `Aina’s 16,457 acres where the Kahuku Village resort development project is planned. According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the company to the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, Halocaridina rubra and Metabetaeus Iohena are found in several of 17 anchialine ponds. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website lists the lohena shrimp as a candidate for the endangered species list.

The tiny native shrimp are sometime collected to keep in bowls.

The Draft EIS states that ponds along the coast would not be greatly affected by runoff discharged into marine environments by the resort development and its golf course. Installation of silt fences, temporary ground cover, and directing runoff onto the golf course itslef, and onto low areas, retention/detention basins, or injection wells would help prevent runoff effects.

      The Draft EIS also states that Nani Kahuku `Aina would take measures to preserve Hawksbill turtle nesting habitats at Pohu`e Bay and continue to partner with the Hawksbill Turtle Recovery project. Lights shining directly into the ocean would be prohibited. Lights near the coast would be shielded and of low output to prevent disorientating turtles. A planned Hawaiian Heritage Center would monitor nesting grounds, conduct beach cleanups, and regulate shoreline access, the Draft EIS states.
    The Draft EIS also notes that predominance of lava rock in the landscape may require drilling and/or explosives to clear land for construction. Flyrock debris could cause physical harm and dust, and vibrations from explosives may damage nearby structures, the Draft EIS states and suggests limiting the amount of explosives used and establishing sufficient buffer zones around blast areas. 
    Public comments on the Draft EIS are due Sept. 21. The area planned for a golf course, hotel and condominium units, shopping and other resort living amenities would need land use changes from Conservation to Urban and Rural and zoning changes to Resort and other categories. The land is along five miles of coast between South Point - Kalae and Ocean View Ranchos, makai of Hwy 11 and can be seen from the Ocean View scenic lookout and from Kahuku. The Draft EIS can be seen online at the state Department of Health, in the section on the Office of Environmental Quality Control.

Abandoned wind mill farm targeted for copper. Photo by Julia Neal

COPPER CABLES are reported stolen from the old South Point Wind Farm. Police said cables from the abandoned wind farm on South Point Road were about 40-feet long and 4- to 6-inches in diameter and covered with black plastic coating. The copper cables are estimated to be worth $50,000. The Wind Farm shut down years ago, replaced by larger, more efficient windmills closer to the coast at the Pakini Nui Wind Farm. The theft is among several reported heavy copper-gauge cables stolen in Ka`u in the last month. Police ask anyone with information on suspicious activity at the wind farm or with possible knowledge of the thefts to call Officer Dane Shibuya at 939-2520 or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous tipsters may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

TROPICAL STORM FERNANDA is unlikely to strengthen and become a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Fernanda is moving 8 mph west and was about 1,290 miles southeast of Hilo at 5 a.m. The five-day forecast puts Fernanda about 270 miles southeast of the shores of Ka`u this Sunday as a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center is warning, however, that people should be prepared, in case the forecast changes. One of the tracking models does take Fernanda directly into South Point. The Pacific Hurricane Center takes over monitoring the storm tonight when it crosses the 140W longitude line.

A 3.3 MAGNITUDE quake hit 1 mile northwest of Pahala today. No damage was reported but windows and shelves rattled throughout the area at 11:20 a.m.

SENATOR GILL KAHELE will hold a public forum with constituents from District 2 on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village. The meeting is sponsored by his senate office to prepare for the next legislative session that begins in January. “I look forward to the opportunity to have an open and frank discussion that will better help me to address the needs of our communities,” he said. 

HAWAI`I WILD LIFE FUND has announced its late summer and fall beach cleanup schedule. The Get the Drift & Bag It! 26th Annual International Coastal Cleanup will be Saturday, Sept. 17. Get the Drift brings volunteers from all over the state to document debris found on all of Hawai`i’s beaches.

Kamilo Beach photo from EcoBuildTrends

    Surfrider Hilo Chapter, Hawai`i Community College, and the University of Hawaii in Hilo, will kokua Hawai`i Wildlife Fund for the Ka`u cleanup.

Volunteers meet in Wai'ōhinu Park at 7:45 a.m. to drive to Kamilo Point and Ka'alu'alu Bay. A second cleanup Nov. 17 will gather debris along an undetermined part of the Ka`u coastline. Volunteers are urged to bring sturdy footwear, sun and wind protection, and a reusable water bottle, and a bag lunch. HWF will supply cleanup materials. Vehicles are required to have four-wheel drive to reach the site. Volunteers will set out to the sites at 8 a.m. and finish cleaning at around 2 p.m.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS invites everyone to bring their photos, their memorabilia and their voices to talk story about the agricultural heritage in Ka`u that produced the unique multicultural community that thrives here. The event, this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be held at Pahala Plantation House. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Ka`u sugar mill. The anniversary will celebrate history of the plantation and the evolution of agriculture in Ka`u. The event begins at 9 a.m. with parading of a retired Ka`u sugar cane truck. The route will be from Pahala Armory to the corner of Pikake and Maile Streets in front of the old manager’s house.
    The Plantation House will host a presentation on old pictures of the sugar mill, Pahala, and sugar workers and their families. Lunch will celebrate the town’s diversity with Filipino, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese food. Displays of Chinese life and the other ethnic groups form the town will be at stations around the yard and in the house. There will be Portuguese and Filipino dancing throughout the day and a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala.

The old truck shed at the Ka`u Sugar Plantation is now used for macadamia farming equipment. Photo by Julia Neal

Ka`u News Briefs August 16, 2011

A Hawaiian monk seal takes shelter at Honu`apo.  Photo by Julia Neal

THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER and Hawai`i Wildlife Fund are raising $3.2 million for a Hawaiian monk seal healthcare facility on the Big Island. The center would be built on land leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority. “Such a facility,” according to the Marine Mammal Center website, “could not only provide emergency medical care to sick and injured monk seals, but could also be used to help baby seals successfully reach the age of three, after which their survival rate increases to 70 percent.” The Hawaiian monk seal is a critically endangered species with only 1,500 left, most living in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, where they are struggling. 

     Monk seals frequent the Ka`u Coast, sometimes interacting with fishermen and swimming in the brackish waters of Honu`apo estuary. Ka`u, with its long and uninhabited coast, may provide the monk seal the needed secured space to flourish.

MONK SEAL RECOVERY is the aim of plans by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which will hold town hall meetings on its draft Programic Environmental Impact Statement. NOAA Fisheries Service staff will discuss the status of monk seals and proposed recovery strategies and answer questions. The meetings will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Keaukaha Elementary School on Desha St. in Hilo and on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center on Keohokalole Hwy in Kona. The public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo.

Nani Kahuku `Aina's proposed Kahuku Village development
would require reclassification of some 1,600 acres.

THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is Sept. 21 for Nani Kahuku `Aina’s proposed Kahuku Village development on 16,457 acres makai of Hwy 11 between South Point and Ocean View. The land, which can be seen looking makai from the scenic lookout along Hwy 11 near Ocean View and from Kahuku Ranch and South Point bluffs, includes five miles of coastline and Pohue Bay, which is famous for the nesting of the endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle. 

     Upon completion of its first phase, Kahuku Village would have approximately 1,650 units, including condominiums, hotel rooms, golf course homes, villas and estates. Developers promise a Hawaiian Heritage Center, protection of the turtles, a veterans health center with 130 beds and helipad, land for a school and civic center, two community parks, and some 24 acres of shopping center and other commercial development.
     In order to proceed, the developers would have to receive reclassification by the state Land Use Commission of some 1,600 acres from Conservation to Urban and Rural. Developers would also need county zoning changes to allow specific types of development and to determine density. The developers say they would leave 5,800 acres in Conservation, 728 acres in Open along the coast, change 1,400 acres to Rural and put 180 acres into Resort.
     The Draft EIS describes the area as dry with lava rock predominating. The study says it is unused for agriculture and has little potential for growing food or other commercial crops.
     The Draft EIS can be seen on the state Department of Health’s website for the Office of Environmental Quality Control.

HAWAIIAN BIOFUELS COULD PROVE COSTLY is the headline of a Civil Beat story by Sophie Cocke, who writes that the proposed biofuel surcharge for the `Aina Koa Pono Project may be significant to Hawaiian Electric customers. She writes that there is a lack of transparency to the public in pricing information, although Hawaiian Electric is proposing to raise customer rates to help pay for it. The contract between the Hawaiian Electric and AKP is only available to the Public Utilities Commission and the Consumer Advocate. Hawaiian Electric states the surcharge would amount to between $1.75 and $2.00 more a month for the average O`ahu and Big Island residence.
     Hawaiian Electric Spokesman Peter Rosegg defended the confidentiality of pricing information, saying that it is common when negotiating fuel contracts and enabled the “negotiation of the best price for customers.”
     Cocke wrote, however, that the pricing of a number of renewable energy projects have not been confidential in the past. “The PUC,” she says, “recently required that pricing in a contract for a large solar array, currently under review, be disclosed, and the utility complied. Hawaiian Electric officials have said publicly that the Big Wind project is expected to cost ratepayers 19 cents to 20 cents per kilowatt-hour. Pricing information for past wind farms is publicly available in PUC documents. And pricing for a program passed last year that allows independent power producers to sell energy to the utility at fixed rates for 20 years is publicly available and standardized,” the Civil Beat reporter wrote.
     The story also points to a study by the state Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Department of Accounting and General Services, concluding that the cost of producing biofuel is much higher than the cost of fossil fuel oil. Hawaiian Electric, however, anticipates that, in the long run, the cost of biofuel will be equal to or less than the cost of oil as the price of fossil fuels rises over time. The study can be accessed at http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy/publications/Navigant-2011.pdf.

COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER BRITTANY SMART, state Office of Aging executive director Wes Lum and Hawai`i County Office of Aging executive Alan Parker will tour District 6 this month to discuss with rural residents issues they face and how the county and state can help. The three will participate in four meetings together. The first will be on Aug. 24 at 1:30 p.m. with South Kona Seniors Club at St. Benedict’s “The Painted” Church. They will hold two meetings on Aug. 26, the first at 10:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center and the second at 2 p.m. at Pahala Senior Center. Another meeting is scheduled on Aug. 26 at Mt. View Senior Center. Smart will continue to tour the district in September and join the Volcano Seniors Club at Cooper Center on Sep. 29 at 9:45 a.m.

PAHALA NOVICE SWIM TEAM is still accepting participants. Swimmers must be no older than 17. Registration for the first child is $25 and $15 for each additional child. Practice is 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 928-8177 for more information.

THE SECOND ANNUAL RAIN FOREST RUNS take place on Saturday, Aug. 20 in Volcano Village. Open to runners and walker of all ages and abilities, the event promotes fitness, the natural environment and is a fundraiser to support community art programs by Volcano Art Center. Registration fees for the half marathon, 10K and 5K runs range from $35 to $75. Call 967-8240 to register.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS is coming up this Saturday, Aug. 20 at Pahala Plantation House. The event starts at 9 a.m. and will feature a cane truck driving through Pahala just like the old days. Tokuichi Nakano, one of the few remaining soldiers from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of World War II, will share photos, documents and stories. Also planned are ethnic foods, music and dance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

ONE JOURNEY, the award-winning band of Ka`u High School students, will play at the Hawai`i County Fair in Hilo on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. Lead singer Eunice Longakit and the musicians garnered statewide attention when they won the Brown Bags to Stardom talent contest in Honolulu back in April, beating bands from much bigger high schools.