Ka`u News Briefs August 21, 2011

The coffee orchards of the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative are on the 2,000 acres where a subdivision is planned.
Photo by Julia Neal

CHRIS MANFREDI has been nominated by Mayor Billy Kenoi to serve on the Windward Planning Commission as an at-large member. The nomination must be confirmed by the County Council. Manfredi is the representative of the real estate investment group that owns 6,000 acres of former C. Brewer sugar lands in Ka`u.

     The hui recently received approval from the county Planning Department for a Project Unit Development Plan for some 2,000 acres, which could eventually lead to subdividing the land and selling it. The plan includes the land where most of the Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative members have been growing coffee since sugar shut down in 1996. The plan calls for selling coffee estates but allowing the local coffee growers to stay and farm while providing room for new owners to build their homes. He said he hopes to have long-term leases for the coffee growers soon.

Chris Manfredi

     Manfredi has promoted Ka`u Coffee for years and recently said he has lined up the sales of Ka`u Coffee to 140 Starbucks in Japan, Canada and on the U.S. mainland.
     Manfredi is vice president of the statewide Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, president of Ka`u Farm Bureau, one of the organizers of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, a director of the statewide Hawai`i Coffee Association, a district steering committee member of the Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative, vice president of the Big Island Resource Conservation and Development Council, statewide origin representative for Ka`u on the coffee berry borer task force, a director of Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo, vice president of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce and a director of the Ka`u Soil and Water Conservation District.
     Public comments on the nomination of Manfredi are welcomed by the mayor’s office and the County Council, as the County Council must confirm the nomination.

OPTIONS FOR A NEW MANAGEMENT PLAN for Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park go to public meetings this week from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dates and locations are 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. Since then 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.
     Options include making some of the roads only open to bicycles and group transportation but not to individual cars. Building more infrastructure at Kahuku for visitors is also an option.
     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, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718.

Sugar truck is decorated in flowers, ti leaves and cane to open Ka`u Plantation Days.  Photo by Michael Neal

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS drew many former sugar workers to a decorated sugar cane truck with the signage “Last Run” yesterday near the old mill site in Pāhala. Retired police officer Bobby Gomes and Pastor Troy Gacayan opened the event with stories of plantation days and prayer. 

WWII veteran Tokuichi Nakano, who served in the 442nd,
talked about Japanese sugar workers leaving Ka`u to fight
for the U.S.  Photo by Michael Neal

     Portuguese songs and dancing, an impromptu Bon Dance and many displays of the photographic history of the plantation and the multiethnic community that grew up here highlighted the day, along with ethnic foods and talk story sessions. 

BARBARA FAHS discusses Hawaiian medicinal plants today at 1 p.m. at Na`ohulelua Historical Garden on Kamaoa Road during the monthly plant and seed exchange. Fahs owns Hi`iaka’s Healing Herb Garden and authored the Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens. The garden is open from noon to 3 p.m.

THE STATE AND COUNTY have pretty much given up on trying to control coqui frogs on this island, according to a Stephens Media report. Funding dried up, and the state now hopes to simply keep the tiny, noisy frogs from spreading to the other islands. Coquis can live from the seashore all the way up to at least 5,000 feet and have even taken hold in Volcano. Without funding the county keeps its anti-coqui spray equipment at the Department of Research and Development for community members to use in their own neighborhood fights against the pest. The coqui is native to Puerto Rico and is believed to have come here in a shipment of potted plants. Ka`u is one of the least infested areas on the island when it comes to the coquis.

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK on Tuesday will feature geophysicist Mike Poland of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. He will review Kīlauea’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 event begins at 7 p.m.

Bluegrass musicians return for a concert at Pahala Plantation House
this Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.

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. Katy Rexford sings and plays lead fiddle. Rion Schmidt sings and plays lead banjo. 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 are accepted for the musicians. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House this coming Tuesday.

COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER BRITTANY SMART, state Office of Aging executive director Wes Lum and Hawai`i County Office of Aging executive Alan Parker are hosting meetings on needs of senior citizens. The first will be on Wednesday, 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 Friday, 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. 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.

WHAT REMAINS OF FORMER tropical storm Fernanda has the potential to dump heavy rain on Hawai`i Island today, forecasters at the National Weather Service said. Also, a high surf advisory is in effect until 6 p.m., with a small craft advisory in effect until tomorrow morning.

Jaggar Museum will remain open during
repaving of exterior areas. 

REPAVING THE EXTERIOR OBSERVATION areas and pathways at Jaggar Museum in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park begins tomorrow and is expected to last until mid-October. Visitors are encouraged to use the Kilauea Overlook as an alternate area to view Halema`uma`u Crater. Jaggar Museum will remain open throughout the repaving project.

THE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE OUTREACH TEAM will be in Hilo tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to process Philippine passports and accept applications for dual citizenship, delayed registration of birth, report of marriage abroad and other consular services. The consulate comes to Hilo only once a year from Honolulu in order to help citizens avoid interisland travel expenses when submitting applications. 

Ka`u News Briefs August 20, 2011

Peter Anderson's Nene graced the cover of The Directory 2011. The public can
vote for next year's cover during at art show in September at the
Ka`u Federal Credit Union office in Na`alehu.

NEW WASTEWATER SYSTEMS in Ka`u will receive some help from unexpected funding. A Stephens Media article by Nancy Cook Lauer states that Hawai`i County was slammed with a violation by the state Department of Health in 1990 for failing to mitigate wastewater in Kailua-Kona. In response, the county originally planned to open a new wastewater plant in Kona, but construction on Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway delayed the project. Rather than wait, the funding has been moved to Ka`u, where three large capacity cesspools left over from plantation housing camps in Na`alehu and Pahala are being replaced as they violate federal Environmental Protection Agency standards. The new sewage systems will cost up to $12 million and be completed in 2014.

The green and brown areas show two different state
House of Representative districts proposed for Ka`u.

MORE VOICES ARE SPEAKING UP against cutting Ka`u in two for determining boundaries for the state House of Representatives. Local music and language teacher Robert Domingos wrote: “At all cost, we should keep Ka`u one. This area has been a unit for many, many centuries! What can we do? Flag wave at the Punalu`u border crossing?” asked Domingos.

     The proposed splitting of Ka`u would leave people from Punalu`u and Pahala voting with those from Volcano and deeper into Puna. It would leave Discovery Harbour, Kalae and Na`alehu citizens voting with people all the way up in Kona at Kahalu`u Beach.
Rep. Bob Herkes would most likely have to run for the district more aligned with Hilo, which is upsetting community leaders in Ocean View who have depended on him for help with their water system and their new mobile medical van.
     Public meetings on the issue will be on Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. in the Hilo Council chamber and Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. in the Kona Council chamber.

COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT will hold a special Household Hazardous Waste Collection event between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3 at the Wai`ohinu Solid Waste Transfer Station. Only household-generated and self-hauled waste will be accepted. The event will allow residents to dispose of acceptable hazardous waste to protect public health and the environment. Acceptable waste includes automotive fluids, used batteries, fluorescent lights and pesticides. A latex paint reuse collection and exchange will also be held. A list of acceptable and unacceptable waste is available at www.hawaiizerowaste.org.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE is offering Value-Added Producer Grants with proposals due Aug. 29. Grants of up to $100,000 each are for developing business plans and feasibility studies including marketing plans. Grants of up to $300,000 are for working capital to operate a value-added business venture or alliance. To find out more, contact USDA Rural Development in Hilo or on its website.

BARBARA FAHS discusses Hawaiian medicinal plants tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Na`ohulelua Historical Garden on Kamaoa Road during the monthly plant and seed exchange. Fahs is the owner of Hi`iaka’s Healing Herb Garden and the author of the Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens. The garden is open from noon to 3 p.m.

Fountains of lava reached the height of trees in March.
Photo courtesy of USGS

VOLCANIC CRISIS AWARENESS will be held at the Hawai`i County Civil Defense Agency on Aug. 30 and 31. The one and a half days of classes will cover Hazards and Impacts, the Pulse of the Volcano, Case Studies, Awareness and Preparedness and will run through an Eruption Scenario where participants will learn key skills and decision-making tools. The course will be taught by Bruce Houghton, Gordon A. MacDonald Professor of Volcanology, with support from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawai`i County Civil Defense Agencies. Interested parties can contact Justine Nihipali at justinew@hawaii.edu.

FERNANDA, now a remnant low, is expected to bring some rain to the Islands, first to the Big Island perhaps later today. The former tropical storm is expected to pass south of Kalae on Monday and was located about 500 miles east-southeast of Hilo this morning. The Pacific Hurricane Center said there is zero chance of Fernanda reorganizing into a tropical storm.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS ARE BEING held today at Pahala Plantation House, with KAHU Radio and Channel 52 community TV on hand to film talk story sessions with people who grew up or worked during the sugar mill days. A former sugar cane truck, photos and a chance to find a photo of your old house from plantation times are offered to those attending. Music, ethnic food and dance and displays from the cultures of the community are available there. This afternoon tours of the new Ka`u Coffee Mill will be offered.

THE KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Annual Art Show and Contest is coming up at the Ka`u Federal Credit Union in Na`alehu. Artists can submit one piece of original art in any medium, and entry is free with a donation of two to five cans of food, or the cash equivalent, to be donated to the food bank. Three cash prizes will be given, and the winning art will appear on the cover of The Directory 2012, next year’s edition of the Chamber’s annual community and business directory.
     Entries must be delivered to the Credit Union on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Entries should include the name of the piece, the medium used, the size, the price and the artist’s name. They will be on display Monday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Oct. 1 during the Credit Union’s business hours. The public can vote for their favorite piece throughout the week.
     Coordinator Wanda Aus is asking artists to volunteer a few hours to host the show during the week.
     The winner will be announced during the End of Show Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 1 from noon to 2 p.m. For more information and to volunteer, call Aus at 929-9139.

Ka`u News Briefs August 19, 2011

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park controlled burns help clear land to reintroduce native pili grass.

THE FIRE MANAGEMENT TEAM at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has planned a controlled burn today at Kealakomowaena, near the bottom of Chain of Craters Road. The 130-acre burn will regenerate the growth of native pili grass and other indigenous plant species. An eight-person fire crew will administer the controlled burn, which is expected to last all day. No closures are planned, and park visitors and normal park activities will not be impacted. Visitors may stop and watch the controlled burn taking place throughout the day at a pullout along Chain of Craters Road at the top of the Holei Pali. “These types of prescribed burns are beneficial as they fortify the cultural landscape by stimulating the growth of native vegetation,” said Fire Management officer Joe Molhoek.

OPTIONS FOR A NEW MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park are going before the public next week in talk story sessions. The Park’s website describes the Management Plan as “a guidebook for the future to help managers make decisions about how to protect resources, what levels and types of uses are appropriate, what facilities should be developed and how people should access the park.” The park aims at implementing the new General Management Plan by 2013.
     The talk story sessions 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. Options include more recycling and self-sustaining, enhancing communication with the community to tackle issues, preserving Kahuku, high-level trails linking upper slopes of Kahuku on Mauna Loa with the Mauna Loa Wilderness, more money for restoration, and a coffee house and restaurant in Kahuku.
     The current General Management Plan was adopted over 30 years ago. Since then, the park has more than doubled in size, and visitation has grown with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park becoming one of the most visited places in all of Hawai`i.
     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, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718.

Edmund C. Olson

KA`U LANDOWNER AND PHILANTHROPIST EDMUND C. OLSON has donated $500,000 to The Nature Conservancy to protect native forests of Ka`u and South Kona, which provide critical habitat for many of the island’s endangered forest birds. The Nature Conservancy hailed Olson as “quietly becoming one of the state’s leading conservationists.” In 2009, Olson helped acquire 6,500 acres in the Waianae Mountains on O`ahu from the James Campbell Company to keep the land in agricultural and preservation. Olson gave part of this land to the state to create the Honouliuli Forest Reserve.
     He also put more than 900 acres mauka of Honu`apo into permanent conservation easements to prevent development, including multiple residences, commercial structures, roads or power lines, The Nature Conservancy statement says. The easements also safeguard the property’s numerous cultural sites and pockets of healthy wildlife habitats. They are managed by the Hawai`i Islands Land Trust.
     This was the second time Olson has helped preservation interests in the Honu`apo ahupua`a. In 2006, he donated $50,000 through the Trust for Public Land to protect the area’s historic fishponds and acquire lands around Honu`apo to be put into public ownership.

     Olson also supports the macadamia and coffee industries and leases out land to farmers for diversified agriculture. He is currently completing a coffee mill on Wood Valley Road.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA lent his support for biofuel this week at the White House Rural Economic Forum. The federal government plans to invest $510 million in biofuel development over the next three years. It is uncertain whether any of this money will go to biofuel developments in Hawai`i. An announcement from the White House says the investment “will create jobs and economic opportunity, improve our national security by reducing reliance on foreign oil, and demonstrate advanced technologies and American ingenuity.” Read more at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/17/investing-advanced-biofuels-create-jobs.

The high cost of biofuels is a topic in the
August edition of Scientific American.

THE HIGH COST of biofuels is a topic in the August edition of the magazine Scientific American. “Despite extensive research, biofuels are still not commercially competitive,” said Scientific American in a story titled The False Promise of Biofuel. According to the report, corn ethanol has failed to live up to its expectations because of its high cost and need for government subsidies.
     Scientists and investors are turning to alternatives. Cellulose ethanol uses corn stalks and grasses, but requires a long time to break down the material. Oil from algae produces a lot more energy than corn, but algae’s natural processes interfere with the rate it produces oil. Some scientists are focusing on genetically modifying algae and bacteria to make them more productive. The process is very complex and still in the research stage.
     Not covered by the article is using microwaves to process biomass into biofuel. Biofuel developer `Aina Koa Pono plans to operate microwave reactors in its proposed refinery in Ka`u. `Aina Koa Pono has stated that microwaves are much more efficient and less costly than the processes used to make ethanol.
     A public meeting organized by `Aina Koa Pono and County Council member Brittany Smart concerning the `Aina Koa Pono plan for a refinery near Pahala and biofuel farm between Pahala and Na`alehu will be held on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

BURGLARS REPORTEDLY TOOK NUMEROUS ITEMS from a ranch off South Point Road sometime between June 15 and June 19. Stolen items include a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck without a bed, license plate MAD259; a red-and-white Honda XR250 dirt bike; a red Honda XR100 dirt bike; a tan Honda Four Trax 400 all-terrain vehicle with a heavy-duty steel rack; a green 300-gallon plastic Chemtainer water tank with a repaired crack and the word “repair” written nearby; a green 2,500-gallon plastic water tank with white lettering spray-painted on the side; and an aluminum truck bed tool box with a silver diamond pattern containing sockets, pipe wrenches, grinders, hammers and miscellaneous fencing and plumbing tools.
     Anyone with information about the burglary or the location of any of the stolen items is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 935-3311.

Megan Brousseau and Billy Barnett were 2010
winners of the half marathon.

COOPER CENTER IS THE START AND FINISH POINT for the second annual Rain Forest Runs sponsored by Volcano Art Center tomorrow morning. The 5K and 10K participants weave through the lush native rain forest on the mostly flat, tranquil streets of Volcano Village, while the half marathon will continue into the more hilly surrounding upper ranch lands with views of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
     Packet pick-up and late registration is today from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp’s Ohia Room. A carbo-load buffet is available at KMC’s Crater Rim Café from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     Registration for the 5K and 10K races is also available tomorrow morning from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Also, keiki ages 1 to 7 can register for the free 100- and 200-yard dashes until 9:30 a.m.
     For more information, call 967-8240 or 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.

TROPICAL STORM FERNANDA was about 700 miles east-southeast of South Point this morning. The storm was moving west at 12 mph. Wind speeds were estimated at 40 miles per hour. Fernanda continues to weaken and is forecast to pass south of the Big Island on Monday. Fernanda does not presently pose a threat, and there are no special advisories at this time. This storm is being closely monitored, and updates will be issued every morning or as conditions change.

Honu`apo Pier, where sugar was loaded onto ships.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS, tomorrow in Pahala, will bring together not only many people from many communities with stories of the past, but many maps, books, photos, charts and other documents from the many ethnic communities who settled here. One special request is for people to bring in any old photos of school gardens of Pahala and Na`alehu.
     An old sugar cane truck will be fired up and on display. Displaced sugar worker Manuel Marques, who operated a crane at the sugar mill, will show off 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.
     2011 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. 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 and singing throughout the day, a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala and a slide show of old photos from plantation days.
     Visitors to Plantation Days will also be able to take a tour of the new Ka`u Coffee Mill during the afternoon.