Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 4, 2011

Kawa, a popular surf spot in Ka`u, could become home of the Ka`u High School Trojans surfers.  Photo by Julia Neal

KAWA BEACH IN KA`U could become the home of a new sport for the Trojans, as surfing became an official high school sport yesterday. The announcement was made at the Duke Kahanumoku statue in Honolulu, and state Department of Education officials said that competition could begin as early as spring 2013. The DOE plans to collaborate with county officials, surfing organizations and the community. “Hawai`i is the birthplace of surfing. From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both recreationally and competitively, the sport is rooted in our culture and way of life,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who attended the announcement ceremony. “Bringing surfing to our students is another step in our collective goal to transform public education and provide our children with rich and diverse educational opportunities,” said the governor.
     DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said that “surfing will be an exciting addition for our students as we continue to expand and improve educational programs to increase student achievement. School sports teach critical life lessons such as teamwork and goal-setting while helping students stay active and healthy.” 

Gov. Neil Abercrombie (r) with surfer celebrating the
new high school sport.  Photo by Ricki Li

     Ka`u High has found competitive success in other individual sports such as track and field and in small team sports such as volleyball. The state Board of Education in May 2004 approved surfing – the official individual sport of the state of Hawai`i – as a high school sport. Despite overwhelming support from parents and students, funding and other challenges have kept surfing from becoming a fully-fledged school sport.
     State Board of Education member Keith Amemiya, a former executive director of the Hawai`i High School Athletic Association, said surfing will allow students to learn about their environment and themselves. He said it also will engage the community by fostering relationships and partnerships with a new group of individuals and groups. “Surfing is a unique sport that often attracts athletes that may not necessarily be interested in more traditional sports such as football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Therefore, we’re confident that surfing will increase athletics participation numbers,” Amemiya said. “In our view, the more students that engage in athletics and other after school activities, the higher our student achievement rates will become,” said Amemiya.

KA`U STATE REP. BOB HERKE’S new dispute resolution program to help ensure due process during foreclosure proceedings is up and running. Owner-occupants can meet directly with lenders should their homes be subject to non-judicial foreclosures. The hope, said Herkes, is for lenders to work directly with homeowners to modify loans and payments to help prevent evictions. The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is overseeing the program that began yesterday and runs through Sept. 30, 2014. Lenders can file non-judicial foreclosure notices online after registering with the state.
    See mfdr.ehawaii.gov. 

State-owned land in Ka`u can be seen in the dark green.  Map
courtesy of Atlas of Hawai`i, University of Hawai`i Press

A PUBLIC LAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is getting organized with the hiring of an executive director, creation of rules and a calendar of meetings. The new corporation, under the state Department of Land & Natural Resources, was established during the 2011 state Legislature to use public lands to generate more state income. The agency is expected to encourage private industry to partner with the state to develop land, whether it be for concessions, farms or other income-producing projects.

     The Senate Committee on Water, Land & Housing, as well as the House Committee on Water, Land & Ocean, will hold a public meeting this Thursday in Honolulu. Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz said, “Through this corporation, we aim to maximize our resources by using our public facilities. Some are dilapidated and not being used, but through public-private partnerships the areas can be improved. The bottom line is, we must create jobs, and this is an out-of-the-box opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs to partner with the state to get the economy going again.”
     Dela Cruz, who chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Land & Housing, said, “We must strive to make our state competitive in the global economy, which it lacks at this time. Before we can put tax increases on the table, we must look at all of our assets and determine if we have maximized revenue opportunities with our state facilities.”
     He said the new Public Land Development Corp. will “identify public lands that are suitable for redevelopment, administer marketing analysis to determine the best revenue-generating program for the public lands, enter into public-private agreements to appropriately redevelop the public lands and provide the leadership for the redevelopment, financing, improvement or enhancement” of the properties.
     The new law setting up the corporation tasks the corporation to “administer a culturally appropriate sensitive program.”
     Nearly a third of the 922 square miles in the District of Ka`u is owned by the state.

This image by Deitrich Varez was created for the Kahuku
Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE is extending the deadline for public comment on four preliminary alternatives that detail a future vision for the park. As part of an ongoing effort to develop a General Management Plan and a Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement, written and online comments will be received through the fall. Federal law requires formal publication of a notice in the Federal Register detailing the park’s intent to expand the scope of the project to include the Wilderness Study. Once this notice is published, the public will be notified on park and project websites of the exact deadline for the end of the comment period, said a statement from NPS. 

     The GMP/Wilderness Study will document a management vision for the entire park, including Kahuku, and serve as a guidebook for the future. NPS-managed lands within the park could be recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. As part of this added scope of the project, additional public input related to wilderness is being requested during review of the preliminary alternatives.
     Alternatives developed by the park planning team are based on previous public comments, federal law and NPS policy, as well as the professional knowledge of park staff. The alternatives detail a menu of topics including conservation of the park’s natural resources and cultural significance, location of visitor and operations facilities, new or connecting trails, sustainable and climate-friendly operations, education, research, and visitor access and services at the Kahuku Unit. Wilderness-eligible lands in Kahuku are also discussed.
     A newsletter describing the preliminary alternatives and wilderness study is available at nps.gov/havo/parkmgmt/gmp.htm or at Hawai`i Island libraries.

       There are several ways to submit comments, including filling out a comment form available in the newsletter, submitting comments online through a link on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment site, http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havo or by mailing comments to Superintendent Cindy Orlando, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, PO Box 52, Hawai`i National Park, HI 96718-0052.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND sponsors an anchialine pond restoration workday this Saturday. Volunteers meet at Wai`ohinu Park to carpool to Ho`onoua Pool near South Point to remove Christmas berry. Register at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 3, 2011

Ka`u and Miloli`i coast projects funded by Conservation International's Hawai`i Fish Trust Program would be
designed and implemented by the local community.  Photo by Julia Neal

CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL has announced that it will fund projects to improve fish populations in nearshore waters and availability of fish for the diet of local residents. It presented the opportunity to area residents gathered at Miloli`i last Friday. Miloli`i has long been considered a part of Ka`u, and residents of Na`alehu and Pahala have a tradition of trading taro and locally grown beef for fresh fish from Miloli`i.
     Stephanie Tabada asked whether the program would force local fishermen to give up any of their practices. Melissa Bos, director of Conservation International’s Hawai`i Fish Trust Program, stressed that the effort would be designed and implemented by the local community. The nonprofit would provide funding rather than drive the program.
     Fishermen, gathered at the meeting sponsored by Pa`a Pono Miloli`i at the Miloli`i Halau, acknowledged that the fishery has diminished in Miloli`i and all along the Ka`u coast. Conservation International states on its website that for Hawai`i, “fishing has been a backbone of the economy, the foundation of the culture, and a globally important hotspot for ocean biodiversity.”
     Conservation International has programs around the world with more than a thousand employees. The only place where it operates in the U.S., however, is Hawai`i, and these are some of the reasons given:
     The asset value of Hawai`i’s coral reefs is $10 billion, and the annual value is $364 million.
     Hawai`i has over 1,250 unique marine species, making it a global hotspot for biodiversity. One in every four marine species that you see in Hawai`i's waters is found nowhere else on earth.
     Fishing and other ocean recreation activities are essential to the Hawaiian way of life. Sixty-eight percent of Hawai`i households participate regularly in ocean recreation, including 26 percent of households that regularly pole-and-line fish.

Residents of Miloli`i have a tradition of trading fresh fish
for taro and beef from residents of Na`alehu and Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

     Commercial fisheries in Hawai`i bring in $85 million annually, employ 3,000 commercial fishers, and supply seafood to people throughout the U.S. mainland and Asia.
     According to Conservation International, threats to marine habitat and resources in the inhabited Hawaiian Islands are enormous and expanding:
     Overdevelopment and urbanization of small coastal watersheds has had devastating impacts on natural ecosystems and fish habitat.
     Forty-one percent, or 219, of the state's coastal areas are considered “impaired” by poor water quality. Raw sewage spills into coastal waters 200-300 times per year.
     Hawai`i has an estimated 100,000 cesspools, more than any other state in the U.S. in both relative and absolute terms.
     Sediment runoff from coastal construction smothers and kills reef habitat.
     Invasive fish and algae compete with native species for space and food.
     Warming water temperatures, ocean acidification, and coral bleaching are impairing marine ecosystem resilience.
     Fishing pressure is very high from recreational, subsistence, and commercial fishing:
     Seventy-four percent of fish stocks are depleted or in critical condition.
     Non-commercial fishers catch 22 million pounds of fish per year.
     Commercial fishers catch 33 million pounds of fish per year.
     Ninety-six percent of fishers believe that overfishing is a problem, and surveys show that the more you fish, the more of a problem you believe overfishing to be.
     Fish biomass is 260 percent higher in the unpopulated Northwestern Hawaiian Islands than in the populated Main Hawaiian Islands.
     According to Conservation International, success in managing fisheries “has been limited by the lack of substantial participation by a key group of stakeholders: the fishing communities” themselves.
     Anyone wanting to offer ideas for a program on the Ka`u Coast to Miloli`i can contact Bos at Melissa@HawaiiFishTrust.org or see hawaiifish.org.

One of the County redistricting plans renames
District 6 as District 7.

SIX DIFFERENT REDISTRICTING OPTIONS are being considered at public meetings throughout Hawai`i County this month. The maps will be presented in District 6 at Na`alehu Community Center on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. and at Yano Hall in Captain Cook on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. 

A NEW TRAIL AT THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park opens Saturday. The Palm Trail crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with panoramic views. A celebration takes place at the trailhead at 10 a.m., followed by a guided hike. Another guided hike begins at 11 a.m. The Kahuku Unit is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except for the first Saturday of each month.

THE ACOUSTIC HAWAIIAN JAM at Honu`apo happens Sunday, Oct. 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo and Keoki Kahumoku invite everyone to bring their acoustic instruments to this free family event to celebrate another year of Ka `Ohana’s stewardship of the park.

Ka`u News Briefs Oct. 2, 2011

The sugar plantation's old water system came down the mountain in wooden flumes to transport cane to the mill.
Now in pipes, it is used for irrigation and will be used to produce electricity.  Photo by Julia Neal

HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY, using abandoned sugar plantation water resources and Keaiwa Reservoir, is on tap for the farms along Wood Valley Road. Olson Trust workers recently laid pipe, drained the reservoir to repair it and set a course down the hillside to give the water the drop it needs to make electricity.

Keaiwa Reservoir is drained for repair.  Photo by Julia Neal

     Olson land manager John Cross said the goal is to make the new Ka`u Coffee Mill and macadamia husking plant totally “green and using only renewable energy.” Cross said that Olson also plans to use the excess water for additional agricultural projects such as growing watercress and a loi system to grow kalo – taro – and perhaps make poi. The irrigation water is already used for coffee trees, taro, and truck crops grown by farmers leasing the Olson Trust land. 

HAWAI`I SUSTAINABLE ALLIANCE is asking for support to amend the county building code to allow what it calls more eco-friendly communities and buildings. A resolution is set to go before the County Council this week.
     Council member K. Angel Pilago said the resolution requests the county Department of Public Works to “establish minimum requirements for owners/builders of rural dwellings on agricultural parcels, through waiver or exemption from existing codes, which will allow the use of substitute materials, procedures and alternatives, to the extent that a reasonable degree of health and safety is provided.”
     According to the Alliance, “thousands of Big Island residences have been constructed without Hawai`i County building permits, particularly in rural areas where the cost of house and outbuilding construction in accordance with current Building Code is out of the financial reach of many residents, especially during these dire economic times. In addition, Hawai`i’s need to create and support more sustainable paradigms in order to insure a healthy future is obvious...and, in fact, has been mandated by the state goal of becoming more self-reliant and sustainable by the year 2050.” See more at hawaiisustainablecommunity.org.

Detail of Akebono Ka`u, Kathleen Kam's winning
art for The Directory 2012 cover, showing
plantation history and the new
independent agriculture.

AKEBONO KA`U is the name of the art that won the cover contest for the next Ka`u Directory, the community and resource guide and phone book for the district. The winning artist is Kathleen Kam, who recently taught art at Na`alehu School and painted the murals at Punalu`u Bake Shop in Na`alehu, Kilauea General Store in Volcano, the Keauhou Bird Sanctuary in Volcano, KTA in Hilo and Kamehameha Schools on O`ahu. She has provided artwork for signage and displays at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and is currently completing murals at the Ka`u Coffee Mill. The selection of The Directory artwork was made through public voting all last week at the Ka`u Federal Credit Union. 

     Wanda Aus, organizer of the event and End of Show Celebration, thanked everyone who participated, including the 211 people who voted. Others who helped Aus include Gary Golding and Bill Kinney, who set up and took down displays; Deedee Bodine, who helped hang art; Peter Anderson, Bill Doar, Allan Stafford, Lee McIntosh and Deedee Bodine, who greeted the public during show hours.

     Aus was happy to announce that three of the submitted artworks sold.

     See tomorrow's Ka`u News Briefs for more on the art show.

     The deadline to submit changes or new listings and ads for The Directory 2012 is Monday, Oct. 31.

PROPOSED COUNTY COUNCIL REDISTRICTING MAPS go to public hearings around the island. The Ka`u hearing takes place in Na`alehu on Oct. 12 at 9 a.m. The Redistricting Commission is attempting to redraw districts so that each County Council member will represent 20,462 people. 

THE ACOUSTIC HAWAIIAN JAM at Honu`apo happens next Sunday, Oct. 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo and Keoki Kahumoku invite everyone to bring their acoustic instruments to this free family event to celebrate another year of Ka `Ohana’s stewardship of the park.

Homecoming Court members Talai Ke, Jennifer Haalilio, Alika Kaopua, Rochelle Koi, Mark Cuison and
Eunice Longakit performed following the Trojans' win.

KA`U HIGH VARSITY FOOTBALL brought home their first win last night just in time for Homecoming. The Trojans beat the Kohala Cowboys at the Pahala ball park during the Ka`u Homecoming game. Ka`u took off in the first quarter, earning 14 points. Ka`u added another six in the second quarter, but allowed Kohala to inch ahead 22 points. However, both the Trojans defense and offense turned on the juice in the fourth quarter. 

Trojan fans gathered on the field following the win.

On the second-yard line, senior quarterback Daellan Kai threw a short pass to senior Evan Vanderpool to score. Senior Alika Kaopua caught another short pass from Kai to earn the two- point conversion. The defense rendered the Cowboys scoreless the entire second half. Final score 28-22.

     Following the game, the Homecoming Court, which included football players Mark Cuison, Alika Kaopua, Talai Ke and Evan Vanderpool, performed a dance. Other court members are Eunice Longakit, Rochelle Koi, Shyann Carvalho-Flores, Janessa Jara, Jennifer Haalilio and Tyren Fukunaga-Camba.