Ka`u News Briefs March 12, 2012

Feral pigs on the run in Hawai`i. Photo from yourdiscovery.com

REMOVING FERAL PIGS should be accompanied by removing invasive plants where protecting native forests is the goal. This is suggested by a University of Hawai`i study published in Biotropica: The Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation. The study conducted at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park showed that 16 years after pig eradication from a section of the park, native plant growth increased, but so did invasive plant growth. Some hunters contend that pigs help keep the invasive plant populations down, but an author of the study told Civil Beat that the pigs carry the seeds of the invasives all over the forest.
      Civil Beat reporter Laura Berbusse writes about the research and reviews the history of pigs here. “Native plant species first came into contact with pigs when the animals were brought to Hawai`i by early Polynesian settlers more than 1,000 years ago. Then, in 1778, Captain Cook released European pigs, among other grazing animals, on the Hawaiian Islands in order to ensure a food source for crews of future voyages. Conservationists say the pigs damage the environment by eating and destroying native vegetation, by wallowing and rooting and contaminating watersheds,” the Civil Beat story says.
      During recent meetings on managing state and national park forests around the islands, hunters testifed that lifting hunting restrictions could help get rid of the pigs faster.

      Civil Beat reports the view of Mary Ikagawa, a botanist working on her University of Hawai`i masters degree, who maintains the website rarehawaii.org. Ikagawa said the “big thing is that other states are very clear with their residents about the need to control feral pigs, and even engage the public to help.” She said that Texas, Florida, Missouri and several others encourage public control of pigs through trapping and unlimited hunting. These plans are counter to those proposed for such places as Pu`u Maka`ala Natural Area on the Big Island, where hunters opposed a hunting ban for 4,800 acres at recent hearing. Civil Beat quotes Ikagawa, saying the state is “alienating hunters from conservationists when the two should be tight, working together to protect the land.” See more at www.civilbeat.com, www.tropicalbio.org and www.rarehawaii.org.

AGRICULTURAL THEFT is a felony, the Hawai`i Police Department is reminding the public. HPD is looking for someone who stole longon plants and also investigating the reported theft of Manuel Marques’ coffee cherry from Moa`ula. Local farmers and homeowners also complain that people steal their bananas and possibly sell them. Felony theft can draw jail time.

SOME HAWAI`I COINS were misprinted by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia with extra islands shown northwest of the Big Island. Collectible coin expert Joe Au-Franze says he has seen about 85 of the misprinted quarters so far, with ten main Hawaiian Islands instead of eight. He will display the Hawai`i quarters at a coin collectors meeting on O`ahu this week. The misprinted Hawai`i quarters are expected to become very valuable.

KA`U RESIDENTS WILL HAVE an opportunity to meet and talk with county leadership about projects and issues important to their communities next Monday, March 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Na`alehu Elementary School. The visit by Mayor Billy Kenoi and directors of county departments is hosted by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association and Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u.

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U DISTRICT Gym & Shelter Draft Environmental Assessment are due by Friday, March 23.
      The draft EA discusses pertinent impacts that could change depending on design changes prompted by budget limitations and public input.
      The impact on views from nearby houses could change depending on the building’s height. The plan shows the gym higher than code allows, requiring a variance. The variance could be denied or the roof made flat in order to save money. The taller building was planned in order to allow volleyball and basketball games without the balls hitting the ceiling and also to maintain a plantation-style roofline.
      The design requires balancing school and community needs within budget, the draft EA puts forth. The determination on whether functional spaces should be designed for a recreation room, multi-purpose room, weight room, wrestling/martial arts room; and whether these rooms duplicate existing facilities at the community center or school, provide multi-purpose opportunities such as classroom space, or complement the uses of the old gym and existing room building “are questions being worked on by a multi-stakeholder user group that includes the Department of Education, County Parks & Recreation, and Civil Defense Agency,” the draft EA states.

The proposed roofline of the gym is subject to change depending on budget constraints, public input and
receiving a height variance, since it is currently higher than code allows.

      The document explains that air-conditioning and filters for vog mitigation systems are expensive and that the capacity would depend on the primary use of selected space and the relative proportion of the budget allocated to this purpose. The draft EA states that Civil Defense is comfortable with the present design capacity as a shelter from vog for 120 persons in a room separate from the gym. However, new Civil Defense director Ben Fuata said he will study the issue.
      Another issue being addressed is sustainability features, which reduce the impact in terms of energy and resource consumption and water quality impacts such as mitigation of impervious surfaces. The proposed design and current budget supports an equivalent to LEED silver certification. However, “the potential to increase impacts on energy consumption and water quality increases as compromises are made in the design to fit budget constraints,” the draft EA states.
      The Draft Environment Assessment is available at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.
      Comments can be sent to Tammy Kapali, Planner, PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc., 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650 Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-523-1402. Comments can also be sent to County of Hawai`i Department of Public Works, Attn: David Yamamoto, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 or faxed to 808-961-8630.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL meetings take place tomorrow and every Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Pahala Community Center leading up the festival on May 12 and an education day on May 13. Members of the public who would like to help the farmers promote their award-winning coffee and put on the event to thank the community for their support can join in.

AKU HAUANIO, a Hawaiian kau la`au fisherman, offers a look at cliff-top fishing, or hang baiting at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply.

Kilohana Domingo displays his feather lei.
Photo from NPS

LEI HULU A ME ULANA PAPALE LAUHALA are topics Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Lei maker Kilohana Domingo demonstrates the art of feather work, and his na lei hulu, or feather lei, will be on display. Domingo’s mother, Lehua, shares the `anoni style of weaving pandanus leaves into a hat. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply. 

THE ENTIRE FAMILY is invited to Ka`u `Ohana Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Activities include `oli, mo`olelo, GPS, compass and pacing. Sign up by Wednesday at 985-6019.

HAZEL BECK, of Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, discusses what it takes to get a business started at a workshop on Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at Na`alehu Community Center. To register, contact Jane Horike at 961-8496 or jhorike@co.hawaii.hi.us.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs March 11, 2012

Okoe Bay house was moved during last year's tsunami toward the ocean from its original perch. Photo by Kai`ali`i Kahele

THE JAPAN TSUNAMI on this day last year that reached South Kona and Ka`u left evidence that can still be seen, including beaches that were shifted, bones of fish thrown up into palm groves and sands and rocks along the coast. The tsunami washed a boathouse from Honomalino Bay out to sea, leaving one wall to float to Miloli`i. The tsunami severely damaged and lifted houses off their foundations in Kapua and Okoe Bays, reported Sen. Gil Kahele, who hiked along the coast from Miloli`i.
      At Punalu`u, volunteers for `O Ka`u Kakou hauled away floating plants sucked from the fishpond onto the beach. The tsunami changed the look of Punalu`u and other shorelines, leaving roots of palm trees exposed. Sand covered pools and rocky areas. Rocks and reefs were exposed at places where they were covered before the tsunami. Fish were found out of water on the rocks and in the sand.
      After the tsunami, Rep. Bob Herkes held fundraisers for victims of the tsunami, and all the funding went to those affected on the Big Island.

HAWAI`I CIVIL DEFENSE, which has been working on new tsunami inundation maps based on a 9.0-magnitude quake in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, is considering planning for even a larger quake – one of 9.2-magnitude. The Aleutians generated the most devastating tsunami to hit Hawai`i, with a 7.8-magnitude quake in April of 1946. Kwok Fai Cheung, a University of Hawai`i Sea Grant researcher, said that a major lesson learned from the tsunami one year ago in Japan was that the Japanese were unprepared for such a big event, according to a Jim Borg report in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser. 

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE LAW signed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie yesterday not only prevents the rates from rising this year, it maintains a Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount at 75 percent of the Average Weekly Wage, rather than 70 percent, which would have been the payout without the new legislation. He said the law saves employers an additional $550 per year for each employee. Chamber of Commerce Hawai`i Chief Operating Officer Sherry Menor-McNamara said, “The mitigation of burdensome tax increases for Hawai`i’s businesses will directly aid in the revitalization of our state’s economy by spurring the creation of new jobs and promoting increased productivity.” 


THE KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL is holding a meeting every Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Pahala Community Center leading up the festival on May 12 and 13. Members of the public who would like to help the farmers promote their award-winning coffee and thank the community for their support can join in.

Lorie Obra with her Grand Champion
award. Photo by Ralph Gaston

HAWAI`I COFFEE ASSOCIATION is accepting entries into its Fourth Annual Cupping Competition to be held July 19 – 21 during its Annual Conference & Coffee Fest Trade Show at Maui Tropical Plantation. The deadline to enter the cupping event has been extended until March 31. The competition compares coffees from different regions of the state, teaches the process of cupping and rating cup qualities and promotes better understanding of cupping qualities of Hawaiian-grown coffee. Each entrant receives a descriptive analysis from professional and certified cuppers to use in describing and promoting their individual coffees.
      Farmers can enter three samples per TMK number in Commercial and Creative Divisions. In the Commercial Division, the farmer must have for sale a minimum of 300 pounds of coffee from which the sample is taken. In the Creative Division, less that 300 pounds from which the sample was taken can be available for sale.
      To enter a Ka`u Coffee, take three-pound green samples along with the farm’s TMK number to Chris Manfredi at Ka`u Farm & Ranch after calling 929-9550.
      Rusty’s Hawaiian 100 Percent Ka`u Coffee took the statewide grand prize at last year’s competition. For the Ka`u District, Lorie Obra took first, and Leo Norberte with his JN Coffee took second, while Trini and Frances Marques took third with their Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands Coffee.

Aku Hauanio

KAU LA`AU, or Traditional Hawaiian Ulua Fishing, is the topic at After Dark in the Park on Tuesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Aku Hauanio, a Hawaiian kau la`au fisherman, offers a look at cliff-top fishing, or hang baiting. Two-dollar donations support park programs. Park entrance fees apply. 

KA`U `OHANA DAY takes place next Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Activities include `oli, mo`olelo, GPS, compass and pacing. Sign up by Wednesday, March 14 at 985-6019.

WANT TO START A BUSINESS IN KA`U? Hazel Beck, from the Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, discusses what it takes to get a business started at a workshop on Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at Na`alehu Community Center. To register, contact Jane Horike at 961-8496 or jhorike@co.hawaii.hi.us.

KC Groves, of Aloha
Bluegrass, plays mandolin.

AN EVENING OF GREEN, Hawaiian Style is the theme of a concert at 7 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, next Saturday at Kilauea Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Aloha Bluegrass performs, along with Keoki Kahumoku and Brittni Paiva. Aloha Bluegrass, with fiddle, guitar and mandolin players, performed at Ka`u High School last week. Tickets are $22 and available by calling 967-8222. Park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs March 10, 2012

Basking sharks are the second largest fish on the planet, after whale sharks. One was tracked by satellite in
Hawaiian waters in February. Photo by Dr. Greg Skomal

AN UNDERSEA CABLE to move electricity between the islands is being debated in the state House of Representatives after approval by the Senate this week. The measure is supported by Ka`u Sen. Gil Kahele as well as Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Sen. Bill 2785 passed 23 - 1, with eight senators saying aye, with reservations. Geothermal and wind from Hawai`i Island and Maui are considered the potential sources for the energy to be shipped around the state.
      Lawmakers, including representatives of Hawai`i County, are set to visit Ormac in the Philippines this year. Its geothermal plant has been sending electricity between islands for years. According to a Sophie Cocke story in Civil Beat, Sen. Kalani English testified on the Senate floor: “In the larger scheme of things, this cable is one of the keys to our renewable future… without this, our renewable energy future does not exist.” A similar bill garnered opposition last year when it was tied to establishing windmills on Lana`i and Moloka`i, largely for electricity on O`ahu.

      According to Civil Beat, Hawaiian Electric Co. has backed off the idea of a cable to Lana`i, which was specifically for wind and excluded solar and geothermal. According to Civil Beat, “Language in the bill says wind farms would only proceed on those islands if there was “community support for them.”
      Some citizen groups, such as I Aloha Moloka`i and Friends of Lana`i, however, said they want more assurance that their islands won’t be forced to host windmills to serve the urban areas of Hawai`i.
      Undersea cables are not new to Hawai`i. Pacific Missile Range Facility has underwater cables to track war games off Kaua`i. A fiber-optic submarine telecommunications cable system between the islands was put into operation by the telephone company in 1994. A legend has it that King Kalakaua suggested laying underwater cables to bring geothermal electricity to O`ahu from the Big Island back in 1881 when he visited Thomas Edison in New York.

BASKING SHARKS are traveling between California and Hawai`i, if one of the giant fish picked up by satellite last month is any evidence of a trend. The shark was tagged near San Diego last year, and the ping from the transmitter was picked up by satellite when the basking shark surfaced near Hawai`i in February.
      According to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration biologist Heidi Dewar, this is the first time “that anyone has demonstrated a direct connection between basking sharks in the eastern Pacific and the central Pacific.” The more than 2,000 miles from California to Hawai`i is the farthest basking shark trek recorded in the Pacific. Basking sharks only swim about three miles per hour, usually with their giant mouths hanging open as they filter in plankton soup – their main food. They are the second largest fish in the sea, second only to whale sharks.

To qualify for LEED Silver certification, the Ka`u Gym & Shelter Draft EA suggests minimizing parking lot size by
 sharing spaces at other buildings & using shielded outdoor light fixtures like those at Pahala Public & School Library.

A GOAL IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION of the Ka`u District Gym & Shelter is to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Certification, according to the Draft Environmental Assessment, for which comments are due March 23. The LEED Green Building Rating System promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The intent is to promote healthful, durable, affordable, and environmentally sound practices in building and design and construction. LEED for new construction and major renovations is based on a system of 100 base points, with six possible points for innovation in design and four regional priority points. The four levels are Certified, 40-49 points; Silver, 50-59 points; Gold, 60-79 points; and Platinum, 80-100 points.
      Ka`u gym and disaster shelter designers Mitsunaga & Associates are considering a broad range of measures from the various LEED strategies available, including:

· Create and implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project.
· Minimize parking lot size. Consider sharing parking facilities with adjacent buildings and grass parking.
· Divert demolition and new construction waste by 50 percent that would normally go to landfill. Use materials that are re-used, rapidly renewable, of recycled content and of certified manufacturers.
· Reduce the heat island effect of roof and non-roof components by selecting reflective or low-heat gain materials.

· Reduce light pollution by providing shields and reflectors on exterior light fixtures. 

· Utilize native and/or water efficient landscaping.
· Optimize energy performance through design of AC and lighting systems.
· Improve indoor environmental quality by providing a construction management plan, specifying low emitting materials, providing daylight for 75 percent of spaces and views of 90 percent of spaces.
      The Draft Environment Assessment is available at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html.
      Comments, due by March 23, can be sent to Tammy Kapali, Planner, PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc., 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650 Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-523-1402. Comments can also be sent to County of Hawai`i Department of Public Works, Attn: David Yamamoto, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 or faxed to 808-961-8630.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE rate hikes that were scheduled this month were delayed yesterday by the state Legislature until at least the end of this year. According to legislators, the delay could save businesses in Hawai`i a total of $107 million.

A GUIDED HIKE in the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. explores the area’s human history. The 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike crosses rugged terrain. Call 985-6011 for more information.

KA`U `OHANA DAY takes place next Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Kahuku Unit. Activities include `oli, mo`olelo, GPS, compass and pacing. Sign up by Wednesday, March 14 at 985-6019.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.