Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 26, 2012

A wisp of steam marks the site of lava entering the ocean this morning. Photo from USGS/HVO

NO COMMENT ON THE KA`U FOREST RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN lawsuit filed last week by Pele Defense Fund. That’s the word from the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. Comments are expected after the state Attorney General looks at the suit, which calls for an Environmental Impact Statement.

Map from DLNR shows hunting areas and proposed
fencing areas in Ka`u Forest Reserve.

      The management plan for 61,641 state-owned acres, which are surrounded on three sides by other state and federal properties, calls for fencing through some of the high elevation of the Ka`u Forest Reserve to keep out ungulates such as pigs, goats and sheep, which destroy native plants and endanger native Hawaiian birds. The plan also calls for reintroduction of the endangered `Alala, the native Hawaiian Crow, which is believed to be extinct in the wild and lives only in bird sanctuaries.

      Some hunters, however, recoil at any more access limitation in Ka`u, where new fencing has been strung for cattle ranching and by new owners of property that was left open to the community by the old sugar company. Some ranches, such as Kapapala, work with hunters and give access through pastures. However, the word “fencing” has become a hot-button issue, and some residents see it as further restricting subsistence hunters and gatherers from land where they traditionally traveled.

      The management plan calls for walkovers – stairways going over fencing – to preserve hunting trails. Much of the proposed fenced-in area would be at high elevations that are less frequently used as hunting grounds, the plan states.

      The EA lays out the general purposes of the management plan as follows:

• Develop management actions for general and specific areas that protect and restore the watershed and native species as vital natural and cultural resources. These actions include fencing and ungulate removal from the most critical area(s), predator control, invasive plant removal and control, and native plant restoration.
• Reintroduce the `Alala to the Ka`u Forest Reserve.
• Enhance public access to Ka`u Forest Reserve through development and maintenance of public access roads and other infrastructure (trails, cabins and/or campsites, etc.).
• Conform with the purpose of the Forest Reserve System and the Ka`u Forest Reserve, in particular as stated in Hawai`i Revised Statutes (Chapter 183) and associated Hawai`i Administrative Rules (Chapter 104), to protect, manage, restore and monitor the resources of Forest Reserves for the public benefit, particularly water resources.

      “Implementation of this management plan will be a huge benefit to rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal species in the ecosystem,” the DLNR statement says.
      The Ka`u forest provides habitat for 16 native Hawaiian birds, including seven listed as Endangered Species; encompasses five major native-dominated forest ecosystems, contains critical habitat for 32 rare plants (listed or candidate) and four endemic and, or, listed invertebrates and likely also provides habitat for the Hawaiian hoary bat.
      Fencing is already built on one side of the unit, and partnership opportunities are available with adjacent landowners for additional habitat protection, says a DLNR press release.
      To read the entire management plan, see http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-10-23-FEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan-5B.pdf.

Life of the Land director
Henry Curtis

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION HAS DENIED a request by several parties and participants in the docket concerning the proposed contract between Hawai`i Electric Light Company and `Aina Koa Pono. HELCO, `Aina Koa Pono, the Consumer Advocate, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and the County of Hawai`i requested a new, shorter Schedule of Proceedings. Life of the Land, an intervenor and one of the parties in the procedure, objected to the new schedule, which set the final due date for Companies’ responses to Information Requests on rebuttal testimony as May 3, 2013 instead of Aug. 2, 2013.

      The requestors had interpreted language in the original order as not requiring unanimity to make changes to the schedule, but the PUC said that interpretation is “without merit” and that the order “clearly identifies the ‘Parties’ as the Companies, the Consumer Advocate and LOL, and the ‘Participants’ as the County of Hawai`i and DBEDT.
      “In the absence of unanimous agreement, no new, proposed procedural schedule should have been filed with the commission,” the PUC statement said.
      This and other documents and public testimony can be read at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.
      Deadline for public written comments to the PUC regarding the proposed biodiesel supply contract is this Friday, Nov. 30. Email testimony to hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov or mail to 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Cowman greets winner Alexandre Ribeiro, left, at the 28th annual
Ultraman Triathlon finish line. Photo from realendurance.com

THE 28TH ANNUAL ULTRAMAN TRIATHLON, after zooming through Ka`u, wound up in Kona yesterday with 47-year-old Alexandre Ribeiro, of Brazil, winning the swim, bike and run in 22 hours, 51 minutes and 12 seconds. Amber Monforte, of Reno, NV, won the women’s division with a time of 34 hours, 25 minutes and 29 seconds.

      Ribeiro and Monforte were last year’s winners, as well. Of the 35 who started the grueling three-day race, 27 finished.

LAVA FROM KILAUEA VOLCANO continues to flow into the ocean after reaching the coastline in lower Puna around 1 p.m. Saturday. The last lava flow to reach the ocean occurred in December last year at West Ka`ili`ili, then stopped on New Year’s Day.

HAWAI`I NEI, THE ANNUAL EXHIBIT celebrating Hawai`i’s native species, runs through the end of the month at Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in Hilo. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m.

Dr. Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura
Photo from NPS

DR. JADELYN J. MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses fossilized human footprints in the Ka`u Desert at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. She examines geologic evidence and the recent discovery of hundreds of archaeological features that indicate prehistoric activity in the area, suggesting that the footprints may be much older than expected.
      The program takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS NOW OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 25, 2012

Lo`ihi mapping shows a large volcano under the sea 22 miles off the southeast coast of Ka`u. Image from NOAA

A 4.3 EARTHQUAKE struck yesterday at 6 p.m., four miles east-northeast of Lo`ihi Seamount. The quake was 9.1 miles below sea level on the ocean floor south of Pahala and Punalu`u and east of South Point. Windows rattled in Ka`u and beyond, but no damage was reported.

      Lo`ihi is an active underwater volcano, about 400,000 years old, with its summit having risen to about 3,180 feet below sea level. Emerging from a hot spot on the Pacific Ocean floor, Lo`ihi has grown to become 10,000 feet tall when measured from the seabed and could rise above the ocean surface in about 10,000 to 100,000 years from now, earth scientists predict.

A 4.3 earthquake struck off the Ka`u Coast yesterday.

      According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Loi`hi Seamount was the site of a flurry of earthquakes Dec. 6 and 7 in 2005. Over 100 earthquakes were located by HVO. An eruption was followed by a swarm of 4,070 earthquakes in 1996. The series of quakes became the largest number recorded during a swarm in the history of studying Hawai`i’s volcanoes. 

      HVO reports: “After the
 swarm, scientists on submersible dives to Lo`ihi concluded that the
 earthquakes were accompanied by a significant collapse of the summit
 area and an apparent eruption.” The quakes led to the implosion of Pele’s Vents, which are now known as Pele’s Pit. The eruption and swarm crafted a major change in about five square miles of the underwater topography of Lo`ihi.
      The newest in the chain of volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Lo`ihi is growing out of the flank of Mauna Loa Volcano, which is the largest shield volcano on earth. When measured from its base on the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is more than 30,000 feet tall.

Preston Barnes opposes the `Aina Koa Pono
contract. Photo from Rotary Club of Hilo Bay

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has received more testimony in advance of the Nov. 30 deadline regarding the application for approval of Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s proposed 20-year biodiesel supply contract with `Aina Koa Pono. The plan to build a refinery off  Wood Valley Road and a biofuel farm between Pahala and Na`alehu is drawing testimony from O`ahu and the Big Island. It would raise electric bills on both islands and would reportedly fix the price of the biofuel at some $200 a barrel. The proposal is also drawing testimony from those affiliated with `Aina Koa Pono. 

      Brett Kulbis, of Ewa Beach on O`ahu, opposes the contract. He writes, “I’m opposed to the `Aina Koa Pono biofuel purchase proposal. It will raise electricity rates. I want lower rates. Over the last two years, my electrical bill has gone up from approximately $237 per month to $591; this is becoming outrageous. Purchasing biofuel at $200 per barrel is not only irrational, it is fiscally irresponsible. The Hawaiian Electric Co. monopolistic stranglehold on our electric rates and energy future must end.”

      Preston Barnes, who owns property in Wood Valley, worked as a supervisor for Ka`u Sugar and for C. Brewer for 20 years, opposes the contract. The Papaikou resident says, “I agree that we need renewable energy, but it doesn’t make sense to develop a product, any product, that is more expensive than oil, especially if you intend to have HELCO pass on the cost of this development to the consumer. Let’s use common sense and develop alternative fuels or methods that are less expensive than oil first. All you are doing is funding an alternative source which is a private company developing a product that they can’t sell because it is not economical.”

John Carroll,  left, works with `Aina Koa Pono to grow test crops in Wood
Valley and submits testimony supporting the biofuel project.
Photo by Michael Neal

      John Carroll, of the Pacific Northwest and Kona, who has worked for `Aina Koa Pono, supports the project. He says he is an agricultural engineer who has helped `Aina Koa Pono locate some of the plant varieties being used for yield trials. “The sustainable benefits far outweigh any perceived increases in electrical costs,” he writes. “Initially, there may be some slight increases, but as oil prices rise in the future, `Aina Koa Pono’s project will act as a stabilizing agent and will eventually be effective in reducing costs and providing a green, renewable source of carbon-negative energy, which Hawai`i can be proud of and works well with our agricultural heritage.”
      Carroll says AKP offers “the only technology which supplies the volumes of needed liquid fuels.” He contends that AKP will utilize marginal lands and not lands currently used for food production, will keep land in agricultural use and not for speculation, will employ farmers and agriculturalists - similar to the sugar cane days - and make Hawai`i County a destination for eco-tourism.
      The PUC is accepting testimony through Nov. 30 at hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov and 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813.
      See more testimony and the proposal at www.puc.hawaii.gov/dockets.

Program director Yvonne Gilbert

ARC OF KONA ANNOUNCES ITS FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of providing an active project site and services in Ka`u. In the winter of 2008, Arc of Kona received two donated homes in Ocean View. After much deliberation and community input, the private nonprofit decided to develop one home as an activity center for adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. The house next door was developed as a low-cost, high-quality housing unit for people living with a disability who can live independently. “To date, we have been successful in fulfilling both goals, and we are able and willing to support more people living with disabilities,” said program director Yvonne Gilbert. “Throughout the last five years, we have been fortunate to receive ongoing support for our homes in Ocean View, including installing safe water systems and recently replacing and upgrading flooring in the residence.”

      Arc of Kona provides one-on-one services to individuals with DD/ID via the Personal Assistance and Habilitation program of the Medicaid Waiver. Staff works with individuals with disabilities on increasing their independence and skills in activities of daily living, personal care skills and community access. “There is a formal process of admission and establishing meaningful goals for the people we support, ongoing review of these goals, qualified and caring staff, and a lovely and cozy house from which to practice these goals,” Gilbert said. “We are always interested in hearing from you if you or a family member has a disability and are looking for supports and services. We are also interested in hearing from you if you are skilled or interested in working with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.”
      Arc of Kona has been serving Hawai‘i Island for over 40 years and is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
      For more information, contact Gilbert at 323-2626.

Ka`u Coffee Pageant winners for 2011-2012, Miss Ka`u
Coffee Brandy Shibuya and Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca
Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar. Photo by Julia Neal

CALLING FOR MISS KA`U COFFEE CANDIDATES: Young women wanting to become Miss Ka`u Coffee contestants for 2013 are welcome to sign up for the competition by Jan. 15 for the spring pageant. Categories will be Miss Ka`u Coffee for young women ages 17 to 24 and Miss Ka`u Peaberry for girls ages 7 to 9. The winners will reign over the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 4. 

      Candidates must be age 17-24 by May 13 for Miss Ka`u Coffee. Candidates must be age 7-9 by May 13 for Miss Ka`u Peaberry. Pick up and drop off applications at R&G Store in Pahala, Pahala Community Center, Grandma’s Closet in Na`alehu and Kahuku Gift & Garden Shop in Ocean View. For more, contact Gloria Camba at 928-8558 or call Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811. Organizers also welcome volunteers to help produce the pageant.

VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI Art Studio Tour & Sale continues today until 4 p.m. Artists display their work in several studios throughout the village. Maps are available at local businesses and VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY continues today at Volcano Art Center Gallery with art demonstrations and a selection of handcrafted decorations and gifts offered only during the holiday season are available until 5 p.m. Park entrance fees apply. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-7565.

After Dark in the Park examines fossilized footprints in the Ka`u Desert.

FOSSILIZED HUMAN FOOTPRINTS IN THE KA`U DESERT are the topic at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. Archaeological research at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park suggests that the story behind the creation of may be more complex than originally thought. Footprint impressions found in desert ash layers were believed to have been created by the army of the Hawaiian Chief Keoua in 1790 on their way back from battle over land and power with Chief (later King) Kamehameha. With his army split into three groups, Keoua passed by Kilauea Volcano. Kilauea is said to have erupted, sending ash down on one group and suffocating them. The others made it out alive, apparently leaving their footprints in the wet ash. The ash dried, forever memorializing this event, or did it? Dr. Jadelyn J. Moniz-Nakamura examines geologic evidence, coupled with the recent discovery of hundreds of archaeological features that may indicate much more prehistoric activity in the area suggesting others contributed to the footprint impressions.
      The program takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 24, 2012

More than 85 volunteers joined Hawai`i Wildlife Fund's Ka`u Coast cleanup last Saturday. Photo from HWF

TIME OUT FOR THE PLDC is what Gov. Neil Abercrombie requested yesterday in a press release. He asked the Public Land Development Corp. to postpone its meetings and actions on pending rules while public concerns are addressed. The governor asked state Department of Land & Natural Resources chief William Aila, Jr. to facilitate meetings with stakeholders. “I do not want the potential for the PLDC to accomplish public good to be lost because of a failure to account for reservations about either the process or the outcome,” said the governor.
      “We’ve heard the concerns and now need to focus on productive dialogue with stakeholders before proceeding.” According to Abercrombie,
      “The PLDC has the potential to support new schools, recreational facilities and operations by using public lands for public purposes that otherwise may not have had sufficient funding. We will continue to work closely with the Legislature and all interested parties involved to do what is best for the people of Hawai`i.”
      Hawai`i and Kaua`i County Councils have asked the 2013 state Legislature to appeal the law that allows the formation of the PLDC to work with private partners to develop state lands. In their opposition statements, Council members named loss of home rule and weakening of planning and environmental protection measures.
      Abercrombie said, “We will do our best to alleviate public concerns; however, the PLDC is the creation of the Legislature, and lawmakers will ultimately be the ones to decide its future.”

Kulani Prison has a gymnasium, auto shop and other work places for the 200 male prisoners who would finish their sentences there. Photos from Environmental Assessment for re-opening the prison.

KULANI PRISON, east of Volcano, could reopen by January for about 200 male inmates. Inmates near the end of their prison terms would be moved to Kalani, opening up other prison space in the islands for inmates who would be shipped from the mainland where the state of Hawai`i is paying for their incarceration. Sen. Gil Kahele worked with the state Legislature and Gov. Neil Abercrombie to begin planning to return the prisoners so they could be closer to their families and opportunities for rehabilitation in Hawai`i. The move would also keep the money spent on prisoners in the state of Hawai`i. The operating cost at Kulani is estimated to be about $5.3 million per year. Reopening Kulani would create 96 jobs near Ka`u’s eastern border.
      The re-opening of Kulani would be a first step in returning approximately 1,700 of the 6,000 prisoners who are housed in private mainland correctional facilities.
      Yesterday, the state Office of Environmental Quality Control posted a notice and a draft Environmental Assessment on its website covering the re-opening of the prison. It says that the state Department of Accounting and General Services seeks a building permit, Conservation Use Permit and Board of Land & Natural Resources approval to operate and manage a correctional facility. The location is on the developed portions of the 280 acres where Kulani Prison closed in 2009.

Kulani Prison sits on 280 acres near Ka`u's eastern border.

      According to the notice, “The project involves primarily logistical actions to assemble required staff and physically transfer Hawai`i inmates. Architectural, engineering and environmental analyses in 2012 of the existing dormitories, workshops, dining facilities and administrative spaces revealed that the facility is ready for occupation by 200 inmates with only nominal repairs and no major facility upgrades.” The budget for improvements is about $600,000. “The proposed reactivation supports Hawai`i justice reinvestment initiative strategy to bring out-of-state prisoners back to Hawai`i, reduce spending on corrections and reinvest savings generated in strategies that would reverse recent crime trends,” the EA says.
      “This humanitarian effort will provide increased social support for the inmates through proximity to family, friends, familiar culture, local staff and potential employment following release,” the EA states.
      The EA suggests that inmates could help with rainforest conservation projects with DLNR, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, and U.S. Geological Survey. Facilities at Kulani include a craft building, gymnasium, automotive shop, greenhouse, piggery and pastures.
      Read the EA at http://hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html. Click on current issue under the The Environmental Notice. Comments are due by Feb. 7.

`Ama`ama season closes Dec. 1 until April 1.

`AMA`AMA, STRIPED MULLET, will be out of season from Dec. 1 through March 31. The state Department of Land & Natural Resources is shutting down the season because “ama`ama are about to enter their peak spawning season, which increases their vulnerability to fishing pressure,” said DLNR chief William Aila, Jr. “The annual winter closure is designed to help the fish reproduce successfully and protect the species from overfishing.”
      Fines up to $500 plus $100 for each fish taken and up to 30 days in jail can be leveled for breaking the kapu on ama`ama. Aila declared that, “while it’s DLNR’s job to protect our marine resources, everyone shares in the responsibility to take care of important fish species like `ama`ama to ensure their survival into the future.” See fishing regulations on the state Division of Aquatic Resources’ website at hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar. Report fishing law violations to 643-DLNR (643-3567).

“THE ISLAND OF HAWAI`I POSSESSES VAST UNTAPPED POTENTIAL for electricity generation from renewable resources,” says the County of Hawai`i Energy Sustainability Program Five-Year Roadmap released recently. “Estimates vary, but the total available renewable resource far exceeds current electricity demand.” The report calls for a transition from burning fossil fuels to renewables to generate electricity.
      According to the report, in the past, the high capital cost of renewable technologies did not compare favorably with the relatively low prices of petroleum products. “Today, many renewable energy technologies have matured to the point that they can now compete with current electricity prices. Reducing overall electricity costs by taking advantage of the low cost of renewable electricity generation will require adding relatively large amounts of new renewables to displace existing petroleum-based generation.”

      The report says that energy efficiency improvements can be viewed as one renewable energy resource “because they reduce overall demand, most of which comes from petroleum. If the residents, businesses and government of Hawai`i Island take steps now to improve energy efficiency, it could dramatically lower the overall cost of transitioning the island’s energy system to renewable sources. Energy efficiency improvements are often the most cost-effective energy investments.”
      The report claims that the island’s existing petroleum-fired electric generators are only about 32 percent efficient on average, and that eliminating power generation and grid losses would reduce the island’s total energy consumption by 24 percent. Replacing petroleum-based generation with renewable generation could save some or all of the more than $120 million the island spent on fuel purchases for power generation in 2011.
      “The relatively low cost of renewable electricity provides a powerful market signal, but it has not been sufficient to induce widespread adoption of renewable energy in the electricity sector,” the report states. It cites technical challenges associated with interconnecting some renewables into the current power grid, but says that these challenges “have been successfully managed in other places by investing in a modernized power grid and using existing technologies and applications to improve control and efficiency of the power system. Regulatory, policy, and financial incentive issues remain the key barriers to a full transition to renewable electricity.
      “The regulatory system needs to be designed to encourage the kinds of investments required to transition the island’s energy system to sustainability. Continued policy innovation will be necessary to realize a full transformation away from petroleum dependence.”

      See more at hawaiienergyplan.com.

Ultraman speeds through Ka`u on Friday for the three-day endurance
challenge. Photos from www.ultramanlive.org

ULTRAMAN PEDALED THROUGH KA`U yesterday, with 35 triathletes in the three-day, 320-mile swim, bike and run. Held every year over Thanksgiving weekend on the Big Island, it was founded in 1983. Day 1 on Friday was a 6.2-mile swim followed by a 90-mile bike ride with vertical climbs totaling 7,600 feet from Keauhou Bay through Ka`u to Namakani Paio Park in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Ultraman support staff visited exotic
animals along Hwy 11 in Ka`u.

      Today the endurance competitors ride through Kalapana, Kapoho and Pahoa, through Hilo and up the Hamakua Coast to Waimea and to Kohala Village Inn. Tomorrow they run a double marathon from Hawi to Kawaihae and down the Kohala and Kona Coasts to Old Airport State Park. Participants include ten women. Competitors are from many countries, and the leader at the start this morning was 47-year-old Alexandre Ribeiro of Brazil, followed by Nino Cokan, 39, of Slovenia, and Miro Kregar, 50, of Slovenia.  For more and coverage, see www.ultramanlive.com

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND SENDS A BIG MAHALO to the more than 85 volunteers who cleaned up three miles of Ka`u coastline from Hanalua Bay, near South Point boat ramp, to Pohakuloa Cove last Saturday. “I have never seen Pohakuloa Cove that clean, ever!” said organizer Megan Lamson.
      Volunteers collected and removed 3,385 pound of debris, as well as 1,000 pounds of derelict fishing nets. Total volume collected and removed was 580 cubic feet.

Derelict fishing nets collected at HWF's Ka`u Coast cleanups are stored at
Wai`ohinu transfer station to be loaded into a container Dec. 1.

      Interesting finds included a mini fridge, extra large Styrofoam piece, boat hatch cover and toilet cleaner bottle from Norway.
      Supporters can vote for Hawai`i Wildlife Fund in Subaru Hawai`i’s Share the Love Contest to help the nonprofit win a $5,000 donation to help care for and protect native wildlife. Log onto HWF’s facebook page at http://bit.ly/UizYSw
b.
      Volunteers can help load derelict nets stored at Wai`ohinu transfer station into a container on Saturday, Dec. 1. “This is a hard, hot morning and requires heavy lifting, high spirits and good balance!” Lamson said. HWF’s next beach cleanup event is on Saturday, Jan 12, most likely at Kamilo Point. For more info about either event, contact Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

Agave Abstraction by Volcano Village Artists
Hui member Mary Goodrich

VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI Art Studio Tour & Sale continues today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists display their work in several studios, and a special drawing for pieces contributed by the artists will be held tomorrow. Maps are available at local businesses and VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY continues through tomorrow at Volcano Art Center Gallery. Art demonstrations, print and book signings by gallery artists, a selection of handcrafted decorations and gifts offered only during the holiday season are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Park entrance fees apply. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-7565.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.