Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 26, 2012

Fencing is up around the new gym and shelter construction site , but an underground human burial site has delayed permitting.
 Photo by Julia Neal

A BURIAL SITE NEAR THE KA`U GYM & DISASTER SHELTER site has delayed construction of the project, as the state, county, contractor, archaeologists and the Burial Council work out a plan to protect it.
      Access to the burials is next to the Pahala tennis courts, through a storm drain blocked by a heavy metal grate, and requires using a ladder. The underground site was recently studied by an archaeologist working on the project by climbing and walking through a series of lava tubes. The burial site location is high up on shelf in the cave, above storm drain water flow, but deep underground, below the surface next to one of the existing school buildings. The underground location is across the street from the open area where the gym and shelter will be constructed.
      Glenn Escott, the project archaeologist, said he is working on a burial treatment plan for state and county review. The protection plan may involve abandoning use of the storm drain.

      The plan is expected to be presented to the Burial Council the third Thursday in January. The Council planned to take up the issue in late December, but there was no quorum of Burial Council members to vote on a solution. Construction of the gym and shelter is expected to lie idle until the plan is accepted.
      About 95 percent of the time, the Burial Council recommends protecting graves onsite. On some occasions, the Council allows the graves to be moved.
      The cave was noted in state records several years ago when a dry well was installed to accommodate a septic system for the elementary, intermediate and high school on what is now the gym and disaster shelter project site.
      When the county sought a grading permit for the new gym and disaster shelter, the Hawai`i State Historic Preservation Division reviewed the plan and brought up the lava tubes and cave, as they are common burial sites. The lava tubes are partially located under the school’s main access road, which could be used by heavy equipment to build the 40,000-square-foot gym, shelter and activity center.
      The archaeologist said those working on the project have concluded that the nine- to 12-foot thick walls of the lava tubes are strong enough to handle the traffic.

Colleen Hanabusa

HAWAI`I DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S central committee today chose its three candidates from a list of 14 people who applied to replace the late U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye. The committee is presenting its choices to Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who will make the final decision and appoint the new senator. Whoever replaces Inouye will be up for election in 2014. The candidates are U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, state Department of Land & Natural Resources deputy director Esther Kia`aina and Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz.

Esther Kia`aina

      Colleen Hanabusa is Inouye’s choice to replace him. The late senator sent a letter to Gov. Abercrombie stating his request the day before he died. Hanabusa was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and serves on House Natural Resources and Armed Services Committees. She formerly served as president of Hawai`i State Senate.

      Esther Kia`aina was recently appointed by Gov. Abercrombie as deputy director of DLNR. She was one of eight candidates who ran this year for Hawai`is 2nd Congressional seat vacated by Mazie Hirono. She served as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Ed Case and U.S. Rep. Robert Underwood, of Guam.

Brian Schatz

      Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz was elected in 2010. Schatz was also a candidate to succeed U.S. Rep. Ed Case in 2006. He was in Hawai`i’s state House of Representatives for eight years.
      In alphabetical order, here are the other 11 who applied:

• Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case ran for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination this year but lost to U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono.
• State Sen. Will Espero is Majority Floor Leader and chair of the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee.
• U.S. Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard is a former Honolulu Council member.
• Tony Gill, a Honolulu attorney, is son of Hawai`i’s late Lt. Gov. Tom Gill. 
• Antonio Gimbernat was one of 11 candidates who ran for U.S. Senate this year in the race to replace retiring Sen. Dan Akaka.
• Timothy Hogan, a Honolulu attorney, specializes in commercial litigation.
• Sen. Donna Mercado Kim is vice president of the state Senate. She chairs the Committee on Tourism and Government Operations and the Committee on Accountability.
• Kurt Lajala is an instructor pilot for a defense contractor at Hickam Air Force Base.
• Blake Oshiro is Gov. Abercrombie’s deputy chief of staff and a former state legislator.
• David Tarnas represented North Kona and South Kohala in the state Legislature for four years and currently works for a Waimea-based forestry and renewable energy company.
• Earl Winfree is a commercial pilot and owner of Winfree Aviation Co. on O`ahu. He has been a candidate for Honolulu City Council. 

      A memorial service for Sen. Inouye takes place tomorrow at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
      Memorial books are available for the public to sign at the mayor’s offices in Hilo and Kona today through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The books will be sent to the Inouye family.

The biggest registered Manele is in
Bird Park. Photos from DLNR

CAN KA`U TOP THESE TREES? The Biggest Tree registry is open for applications for 2013. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is coordinating Hawai`i’s participation in the national documentation that measures height, width of crown and circumference of the nation’s biggest trees. Hawai`i has already registered the biggest trees for some of the more tropical species. Some of these trees are found only in Hawai`i. 

      One of the tallest natives trees of its species was found in Ka`u. It is the Manele, also called the Soapberry. The tallest that was registered so far is a tree at Kipuka Puaulu Bird Park in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. It is 73 feet tall, with a circumference of 29.6 inches and crown spread of 57.2 inches.
      In the Koa Category, Hawai`i ranks first with a South Kona tree that is 115 feet tall, with a circumference of 343.3 inches and a crown spread of 93.3 feet. It is located in Kona Hema Preserve, managed by The Nature Conservancy on the slopes of Mauna Loa.
      In the Hau Category, Hawai`i ranks first with a tree at Hulihe`e Palace in Kona with a circumference of 110 inches, a height of 20 feet and a crown spread of 25.2 feet.

This koa tree at Kona Hema, managed
by The Nature Conservancy, has a
circumference of 343.3 inches.

      In the Coconut Category, Hawai`i ranks first with a height of 103 feet with a tree on Moloka`i. It has a circumference of 14 inches and crown spread of 20 feet. The tree was planted by King Kamehameha V.
      In the `A`ali`i Category, Hawai`i ranks first with a 16-foot, 7-inch tree at Maui Nui Botanical Garden. It has a circumference of 23 inches and a crown spread of 16 feet 2 inches.
      The DLNR is looking for the biggest trees in 21 categories. They are: koa, lama, wiliwili, `ohi`a ha, Malaysian apple, White hibiscus, Hibiscus, Red Kaua`i Hibiscus, Hawaiian holly, Koela lau nui, Hawaiian olive, papala kepau, Hawaiian Sumach, Soapberry, Mamane, O`ahu prickly-ash, Paper Mulberrry, Coconut, Sea Hibiscus, Soapberry Wingleaf and Hopbush.
      To register a tree, take photos and measure its circumference and crown and estimate its height. GPS its location or write down specific directions to locate the tree. Send to Sheri Mann, Cooperative Resource Management Forester
, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife
,1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
, Honolulu, HI 96813; or email Sheri.S.Mann@hawaii.gov.
      A Big Tree map for Hawai`i can be seen at https://arcgisonline.com/apps/OnePane/basicviewer/index.html?appid=49274160c80f4ffc8f2f2c9db7ec3915.

This 103-foot-high coconut tree was planted
on Moloka`i by King Kamehameha V.

      The American Forests Big Trees program with photos of big trees across the country can be seen at http://www.americanforests.org/our-programs/bigtree.

VOLCANO ART CENTER PRESENTS variable hula art offerings of hula lessons, lei making, storytelling, lauhala weaving or `ukulele lessons each Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front porch of the gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Everyone is welcome to the free programs, and park entrance fees apply.

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.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT. 

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 25, 2012

Berta Miranda clutched her Bible as she and other coffee growers waited below the raging fires in June
after escaping from coffee farms at Pear Tree. Photo by William Neal

HERE ARE THE KA`U CALENDAR’S TOP TEN STORIES FOR KA`U IN 2012:

`Aina Koa Pono biofuel project would change the face of Ka`u.

NO. 1:  `AINA KOA PONO refinery, tree harvesting and biofuel idea would change the face of Ka`u more than any other development since the proposed 2,000-unit resort concept died at Punalu`u. The `Aina Koa Pono project, turned down in 2011, was proposed again to the Public Utilities Commission in 2012. The plan is to build a refinery off Wood Valley Road. It would harvest existing trees and shrubs. It would plant grasses on some 11,000 acres to be used for biomass to make pellets that would run through a microwave refinery to manufacture diesel for a Kona power plant. The operation would raise electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island and lock Hawaiian Electric Light Co. into a 20-year fixed price for the diesel. The partners promise 400 union construction jobs and 200 permanent mill and farm jobs. The county, state and Life of the Land, in a legal proceeding before the PUC, are asking about the impact of using land to grow biofuel instead of food, the displacement of cattle ranchers, the impact on the environment and the lifestyle in Ka`u, and proof that the microwave process will work. The case is expected to be decided in 2013.

Redistricting divided Ka`u in half, giving it representation by two
state senators and two state representatives.

NO. 2:  CHANGING POLITICAL DISTRICT LINES with reapportionment in 2012 led to Ka`u representation by two state senators and two members of the state House of Representatives, as well as electing a member to the County Council who serves a constituency from Volcano into Kona. The redistricting came with the U.S. Census showing growth and shifts in population and the required adjustment of political districts to live up to the one-man, one-vote requirement. 

      While it may be perceived that having more people representing Ka`u could mean more help for the district, all of those elected live somewhere else. While Ka`u’s latest senator, Gil Kahele, traveled regularly from Hilo through Ka`u to his second home in Miloli`i, west Ka`u’s new senator, Josh Green, lives in Kona, and east Ka`u’s new senator, Russell Ruderman, is deeply rooted in Puna. While Ka`u’s latest member of the state House of Representatives, Bob Herkes lives in Ka`u and was deeply involved with obtaining potable water for Ocean View, saving the South Kona Wilderness Area, and funding the regional disaster shelter for Ka`u, the new west Ka`u representative, Denny Coffman, is a Kona resident, and the east Ka`u representative, Richard Onishi, lives in Hilo. While the last member of the County Council, Brittany Smart, lived in Discovery Harbour in Ka`u, the new County Council member, Brenda Ford, is a South Kona resident. All have promised to keep Ka`u in mind, but it may be up to Ka`u residents to keep in touch with them.

A visitor center for Ka`u Coffee opened in 2012.

NO. 3:  KA`U COFFEE reached new success in 2012 with demand outstripping supply. More than 50 Ka`u Coffee growers own their own homes, have their own small businesses and work in coffee orchards on the slope of Mauna Loa. Their marketing and quality have reached some of the finest gourmet coffee stores and restaurants in the world, as well as popular coffee shops like Starbucks. In 2012, Ka`u Coffee Mill opened to service local farmers who would not have to drive their coffee to Hilo or Kona for processing and to also serve as a Ka`u Coffee visitor center. In 2013, the farmers are expected to seek more land security for their existing farms and more land to expand their coffee orchards. At the end of the year, Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative president Gloria Camba thanked the late Sen. Daniel Inouye for helping the coffee growers, many of them displaced sugar workers, through a federal grant that helped them to create the new industry after the last sugar company on the island shut down in Ka`u in 1996.

Hawai`i County's completed its purchases for parklands between
Honu`apo and Punalu`u in 2012. Photo by Julia Neal

NO. 4:  KA`U COAST PRESERVATION made great strides in 2012 with the completion of the county purchase of the last segment of 1,000 acres between Punalu`u and Honu`apo pier. The decade-long campaign involves county, state, federal and private funding and conserves shoreline property that is the closest to the main Hwy 11 that travels through Ka`u. Additional proposals were launched and are likely, with more than 3,000 acres to be purchased for conservation surrounding Road to the Sea on the west side of Ka`u, a Ka Ohana O Honu`apo proposal for the county to purchase the slope below Honu`apo scenic lookout with the land extending southward along the shore, and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s attempt to secure land along the Great Crack, makai of Hwy 11 between Volcano and Pahala as well as land extending to the shore below the Kahuku Unit of the park. 

      The preservation movement is seen as conserving a resource for all the people of Hawai`i and the nation as Ka`u has the longest uninhabited coastline in all of Hawai`i. It is also considered an economic engine for the future when people will stay in accommodations owned by local residents, visit local farms, frequent local stores and restaurants and explore the Ka`u Coast.
      In the words of Sen. Daniel Inouye: “As the urban sprawl continues to spread beyond O`ahu and into our Neighbor Islands, I think all of us will agree that we must be very vigilant in setting aside that which must be protected.”

Ocean View water well blessing drew public officials and longtime
advocates to the new filling station in July. Photo by Charles Tobias

NO. 5:  POTABLE WATER FOR OCEAN VIEW became available to the community after a 20-year struggle for funding from the state that was led by a band of citizens that marched on the state Capitol and lobbied incessantly. Rep. Bob Herkes helped secure the funding. The well was completed, storage tanks installed and spigots opened to private and commercial water haulers. Ocean View residents hauled water for many decades from South Kona and Wai`ohinu but are now able to access free water for domestic use from the site just mauka of Hwy 11. The achievement is another example of the pioneering spirit of Ocean View residents who built a community with no previous infrastructure, volunteering and raising money for their roads, water system, park, community center and ambulance, amenities that have existed since plantation days in Na`alehu and Pahala. Next, they say, is a school.

Several key politicians and community members helped break ground for
the Ka`u Gym & Disaster Shelter in October. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

NO. 6:  A REGIONAL DISASTER SHELTER & GYMNASIUM for Ka`u was funded and ground broken in the most expensive capital improvement project in Ka`u history. Costing some $18 million, the Ka`u Gymnasium & Disaster Shelter will be a sports and events venue for Ka`u High School and the community. Its hurricane-hardened buildings will become the region’s disaster shelter with activity rooms equipped with air-cleaning devices for heavy vog events. The disaster shelter was championed by Rep. Bob Herkes, the gym by former County Council member Guy Enriques, Ka`u High Principal Sharon Beck, Mayor Billy Kenoi and Gov. Neil Abercrombie, along with help from Ka`u’s last Council member Brittany Smart. Construction is expected to get underway in early 2013 with completion in 2014 on the grounds between Pahala tennis courts and the school cafeteria.

Ka`u Coffee Grower Co-op Pres. Gloria Camba checks on
singed farms after the fire in June. Photo by William Neal

NO. 7:  DROUGHT AND FIRES hit Ka`u agriculture hard in 2012, and the rains on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were a welcome relief to ranchers, macadamia, coffee, flower and vegetable growers. Fires surrounded Pahala this summer, burning through macadamia orchards and some coffee and eucalyptus farms, leaving millions of dollars in damage. Flames marched up the main entrance to Pahala and threatened Ka`u Hospital, where patients were evacuated to Na`alehu. Fires burned along the coast and threatened The Nature Conservancy’s Kamehame hawksbill turtle preserve but did no damage to the nesting grounds. With dry weather continuing, more than a month of intense dust storms blew through Pahala and across farms and pastures between Pahala and Na`alehu after the fires ended their path of destruction.

In April, a Big Island Invasive Species Committee hunter
killed its first axis deer on the Big Island -- above
South Point. Photo from BIISC

NO. 8:  THE KA`U FOREST, with both conservation and hunting traditions, became a huge issue in 2012 as the state cracked down on the introduction of game animals, like the axis deer, and also made a plan to manage Ka`u Forest Reserve. The first axis deer to be shot on the island was taken down in Ka`u by a marksman from Big Island Invasive Species Committee. The helicopter pilot who brought the first axis deer to Hawai`i Island to create a herd for recreational and subsistence hunting was sentenced and fined, along with his cohorts. Licensed hunters are encouraged to assist in the effort to protect Hawai`i Island’s natural resources and farms by harvesting any deer encountered in public hunting areas without restrictions for season or bag limit.

Ka`u Forest Management Plan calls for fencing 12,000 acres of forest.
Photo by Rob Shallenberger

      The state Department of Land & Natural Resources released its plan for public comment on its efforts to exclude invasive species, including goats, pigs and sheep, from a portion of Ka`u Forest Reserve in order to protect and propagate native plants and to reintroduce the endangered Hawaiian crow, the `Alala, to the wild. A small band of hunters backed by the Pele Defense fund filed a lawsuit, while the state explained that it would provide hunter walk-over stairs to allow continued access to traditional hunting grounds.

Ka`u Hospital received many upgrades in 2012. Photo by Julia Neal

NO. 9:  IMPROVED MEDICAL FACILITIES were funded in 2012 for expansion of Bay Clinic in Na`alehu and upgrades at Ka`u Hospital in Pahala. Bay Clinic’s new Ka`u Family Health & Dental Center will have the capacity to see 3,400 new patients with 8,500 new appointments. It will be constructed in front of the current Bay Clinic, which is located in an old two-story building from plantation days. 

     “In addition to expanding access to affordable medical care, the new clinic will provide dental and family counseling services and fully incorporate Bay Clinic’s evolving care model known as the ‘Patient Centered Medical Home,’” said Paul Strauss, who said there is a “new day for health care in Ka`u.”
      Ka`u Hospital received funding for air treatment and air conditioning to protect patients and long-term residents from the affects of vog from Kilauea volcano. New windows, doors, ceilings and other upgrades were funded by the state for this Critical Access Care hospital.

With reduced hours, Pahala Library is only open Mondays from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

NO. 10:  THE FUTURE OF KA`U LIBRARIES became a serious question in 2012 when Pahala Library was reduced to opening one afternoon a week. Pahala Library was open only 64 days of the 121 days that were scheduled between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 – and even less frequently during the last quarter of the year. Staff shortages and lack of use appear to have put the libraries into a downward spiral, particularly if students are unable to go there regularly before and after school and if libraries are not open when the working public can check out books. County and state elected officials have vowed to follow the issue and help out in 2013, particularly with plans to make the libraries into technology and information centers.

A memorial service for Sen. Dan Inouye
takes place in Hilo Thursday.
Photo from DHHL

A MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SEN. DAN INOUYE takes place Thursday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo. Viewing of the koa box with his ashes begins at noon, with a service from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
      Memorial books are available for the public to sign at the mayor’s offices in Hilo and Kona tomorrow through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The books will be sent to the Inouye family.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFÉ offers buffets today from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on New Year’s Day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The price of $24.95 and $12 for children 6 to 11 includes entrees, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

KMC ALSO PLANS A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY for Monday in the Lava Lounge. Call 967-8365 or 967-8371for more information.

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.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT. 

Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 24, 2012

Vote on Kilauea Military Camp's decorations through the end of December. Photo by Julia Neal

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE for applications from those seeking to fill the vacancy in the U.S. Senate created by the passing of the late Sen. Dan Inouye. The most recent applicant is Esther Kia`aina, who Gov. Neil Abercrombie recently appointed as deputy director of Department of Land and Natural Resources. Kia`aina, who began a 20-year career on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as an intern for Inouye before becoming chief of staff for two different congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives, was a candidate in the August primary election for Hawai`i’s 2nd U.S. Congressional District seat.

Esther Kia`aina

      Others who have expressed interest in the position include former U.S. Rep. Ed Case, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, state Sen. Will Espero and current U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
      The Democratic Party plans to meet on Wednesday and consider three names to submit to Gov. Abercrombie for consideration. It is up to Abercrombie to make the final decision.

KAHU RADIO is more than $100,000 in debt, but is hoping to survive, according to Christine Kaehuaea, who came on board a little more than a year ago and is now station manager. She told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: “If we turn in our call letters there’s no window open for a new station,” says the Leila Fujimori article in this morning’s newspaper.
      The story says that Kaehuaea decided to “take down the broadcasting antenna and transmitter equipment at a tower in Na`alehu, which cost $1,500 a month to rent. That was done Dec. 17, and the gear was moved to the station in Pahala, saving the station a big monthly expense,” says the Star-Advertiser story. The equipment was purchased with a grant from state Civil Defense, and the plan was to extend emergency messaging throughout much of Ka`u from the Crown Castle tower between Na`alehu and Pahala.
      The story also describes support from `O Ka`u Kakou, which was founded by former County Council member Guy Enriques. Says the story, “Wayne Kawachi, president of `O Ka`u Kakou, a community service organization, said the group and its members have made donations to support the station.”

Wayne Kawachi and Christine Kaehuaea say they are working to help
KAHU Radio survive. Photo by Julia Neal

      Kawachi told the Star-Advertiser, “They let the community know what’s going on, any type of warnings.… We decided we’re going to help and try to keep it open for that reason.”
      The story reports that `O Ka`u Kakou “members have also lent physical help in preparing for a farmers market fundraiser for the station.”
     However, Kaehuaea announced last Wednesday that the farmers market in Pahala would shut down, saying that an anchor vegetable farmer was pulling out and that other vendors would no longer be able to go to the site for the time being.
      According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Kawachi said that the radio station “still covers a lot of Ka`u…. I think it’s a good thing. People like it. The only thing is the cost to keep it running.”
      Kawachi also contended that “Pahala itself and the Ka`u area, we have the highest unemployment, the highest welfare.… We just don't have enough people who financially can support it. It’s been a battle, not only the radio station’s. We have a lot of businesses that open up and close. It’s hard to survive. We’re economically depressed,” Kawachi claimed.
      The Star-Advertiser also said that “Kawachi gives the station a ‘50-50 shot’ of surviving, ‘but we’re going to try our best to keep it going. It’s going to be a long road.’
      ‘It’s Kaehuaea’s commitment that engenders that support,’ he said. ‘She tries really hard, and she has her heart into it. She wants to make it survive.’”
      The story states that Kaehuaea is co-owner of KAHU, which is licensed by the FCC as a community, nonprofit radio station.
      The story also says that (founder of the station), Christine Kaehuaea’s father, Wendell Kaehuaea “retired from the day-to-day station management and is now strictly an announcer.”

      See staradvertiser.com.

Volcano Awareness Month is coming up in January.
Photo from USGS/HVO

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recognizes January as Volcano Awareness Month with programs throughout next month that focus on the importance of understanding and respecting the volcanoes on which we live. Each Tuesday except for New Year’s Day, the park offers After Dark in the Park programs at 7 p.m. On Jan. 8, the program marks the 30th anniversary of Kilauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption, with HVO geologist Tim Orr reviewing highlights and talking about recent developments. On Jan. 15, HVO geologist Matt Patrick presents an overview of Kilauea’s summit eruption, including a survey of the volcanic processes occurring within the vent. A below-the-scenes look at Kilauea’s plumbing system takes place Jan. 22, when HVO scientist Michael Poland presents a picture of what Kilauea’s subsurface might look like based on observations from eruptions, earthquake patterns, ground deformation, chemical changes and geologic studies. On Jan. 29, HVO’s chief technical support specialist Kevan Kamibayashi presents the story behind monitoring Hawaiian volcanoes and how HVO gets data it needs to track eruptions and earthquakes. 

      Other programs are scheduled at UH-Hilo as well as in South Kona and Puna. Visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov for more information.

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES in Ka`u include one at Na`ohulelua Historical Garden on Kama`oa Road that begins at 6:30 p.m. on the grounds of the historic Catholic Church. Everyone is welcome at this non-denominational Christian celebration. Bring a chair and flashlight to walk the path to the ceremony. Space is limited. RSVP to 345-9374. 

NA`ALEHU METHODIST CHURCH also offers Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 7:30 p.m., with lessons and carols that retell the Christmas story in word and song. For more, call Julie White at 503-756-8035.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S HOLIDAY CHALLENGE continues through Dec. 31. The front row of cottages at KMC in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has been decorated by employees, a nd visitors can vote for their favorites at KMC Front Desk.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFÉ offers buffets tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on New Year’s Day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The price of $24.95 and $12 for children 6 to 11 includes entrees, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

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.

FIND MORE OF OUR DECEMBER 2012 EVENT PHOTOS ON OUR FLICKR ACCOUNT.