Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 12, 2013

Ka`u Coffee Festival organizers have released a schedule of events for the April 27 - May 5 event. Local band Hands of Time played at last year's ho`olaule`a. Photo by Julia Neal

COFFEE BERRY BORER REDUCTION and prevention will be the topic of a Ka`u Farm Bureau meeting this Monday, Jan. 14 at Pahala Community Center beginning at 5 p.m. Pepe Miranda, of Synergistic Hawai`i Agriculture Council, will give the presentation. Farm Bureau president Chris Manfredi said that all coffee farmers should attend, whether or not they have CBB. Refreshments will be served.

Ka`u Farm Bureau discusses coffee berry borer reduction
and prevention Monday at Pahala Community Center.

      Manfredi said that the Ka`u Coffee industry has been a good example of farmers working together to hold back the pest that has impacted many farms. Any questions, call 929-9550. The meeting is co-sponsored by the College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources.
      The presentation will be followed by a Ka`u Farm Bureau directors meeting.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS have announced a week of activities for the April 27 to May 5 annual event. The organizing committee has made the following release:
      The Ka`u Coffee Festival perks with java-jumping fun starting April 27 and culminating the weekend of May 4-5 with a ho`olaule`a on Saturday and coffee education on Sunday. Serving as an economic stimulus for the rural Ka`u region, the festival is supported by the County of Hawai`i Department of Research & Development, Hawai`i Tourism Authority and Hawai`i Department of Agriculture.
      On Saturday evening, April 27, enjoy foodie fun at Simply Elegant: 2nd Annual Ka`u Farmers’ Table at The Inn at Kalaekilohana. The limited seating Table features locally sourced gastronomy with live entertainment. Advance only tickets are $75 at www.kau-hawaii.com.
      On Sunday afternoon, April 28, the Triple C Recipe Contest returns to Ka`u Coffee Mill with competition in cookies, candies and crackers, all made with Ka`u Coffee. Attendance and coffee tasting are free. Find contest entry info at kaucoffeemill.com.
      During the week, visit Ka`u Coffee farms. Enjoy the beauty of Ka`u, Punalu`u Black Sand Beach, Honu`apo fishponds, the cliffs of Ka Lae - the southernmost place in the U.S., and nearby Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Stay in one of the many accommodations in Ka`u. See participating coffee farms and accommodations at www.kaucoffeefest.com.

A Ka`u Mountain Water System Hike takes
place Wednesday, May 1.

      On Wednesday, May 1, explore flume systems of the sugarcane era and development of hydroelectric power on a Ka`u Mountain Water System Hike. Fee. Limited to 30 with lunch provided. Visit www.kaucoffeemill.com or phone 808-928-0550.
      On Friday, May 3, enjoy Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee farm, where descendants of the first coffee farmer in Ka`u explain how coffee is integrated into other agriculture. Fee. Lunch included. Visit www.aikaneplantation.com or phone 927-2252.
      On Friday, May 3, observe the heavens from the summit of Makanau at Ka`u Star Gazing, 7:30-10 p.m. Fee. To sign up, see www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 928-0550.
      On Saturday, May 4, enjoy the Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a, with a full day of music, hula, food, local crafts, coffee tastings and farm tours at the Pahala Community Center. Festival entry is free; Ka`u Coffee Experience coffee tasting $5; farm tours $20. Call 929-9550 or visit www.kaucoffeefest.com.
      On Sunday, May 5, learn about the coffee industry at the Ka`u Coffee College at Pahala Community Center. Free, donations appreciated. Call 929-9550 or visit www.kaucoffeefest.com
      Founded in a coffee tradition hailing to the 1800s—plus the hard work of sugar employees who lost their jobs in 1996—Ka`u Coffee burst onto the specialty coffee scene by winning numerous awards. These accolades highlight the unique combination of people and place that makes Ka`u Coffee a favorite across the globe. The festival’s mission is to raise awareness of Ka`u as a world-class, coffee-growing origin.
      Ka`u Coffee Festival vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and festival updates, visit kaucoffeefest.com, follow the Ka`u Coffee Festival on Facebook and Twitter or call 929-9550.

HERE IS MORE ON THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION’S publication of responses to questions asked by Life of the Land regarding the `Aina Koa Pono proposal to sell, at a fixed price for 20 years, 16 million gallons of diesel per year to be made in a refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala. Diesel would be extracted from biomass in 27 microwave units and sold to Hawai`i Electric Light and Hawaiian Electric Companies, most of it trucked to the power plant near Kona airport. The proposal calls for higher electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island.

      Regarding the contention that “there are a number of advanced biofuel technologies that have proven viable in lab and pilot scales at various locations around the world; most are seeking feedstock and sufficient financing to advance to commercialization,” Life of the Land asked, “Isn’t this also true of OTEC, Ocean Wave Energy and Utility-Scale Batteries which are all seeking sufficient financing to advance to commercialization?" HELCO and HECO responded that their renewable energy program includes “a broad portfolio of resources, including technologies that are very mature such as waste to energy and wind power, as well as technologies that hold significant promise to contribute substantially to Hawai`i’s clean energy goals. Examples of the latter category include ocean thermal energy conversion and wave power energy. Hawaiian Electric has maintained this broad procurement approach consistently over the years, and is actively in power purchase contract discussions with developers of these various technologies.”
      Life of the Land asked, “Why is it in the public interest for ratepayers to finance one possible solution, that is, why should ratepayers bear the burden of assuming which technology will emerge as the more dominant player of the future?” The utilities said the Consumer Advocate and Hawai`i County asked a similar question. They told the Consumer Advocate, “There is no risk to HELCO’s customers of paying for anything outside of the price per gallon of the biodiesel delivered in accordance with the contract’s fuel specification. HELCO is not providing any financial assurances to AKP other than the obligation to purchase fourteen to sixteen million gallons of biodiesel per year under the twenty-year AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract at the agreed price per gallon. There is no cost that will be passed on to the companies’ customers if the AKP project development fails to produce biodiesel.”

TekGar president and CEO Michael Catto extracts biofuel from the
company's Micro Dee processor. Images from tekgar.com

      “The Hawaiian Electric Companies continue to pursue a range of solutions to increase
renewable energy and energy security,” they told Hawai`i County. “The AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract is one approach to provide a solution that displaces fossil fuel with renewable biofuel and enables the production of firm power.”
      Life of the Land asked, “In HECO’s due diligence analysis of AKP and of its principals, what expertise does the AKP company/principals have in agriculture, biofuels, utility contracts and greenhouse gas analysis?” The utilities contended that “AKP’s team includes an agronomist with international experience as well as individuals with vast experience in agriculture on the Island of Hawai`i and specifically in Ka`u.” The utilities also stated that “AKP also is working closely with the Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center as it tests and develops its agriculture plan. AKP’s partners, AECOM (AKP’s engineering, procurement and construction firm), and Mansfield Oil, are both leaders in their respective fields, the utilities stated AECOM has experience in analyzing and developing biofuel projects. Mansfield Oil is an industry leader in the marketing and transportation of fuel. AKP’s legal team, as well as Mansfield Oil, investment banks and other attorneys, all have extensive expertise involving biofuel contracts and working with AKP specifically. AECOM conducts greenhouse gas analyses in their normal course of business. According to AKP, AECOM has currently spent in excess of $1 million dollars testing AKP’s technology.”

Michael Catto displays a jar of biofuel created by TekGar's microwave
depolymerization process.

      Regarding microwave depolymerization technology that AKP intends to use in the refining process, Life of the Land asked if HECO believes that AECOM has found the TekGar pre-commercial technology for Renewable Liquid Fuel production to be the optimal solution. The utilities replied, “It is the Companies’ understanding that the test facility in North Carolina is providing positive results thus far. Because AECOM intends to provide AKP with a performance guarantee for the Micro Dee technology, the Companies feel confident that the AKP project will continue to move forward. It is also important to keep in mind that the Companies will not receive nor pay for any biodiesel that does not meet the specification …. Thus, there would be no impact to the Companies’ customers.”
      HELCO and HECO also replied that “AECOM is in the process of analyzing and testing all aspects of the technology to determine if the technology meets the required criteria. Without this guarantee, AKP will be unable to secure financing for the project. Financing for AKP’s project is dependent upon the guarantee mentioned above by AECOM and also the Commission approval of the AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract.”

What's Happening in Halema`uma`u Crater is the topic at Tuesday's
After Dark in the park. Photo from USGS/HVO

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY continues its Volcano Awareness Month programs Tuesday at After Dark in the Park. HVO geologist Matt Patrick presents an overview of Kilauea’s summit eruption, including a survey of the volcanic processes occurring within the vent. The program at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park begins at 7 p.m. It is free, and park entrance fees apply. 

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 11, 2013

At least one burial site at Pahala's school campus is in a lava tube that goes under a road.

KA`U GYMNASIUM & DISASTER SHELTER will likely be held up several more months, as the state Historic Preservation Division is reviewing an Archaeological Inventory Survey on the property where the complex is planned. After the Archaeological Inventory is accepted, a Burial Treatment Plan would be considered for burials on the site and presented to the Hawai`i Island Burial Council for approval.
      Requiring an Archaeological Inventory Survey usually comes up when the Historic Preservation Division reviews permits for construction projects. Last year, the county sent a request for a grading and grubbing permit for the gym and shelter site to the Historic Preservation Division, which triggered the review and requirement for the survey on the shelter and gym site. At least one burial is located on the school campus and is accessed through a lava tube that goes under a road on the school grounds.

      A public notice was published in December in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs newspaper Ka Wai Ola, saying, “Notice is hereby given that a burial site was documented in a lava tube on the Ka`u High School and Pahala Elementary School campus in Pahala. Pa`au`au Ahupua`a, Ka`u, District, Hawai`i Island, Hawai`i.” The notice says that “the lands are associated with Land Grant 2446 to Kamalo. The land was later used for the Pahala High and Elementary School.”
      It also says, “The burial was identified as State Site No. 50-10-69-29501 and is from the late 1800s. Proper treatment and preservation shall occur in accordance with Chapter 6E and Hawai`i Revised Statutes Title 13. The burial site will be preserved in place pending final decision by the Hawai`i Island Burial Council.”
       The notice says, “Individuals responding must be able to adequately demonstrate lineal and/or cultural connection to the burials on the above referenced parcel at Pahala.”
      Consultant for the project Glenn Escott said he is interested in finding out if anyone knows who may be buried on the school grounds.
      Contact him at Scientific Consultant Services Inc., PO Box 155, Kea`au, 96749. Call him at 938-0968 or contact Kauanoe Hoomanawanui, Burial Sites Specialist, DLNR-SHPD at 933-7650, 40 Po`okela Street, Hilo, HI 96720.
      The notice was also published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.
      The earliest that the Hawai`i Island Burial Council is expected to meet on the issue is March, as there was no quorum for the December meeting, and no quorum could be arranged for the January meeting.
      In the meantime, the $18 million project is stalled, with materials and labor waiting on the sidelines.

CONCERNING THE `AINA KOA PONO proposal, the Public Utilities Commission this week published responses to questions asked by the state Consumer Advocate, Hawai`i County, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, and Life of the Land. The questions concern the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to annually sell, at a fixed price for 20 years, 16 million gallons of diesel that would be manufactured at a refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala. The fuel, produced in 27 microwave units, would be sold to Hawai`i Electric Light and Hawaiian Electric Companies, with most of it trucked up Hwy 11 to a power plant in Kona. It would mean higher electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island.

      Life of the Land, an intervenor in the case, asked the companies for clarification on 49 points in the contract and other documents. 

      When Life of the Land asked if the contracted price is fixed or if it escalates, HELCO and HECO replied that “the price is a fixed biodiesel price, with a nominal escalation provision that is also fixed. As a result, the price is known for the duration of the twenty-year AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract.”
      The community group asked for information about this statement in the contract: “HELCO estimates that the Biodiesel Supply Contract has the potential to save its customers over $500 million dollars compared to the anticipated cost of diesel over the twenty-year Biodiesel Supply Contract term in the event that oil prices track the Annual Energy Outlook high price forecast.”
     Life of the Land asked the companies how much would be saved over the 20-year contract compared to the Annual Energy Outlook low-price forecast, anticipated cost of Liquified Natural Gas and the cost of Puna Geothermal Venture geothermal Power Purchase Agreement?” The utilities said, “If the AKP biodiesel replaces the use of diesel based on the Annual Energy Outlook low price forecast, the AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract could result in a cost of approximately $976 million over twenty years.” However, the companies “believe that the low HELCO diesel forecast price is unrealistic” based on “consistently underestimated increases in oil prices” in past Annual Energy Outlooks.”

      If the AKP biodiesel replaces the use of Liquefied Natural Gas, the contract could result in a “cost of approximately $389 million over the twenty years when using the High LNG Price Forecast used in the Integrated Resource Planning process.” The companies say other considerations regarding LNG are that it may not be available by 2015 for use at Keahole, it would not contribute to the Renewable Portfolio Standards and would not be a locally produced fuel.
      The companies said that since the AKP contract would not replace the existing Puna Geothermal Venture Power Purchase Agreement, there would be no cost or savings to compare.
      Regarding the contract’s statement that “the AKP biodiesel fixed price is expected to fall below the price of petroleum diesel before the expiration of the Biodiesel Supply Contract,” Life of the Land asked, “In what year of the 20-year contract is this anticipated to occur?” The companies replied, “Based on HELCO’s high petroleum diesel price forecast derived from the Annual Energy Outlook 2012 high oil price case, the AKP biodiesel price adjusted for heating content is expected to fall below the price of HELCO’s petroleum diesel by the earliest of AKP biodiesel deliveries beginning in 2015.” When the companies use figures based on HELCO’s reference petroleum diesel price forecast derived from the Annual Energy Outlook 2012 reference oil price case, the date when the biodiesel price falls below the petroleum-diesel price is later and is confidential and available only to the Public Utilities Commission and other parties and participants in the docket.
      “If the Annual Energy Outlook low price forecast proves accurate, what year would the cross-over occur in?” Life of the Land asked. “When based on HELCO’s low petroleum diesel price forecast derived from the AEO2012 low oil price case,” the companies replied, “the AKP biodiesel price … does not fall below the price of HELCO’s petroleum diesel during the AKP Biodiesel Supply Contract’s twenty-year term through 2035.” However, the HELCO low petroleum diesel price forecast for 2013 is $2.25 per gallon and reaches $2.90 per gallon by 2034, which are amounts that are less than the current cost of petroleum diesel.”

      Regarding `Aina Koa Pono’s proposal to do a voluntary Environmental Assessment for the propose biofuel farm between Pahala and Wai`ohinu and the proposed diesel refinery off Wood Valley Road, Life of the Land asked, “What is the legal authority to issue a Voluntary Environmental Assessment?” The companies said, “According to AKP, because the EA is voluntary and designed to show ‘good faith’ in working with the community, there are no legal or regulatory controls over the production of the EA.”
      Life of the Land asked if HECO expects the voluntary EA to be complete before the PUC issues its order in this docket. “According to AKP, AKP is continuing to make progress towards completing the voluntary EA but is uncertain of its completion date,” the companies replied. “In the event there is a finding in the EA, the finding would trigger further action to require an Environmental Impact Statement. In the event of an EIS trigger, the EIS environmental assessment would no longer be voluntary, and AKP would follow all applicable laws or legal requirements for the EA or EIS. In addition, AKP believes that completion of the EA is not necessary in order for the Commission to issue its Decision and Order in this docket. AKP is committed to completing the voluntary EA but must secure additional financing for the AKP project to proceed accordingly.”
      Life of the Land quotes the statement in the contract that “one of the key elements of Hawai`i’s energy policy is the desire for fixed-price, indigenous, renewable resources,” and asked, “Is another key element to have low electricity prices?” HELCO and HECO replied, “It is the companies’ goal to provide electricity at a reasonable cost while meeting all required objectives of providing safe and reliable electricity compliant with all Federal and States laws.”
      More of HELCO and HECO’s responses to Life of the Land’s information requests will be covered in future Ka`u News Briefs.
      Complete responses to the Life of the Land’s questions are online at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

KA`U GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS hosted Waiakea Tuesday evening. Ka`u junior varsity racked up 34 points. Kerrilyn Domondon was high-point scorer with 22 points. Waiakea, however, won with 47 points. Waiakea varsity also dominated, scoring 57 points to Ka`u’s 19. Casey Koi, Denisha Navarro and Piilani Peralta scored three points each. 

      Tomorrow, the teams travel to Kea`au.
      Also tomorrow, boys and girls soccer teams travel to Kealakehe, and wrestling matches take place at Hilo.

MEDICINE FOR THE MIND, a free Buddhist healing meditation for beginning and advanced participants, takes place Sunday at 4 p.m. at
      Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. For more information, call instructor Patty Johnson at 985-7470.

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

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

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 10, 2013

Humpback whales will be studied in an EIS on Hawaiian sanctuary waters.
Photo by Geoff Grow, National Marine Sanctuaries.

KA`U IS A DROUGHT DISASTER AREA, proclaimed the U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday. Ka`u is included with other parts of the island that led to Hawai`i County becoming one of 597 counties in 14 states nationwide named as drought disaster areas. This is the seventh consecutive year that the Big Island has suffered this distinction, following a minimum of eight consecutive weeks of severe drought measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
      Dianne Ley, director of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Hawai`i, said the most damaging droughts are in Ka`u, North Kona and South Kohala.
      Those interested in low-interest emergency loans can contact Miki Miyasato, manager of the USDA Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Programs on this island. She said this morning that she works with Ka`u Coffee farmers and ranchers on operating loans. She said that the interest rate is low for the operating loans as well as the emergency loans. Her office is in Hilo, and she can be contacted at 933-8344. Interested persons can also go to usda.gov/drought.

Extreme drought is shown at South Point, with a band of severe drought
inland and moderate drought through the rest of Ka`u, in the most
recent U.S. Drought map.

      U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack promised to “partner with producers to see them through longer-term recovery, while taking the swift actions needed to help farmers and ranchers prepare their land and operations for the upcoming planting season.” He said he will go to Congress to “encourage passage of a Food, Farm and Jobs bill that gives rural America the long-term certainty they need, including a strong and defensible safety net.”
      The USDA has authorized up to $5 million in grants to evaluate and demonstrate ag practices to help farmers and ranchers adapt to drought and put $14 million into the Emergency Conservation Program to help farmers and ranchers rehabilitate farmland and implement water conservation.

CONCERNING THE `AINA KOA PONO proposal, the Public Utilities Commission this week published responses to questions asked by the state Consumer Advocate, Hawai`i County, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, and Life of the Land. The questions concern the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to annually sell, at a fixed price for 20 years, 16 million gallons of diesel that would be manufactured at a refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala. The fuel, produced in 27 microwave units, would be sold to Hawai`i Electric Light and Hawaiian Electric Companies, with most of it trucked up Hwy 11 to a power plant in Kona. It would mean higher electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island.
      The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism asked HELCO and HECO for clarification on their statement that “the fixed Biodiesel price, with a nominal escalation provision, is reasonable and is projected to fall below the price of petroleum diesel during the term of the Biodiesel Supply Contract.’ DBEDT asked the utilities to provide analysis and justification for how AKP arrived at this contract’s price per gallon of biodiesel supplied compared with the price in the contract that was previously denied.

     HELCO and HECO replied that, “according to AKP, pricing for AKP’s biodiesel was based on a per gallon price that would provide a reasonable rate of return to project investors so as to attract the necessary project financing. Following AECOM’s work and testing at the demonstration plant, AKP was able to receive more concrete numbers regarding the output of the process. The test results were better than expected, which allowed AKP to adjust the price downward and still provide a reasonable return to project investors.”
      DBEDT also asked the companies to provide analysis and justification for how AKP arrived at the annual escalator. The companies’ response is confidential and available only to the Public Utilities Commission, parties and participants in the docket.
      When DBEDT asked if alternatives were considered in the pricing and escalator formulas, the companies responded that “much of the negotiations following the denial of the first AKP contract centered around lowering the initial fixed per gallon price of AKP’s biodiesel.” HELCO and HECO said “alternatives in the pricing and annual escalator were not negotiable, according to AKP.”
      DBEDT asked the utilities to provide the cost per gallon to produce the biodiesel and the approximate rate of return earned on each gallon of biodiesel, but, according to HELCO and HECO, “AKP is not willing to share their proprietary information regarding the cost per gallon to produce the biodiesel and the approximate rate of return earned on each gallon of biodiesel.”
      Regarding the companies’ statement in the contract that “utilizing biofuel in existing generating units is expected to achieve cleaner air emissions and facilitate compliance with new and revised environmental regulations,” DBEDT asked, “How will AKP’s biofuels contribute to meeting air emissions in compliance with Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and National Ambient Air Quality Standards or other environmental regulations? The companies replied, “AKP’s biodiesel will meet current environmental regulations applicable to the Keahole Power Plant and will also meet the maximum 15 ppm sulfur requirements to comply with upcoming May 2013 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants requirements.” They also said Keahole Power Plant is already in compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and that Mercury and Air Toxics Standards do not apply to the units at Keahole.
      The companies also stated that there are no additional costs to achieve environmental compliance at Keahole using AKP’s biodiesel.

      DBEDT asked the utilities to provide the total and cost to the ratepayer for HELCO to achieve air emissions in compliance with Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and National Ambient Air Quality Standards or other environmental regulations without AKP’s biofuel. The utilities said the approximate total cost to install air emissions equipment this year is $250,000. “Operating Keahole Power Plant with AKP biodiesel does not offset any cost of environmental compliance associated with fossil diesel,” the utilities said, “because the infrastructure changes required for Keahole Power Plant to achieve compliance … will have been completed by May 2013.” They also said no infrastructure changes are required for Keahole Power Plant’s compliance to Mercury and Air Toxics Standards or National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
      DBEDT asked the companies to provide assumptions and sources for data regarding the Incremental Cost of Biodiesel Supply Contract and to provide the incremental cost of the Biodiesel Supply Contract for each year of the Contract. The companies’ responses to these requests are confidential. Complete responses to the DBEDT’s questions are online at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.


HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY will be studied for an Environmental Impact Statement. According to a notice filed with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, the EIS will involve revising a management plan completed for the sanctuary in 1992 and previously revised in 2002.

Humpback whales will be studied in a new EIS for the National
Marine Sanctuary in Hawai`i.

The state Department of Land & Natural Resources and the federal National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration co-manage the sanctuary and have been hosting public meetings on the new management plan over the past two years. The public can weigh in on the plan for an EIS. Recommendations for the new managment plan already include education about entanglement of whales in fishing  lines and other debris, as well as management of ocean-going vessels and their speeds around whales, to include the military, cruise ships, and fishing, tour and family recreational boats. The state of Hawai`i has jurisdiction over the nearshore jurisdiction over the nearshore waters with submerged lands and other resources. The notice regarding the EIS was filed by William Aila, Jr., chair of the DLNR. Comments may be emailed to dlnrsanctuary@hawaii.gov or sent to: Sanctuary Management, Department of Land & Natural Resources, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-587-0115. 

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE National Marine Sanctuary is seeking volunteers in Ka`u for its 2013 Sanctuary Ocean Count. The project offers the community a chance to monitor humpback whales and provide important population and distribution information. Site leaders and general volunteers are needed for events on Jan. 26, Feb. 23 and March 30. For more information and to register, visit hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

Cleaning up Kamilo Beach is on the agenda this Saturday.
Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

RESIDENTS LOOKING for more community involvement and to spend more time at the beach caRESIDENTS LOOKING for more community involvement and to spend more time at the beach caWai`ohinuWai`ohinu Park to carpool to Kamilo Point. Sign up with Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK offers its Sunday Walk in the Park on Jan. 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nick Shema leads this easy to moderate 3.5-mile round-trip walk exploring the summit area of the park. Free to members, and memberships are available at event. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org. Park entrance fees apply.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

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