Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015

Ka`u middle school students will have access to learning instruments as band instruments are restored and Jr. Volcano Choy
offers after school classes, a fundraiser planned for Jan. 31. Photo by Julia Neal

THIS NEW YEAR, THE BRASS BAND IS COMING BACK TO CAMPUS and more music will sound out at school. Funds are being raised to restore instruments at Ka`u High School for a music program for Pahala Middle School students. Toward this goal, Jr. Volcano Choy and Friends will host a fundraising Afternoon Jazz Performance, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets.
     The event is sponsored by Volcano Art Center, which has received a grant from Hawai`i State Foundation on Culture & the Arts to bring back band music education to keiki of Ka`u. The afterschool program for beginning brass band will be instructed by Jr. Volcano Choy, the highly experienced performing artist and educator who lives in Volcano, following a professional performing and recording career on the mainland.

Band instruments awaiting restoration at Ka`u High School.
Photo by Julia Neal

     A Hawai`i native, Choy noted that Ka`u High school’s music building is filled with all the instruments that are part of a full band program. Due to lack of a program, scores of instruments are rusting and non-functional. A statement from Volcano Art Center says, “These instruments need to come alive again. They are trumpets, trombones and more which all need TLC. The Afternoon Jazz Performance is an event to raise funds for repair and revitalization of these instruments.”
   Those attending are urged to bring a garden chair and the $15 suggested donation.
     For a weekend of Jazz with Jr. Volcano Choy and overnight accommodations, call Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

A DEATH DISCOVERED AT A HOUSE FIRE LAST NIGHT in Hawai'i Ocean View Estates is under investigation. Company 20 arrived on scene where the 30 feet by 50 feet single story house with fire involved in the bedrooms and hallway of the mauka side of the residence. According to the Hawai'i Fire Department report, two people lived in the house and one was away at the store at time of the start of the fire. "The second occupant was found to be DOA after search by HFD personnel during initial fire attack," the report states. No other occupants were living in the dwelling. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

KA`U'S HAWAI`I FARMERS UNION UNITED FOUNDING PRESIDENT and member Malian Lahey, who owns and operates a farm in Wood Valley,  has released a New Years message about agriculture in Ka`u, her views on farming and the purpose of Hawai`i Farmers Union United and the new Ka`u chapter. It is entitled  Hawaii Farmers’ Union United Ka`u Chapter Unites Organic and Conventional Farmers:

Malian Lahey

     As an organic farmer in Hawai`i, I am surely one of the rarer ones whose mentors are all conventional farmers. I can’t help it. In Pahala, where I live, most of the old timers use some kind of pesticide or chemical fertilizer. They have succeeded in their type of agriculture for more years than I have been alive.

     They have also taken me under their wing, protected me, cooked fried eggs with smoke meat and rice for me. Their kind, open hearts opened mine. I still have a lot to learn from these farmers. They taught me which properties on the market were good for farming, what equipment to buy, how to space coffee trees, and the nutrient demands of coffee on the soil.

     They introduced me to the NRCS, FSA, and USDA programs and coached me on how to navigate the incredible amount of beauracracy involved in farming.

     I’m not complacent. I have a lot to talk to them about. We’ve discussed the negative effects of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers on human health, the soil, and the water. I’ve shared information about herbicide resistant superweeds and the way GM foods contribute to antibiotic resistant diseases.

     Here’s where it gets real: everyone is surviving in their own way. I don’t have a right to tell other farmers how to work their own farm.  I can farm my way on my farm. 

    In order to reasonably expect other people to change, I have to not only show that organic farming is better and that they can make a living at it, but I have to create a path forward for that to happen with some economic security.  If I’m going to ask another farmer to change their ways, I have some responsibilities to them. 

     First off, I have to respect their free will and choice. That means giving people the information and letting them make their own decision.  I have to educate and build trusting relationships with farmers, so that I can share what I have learned about organic farming and how it works. It wouldn’t hurt if they could see some models of successful organic farming to boot. If I’m so convinced that I am right, then I shouldn’t be afraid of an honest discussion of the facts among friends.

     Second, I have to work with them, the government, and nonprofit sector to help them build their path to a different way of farming. They will need new equipment and infrastructure as well as education. They need money to buy materials and support from their extension agents. That means change in all of those agencies, as well.

Earth Matters, which provides a Community Assisted Agricultural program through which residents can pick up produce weekly
 at the farm near the corner of South Point and Kama`oa Roads, is a member of the Ka`u chapter of Hawai`i Farmers Union United.

     Most of the conventional farmers I know are solving problems with conventional methods that they don’t know how to solve otherwise.  Even if I blame corporate agriculture for spreading misinformation, it’s not fair to ask regular people to change unless we have an effective alternative to solve that problem. 

     To me, it seems obvious that a large-scale transition to organic farming will require an enormous amount of dedication, focus and energy, not to mention money. The biologically beneficial systems like organic, biodynamic, Korean Natural Farming, and permaculture are based upon entirely different foundations and an entirely different attitude. That means that building bridges is the biggest part of the work. 

     The Hawai`i Farmers’ Union United Ka`u chapter is dedicated to the success of small farmers. We have about 50 percent organic farmers and 50 percent conventional farmers in the Ka`u chapter right now.  All of us share certain problems that the HFUU is committed to solve. HFUU priorities include:

     * Creating legal protection for Hawaii origin products and place names, so that small farmers can earn a better profit for specialty products that are unique to their region.

    * Simplifying Food Safety certification and making it more efficient and cheaper for the small farmer.

     *  Legalizing industrial hemp to be grown for fiber, fuel and food.

     *  Affordable Farming Land Trusts, in which the land can never be sold, and that will give long-term leases to farmers and allow them to live on their farm.

    All of this serves the small family farmer. And rightly so. Small family farms are better for local economies, because they spend more money at other local businesses instead of sending all the money to the top dogs of some big company. Small family farms are also more efficient in their use of resources, such as water and fuel. Small farms that grow food tend to let the vegetables ripen naturally, which makes them more nutritious, and they get to market using less fuel and labor. This means that they are better for human health, the environment, and the economy.

Hawai`i Farmers Union United Ka`u chapter with its vice president and member
of the state House of Representatives Richard Creagan. Photo by Julia Neal

     Not only that, but Ka`u’s conventional farmers are, by en large, Hawaiian or Filipino. They are frugal, hard-working and self-sufficient.  It doesn’t seem right to have an organic revolution that displaces these dedicated, skilled people out of agriculture altogether, which would only perpetuate a history of colonial oppression.  These farmers hold a body of knowledge that can serve agriculture as a whole.  The word “culture” is an important part of “agriculture.” Culture often comes down from generations of inventive methods honed by experience - long before the debate about what products we use or don’t use. It’s about a way of life and finding a way to honor the best in each other. 

     It’s time for us to think about what it would mean for Ka`u to have a vibrant, healthy local economy where more families can run their own businesses and keep the benefits for themselves. We can continue to improve the situation for those who are already successful, while building partnerships to bring the others along.

    What would it mean if more people here could succeed as their own bosses and become healthier, happier, and more prosperous?  What would it take to achieve that vision?  All these questions can only be answered if we all put our heads together and cooperate.  That’s the purpose of the HFUU Ka`u Chapter.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS continues at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KDEN presents the production this Friday through Sunday, Jan. 4. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, call 982-7344 or email kden73@aol.com.

Paul and Jane Field remove invasive Himalayan ginger at the park.
Photo by Jessica Ferracane/NPS

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT will draw volunteers tomorrow, Friday,  Jan,  2  and next Friday, Jan 9 as well as Thursday, Jan. 15; Saturday, Jan 24 and Sa†urday, Jan.  31. Volunteer days are from  9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Volunteers meet at Kīlauea Visitor Center to help remove invasive Himalayan ginger from park trails. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK PICNIC is this Sunday, Jan. 4 at Manukā Park just west of Ocean View. All American Radio Emergency Service members and anyone interested in learning how to operate a Ham radio and families are invited to attend. Ham radio operators coordinate with the county and medical providers for disaster preparedness. For more information, call Dennis Smith, 989-3028

VOLCANO ART CENTER'S EXHIBIT for Christmas in the Country continues through Sunday, Jan. 4 with wreaths and other art for sale. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park entrance fees apply.

THE FIRST WALK INTO THE PAST FOR 2015 takes place next  Tuesday, Jan. 6 and again on Jan. 20 at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., beginning at Kīlauea Visitor Center and entering the Whitney Vault in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Ka‘ū resident Dick Hershberger brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life every other Tuesday.

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK next Tuesday features  Updates on Kilauea’s Two Eruptions, at 7 p.m. in Kīiauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick presents an update on the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake, a brief overview on the first 30 years of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō’s eruption and an in-depth account of the current lava flow that has advanced toward Pāhoa over the past six months. Free; park entrance fees apply.

KA`U SCENIC BYWAY COMMITTEE  meets next Thursday, Jan. 8 at 5 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Methodist Church. Public invited. Contact richmorrow@alohabroadband.net

A RED CROSS VOLUNTEER MEETING will be held next Thursday, Jan 8 at  7 p.m., in the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office. The gathering is for volunteers and those interested in becoming volunteers. Call Hannah Uribes, 929-9953.

JOHN DAWSON'S EXHIBIT, entitled Over & Under, will be unveiled on Sat. Jan. 10 at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The tag line is More of His Nature. On display will be fresh observations of the park through the Dawson paintings. The show is through Feb. 15.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014

Trini and Francis Marques, two of the founders of the Ka`u Coffee industry, moving from sugar plantation work to coffee nearly
 two decades ago, took first in the Ka`u division of the Hawai`i Coffee Association 2014 cupping competition.
Photo from Ali`i Hawaiian Hula Hands.

THE PLIGHT OF KA`U COFFEE GROWERS remains the top story in Ka`u, with some 30 farmers transitioning from 2014 into 2015, with most of their leases expired after nearly two decades of work to build a new economy after the sugar industry shut down in 1996. The farms are within 5,800 acres offered for sale by Lehman Brothers Holdings, which foreclosed on a company that borrowed more than $40 million against the land and planned to subdivide and sell it. They promised that new owners of proposed coffee estates would allow the coffee growers to continue to farm around the houses the new buyers could build. The Project Unit Development that was approved for the subdivision, with numerous infrastructure requirements, is still in place.
   However, new rules for approving PUDs were recently passed by the County Council, requiring more public review of the process before approval. In the past, as with the coffee lands, such subdivisions could be approved with smaller than 20-acre lots for which the property is zoned.
   Meanwhile, coffee growers thrive, many of them evolving from sugar workers to entrepreneurs, owning their own coffee businesses and homes, representing one of the most successful post-plantation, small business successes for local people in Hawai`i.
   Some of these farmers are spreading their land security risk, realizing that new owners could evict them at Moa`ula and Pear Tree. A number of these Ka`u Coffee growers have planted additional coffee farms on Olson Trust land at the mouth of Wood Valley. Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Chris Manfredi said he will advocate for long term leases for the farmers.
   Mayor Billy Kenoi and newly elected County Council member Maile David Medeiros have vowed to advocate for land security for the Ka`u Coffee farmers. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

Ka`u Gym and Regional Diaster Shelter nears completion.
Photo by Julia Neal 

REGIONAL SHELTER & GYM NEARS COMPLETION. Known as the biggest gym at one of the smallest public schools in the state, the soon-to-be completed Ka`u gymnasium and disaster shelter will be operated by the county Department of Parks & Recreation for both the public and Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary and Intermediate schools. The nearly $20 million facility will offer multiple playing courts for basketball, volleyball and other sports. It is built with the kind of hardening that allows it to be certified as a disaster shelter for the region. Whether air conditioning and air filtration for the huge gym and shelter, and solar voltaics to support them could be added, is still in question. The facility on county property adjacent to the Pahala school campus was funded with “shovel ready” state and federal money after the 2008 financial collapse in the U.S. economy.To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar. 
  

Maps of Ka`u land use are at www.kaucdp.info.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELPOMENT PLAN is in draft for public review and provides exhaustive detail on the geography and population of the district. The county-sponsored document, a primer for community members, school students and anyone desiring to know Ka`u, can be read at www.kaucdp.info and in hard copy at local libraries and community centers. The Ka`u Community Development Plan offers many maps, showing land use, agriculture and other components of Ka`u’s people and place. Community members can also reach out to county planner Ron Whitmore at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us. The public may contact Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee members: Chair Leina`ala Enos, 929-9022; Patti Barry, 937-3124; Bob DaMate, 497-0384; Ron Ebert, 928-0027; Leina`ala Enos, 929-9022; Michelle Galimba, 430-4927; Loren Heck, 939-9454; Eldridge Naboa, 936-2189; Marino Ramones, 928-8240; Simon Torres, Jr., 928-6103; and John Cross, 987-4229.
Issues include a proposed quarter mile development setback along the Ka`u Coast and future zoning for population and economic growth.
 To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists stand on new lava behind
olderrocks that got thrown several yards during a methane explosion
in front of the shrub at center. Photo from USGS/HVO

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY, located on the edge of Ka`u in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, took on the monumental task of predicting, documenting and studying a lava flow that started June 27 and is threatening Pahoa and other lower Puna communities with destroying homes and businesses and isolating thousands by cutting off roads. By New Years Eve, one home had burned. However, the flowing fingers of lava stopped and stalled as a shopping center shut down and some businesses and families abandoned their buildings. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park worked with the county and state to open an escape route across an old road from Kalapana into the park that was previously covered with lava.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
   

New drying towers at Royal Hawaiian Orchards
Photo by Julia Neal

LOCAL FOOD COMPANIES TOOL UP FOR THE FUTURE. Punalu`u Bake Shop, having won a contract to provide its cookies to Hawaiian Airlines, is near completion of a new cookie kitchen on the grounds of its bakery and visitor center in Na`alehu. Royal Hawaiian Orchards installed 15 drying towers in Pahala to remove moisture from macadamia nuts in the shell before they are shipped and cracked. Ka`u Coffee Mill installed a new double drum pulper which can handle more 30,000 pounds a day. Work continued on a hydroelectric plant slated for completion in late 2015 on Olson Trust lands at the mouth of Wood Valley. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

Ka`u Trojans take the BIIF Championship for eight man football after helping to start the league for smaller schools.
Photo from Ka`u Trojans

KA`U HIGH TROJANS WIN BIIF CHAMPIONSHIP. Ka`u High School, with one of the smallest campus populations in the state from which to suit up a football team, found a way to be competitive. Athletic Director Kalei Kamohala and coach Kainoa Ke proposed eight-man football, a higher scoring faster paced game with fewer players than traditional football. The idea became a reality in 2013 and in 2014 the Trojans became the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

The clubhoue at Discover Harbour will be campus for Ka`u Learning Academy
Photo from Ka`u Learning Academy

A NEW CHARTER SCHOOL ACCEPTS STUDENTS IN KA`U. After several attempts over the years by various community groups, a hui led by Kathryn Tydlacka and Joe Iacuzzo won a state approved charter to open the Ka`u Learning Center. The first campus will be in the old Discovery Harbour Clubhouse, now operated as Gilligan’s Café to raise money for the school. Applications are available online for students grades three through six for the 2015-2016 school year at www.kaulearning.com or call 808-213-1097.To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

Kahuku Iki is a new preserve for
The Nature Conservancy
Photo by Shalan Crysdale

ISELLE MAKES LANDFALL, FOLLOWED BY ANA. Hurricanes usually miss the Big Island, so the legend goes, but Hurricane Iselle came ashore as a weak hurricane or heavy tropical storm on Aug. 8, with the eye passing over the Kamehame hawksbill turtle preserve and Pahala. Wood Valley was cut off as a bridge was destroyed and trees fell onto roads and powerlines. Coffee and macadamia farms suffered fallen cherries, nuts, branches and trees. Hurricane Ana also made landfall as a tropical storm, with more flooding in October.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

Roadworkers clear a path for travel in Wood Valley after
Iselle makes landfall. Photo by Julia Neal

MORE LAND INTO
CONSERVATION was announced at the end of the year by The Nature Conservancy. The non-profit purchased Kahuku Iki, a 222-acre property between Ocean View and Na`alehu. "Acquisition of the parcel, known as Kahuku Iki, prevents it from being developed and opens the possibility of a future partnership with neighboring Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park," said a statement from TNC.
   The land was acquired from the real estate company Hulu Lolo, LLC, for $330,000, plus closing costs.
Triangular in shape, Kahuku Iki is zoned Agriculture. Its southerly, makai boundary extends 1.6 miles along Highway 11. Its northerly, mauka boundary is the abandoned old Māmalahoa Highway. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.   

 

Bob Herkes receives a lei from Ocean View residents, Mayor Kenoi
 and former council member Brittany Smart for his help in
funding the Ocean View well.

KA`U CHAMPION BOB HERKES passed away on Aug. 21 after a long stint serving the district in the state legislature. Herkes was known for bringing in funding for the Ocean View potable water well and the new Ka`u Disaster Shelter, which will sport his name. He lobbied for a mobile medical van for Ka`u that provides free medical care. He fought for mortgage reform, coming up with some of the strictest foreclosure regulations in the nation. Herkes, a resident of Volcano, was a director of the Hawai`i Tourism Authority and had a career in the hotel industry before turning to community service. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.    

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY'S display and sale of holiday wreaths and unique ornaments continues and many diverse works of art continues through Sunday, Jan. 4 at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Park entrance fees apply.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers New Year’s events. New Year’s Eve party begins tonight at 8 p.m. at KMC’s Lava Lounge, with Mile 25 providing dance music. No cover charge, plus a midnight toast. For more information, call 967-8365.

THE HOLIDAY CHALLENGE at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ends tonight,  New Year’s Eve. The public can judge cottages decorated in holiday lights by KMC employees and vote for their favorites. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park follows up its Christmas Day brunch with a New Year’s Day brunch from 8 a.m. to noon tomorrow. Fee for adults is $16.95; $9.50 for children 6-11 years old. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS continues at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KDEN presents the production this Friday through Sunday, Jan. 4. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, call 982-7344 or emailkden73@aol.com.

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

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014

Royal Hawaiian Orchards recently installed 15 drying towers for in-shell macadamia nuts and expects to install an additional 14
 at its husking plant between Pahala and Hwy 11. Photo by Julia Neal

FIFTEEN NEW DRYING TOWERS at Royal Hawaiian Orchards in Pahala have made Ka'u one of its tri-coastal locations for processing macadamia. The new metal towers each hold about 70,000 to 80,000 pounds of in-shell macadamia, which dry over about eight days, using heat generated by propane burners. After drying, the macadamia are poured into shipping containers and sent to China where the nuts are cracked. After cracking, kernels are shipped to California for processing into various macadamia products.

Royal Hawaiian Orchards husks and dries nuts in Pahala from its orchards in Ka'u and its orchards in Kea'au. Another 14 towers may be installed in the future.
     Royal Hawaiian, formerly ML Macadamia, LLC, sold macadamis nuts in the past to Mauna Loa Macadamia but has developed its own product line, promoting the healthy eating of macadamia and its non-GMO qualities.
     Royal Hawaiian is one of the larger employers in Ka'u, with more than 120 workers, including a regular staff all year and a larger crew during harvest time. See royalhawaiianorchards.com. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Kahuku Iki is a  222 acre property between Ocean View and
Na`alehu, just acquired by The Nature Conservancy.

KAHUKU IKI, a 222-acre property between Ocean View and Na`alehu, has been purchased by The Nature Conservancy, the non-profit organization reported today. "Acquisition of the parcel, known as Kahuku Iki, prevents it from being developed and opens the possibility of a future partnership with neighboring Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park," said a statement from TNC.

     The land was acquired from the real estate company Hulu Lolo, LLC, for $330,000, plus closing costs.
     Triangular in shape, Kahuku Iki is zoned Agriculture.  Its southerly, makai boundary extends 1.6 miles along Highway 11. Its northerly, mauka boundary is the abandoned old Māmalahoa Highway.
   According to the state Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism, an estimated two million visitors a year drive past this parcel coming from both the Hilo and Kona directions.

     “This is a small but very strategic piece of property that could have easily become an agricultural sub-division or strip mall,” said Jody Kaulukukui, the Conservancy’s director of land protection. “But with the Conservancy purchase, ag sub-division, clearing and development, which are permissible on agriculturally zoned lands, are no longer a threat.”

Hawaiian rock walls and dryland forest are features of Kahuku Iki.
Photo from TNC

     Above Highway 11, the Kahuku Iki parcel is surrounded by the 116,000-acre Kahuku unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which has expressed a strong interest in eventually having the property transferred to the National Park Service, the statement said. 

    "Aquiring this small parcel would provide the park with greater flexibility in providing a safe and scenic access to the Kahuku unit,” said Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “The park would also explore working with the state to develop a parking area for a few cars off the Old Mamalahoa Highway as a trailhead to the 1868 lava flow and rare native dryland forest, as well as a potential trail following the historic Kahuku-ʻAinapō Trail alignment to connect other trails in lower Kahuku.”
     The Nature Conservancy has a long history of cooperation with Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. In 2003, the two organizations jointly purchased the 116,000-acre Kahuku Ranch for addition to the park, which became its Kahuku unit. The purchase was the largest land transaction in Hawaiʻi history and increased the then 217,000-acre park by fifty percent.
     Any future sale to the Park Service would be subject to available federal funding and is at least two to four years down the road, Kaulukukui said. For now, the land will be managed as a Nature Conservancy preserve.

Hoawa, Native Hawaiian plant at Kahuku Iki
Photo from TNC

The property may be added onto the Kahuku section of Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park. Photo from TNC

     Conservancy surveys have found that the property sits on the boundary between excellent lowland mesic and lowland dry forest habitat, which is increasingly rare in Hawaiʻi. Native plants found at the site include ‘ōhiʻa, ulei, pukiawe, hoawa and aʻaliʻi. Native birds include the Hawaiian hawk (ʻio) and two honeycreepers (ʻapapane and ʻamakihi). It is believed that the native Hawaiian hoary bat (ʻōpeʻapeʻa) is also in the area.
     Because no conservation management has ever occurred on the property, portions of it are significantly impacted by mouflon sheep and Christmas berry, an invasive weed, stated The Nature Conservancy.
     Kahuku Iki is located nine miles from the Conservancy’s 8,089-acre Kona Hema Preserve and 5.25 miles from its 3,511-acre Kaʻū Preserve. The land is part of 15,000 acres that the non-profit manages on Hawaiʻi Island. Together with its partners, the Conservancy has helped protect more than 200,000 acres across the state.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY'S  display and sale of holiday wreaths and unique ornaments continues and many diverse works of art continues through Sunday, Jan. 4 at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Park entrance fees apply.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers New Year’s events. New Year’s Eve party begins Wednesday at 8 p.m. at KMC’s Lava Lounge, with Mile 25 providing dance music. No cover charge, plus a midnight toast. For more information, call 967-8365.

THE HOLIDAY CHALLENGE at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park continues through New Year’s Eve. The public can judge cottages decorated in holiday lights by KMC employees and vote for their favorites. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park follows up its Christmas Day brunch with a New Year’s Day brunch from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fee for adults is $16.95; $9.50 for children 6-11 years old. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

AMAHL & THE NIGHT VISITORS continues at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KDEN presents the production through Sunday, Jan. 4. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For tickets, call 982-7344 or emailkden73@aol.com.

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