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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015

Today is Chinese New Year. Chinese traditions are celebrated at many Ka`u events, including Fourth of July festivities and Ka`u Plantation Days.Photo by Julia Neal
LUNAR NEW YEAR GREETINGS come from Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
      “The contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to our nation continue to grow and have been passed down through generations, from creating jobs and opening small business to contributing to the melting pot of American culture. I wish everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year good health, progress, and prosperity. Aloha!” Schatz said.
      Gabbard said, “As we celebrate the Lunar New Year around the world, let us recognize the vibrant traditions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that mark this very special time. In Hawai`i, where celebrating diverse cultures is part of our daily lives, the Year of the Sheep inspires community-building and strengthens relationships. Best wishes to all for a happy and prosperous new year.”
      CAPAC is comprised of members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and AAPI community.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A whale attached to a buoy is swimming around Hawai`i Island.
Photo from Julie Steelman of NOAA
ALL EYES ON THE WHALE is the call for help from Hawaiian Islands Humpback National Marine Sanctuary. A 45-foot-long humpback, towing a buoy and entangled in its lines, has traveled at least once through Ka`u waters and is sought by state and federal wildlife officials in order to free it. It was first seen on Sunday south of Kailua-Kona and last on Monday off of Hamakua. 
      “It appears to be going counterclockwise around the Big Island,” Ed Lyman, whale entanglement response coordinator for the sanctuary, told Leila Fujimori, of Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “By now it’s made a complete circumnavigation of the Big Island.”
      Lyman hopes the whale will be off the Kona Coast today, where calmer seas and “more people, more eyes, more tour boats” will help find it. “It’s 45 feet long, but they’re like a big needle in a big haystack,” he told Fujimori.
      The National Marine Fisheries Service and the sanctuary have crews ready to free the 45-ton gray mammal.
      Well-meaning mariners are advised not to attempt to disentangle the whale themselves. Doing so could put them in danger from lines snagging outboard motors and could leave line that could endanger other marine animals.
      Crews also use the line to pull themselves closer to the whale. Although entangled, the whale seems to be in good shape and not in immediate danger of drowning.
      Anyone who spots the whale is asked to call NOAA's Marine Mammal Hotline at 888-256-9840.
      See staradvertiser.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Atlas Recycling has picked up many junk cars in Ocean View. Photo from
Ocean View Recycling Point & Convenience Center EIS
ATLAS RECYCLING, WHICH OPERATES RECYCLING stations twice monthly in Ka`u and has picked up many junk cars in Ocean View and throughout Ka`u in past years at no cost to landowners, is suing Hawai`i County, according to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald by John Burnett. 
      Atlas’ parent company Big Island Scrap Metal, LLC is seeking nearly 5.5 million in unpaid fees, Burnett reported. The company claims breach of contract based on a Feb. 16, 2010 cap placed on the amount of metal it removes from county landfills and the county’s failure to pay for metal already removed.
      The suit claims that the company was first notified of the county’s intent to not pay on Jan. 25, 2012 and that it wasn’t paid for 36,010 tons of scrap.
      Director of Environmental Management Department Bobby Jean Leithead Todd told Burnett the county believes placing the cap was not a breach of contract. “We’re basically taking the position that we’ve had ongoing communication and that (the company) acknowledged we had a processing cap and affirmed their intent to follow the cap, and that even beyond that, payments due are limited to the amount of certified funds, pursuant to the contract,” she said.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Interim DLNR Chair Carty Chang
THE STATE LEGISLATURE HAS KILLED A BILL that would create a statewide game management advisory commission. Although the bill passed the House Water & Land Committee, House Judiciary Committee Chair Karl Rhoads failed to hear the bill prior to the deadline. 
      Mayor Billy Kenoi supported the bill. “We feel that a statewide commission will offer to the thousands of hunters who live in Hawai`i a proper venue to share ideas and formulate priorities that are in the best interest of the entire state,” he testified. Hawai`i County Council passed a resolution in favor of the bill yesterday.
      Carty Chang, interim Chair of the Department of Land & Natural Resources, testified that the proposed commission “conflicts with the department’s existing legal mandates, rules and operating capacity” and goes “beyond the advisory capacity of a typical advisory commission.”
      Tony Sylvester, a member of Hawai`i County’s Game Management Advisory Commission, told Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, that he was disappointed about the bill’s demise after it received support from hundreds of testifiers. “For me, that’s the saddest part,” he said. “We try to empower people.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I COUNTY WANTS MORE of the transient accommodations taxes that it and other counties collect. Yesterday, the County Council passed two nonbinding resolutions asking the state Legislature to increase allocations. The county wants the state to remove the cap placed on TAT allocations during the recession and to return to previous allocations of 44.8 percent of the total collected.
      Nancy Cook Lauer, of West Hawai`i Today, reported that Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille said, “The original tax was meant for the counties, with only a small administration amount for the state. The people that wanted this bill … stood and said this cap would be removed when the economy improved … explicitly.”
      See westhawaiitoday.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HILO HATTIE HAS CLOSED its Hilo and Kona stores. Once famous for sewing aloha wear on-site with visitors watching, Hilo Hattie grew into a large retail chain with stores across the country, as far away as Miami, Florida, promoting Hawaiian-themed products. It closed mainland stores and contracted back to its Hawaiian roots, but never recovered its earlier success. Hilo Hattie was one of the sponsors of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, sending shuttles to the event some years. Ka`u Coffee was promoted and sold at Hilo Hattie.
      The company, one of the largest retailers of Hawai`i fashion and other goods, still has stores open on O`ahu, Maui and Kaua`i.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Spring bearded turkey hunting season
is March 1 - 31.
SPRING BEARDED TURKEY HUNTING SEASON opens Sunday, March 1 and runs 31 consecutive days through Tuesday, March 31. 
      Daily bag limit is two bearded turkeys per hunter with a season bag limit of two. All hunters are required to have a current unused turkey tag in their possession while hunting. Tags are currently free of charge. Turkey tags are nontransferable and must be fastened with snaps and secured tightly around the neck or tarsus of any bird taken immediately after the kill. Tags may be obtained from any Hawai`i Island Division of Forestry and Wildlife office and a number of commercial vendors. Hunters must present current State of Hawaii Hunting License when obtaining tags. Turkey tags are also required on private land.
      Information may be obtained at Division of Forestry & Wildlife offices in Hilo at 974-4221 and Kamuela at 887-6063.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I ANT LAB STAFF MEMBERS encourage the public to learn how to eliminate Little Fire Ant colonies today at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The insect is considered one of the worst invasive species in the world. It can cause blindness in animals that it attacks and welts that can last for weeks.
      Call 315-5656 for more information.

FROM THE SUMMONS OF ART opens Saturday at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Patti Pease Johnson’s exhibit opens with a reception at 5 p.m. The gallery is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free; park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8222 for more information. 

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK offers a free program Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants discover the Hawaiian goddesses, sisters Pele and Hi`iaka, and the natural phenomena they represent through epic stories depicted in the natural landscape of Kahuku on an easy 1.7-mile walk on the main road in the park.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS holds a meeting Sunday at 1 p.m. and a celebration from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Old Pahala Clubhouse.
      Lunch is at 12 p.m., with kanikapila and heavy pupus at 6:30 p.m. Workshops, music and hula presentations take place throughout the day. See kauarts.org.

AN EVENING OF HAWAIIAN MUSIC AND STORY featuring Keoki Kahumoku with the Aloha Bluegrass Band takes place Sunday, March 22 at Na`alehu Methodist Church. Pupus are served at 5 p.m., with the program from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
      Tickets are $20, with all proceeds being donated to the Center for Hawaiian Music Studies. One lucky ticket holder will win a brand new `ukulele Seating is Limited.
      RSVP to woodley@easystreet.net or call 854-9483. Make checks payable to Center for Hawaiian Music Studies and mail to Woodley White, PO Box 44, Na`alehu 96772.

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



See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_February2105.pdf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.





Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015

Hawai`i Ant Lab encourages Ka`u residents to learn how to eradicate Little Fire Ants during a meeting at Na`alehu Community Center today at 5:30 p.m. Photo from Hawai`i Department of Agriculture
VOG, HOW PEOPLE HANDLE IT was the topic at the meeting yesterday evening at Pahala Library. Residents from Pahala, Wood Valley and Volcano attended, invited by Dr. Claire Horwell, who runs the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network. She is conducting a study on ways people protect themselves from vog and how those methods relate to official advice.
Dr. Claire Horwell held a vog focus
group in Pahala yesterday.
      The coping methods reported for vog events were diverse. Most said they close windows, one saying she puts towels across the seam where the double-hung windows lock. Another said her slight asthma became full-blown after 2008 when heavy vog started covering the Ka`u landscape. Now she lives in a sealed house with windows rarely open and air conditioning and air filtering systems going 24/7. She and several others noted the very high cost of electricity being a barrier to sensitive people buying air cleaners that filter out SO2 and also purchasing air conditioning. A public school teacher talked about wet cloths in front of fans acting as a cooler and filter, a less expensive alternative but not scientifically proven.
      There was discussion about louver windows and whether wooden and glass ones can close tightly enough to keep out vog.
      There was also discussion on the value of closing windows even if they are not completely tight. With fewer pukas, less vog enters the room. A person should not give up on reducing the amount of vog coming into the room just because a house is leaky.
      Several people talked about vog giving them raspy voices and chronic coughs over time. They talked about using lozenges, and some said they drank tea and lots of water. Another said she wears an oil diffuser around her neck that emits peppermint for her to breathe. She said her mother uses many supplements and vapors to reduce symptoms of asthma, which started developing after the family moved to Wood Valley. She said at the public school campus in Pahala students have headaches, can taste the vog and become nauseous. She said they grew up with it, so are used to it.
      One resident talked about individual communities dealing with vog differently. Some houses in Ocean View have only screens. In some places more people work outdoors so they have more exposure.
      There was discussion about the new gym and possibly installing air conditioning and air cleaners to make it a safe place for recess and athletics during heavy vog. Air cleaners and air conditioning for all classrooms was also discussed as a possible proposal.
      There was agreement that health advisory information should be distributed in print form. It was acknowledged that there is much information on the Internet.
      Regarding emissions from the volcano other than SO2, a study on the edge of Halema`uma`u crater took in the emissions and checked for metals. Mercury recovered was not the kind that humans and other mammals can absorb. Other metals were recorded, but below health warning levels. Another survey session is expected soon in Na`alehu. Contact Horwell at claire.horwell@durham.ac.uk.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Sen. Russell Ruderman
HAWAI`I SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE yesterday advanced Ka`u Sen. Russell Ruderman’s proposed legislation regarding coffee labeling. 
      SB 594 would require a specific listing of geographic origins of various Hawai`i-grown coffees and the geographic or regional origins of the various coffees not grown in Hawai`i that are included in a coffee blend to be listed on the front panel of a label. It would also increase the minimum percentage requirement for coffee blends to use geographic origin in labeling or advertising to 80 percent coffee by weight from that geographic origin.
      In his testimony, state Department of Agriculture Chair Scott Enright expressed concern about the required listing of individual non-Hawai`i-grown coffee origins, saying it would place an extreme hardship on the blending industry because individual blend components may not be available at all times due to logistics, crop size and pricing. “If any one of the blend components were not available, it would make the packaging materials obsolete, which would be very costly to business,” he said.
      Volcano resident and tea grower Eva Lee testified, “We need the support of Hawai`i government to make right the misdirected and confusing labeling that has gone on for way too long regarding Kona Coffee. Raising public awareness and supporting that authenticity means a majority percent. It will change the tainted reputation regarding Hawai`i-grown products and give voice to the Hawai`i farmer contributing to our local economy and pave the way for other specialty crops of Hawai`i facing similar challenges. Please consider SB594 a turning point in Hawai`i history.”  
      For more information and to testify, see capitol.hawaii.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

State Rep. Nicole Lowen
HAWAI`I HOUSE COMMITTEE on Legislative Management has passed HB1054, which would establish a pilot program to enable the House to receive live oral testimony from Hawai`i County through audio or audiovisual technology. The trial program would run through June 30, 2017. 
      “This pilot program would remove one of the biggest hurdles facing Hawai`i Island residents in voicing their opinions on issues that matter to them, without having to buy a plane ticket to O`ahu to do so,” said Hawai`i Island Rep. Nicole Lowen, who introduced the bill.
      “I am also working with House staff and leadership on other ways we might be able to extend remote access to the Capitol to neighbor islands that might not require legislation. The technology to be able to do this has been around for a while, and government is running out of excuses for not using it,” she said.
      The proposal calls for the House to coordinate with Hawai`i County to identify sites or facilities that have existing audio and audiovisual capabilities that could be used to allow residents to present live oral testimony. The bill also requires the House to consult with the county, the chief information officer and the Disability and Communication Access Board, and appropriates monies to establish audio or audiovisual systems.
      The bill now moves on to the House Judiciary Committee and, if passed, proceeds to Finance.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

ATHLINE CLARK IS THE NEW SUPERINTENDENT of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, announced by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Clark has worked for the past five years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and previously served as Hawai`i’s co-manager for Papahanaumokuakea.
Athline Clark
      “Athline has more than 20 years of experience working with the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, first in the Florida Keys, then as a sanctuary advisory council member for Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary,” said Allen Tom, Pacific Islands regional director for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “She has always been a part of the sanctuary universe in the Pacific Islands region, and we are excited to welcome her to NOAA's marine protected area family.”
      “The advisory council is happy to have Athline on board, as she brings a wealth of knowledge about the history and management of this special place,” said Tim Johns, NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council chair. The council is a community-based advisory group that provides advice and recommendations to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries about the management of Papahanaumokuakea.
      “I am encouraged by Athline’s wealth of experience from two decades of involvement working from all sides of conservation and resource management,” said Dan Basta, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries director. “For many of those years she has been working directly with us to manage the monument resources.”


      Clark is a graduate of Kailua High School on O`ahu and received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in urban and regional planning from University of Hawai`i at Manoa.


      Papahanaumokuakea is cooperatively managed to ensure ecological integrity and achieve strong, long-term protection and perpetuation of Northwestern Hawaiian Island ecosystems, Native Hawaiian culture and heritage resources for current and future generations. Three co-trustees – the Department of Commerce, Department of the Interior, and State of Hawai`i – joined by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, protect it.
      For more information, see www.papahanaumokuakea.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

BERT NAIHE PERFORMS on-stage today at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HAWAI`I ANT LAB STAFF MEMBERS encourage the public to learn how to eliminate Little Fire Ant colonies tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center.
      Call 315-5656 for more information.

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








Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015

Kaena Point in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is one of 60 locations statewide where volunteers participate in the Sanctuary Ocean Count of humpback whales on the last Saturdays of this and next month. Photo by Adrian Boone
KA`U’S HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER Maile David leaves for Washington, D.C. this week to attend the eight-day National Association of Counties convention. She said she feels well grounded in community, land use and cultural issues and that the trip to D.C. will help her integrate her knowledge of county government with federal government. This is her first out-of-state trip. She will meet with Hawai`i’s congressional delegation Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Mark Takai.
Maile Medeiros David
      NACo Legislative Conference, held on an annual basis in Washington, D.C., brings over 2,000 elected and appointed county officials from across the country to focus on legislative issues facing county government. Attendees hear from key Administration officials and members of Congress and are offered a myriad of additional educational opportunities addressing current and hot topic issues. A day of lobbying on Capitol Hill the last day rounds out an information-packed conference.
      Topics covered in meetings include Legislative Update on Federal Legislative and Policy Issues Impacting Counties; NACo Technology Innovation Summit; County and Tribal Government Relations; Community Engagement and Outreach: Strategically Improving County Resilience; Federal Legislative Policies Affecting County Justice Systems; All Health is Local: Capitol Hill Briefing on Medicaid and the Role of Counties in
 Local Health Systems; and Rural-specific Strategies for Resiliency.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE STATUS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR IN HAWAI`I is the topic of a story in The Guardian, reporter Sophie Cocke announced in Civil Beat. Writer Eria Gies examined the booming industry that “nearly went bust” in 2013.
      “Because rooftop solar penetration has moved so rapidly, Hawai`i’s utilities are now grappling with both technical and economic challenges that mainland utilities have yet to fully face,” Gies said. “How Hawai`i surmounts these hurdles could help other utilities sidestep barriers as they ramp up capacity.”
      Darren Pai, senior communications consultant for Hawaii Electric Companies, told Gies, “We can’t look to any other state for solutions because we’re encountering issues before most other places.”
      According to Gies, Hawai`i’s solar boom ran into trouble “when HECO began dragging its feet on approving new rooftop solar systems for connections to the grid, citing both technical and economic limitations. A major technical hurdle, Hawaiian Electric Co. said, is the intermittency of solar power at night and during cloudy weather. Maintaining power quality and reliability is already difficult on isolated grids such as those on each of Hawai`i’s islands, and high levels of intermittent solar power add to the challenge.
Rooftop solar in Hawai`i is the topic of a story in The Guardian.
Photo by Julia Neal
      “The economic obstacles also have been formidable. After a century of receiving power from utilities, customers are now generating their own power and helping the grid to balance supply and demand via smart appliances that can curtail electricity demand when required. To manage this more complex relationship, utilities must invest in new infrastructure. Buying surplus power at retail rates via credits to homeowners with solar panels also creates a revenue drain.”
      Clean energy consultant Bentham Paulos told Gies, “Essentially, the utility is now competing with its own customers.”
      The challenge for utilities here and worldwide is to figure out how to make it work for them, Gies said. That’s why HECO has proposed eliminating net metering, in which customers sell power back to the utilities.
            Marco Mangelsdorf, president of Hilo-based solar installation company ProVision Solar, told Gies solar can keep growing without net metering because of recent plunges in costs of photovoltaic panels and continuing state and federal tax credits.
      Isaac Moriwake, Honolulu-based attorney for Earthjustice, told Gies, “This move (by HECO to stop net metering) removes any doubt that HECO’s motivation for slowing down solar for over a year was to protect their bottom line.”
      Gies also examines NextEra Energy’s purchase of HECO. It is unclear “how the buyout would affect Hawai`i’s renewable energy expansion,” she said.
      Moriwake told her, “There’s been a lot of heart and soul poured into envisioning Hawai`i’s energy future, and we need to finish that work before we can decide which company can meet those needs. Everything is in play in Hawai`i. That’s why it’s so key to get things right.”
      See civilbeat.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Russell Ruderman is chair of state
Senate Ag Committee.
HAWAI`I STATE LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS labeling of genetically modified foods this week. Senate Health and Agriculture Committees hold a hearing Thursday. Ka`u’s Sen. Russell Ruderman, chair of the Ag Committee, introduced the bill. Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green is chair of the Health Committee.
      SB 131 would establish labeling requirements for any food or raw agricultural commodity sold in the state that contains a genetically engineered material or was produced with a genetically engineered material. It also establishes exceptions and violations and requires the director of health to adopt rules.
      According to the bill, “No food or raw agricultural commodity shall be sold in the state if it contains a genetically engineered material, or was produced with a genetically engineered material, unless it bears a label that provides the following disclosure notice in bold-face print and not less than ten-point type: This product contains a genetically engineered material, or was produced with a genetically engineered material.”    
      Residents can read the entire bill and provide testimony, due tomorrow at 2:45 p.m., at capitol.hawaii.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

CLOSEOUT SALE AT ISLAND MARKET began yesterday and continues through Saturday, Feb. 28. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
      The store is closing after 18 years of serving the Ka`u community.

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED to participate in a vog focus group today at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Library. Host Claire Horwell, director of the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, is studying how people cope with volcanic emissions. To sign up, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/421925067973152/ or call 808-967-8809.

BERT NAIHE PERFORMS on-stage tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Born and raised in Hilo, Naihe is a musician for Halau O Ka Ua Kanilehua with Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho. His first CD Bert Naihe: You’re the One was released in March 2014 and features his versions of Na Makani Eha and Noho Paipai among other mele.

Ka`u residents can learn how to control Little Fire Ants Thursday.
HAWAI`I ANT LAB STAFF MEMBERS DISCUSS how to eliminate Little Fire Ant colonies Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center.
      The county Department of Parks & Recreation is treating Na`alehu Community Park. “In order to get rid of this invasive ant species, the community needs to treat on their private properties also,” the lab staff members said. “In order for the community-based eradication to be a success, it is vital that everyone in the community participate in treatment efforts. If you are not within the treatment area, we still encourage your participation at the Public Informational Meeting and vigilance for new introductions of Little Fire Ants.”
      Call 315-5656 for more information.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI’I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK host a volunteer forest restoration project on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants plant native seedling trees in a fenced enclosure where they will be protected from grazing animals. “We will learn about the park’s native forest restoration program at Kahuku and be able to see the start of natural recovery of the forest,” said organizer Patty Kupchak.
      To sign up, contact Kupchak at forest@fhvnp.org or 808-352-1402.

KA`U WHALE WATCHERS CAN STILL sign up for Sanctuary Whale Counts coming up Saturdays, Feb. 28 and March 28. Now in its 20th year, this project uses volunteers to count whales and record their behaviors from over 60 shore sites on O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawai`i. The project allows the public to learn more about humpback whale population, distribution and behavioral trends while being involved in a volunteer monitoring effort. Hours are 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
      Interested volunteers may register online at http://sanctuaryoceancount.org.

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


See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_February2015.swf.
See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf or
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.