Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, June 23, 2015

`Ohi`a forests rising above  Ka'u ranch lands between Pahala and Na'alehu are threatened, but apparently not stricken by Rapid Ohia Death fungus, which can kill a tree in a week, an `Ohi`a stand in three years.
Photo from The Nature Conservancy by Rob Schallenberger

HAWAI`I’S `OHI`A FORESTS AND WATERSHEDS face a dire disease threat. The native forest, watersheds and plants and animals that depend on the canopy of `ohi`a lehua trees are at risk as a fungus spreads from Puna, where it already killed half the `ohi`a on 6,000 acres. Called `ohi`a wilt, the aggressive fungus clogs the tree’s vascular system. The `ohi`a dies of thirst in weeks. A stand of `ohi`a dies in three years.
      John Replogle, of The Nature Conservancy in Ka`u, attended a meeting in Honolulu last week where he said the pest was called Rapid `Ohi`a Death fungus. He said his team is very concerned and is taking many precautions. Contractors working on new Kaiholena fencing are using brand new equipment, from tools to boots, to “start clean.” Replogle said summer youth working for The Nature Conservancy under the Works Projects Administration program are taught to protect the forest. He said he “personally sprayed all their shoes to impress on them that this is serious.” He said The Nature Conservancy cleans all tools, shoes and vehicles with Lysol spray when moving from one forest to another.

Sam Ohu Gon III
Photo from The Nature Conservamcy

      Scientists are trying to figure out how to keep Rapid `Ohi`a Death fungus in Puna, away from adjacent Ka`u, location of some of the largest and most pristine native forests in Hawai`i. Sam Ohu Gon III, senior scientist for The Nature Conservancy, which manages some of the most intact native forests in Ka`u,  also urges anyone entering infected forests to clean vehicles, tires, boots and clothing before bringing them back to Ka`u.
      As with the coffee berry borer that threatens the Ka`u Coffee industry and the macadamia felted coccid that threatens Ka`u’s macadamia production, there is little agreement on how the `ohi`a tree killer reached the Big Island. Just like the coffee berry borer and macadamia pests, the `ohi`a fungus may have arrived to Hawai`i only a few years ago but could quickly take away what nature created eons ago.
      Flint Hughes, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, told Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Gary T. Kubota that `ohi`a make up 40 percent of native forest biomass. “A loss of `ohi`a would result in an utter transformation of our forests, not to mention the cultural importance of the trees,” Hughes said. “`Ohi`a really forms the foundation of our native forests. It’s the keystone species in terms of forest development.”
      The story explained that “unlike some alien trees that discourage ground cover by blocking sunlight or changing the chemistry of the soil, `ohi`a provides cover for many native plant species that in turn capture rain for Hawai`i’s watersheds.”
      “It’s our ultimate nurse tree for our native species,” Hughes told reporter Kubota.
      The fungus, Ceratocystis fimbriata, was identified as the cause of `ohi`a wilt late last year by Hawai`i-based Lisa Keith, a research plant pathologist with U.S. Department of Agriculture. She and her colleagues have determined that the fungus can spread in `ohi`a wood carried from one place to another to use for fires, fencing and other purposes. It can be carried from the soil around infected trees, and in insect excrement. There is a possibility that beetles and pigs are carriers, as well as humans walking and driving through an infected forest.
      See more at staradvertiser.com, civilbeat.com and environment-hawaii.org.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Renee Dufault

THE FOOD INGREDIENT AND HEALTH Research Institute is seeking twenty parents of learning-disabled children to participate in a web-based tutorial as part of a study to determine whether the curriculum can help families facilitate healthy dietary changes. Parents selected to participate in the tutorial will be randomly assigned to a test or control group. Those assigned to the test group will be required to participate in the first six-week tutorial session. Parents serving in the control group will be offered the opportunity to participate in the tutorial during the second session. Test and control group participants will be required to take an online diet survey at the same time before and after the first tutorial session. As each parent finishes participating in the tutorial, he or she will receive a stipend of $200 to offset any increased grocery costs that may occur as a result of dietary changes.
      Instruction for the tutorial is provided by Renee Dufault, a retired Food and Drug Administration Public Health Service officer and prominent researcher, who lives in Ka`u. Participants will receive a copy of Dufault’s book and instruction during the tutorial at no charge, she said.
      Prior to being selected to participate in the study, parents will be screened to determine their eligibility. Parents found eligible to participate in the study will be required to sign an informed consent form before starting the tutorial. Results of the study may be reported in a journal article, at a scientific meeting or through media. All participants will be assigned unique user identification numbers for logging on to the tutorial, and their identities will remain confidential.
      Interested parents may contact Dufault at rdufault@foodingredient.info for their eligibility screening appointment or visit foodingredient.info/parentnutritioncourse.html and fill out the interest form.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A beach cleanup station like this one
will be installed at Punalu`u.
Photo from All One Ocean

PUNALU`U BEACH CLEANUP STATION stewards are needed. All One Ocean has been granted permission from Hawai`i County to install a Beach Cleanup Station at Punalu`u. To date, the organization has installed 17 stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and one on Hawai`i Island at Hapuna Beach State Park. The stations are simple wooden boxes containing repurposed bags that provide a simple way for beach goers to pick up trash that threatens marine life while enjoying the beach.
      Each station has one or more dedicated stewards, community volunteers who care for, manage and help evaluate the station’s impact. Stewards commit to visiting the station approximately once every couple of weeks to maintain it and replenish the stock of reusable bags. Stewards also estimate usage of the station on each of their visits.
      Ka`u residents interested in becoming a steward and joining the All One Ocean team can contact Katie Strong at 415-933-9589 or katie@alloneocean.org.
      For more information, see alloneocean.org.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

GOV. DAVID IGE IS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., for The Washington Post’s Powering Cities forum today.

       The Washington Post invited Ige to speak about Hawai`i’s commitment to clean energy and generating 100 percent of its electricity sales from renewable energy resources by 2045. Ige recently signed Act 097 into law, making Hawai`i the first state in the nation to set a 100 percent renewable portfolio standard for the electricity sector.
      Ige joins other elected officials, government innovators and business leaders at the one-day forum. Currently, the U.S. consumes the equivalent of 18 percent of the world’s total primary energy usage. Speakers discuss and debate policies and programs across the country related to clean energy, battery and energy storage, the grid, energy efficiency, innovations in oil and gas and more.

Gov. David Ige is participating in a forum sponsored by The Washington Post
today. Photo  from Office of the Governor

      The event is live-streamed through the governor’s website at governor.hawaii.gov. Video will also be available after the event.
      While in Washington, Ige will also meet with Hawai`i’s congressional delegation and various federal officials to discuss issues that include easing air access for international travelers to Hawai`i, renewable energy, affordable housing and the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress to be held in Hawai`i in next year.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS succeeded on a national stage last weekend at the Southern California Volleyball Association annual tournament at Anaheim Convention Center. Emmett Enriques, of Punalu`u, joined top 18-year-old players from Hawai`i to take third in competition among more than 50 teams from around the country. Ka`u athletes Cameron Moses, Naia Makuakane and Adison and Avery Enriques played for their team that tied for ninth in the competition among 82 teams from around the U.S.
      The Ka`u volleyball standouts scrimmage this week with teams in San Diego and travel Thursday to Columbus, Ohio for the U.S.A. Boys Junior National Championships.
      Both events provide venues for college scouts, who talk to players, their coach Guy Enriques and parents. Ka`u’s outstanding players over the years have received numerous scholarship offers following participation on the national stage.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

John Keawe

JOHN KEAWE PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO SLACK KEY at Na`alehu Public Library today at 3 p.m. Originally planned for last Thursday, the program was rescheduled due to a miscommunication, library manager Sara Kamibayashi said.

      For more information, call 939-2442.

THE TOPIC AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK this evening is highly collaborative, large-scale endangered plant re-introduction efforts on Hawai`i Island. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

      $2 donations support After Dark programs. Park entrance fees apply.

A MEN’S BASKETBALL LEAGUE is forming for the summer, starting in July with play at Ka`u High School Gym. Men of high-school age and older are invited to form teams and join the competition that take place Mondays and Thursdays starting at 6 p.m.
      Call Elijah Navarro at Pahala Community Center at 928-3102 or 430-9461. Sponsor is county Parks & Recreation.

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

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2015.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, June 22, 2015

Large-scale re-introduction of native plants such as lobeliad is the topic at After Dark in the Park tomorrow.
Photo by Dr. Robert Robichaux

HAWAI`I COFFEE CO., which supports the Miss Ka`u Coffee pageant scholarship fund and markets a Chef Alan Wong blend of Ka`u Coffee, has a new president. Daniel Dinell replaces Jim Wayman, who founded the company and stepped down earlier this year. The company owns Royal Kona Coffee, which it purchased from C. Brewer years ago, and also owns the largest roasting facility in the islands, located on O`ahu. Its other brands include Lion Coffee, Royal Hawaiian Coffee and Hawaiian Islands Tea.
      Dinell comes from Hilton Grand Vacations and has two decades experience in hospitality. He also worked in state government for the Hawai`i Community Development Authority.
      See more at hawaiicoffeecompany.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hawai`i County encourages residents to seek primary health care.

GOT DOC? THAT’S THE QUESTION Hawai`i County asking residents to encourage them to find a primary health care provider.
      “Imagine a Hawai`i Island where emergency rooms are nearly empty because preventive care services have been integrated into everyone’s health routine for years. Early mornings before sunrise, a group of kupuna does tai chi at the park,” the website gotdoc.org states. “Come lunchtime, kids gather with fellow classmates to play and eat nutritious meals. At pau hana, surfers paddle out for a quick session, and weight loss groups meet up for support and a brisk, evening walk.”
      In Hawai`i, one in every 10 visits to the emergency room is preventable. Easy, common sense measures like routine checkups could save the state $325 million every year.
      On Hawai`i Island, nearly 40,000 adults — about one in every five — don’t have a regular doctor. “That’s a lot of aunties, coworkers, cousins and kupuna at risk for serious health problems,” according to the website. “When members of our community neglect themselves, we all suffer the consequences.
      “Take responsibility for your health and well-being. The first step is having a primary care physician.”
      The website shows how to find a primary care doctor, gives tips on living well and tells stories of individuals who suffer because they don’t have primary care physicians who could have caught symptoms before they turned into major health issues.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

AmeriCorps volunteers helped clean up and organize Pahala Hongwanji
schoolhouse. Photo by Julia Neal

AMERICORPS, WITH TEACHERS IN KA`U, is facing cuts, and yesterday the New York Times came to its defense. The editorial board wrote, “It would be hardhearted and counterproductive to squeeze any more money from the already meager federal funding for public service programs that help struggling schoolchildren, veterans, the elderly and communities stricken by natural disasters. Yet a House subcommittee this week approved a spending bill that cuts federal financing for the already beleaguered Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees many programs, the most well known of which is AmeriCorps.”
      According to the story, the proposed cuts would reduce federal investment in the community service corporation by about a third, would gut some programs and shut others down. The board wrote, “Beyond that, thousands of teachers, tutors and mentors would be withdrawn from low-performing schools across the country. That’s too big a price to pay for a savings so small that it doesn’t even rate as a rounding error in the national budget. It’s up to President Obama to fight for the national service program and make sure it remains intact.”
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Sacred Mauna Kea Hui members protest TMT. Photo by Kai Markell

SACRED MAUNA KEA HUI and its head facilitator Kamahana Kealoha responded to Thirty Meter Telescope organization’s announcement that it would restart construction on Wednesday.

      Construction stopped about three months ago when protesters, who call themselves protectors, blocked crews from reaching the TMT site. Following arrests of 31 people, Gov. David Ige asked TMT to halt proceedings while he discussed the issue with involved parties. Last month, Ige announced his support of TMT’s right to continue with the project and protesters right to protest peacefully.
      “SMKH reaffirms strongly, proudly and with all aloha our commitment to reinforce the blockade and continue to pursue legal routes while being forced to protect the Mauna with our bodies,” according to a statement from the hui.
      “SMKH strongly feels that many laws have been circumvented that make University of Hawai`i, Department of Land & Natural Resources, the state of Hawai`i and the TMT project disparagingly liable for breach of law and legal processes and with the Supreme Court case confirmed that it would be illegal, immoral and unethical for the TMT project and its supports to disallow the full and entire process of law to run its course regardless of the governor’s relinquishing of responsibility in giving the OK for the TMT project to move forward.
      “We implore the governor, UH, DLNR, the state of Hawai`i and the TMT project to rescind its intention to continue desecration and violation of the mandate to steward the endangered species environment that is our Mountain’s summit and reaffirm that all these entities are subject to all responsibility for the well-being of the Mauna and protectors being forced by the governor, UH, DLNR, the state of Hawai`i and the TMT project to put body, freedom and life in jeopardy in order to facilitate the just process of law that is still in motion and should be respected.
      “SMKH reaffirms its commitment to continue to call on its worldwide and local support for all protection efforts of the Mauna including continuing to put our bodies between the desecration of construction and our sacred Mauna and endangered species environment so poorly managed and neglected in regards to legal mandates set in place currently meant to protect the conservation district and cultural resources that are the Piko, or sacred summit, of our first-born elder Mauna Kea.”
      See sacredmaunakea.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Sen. Mazie Hirono

Sen. Brian Schatz

U.S. SENS. MAZIE HIRONO AND BRIAN SCHATZ are divided regarding the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act that the Senate passed last week. Schatz voted for the bill, and Hirono opposed it.
      “Every defense bill has challenges and tradeoffs,” Hirono said, “but this year’s NDAA raised serious questions about our national values.
      “In NDAA, Republicans resorted to a budget gimmick to provide sequester relief just for the Department of Defense while leaving the full burden of sequester for domestic programs such as the FBI, State Department, Treasury, Coast Guard, Homeland Security, education, transportation and other important priorities that contribute to our national security.
      “This approach divides our country into two Americas — defense on one side and everything and everyone else on the other. I call this un-American.”
      Schatz said, “The defense authorization bill includes many provisions that strengthen our national defense, reinforce the need to rebalance to the Asia Pacific — through which Hawai`i is central — and provide our service members with the equipment and training they need to protect America. The bill specifically states that any withdrawal of U.S. forces from U.S. Pacific Command would undermine the rebalance to the Asia Pacific, and that U.S. forces under the operational control of U.S. Pacific Command — like those of U.S. Army Pacific based in Hawai`i — should be increased, consistent with our commitment to the region.”
      While Schatz objects to the budget using Overseas Contingency Operations to circumvent the 2011 Budget Control Act’s spending caps to fund the military’s core operations, he said he will address those concerns in appropriations bills on the Senate floor.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Dick Hershberger, as Thomas Jaggar, explains volcano activity to A Walk
into the Past participants. Photo by Ron Johnson

VISITORS TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park tomorrow can enjoy two programs.
      Ka`u resident Dick Hershberger brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life tomorrow every other Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center for a short walk to Whitney Vault near Volcano House.
      The topic at After Dark in the Park at 7 p.m. is Silverswords & Lobeliads. Dr. Robert Robichaux discusses highly collaborative, large-scale endangered plant re-introduction efforts on Hawai`i Island at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
      $2 donations support After Dark programs. Park entrance fees apply.

FAMED, AWARD-WINNING GUITARIST John Keawe brings A Tribute to Slack Key to Na`alehu Public Library tomorrow at 3 p.m. Originally planned for last Thursday, the program was rescheduled due to a miscommunication, according to library manager Sara Kamibayashi. 

      For more information, call 939-2442.

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

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

See kacalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2015.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, June 21, 2015

Volcano Village holds its Fourth of July celebration, with a parade to and festivities at Cooper Center, on Saturday, July 4.
Photo from Sher Glass

Henry Yang, of TMT

THIRTY METER TELESCOPE construction will restart Wednesday after more than two months of consultation, education and dialogue with many stakeholders. “Our period of inactivity has made us a better organization in the long run,” said Henry Yang, Chair of TMT’s International Observatory Board. “We are now comfortable that we can be better stewards and better neighbors during our temporary and limited use of this precious land, which will allow us to explore the heavens and broaden the boundaries of science in the interest of humanity.

      “We look forward to a positive relationship with all Hawaiians, while we understand that the majority of Hawai`i’s people are supporting the TMT project. We deeply respect and are mindful of those who have concerns, and yet, we hope they will permit us to proceed with this important task while reserving their right to peaceful protest.
      According to Yang, TMT plans to assess any possible oil leakage and ensure it can provide proper maintenance of machines and equipment so they operate safely and correctly in order to protect Maunakea and preserve the sensitive environment. The organization will then begin to repair and install fencing for public safety.
      Yang said TMT will allow cultural practitioners in the area of the construction site to continue customary and traditional practices. “Allowing this practice to continue to occur will require further dialogue and mutual agreement to work out the details in order to establish a cooperative and harmonious environment for all parties,” he said.
      “In an effort to be sensitive to and observant of the Native Hawaiian host culture, we will deepen our knowledge of the cultural, ecological and spiritual aspects of the mountain and continue to learn how to better respect and appreciate Maunakea’s important cultural areas,” Yang said. “On behalf of TMT, I want to express our sincere appreciation to the people in Hawaii for their understanding and support.”
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Ua Galimba and her steer Kaimana took first in show. Galimba also took first in
in showman category in both the steer and hog divisions. At her left is livestock judge
An Peischel. Photo by Rebecca Settlage 

UA GALIMBA WON GRAND CHAMPION Steer competition at this weekend’s annual Hawai`i County 4-H Livestock Show & Sale. In addition to the title with a steer named Kaimana, Galimba took first in the Junior Showman Category for steer and the Junior Showman category for hogs. Also participating from Ka`u
were Grant and Kealia Galimba and Kailee Aickin.      
     The Ka`u contingent traveled with their livestock to Mealani Research Station in Kamuela for the event, which included auctioning off the animals they raised and cared for in preparation for the competition.

       The competition included categories for poultry and rabbits on Friday afternoon and hogs, lambs, steers and breeding heifers on Saturday morning, followed by the auction.
     Local supporters of the show and auction include Aikane Plantation, Malama Market, Kuahiwi Ranch and Chris Manfredi.
      The 4-H program encourages and mentors youth from five to 18 years of age to learn animal husbandry, humane handling skills, record-keeping and financial planning, as well as the discipline of daily responsibility in raising livestock. The first livestock club program formed in 1918.
      “Supporting young people in agriculture is one of the most effective ways, besides buying local, to contribute toward sustainability of our island home,” said a 4-H press release.
      For more information about 4-H, contact CTAHR extension agent Becky Settlage at settlage@hawaii.edu.
      For more on the 2015 4-H Livestock Show and Sale and joining 4-H in Ka`u, contact Ka`u rancher and state Board of Agriculture member Michelle Galimba at mgalimba@kuahiwiranch.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HOMELESSNESS IS THE FOCUS of John Burnett’s two stories in Hawai`i Tribune Herald this morning. While homeless people may be widely scattered in Ka`u near beach parks and some abandoned buildings and lots in Ka`u, the islandwide picture is much more apparent in the urban areas. 

      According to Burnett, the number of homeless people on the island has risen 43 percent since last year, with 1,241 compared to last year’s 869. HOPE Services Hawai`i, Inc. came up with the statistics during a survey conducted early this year. Brandee Menino, chief executive officer, told Burnett the numbers are probably on the low side.
      Kaui Alexander, HOPE Services’ care coordinator, said the homeless population will likely continue to rise. “A lot of families are just one setback away from becoming homeless,” Alexander said. “A job ending or a health problem that arises can quickly lead to the inability … to pay rent or utility bills, afford child care, put gas in the car, and families are left having to make tough decisions.”
      See hawaiitribuneherald.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

The current issue of Volcano Watch discusses Kilauea's historic lava lakes.
Photo by Thomas Jaggar, Jr. from USGS/HVO

KILAUEA’S HISTORIC LAVA LAKES are the topic of the current issue of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Volcano Watch.
      “Although relatively new to most of us, churning lava lakes are certainly not new to Halema`uma`u Crater,” the article states. “Indeed, from 1823 through 1924, a lava lake (or lakes) was nearly always present in the caldera, generally inside Halema`uma`u. Short-lived lava lakes played in Halema`uma`u several times between 1924 and 1968. Much of the time, however, visitors witnessed a scene quite different from today.
      “As one example, this nearly century-old print shows Halema`uma`u when much more of its floor was covered by a lava lake compared to today. Towering bodies of solidified lava called crags rise above the lake surface like battleships on the sea. At times these crags were so high that they could be seen by spectators at the old Volcano House nearly three kilometers (two miles) away. Visitors could sometimes view lava fountaining and hear noises of splashing lava from the hotel. Today, the clatter of breaking and falling rocks is, with favorable wind, audible outside Jaggar Museum, and the overflows in April and May were visible from many caldera vantage points.
      “In the early 1900s, the lava lake inside Halema`uma`u resembled a dynamic body of water in many ways. Thomas A. Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, used terms such as cove, bay and inlet to describe lava pools and other features in the lake. The lava lake was typically impounded by levees made by overflows of lava from the lake, just as overflows of silt-laden water create levees along the Mississippi River. 

      The article includes a photograph that shows what was known as the Southeast Crag, an 11-m- (36-ft-) high peak of solidified lava that had been twisted and tilted upward. Similar features have not developed in the current lava lake. The article states that this may be “because the present lake is impounded by the walls of Overlook crater, not by its own natural levees, which can change configuration and location with time. If such self-impoundment should develop in the Overlook lava lake, we may once again see crags, bays and inlets.”
      HVO will share more of the rich photographic record of Halema`uma`u lava lakes from the last century in future Volcano Watch columns. “Although they lack the vivid and mesmerizing colors of modern photographs, there is a stark beauty in these crisp, black-and-white scenes of lava in its myriad forms that we find equally compelling,” the article states.

      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Silversword Photo by Dr. Robert Robichaux

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Father’s Day Buffet today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Main entrees are prime rib, shrimp Alfredo with mushrooms and Asian-infused Hawaiian ono. Adult price is $27; child, $14.50. 

      Call 967-8356 for more details. Park entrance fees apply.

DR. ROBERT ROBICHAUX, PROFESSOR of ecology and evolutionary biology at University of Arizona and founder and president of the Board of Trustees of the Hawaiian Silversword Foundation, discusses highly collaborative, large-scale endangered plant reintroduction efforts on Hawai`i Island Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

      According to Robichaux, the native silversword and lobeliad lineages of Hawai`i are the world’s most spectacular examples of plant adaptive radiation, in which single colonizing ancestors have given rise to a stunning diversity of descendant species. Yet, the two lineages now include some of the world’s most critically imperiled plants.
      This presentation illustrates the value of integrating reintroduction efforts with ongoing ecosystem restoration efforts across large landscapes.

VOLCANO VILLAGE HOLDS ITS annual Fourth of July celebration Saturday, July 4. This free event is sponsored by Volcano Community Association, Cooper Center Council and Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Festivities start at 9 a.m. at the Volcano Post Office with a good, old-fashioned patriotic parade going down Old Volcano Road and ending at Cooper Center. Free entertainment, keiki games for 50 cents, a craft fair, silent auction and food for the whole family continue to 1 p.m.

A MEN’S BASKETBALL LEAGUE is forming for the summer, starting in July with play at the Ka`u High School Gym. Men, high school age and older are invited to form teams and join the competition which will take place Mondays and Thursdays, starting at 6 p.m. Anyone interested, call Elijah Navarro at Pahala Community Center at 928-3102 or 430-9461.

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

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2015.pdf.