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| During next year's centennial celebration, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers companion After Dark in the Park programs and hikes. See more below. Photo from NPS |
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| Pahala area has been added as a location of confirmed dengue fever cases. Map from Hawai`i County |
Na`alehu and Ocean View areas each continue to have confirmed and negative cases. More are still under investigation in Na`alehu area.
Although spraying and treatment of areas is ongoing, the most effective method to reduce the spread and eliminate dengue is to fight the bite, according to Civil Defense. Minimize or prevent the possibility of being bitten by an infected mosquito by wearing clothing that minimizes exposed skin, using mosquito repellent and avoiding activities in areas of high mosquito concentration during the early morning and late afternoon periods when mosquito activity is greatest.
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is preparing to next year celebrate 100 years of connecting people to, and caring for, the extraordinary landscape, native plants and animals and Hawaiian culture linked with Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes.
Starting in January and running each month through December, the park offers a centennial-themed After Dark in the Park program that highlights the park’s natural and cultural resources. The series is offered on Tuesdays and followed by a complementary hike or excursion the following Saturday to directly connect people to the “resource of the month” and their national park.
“We want to share stories our visitors and local residents may not be aware of through the After Dark in the Park program, then take them out into the field to experience their park in person and on foot,” Superintendent Cindy Orlando said.
For example, on Tuesday, Feb. 23, Park Botanist Sierra McDaniel and Wildlife Biologist Jon Faford presents an After Dark in the Park program about the natural and native treasures of the Kahuku Unit. On Sat., Feb. 27, Faford and McDaniel lead a hike to a forested pit crater in Kahuku that provides important habitat for endangered native plant species including haha. Large `ohi`a trees, `ama`u and hapu`u pulu ferns also thrive in the pit crater.
Hawaiian culture will also be highlighted in the park’s centennial series. On Tuesday, July 26, Park Archaeologist Summer Roper talks about the necessity of salt drying for native Hawaiians. The following Saturday, Roper leads a hike to Ka`ena, a prized salt gathering area along the park’s remote and rugged coast, near the end of Chain of Craters Road.
In August, when Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park officially turns 100, Park Archeologist Dr. Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura presents The Establishment of Hawai`i National Park, a look at the individuals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who were key in creating the park that then included the summits of Kilauea and Haleakala on Maui. The following Saturday, park rangers lead a short walk to Volcano House and explain its significant role in shaping the park’s early history.
“Each of these 12 monthly programs will enlighten participants about the park’s fascinating history and evolution, but will also emphasize the role we all play in shaping our next 100 years,” Orlando said.
The series, co-sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, is free, and no advance registration is required. Park entrance fees apply.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
Starting in January and running each month through December, the park offers a centennial-themed After Dark in the Park program that highlights the park’s natural and cultural resources. The series is offered on Tuesdays and followed by a complementary hike or excursion the following Saturday to directly connect people to the “resource of the month” and their national park.
“We want to share stories our visitors and local residents may not be aware of through the After Dark in the Park program, then take them out into the field to experience their park in person and on foot,” Superintendent Cindy Orlando said.
For example, on Tuesday, Feb. 23, Park Botanist Sierra McDaniel and Wildlife Biologist Jon Faford presents an After Dark in the Park program about the natural and native treasures of the Kahuku Unit. On Sat., Feb. 27, Faford and McDaniel lead a hike to a forested pit crater in Kahuku that provides important habitat for endangered native plant species including haha. Large `ohi`a trees, `ama`u and hapu`u pulu ferns also thrive in the pit crater.
Hawaiian culture will also be highlighted in the park’s centennial series. On Tuesday, July 26, Park Archaeologist Summer Roper talks about the necessity of salt drying for native Hawaiians. The following Saturday, Roper leads a hike to Ka`ena, a prized salt gathering area along the park’s remote and rugged coast, near the end of Chain of Craters Road.
In August, when Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park officially turns 100, Park Archeologist Dr. Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura presents The Establishment of Hawai`i National Park, a look at the individuals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who were key in creating the park that then included the summits of Kilauea and Haleakala on Maui. The following Saturday, park rangers lead a short walk to Volcano House and explain its significant role in shaping the park’s early history.
“Each of these 12 monthly programs will enlighten participants about the park’s fascinating history and evolution, but will also emphasize the role we all play in shaping our next 100 years,” Orlando said.
The series, co-sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, is free, and no advance registration is required. Park entrance fees apply.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| Kure Atoll is a popular nesting area for seabirds. Photo from DOFAW |
HAWAI`I DIVISION OF FORESTRY and Wildlife is recruiting volunteer habitat restoration workers for Kure Atoll in 2016. Kure provides habitat for 18 seabird species and approximately 3,500 breeding pairs of ka`upu (black-footed albatrosses), in addition to many more wildlife treasures, including endangered `ilioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seals).
The volunteer positions are for seven months and involve a variety of tasks. Primary responsibilities include invasive plant removal, big-headed ant monitoring, Laysan duck monitoring, native plant propagation and out-planting, vegetation surveys, seabird surveys and assisting with banding events, Hawaiian monk seal monitoring, marine debris removal, data collection and entry and weekly meetings. Additionally, all staff will help with regular camp maintenance and chores outside of regular work hours.
Kure is a part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and is 1,400 mile northwest of O`ahu. Transportation to/from the atoll is by ship and is infrequent. The ability to live and work in close quarters with a small group of people for an extended period of time is of utmost importance.
For inquiries, email Matt Saunter or Naomi Worcester at kureatoll@gmail.com.
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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss a recent book by colleagues in the current issue of Volcano Watch. “Two Hundred Years of Magma Transport and Storage at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, 1790–2008 (USGS Professional Paper 1806), by former HVO scientists Tom Wright and Fred Klein, won first place in the Technical or Statistical Report category in the Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Government Communicators,” the article states. “The book covers Kilauea history from 1790 through 2008, including the first known and ongoing episode of prolonged activity at both the summit and east rift zone of Kilauea.
“Using continuous records of daily earthquakes and ground tilt measurements dating back to the founding of HVO in 1912, Wright and Klein trace the evolution of Kilauea’s magmatic plumbing. They describe the effects of this evolving system upon the sequence of eruptions, intrusions and seaward movement of the volcano’s south flank over time.
Kure is a part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and is 1,400 mile northwest of O`ahu. Transportation to/from the atoll is by ship and is infrequent. The ability to live and work in close quarters with a small group of people for an extended period of time is of utmost importance.
For inquiries, email Matt Saunter or Naomi Worcester at kureatoll@gmail.com.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss a recent book by colleagues in the current issue of Volcano Watch. “Two Hundred Years of Magma Transport and Storage at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, 1790–2008 (USGS Professional Paper 1806), by former HVO scientists Tom Wright and Fred Klein, won first place in the Technical or Statistical Report category in the Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Government Communicators,” the article states. “The book covers Kilauea history from 1790 through 2008, including the first known and ongoing episode of prolonged activity at both the summit and east rift zone of Kilauea.
“Using continuous records of daily earthquakes and ground tilt measurements dating back to the founding of HVO in 1912, Wright and Klein trace the evolution of Kilauea’s magmatic plumbing. They describe the effects of this evolving system upon the sequence of eruptions, intrusions and seaward movement of the volcano’s south flank over time.
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| HVO scientists Tom Wright and Fred Klein saw complementary natures of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Photo from USGS/HVO |
“Among the many significant events covered in the book, in 1924, a great intrusion of magma occurred at Kilauea, followed by an immense explosion at the summit. According to the authors, the events of 1924 – including steam explosions from an enlarging Halema`uma`u Crater and the large intrusion into the lower east rift zone – stabilized the Kilauea magmatic system and subsequently enabled seaward movement of the south flank.
“Another significant event, the Kalapana earthquake of Nov. 29, 1975, changed the relationship between magma supply and spreading (or seaward motion) of Kilauea’s south flank. Before the earthquake, increases in magma supply drove increases in the spreading rate. Following the earthquake, the magma supply rate continued to increase while the spreading rate remained constant and intrusions were favored over eruptions. The change in pattern suggests that intruded magma was refilling subsurface space created by the earthquake and that flank spreading can at times be influenced by gravity alone.
“‘Slow-slip’ earthquakes – motion of the shallow crust at rates slower than during typical earthquakes but faster than normal flank spreading rates – have been recognized at Kilauea only recently, but Wright and Klein note possible examples from seismic signatures as early as the 1960s.
“Wright and Klein also present evidence of a complementary nature of Kilauea’s activity with that of its much larger neighbor, Mauna Loa. This relationship may explain the absence of eruptions at Mauna Loa since 1984 when Kilauea has been exceptionally active. Such a pattern is recognized going back at least 2,500 years, according to the work of HVO scientist Frank Trusdell.
“Finally, the authors propose cycles of ‘crisis and relief’ at Kilauea. Crises are marked by increased seismicity and uplift of the southwest sector of the volcano. Relief comes in a variety of forms: large south-flank earthquakes, the ending or beginning of eruptive activity, or intrusions correlated with changes in eruption style. Such varied outcomes render long-term forecasts of damaging earthquakes or eruptions especially difficult – all part of the hazard of living on a volcanically active island. ...
“For more information on current thinking about how our volcanoes work, check out these USGS publications online: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1806/, http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1801/, and http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1987/1350/.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
“Another significant event, the Kalapana earthquake of Nov. 29, 1975, changed the relationship between magma supply and spreading (or seaward motion) of Kilauea’s south flank. Before the earthquake, increases in magma supply drove increases in the spreading rate. Following the earthquake, the magma supply rate continued to increase while the spreading rate remained constant and intrusions were favored over eruptions. The change in pattern suggests that intruded magma was refilling subsurface space created by the earthquake and that flank spreading can at times be influenced by gravity alone.
“‘Slow-slip’ earthquakes – motion of the shallow crust at rates slower than during typical earthquakes but faster than normal flank spreading rates – have been recognized at Kilauea only recently, but Wright and Klein note possible examples from seismic signatures as early as the 1960s.
“Wright and Klein also present evidence of a complementary nature of Kilauea’s activity with that of its much larger neighbor, Mauna Loa. This relationship may explain the absence of eruptions at Mauna Loa since 1984 when Kilauea has been exceptionally active. Such a pattern is recognized going back at least 2,500 years, according to the work of HVO scientist Frank Trusdell.
“Finally, the authors propose cycles of ‘crisis and relief’ at Kilauea. Crises are marked by increased seismicity and uplift of the southwest sector of the volcano. Relief comes in a variety of forms: large south-flank earthquakes, the ending or beginning of eruptive activity, or intrusions correlated with changes in eruption style. Such varied outcomes render long-term forecasts of damaging earthquakes or eruptions especially difficult – all part of the hazard of living on a volcanically active island. ...
“For more information on current thinking about how our volcanoes work, check out these USGS publications online: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1806/, http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1801/, and http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1987/1350/.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| Yellow `ohi`a lehua NPS Photo by Dave Boyle |
PARTICIPANTS LEARN ABOUT THE VITAL role of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a lehua tree and its flower on an easy, one-mile walk tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit.
A FUNDRAISER FOR KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY takes place today from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gilligan’s Cafe in Discovery Harbour. Dinner features Greek food, hamburgers and red and white lasagna.
For more information, see kaulearning.com.
VOLCANO FESTIVAL CHORUS PRESENTS its 21st annual Gift to the Community today at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Admission is free; donations are accepted. Park entrance fees apply.
For more information, contact Suzi Bond at 982-7344 or kden73@aol.com.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_December2015.pdf. |
