Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Rangers offer informational talks daily at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, which waives entry fees through Sunday. Photo from NPS

PERSONNEL FROM HAWAI`I COUNTY are trying to find Pahala’s gang cesspool and evaluating the sewer system today until 3 p.m. As of 10 a.m., they hadn’t been able to find the site in the vicinity of the Old Mill, makai of Maile Street near the former KAHU Radio Station.

Crews are testing Pahala's sewer system
in the defined area. Map from Hawai`i County.

      Testing involves injecting a non-toxic, clean and harmless smoke into the old plantation sewer collection system within this area. According to Department of Environmental Management’s Wastewater Division, smoke may be seen coming from vent stacks on buildings or holes in the ground. 

      “Information gathered will be used to create a plan to close the large-capacity cesspool in the near future,” Wastewater Division Chief Dora Beck wrote in a letter sent to property owners in the area.
      According to Civil Engineer Curtis Bailey, a public meeting is being planned regarding the future sewage treatment plant that will replace the cesspool.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A BILL REGARDING LAUNCH OF SATELLITES from Hawai`i Island is advancing at the state Legislature. The Senate approved House Bill 2263, calling for funding of a study on development and economic viability of a small satellite launch and processing facility. Although the bill does not specify Ka`u as a site for the facility, Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman spoke in opposition to the bill. “I just want to express my token opposition, which I’ll express anytime someone proposes a development for my neighborhood without talking to my neighborhood about it,” Ruderman said during the bill’s third reading before the Senate. His was the only vote in opposition to it. Video of Ruderman’s comment before the Senate is available at bigislandvideonews.com.

State Sen. Russell Ruderman

      “Hawai`i has long been recognized as an ideal location for the launching of spacecraft due to its geographic location,” HB2263 says. “This is especially true of Hawai`i island, which is unrivaled in the United States for equatorial launches of spacecraft, particularly small satellites, due to its global position. The development of a small satellite launch and processing facility on Hawai`i Island has tremendous economic potential for both Hawai`i Island and the state of Hawai`i.”

      In its testimony, the Aha Moku Advisory Committee of the state Department of Land & Natural Resources said, “In the past twenty years, there have been attempts and plans to establish satellite and launching facilities in the Moku of Ka`u where it was deemed to be the best place for such a facility. The area identified in Ka`u is the site of the most sacred wahi pana. It is the site where the first Tahitians landed in Hawai`i prior to the ninth century. It is as sacred to Hawaiians as Mauna Kea.”
      The bill now goes to a House/Senate conference committee. Ka`u’s state Rep. Richard Onishi is one of the House conferees.
      Track this and other bills at capitol.hawaii.gov.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Mayor Billy Kenoi spoke in favor of a general excise
tax increase. Image from Hawai`i County

A PROPOSED HALF-PERCENT INCREASE in Hawai`i County’s general excise tax is the topic of a public meeting today at 5 p.m. Hawai`i County Council considers Bill 165, which calls for the tax to be levied from 2018 through 2027.       According to the bill, funds raised would be used for operational and capital costs of public transportation systems, including roads and highways, buses, pedestrian and bicycle paths, sidewalks and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

      Mayor Billy Kenoi supports the increase. At a budget meeting last Wednesday, he told the council that counties “deserve to have additional revenue-generating tools in their toolbox.”
      “We’ve tried always to limit the burden that people have to show for the operation of government programs and services we deliver,” Kenoi said.
      The council holds its regular meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.
      Ka`u residents can participate in both meetings via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building. Meetings are streamed live from Kona at hawaiicounty.gov.

      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Rhea Lee-Moku, of HELCO

POWER GENERATION RESERVES REMAIN tight on Hawai`i Island, according to Hawai`i Electric Light Co. After two unexpected trips of the 60-megawatt Hamakua Energy Partners power plant on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the HEP plant remains out of service and is not expected to return until Friday. Hawai`i Electric Light is experiencing narrow generation reserves this week.

      To meet customers’ electricity needs, HELCO is running all of its available firm generating units. It is working to return its Hill Six steam plant early from its annual overhaul and plans to have it return to service by Tuesday evening. HELCO’s Puna steam unit, which was on standby status, was returned to active service as well. The unit was taken out of regular service in 2014 and now is used for this type of contingency. Renewable resources like wind and hydro are adding generation during peak use hours and helping to increase generation reserves during this time.
      “Our dedicated employees have been working long hours to meet the electricity needs of the community during this fluid situation. With the variable wind and hydro resources, we expect to have enough generation to meet the peak use period this week. However, we don’t have additional generation resources if there are unexpected technical problems on one of the larger units on our system,” said Rhea Lee-Moku, HELCO spokesperson. “We want to assure the community that we’re doing everything we can to provide sufficient generation.
      “While we currently expect to have enough generation this week, we want to share this information with our customers to help them plan ahead just in case. In the event we have a sudden loss of generation, we may need to ask customers to conserve electricity use during the evening peak hours between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We will give as much notice as possible though conditions can change suddenly. We sincerely apologize for any concern this may cause and appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding.”
      Updates will be provided at www.hawaiielectriclight.com.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Friends of Ka`u Libraries plan to sell T-shirts
and tote bags at Ka`u Coffee Festival
Ho`olaule`a. Photo by Julia Neal

FRIENDS OF KA`U LIBRARIES are preparing for the 2016 Ka`u Coffee Festival Ho`olaule`a at Pahala Community Center on Saturday, May 21. They will be selling books, baked goods and FKL T-shirts and tote bags. They welcome donations of baked goods and volunteers to help that day.

      Drop off baked items Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Package baked items and label if they contains fruits or nuts in case people may have a food allergy. For those who may not be able to bring baked items on Saturday, they may drop non-perishable items off at either Pahala or Na`alehu Libraries from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

      Volunteers are needed on the day of the sale: set-up 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.; sales 9 a.m. – 11, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.; help sort and pack unsold books, 3 p.m.
      Call Ann Fontes at 987-7448 to volunteer or for more information.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS for Ken Wicks Ka`u Chamber of Commerce Scholarships is Sunday, May 1. High school seniors and adults seeking to re-enter the educational system are encouraged to apply. Applicants are asked to write an essay about how their educational experience will benefit Ka`u. Preference will be given to those who intend to remain in or return to Ka`u and live here. 

      Scholarship money can be used for all college and vocational training and will range from $300 to $1,000. See kauchamber.org to download the application form. Call Lee McIntosh at 929-9872 with any questions.

Plan now to participate in Na`alehu's Independence Day Parade.
Photo by Peter Anderson

PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY for Na`alehu Independence Day Parade on July 2 at 11 a.m. The parade begins at Na`alehu Elementary School and ends at Na`alehu Hongwanji Mission. Anyone who would like to participate or donate can call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

CELEBRATE HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park’s and the National Park Service’s centennials during National Park Week with entry fees waived through Sunday.

HAUNANI’S ALOHA EXPRESSIONS presents a hula performance tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The all-Hawaiian group of kane and wahine kupuna range in ages from 70 to over 90 years old. For many years, on their own time, they have volunteered to welcome visitors on incoming cruise ships and at Hilo Airport to share the aloha spirit.

FAMILY READING NIGHT IS THURSDAY at Ocean View Community Center. The gathering begins at 5 p.m. For more information, call 939-7033.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA`U meets Thursday at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 929-9731 or 936-7262.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_April_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Monday, April 18, 2016

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park waives entry fees through Sunday for National Park Week. NPS Photo by Jacob W. Frank

HEALTH CARE IN PAHALA is the subject of a story in today’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. Ivy Ashe interviewed staff at Ka`u Hospital & Rural Health Clinic about the challenges and rewards of working in a remote area. Ashe reported that 2,700 patients annually are admitted to the emergency room, which has four physicians, and 4,900 people visit the health clinic each year.

      The Critical Access Hospital’s administrator Merilyn Harris told Ashe that Ka`u has a lower than average number of medical providers. “We’re a medically underserved area,” she said.
      Ashe reported on Ka`u’s strong community support of the hospital and clinic, with emergency room equipment purchased through fundraising events including spaghetti dinners, craft and bake sales and golf tournaments. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka`u Quilters raised funds for ten years. `O Ka`u Kakou and Volcano Rotary Club also support projects at the facility.

      “Basically, I feel like we’re this giant community project,” Harris said. “That kind of inspires us, because they show that what we do is important, and so it makes you want to do better, do more. We’re always looking to improve access to care.”

      The clinic’s newest Dr. Cary Gear told Ashe, “It’s very encouraging to see how the community stands behind the hospital, because the hospital, like the community, has limited resources — but the community steps up to support them.” Gear and his family moved here from Indiana in December.
      Gear and Dr. Carol Dexter, who came from Arizona, each have more that 20 years of medical experience, which Ashe said helps them make decisions about patient care. She said rural physicians have to be “self-reliant because they don’t have the resources of larger areas.”
      “This would be a hard place for someone right out of residency to come,” Gear said. “You’re making decisions on a whole different basis here. That’s, to me, what is so appealing about rural medicine. You’re not just ordering the test, but you’re in a sense a member of their family, and you get to know them, their brothers and sisters and aunties and uncles.
      “You see them at the grocery store, you worship with them at church, and it just adds a whole new dynamic. It adds something to medicine.”
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Solar Impulse is preparing to leave Hawai`i. Photo from Solar Impulse

SOLAR IMPULSE IS BACK IN MISSION MODE after being grounded in Hawai`i since last July 3. After replacing batteries that overheated during the solar-powered plane’s flight from Nagoya to Hawai`i on its journey around the world, the countdown has now started for the Solar Impulse team to finish what they started and head toward their departure point, Abu Dhabi.

      Si2’s team reported that the past two months have been filled with preparations: maintenance and training flights. The team has completed both Bertrand Piccard’s last high altitude flight and André Borschberg’s last training flight in the past two weeks. Now the pilots are fully prepared to take on the next big challenge: the flight from Hawai`i to North America.
      Weather allowing, take-off over the Pacific Ocean could occur soon. The weather can change at any minute, so engineers at Mission Control Center in Monaco are busy searching for a weather window. Finding one requires a tight collaboration between the project’s Air Traffic Control team, meteorologists, mission engineers and the ALTRAN team that executes flight simulations.
      They all work together to identify the best possible options to fly. ALTRAN, a Solar Impulse partner, has provided software that illustrates Si2’s flight path through forecasted weather conditions and ATC routes in order to evaluate whether the aircraft can fly while identifying the path Si2 should follow. If the flight path is clear until the final destination, the aircraft can safely proceed to its landing point.
      The first Mission Flight of this year will be long, lasting several days to cross the rest of the Pacific Ocean from Hawai`i to North America. Before takeoff, the team undergoes regular simulations in order to receive the most accurate weather forecast during the flight. It is only a few hours before the flight that they can fully confirm it will take place. This state of unknown lasts until the aircraft has taken off and reached the point of no return.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Tulsi Gabbard

REP. TULSI GABBARD VOTED against an effort to undermine net neutrality. H.R. 2666, the No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act, passed in the House by a vote of 241-173. 

      “For over 20 years, the Internet has broken down information barriers, expanded access to critical information and services, fueled innovation and redefined our country and our world,” Gabbard said. “In today’s digital age, free, open and equal access to the Internet is not only essential to upholding our democratic principles, it is critical to healthcare, education, employment and so much more. I strongly oppose H.R. 2666, and any legislation that undermines the principles of universal, affordable and nondiscriminatory Internet access. If signed in to law, H.R. 2666 would limit the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to investigate attempted breaches of net neutrality and weaken their authority to enforce free and open Internet access. While I am disappointed that this legislation passed in the House today, I will continue to do all that I can to protect American consumers from attempts to create special treatment for a privileged few.”
      Gabbard has strongly supported net neutrality and has cosponsored legislation like H.R. 196, the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2015, which would prohibit multi-tiered pricing agreements between Internet Service Providers and content providers.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA IS HOSTING a farmer land security benefit dinner at Pahala Plantation House on Tuesday, May 17 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available with a $48 tax-deductible donation. Funds raised by the nonprofit will be used to send Ka`u Coffee growers and their representatives to O`ahu to build support for their cause with lawmakers and potential donors.

      Two Hawai`i Island chefs and musician Hawane Rios are coming together to raise awareness of land security for Ka`u Coffee growers. Rios’ roots stretch from the rolling hills of Kohala to the beaches of `Anaeho`omalu. “Her connection to the Earth Mother is deep and true and taught to her by her family,” IONAM President Malian Lahey said.

      The dinner will be a gourmet, locally sourced sampling of freshly caught fish, locally raised meat and fresh, local, organic vegetables from Wood Valley Farm in Pahala. Big Island Brewhaus is sponsoring an open bar with a sampling of their craft beers. Jonah VanGieson, of Ohelo Cafe in Volcano, and Casey Halpern, of Cafe Pesto, “will wield their culinary skills to create an evening of delight, fun, flavor and music in honor of the occasion,” Lahey said.
      See ionam.org.

PUNALU`U BAKE SHOP ANNOUNCES its new music lineup. Richard Zazzi performs on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gary Cole, aka Foggy, offers folk and country music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Uncle Sonny takes over at 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tui Masaniai plays easy listening tunes Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

CELEBRATE HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park’s and the National Park Service’s centennials during National Park Week with entry fees waived through next Sunday, April 24.

Haunani's Aloha Expressions returns to Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park on Wednesday.

A HULA PERFORMANCE by Haunani’s Aloha Expressions is one highlight of National Park Week on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Haunani’s Aloha Expressions is comprised of an all-Hawaiian group of kane and wahine kupuna ranging in ages from 70 to over 90 years old. These men and women also belong to the Alu Like Kupuna Program, meeting on a regular basis. For many years, on their own time, they have volunteered to welcome visitors on incoming cruiseliners and at Hilo Airport to share the aloha spirit.

      The kupuna also entertain on a regular basis for the patients at the Life Care Center of Hilo, Hale Anuenue, Extended Care, Hawai`i Island Adult Day Care, Aunty Sally Kaleohano Lu`au House Senior Program and more. They won overall at the Kupuna Hula Festival with the song, Tutu E. They also won the Moku o Keawe competition on numerous occasions. They make all of their own colorful costumes and lei, singing and dancing hapa-haole hula, and have performed at the park’s annual cultural festival on numerous occasions.

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

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_April_2016.pdf.

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, April 17, 2016

Dr. Shawn Steiman, consultant for Ka`u Coffee; Juli Burden, who has helped with the Ka`u Coffee Experience at Ka`u Coffee Festival; Ralph Gaston, of Rusty's Hawaiian 100 Percent Ka`u Coffee; and Patrick Oiye, who has also assisted with the Ka`u Coffee Experience. They were all at the Hawai`i Coffee Association booth at SCAA in Atlanta. 
Photo by Malian Lahey

RUSTY OBRA, JR., whose Pahala family is famous for its Rusty’s brand of Ka`u Coffee, flew to Atlanta this past week to compete in the U.S. Aeropress Competition at the Specialty Coffee Association of America convention.

Rusty Obra, Jr.
Photo from sprudge.com

      Last month, Obra, a culinary arts teacher, won the Eastern Region Championship in New York with the following recipe: Using 19.7 grams coffee, 260 grams water and a total brew time of 2:45, pour 60 grams of 185 degrees Fahrenheit water into an inverted AeroPress, bloom for 30 seconds. Stir three times, then pour remaining 200 grams of water and steep for 1:30. Add cap, invert, and plunge for 45 seconds. Swirl to aerate, and serve.

      Last year, Obra won the national championship. See more at rustyshawaiian.com,
worldaeropresschampionship.com and sprudge.com.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE SPECIALTY COFFEE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Expo “is an amazing forum where coffee industry professionals network and learn about markets, methods and equipment. Hawai`i and Ka`u were well represented,” reports Chis Manfredi, one of those representing Ka`u at the Atlanta convention that wrapped up today.

      “Ka`u has duly earned its place among the finest coffee-producing origins across the globe,” said Manfredi. “The Hawai`i Coffee Association hosted an information and tasting booth that was staffed by a diverse group of members that represented coffees produced throughout Hawai`i. There is talk about expanding our presence by establishing a Hawai`i pavilion next year in Seattle,” he said.
      See more on Ka`u Coffee at kaucoffeefest.com.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Clare Connors
Photo from Davis Levin Livingston

U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE voted to approve Clare Connors to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai`i. Sen. Brian Schatz recommended Connors’ nomination to President Obama in June of last year.
      “This is an important step forward, and I congratulate the Senate Judiciary Committee for recognizing Clare Connors as a strong candidate for the U.S. District Court for Hawai`i,” Schatz said. “Clare’s knowledge, fair-mindedness and dedication to justice will make her an exemplary district court judge. I look forward to voting for her when her nomination reaches the Senate floor.”

      Sen. Mazie Hirono called the committee’s action “a testament to Clare’s integrity and respected standing. I was proud to speak to the committee in support of Clare in January and look forward to supporting her nomination before the full Senate,” she said.
      Connors’ nomination will now head to the Senate floor for a final vote. In January, Schatz delivered testimony in support of Connors at her nomination hearing before the Judiciary Committee.
      Connors is a trial attorney who began her legal career in 2001 with the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2002, she served as a clerk for the Honorable Judge David Ezra, in his capacity as a federal district court judge. She returned to Hawai`i to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney. She continues to practice law as an associate at Davis Levin Livingston in Hawai`i.
      A graduate of Punahou School, Connors has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale College and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. She has served on the faculty of the William S. Richardson School of Law as a Lecturer in Law for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Clinic. In 2014, she was appointed to be a Lawyer Representative for the District of Hawai`i to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and previously served as a Lawyer Delegate to the Hawaii District Conference.
      The U.S. District Court judge position became available following Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway’s retirement from active service.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Recent earthquakes reminded all Hawai`i residents that they
should prepare for damaging temblors. Map from USGS/HVO

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss gentle reminders for all Hawai`i residents to prepare for damaging earthquakes in the current issue of Volcano Watch.

      “Each year, Hawai`i County residents likely feel dozens of earthquakes,” the article states. “They might readily agree that earthquakes are indeed part of living on the Island of Hawai`i. But residents across the state of Hawai`i, recently nudged by three small earthquakes, were gently reminded that they, too, live with earthquakes.
      “Early morning on March 28, 2016, a magnitude-3.6 (M3.6) earthquake struck beneath the isthmus connecting West and East Maui. Four days later, late on the night of March 31, a M4.2 earthquake, centered roughly 55 miles east of Hana, Maui, was felt across the state. Three days later, on the morning of April 5, a M2.8 earthquake, centered about three miles off Diamond Head, shook parts of Honolulu. While all three were considered small earthquakes, they were large enough that people felt them and submitted reports at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) “Did You Feel It?” webpage (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/).
      “Typically, an earthquake’s location provides the first clues as to its cause. The recent Maui and O`ahu earthquakes – recorded statewide by seismographic networks of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center – were all located at depths between about 11 and 22 miles.
      “At such depths, and away from centers of volcanic activity, such as Kilauea or Mauna Loa on Hawai`i Island, the flexing, or bending, of the Earth's lithosphere (the crust and uppermost rigid layer of the mantle) due to the weight of the islands produces forces that result in occasional earthquakes. Lithospheric flexure occurs over geologic time, with associated earthquakes occurring much less frequently, compared to earthquakes more directly linked to active Hawaiian volcanism. Volcanic processes, which can rapidly change conditions within active volcanoes, generate many thousands of earthquakes recorded by HVO each year.

      “When relatively infrequent earthquakes occur within a week of one another, it’s reasonable to wonder whether they might be closely linked. Their connections are possibly more difficult to prove than to disprove. We lack sufficiently detailed information and understanding of conditions at these depths beneath Hawai`i to explain why one small earthquake would lead to another, islands apart.

      “Awareness of relevant earthquake history and experiences is essential, especially when earthquakes occur and are felt in relatively inactive regions like the counties of Maui and Honolulu. In general terms, areas where large earthquakes have occurred in the past are expected to continue to experience large earthquakes in the future.
      “USGS Bulletin 2006, Isoseismal Maps, Macroseismic Epicenters, and Estimated Magnitudes of Historical Earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands, serves as the authoritative reference for large earthquakes in Hawai`i between 1823 and 1992. Authors Max Wyss and Bob Koyanagi, former University of Alaska at Fairbanks professor and HVO seismologist, respectively, based their assessments of past earthquakes on historical documents, along with insights derived from modern geology and seismology.
      “In January 1938, a M6.9 earthquake occurred northeast of Maui. Among its extreme effects on Maui, Wyss and Koyanagi report cracked water catchment and oil tanks and broken water pipelines. Buildings were also damaged on Maui, as well as on O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawai`i. It's not possible to say if the M4.2 earthquake on March 31, 2016 ruptured the same fault as in 1938, but a M6.9 earthquake near Maui today would result in far greater losses now than then.
      “Wyss and Koyanagi also list two noteworthy earthquakes west of Lana`i: a M6.9 earthquake in February 1871 and a M4.8 earthquake in September 1948. Damage from these earthquakes occurred in Honolulu, as well as in Maui County. Because of the difficulties in precisely locating these two older earthquakes, it is uncertain whether the April 5, 2016, M2.8 earthquake occurred on the same fault as the 1871 and 1948 earthquakes. But again, a M6.9 earthquake would result in substantially greater impacts in Honolulu and Maui Counties today than in 1871.
      “Predicting the precise location, time and magnitude of a future earthquake is still not possible. Small earthquakes, however, remind us that damaging earthquakes are part of Hawai`i’s history, and we must understand how to prepare and respond effectively across the entire state when a large earthquake strikes. “Resources like the Great Hawai`i ShakeOut website (http://www.shakeout.org) and the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (http://earthquake.gov) offer useful information on earthquake awareness and preparedness.”

      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
      To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar.

CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE’S 100th anniversary and the centennial of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park during National Park Week with entry fees waived through next Sunday, April 24.

Hike `Iliahi Trail on National Park Rx Day. Photo from NPS

NATIONAL PARK Rx DAY is a week from today on Sunday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., a community health initiative to prescribe time in parks to promote wellness. Join park rangers and Dr. Craig Kadooka on an easy one-mile roundtrip hike of upper `Iliahi Trail. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai at 10 a.m. 

      The first 200 walkers will receive a reusable water bottle and fresh fruit. Hawaiian practitioners Edna and Sam Baldado will demonstrate the heath benefits of kalo, and Ka`ohu Monfort will share how Hawaiians use plants to heal and cure. HMSA will also provide a table with health information.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_April_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.