Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016

Kaʻū High students will go to the state Capitol in December for Youth and Government, which provides experience in
writing legislation, debating, taking positions of state Senators and House of Representatives members and joining
the press corps. Above is the delegation from Kaʻū last year, when the Trojans were the first Neighbor Island school
representatives to attend in five years. See story below. Photo from Rowlie John Flores

EARLY VOTING ISLANDWIDE IS PAU and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law is this Tuesday, Nov. 8, a holiday in Hawaiʻi.

     Nearby Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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Rowlie John Flores represents Kaʻū High at
the Youth and Government Conference
at the Capitol. Photo by J-R Abalos

YOUTH & GOVERNMENT AT THE HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE: The annual program will welcome Kaʻū High School students to the state Capitol on O`ahu in December. Last school year, the Trojan team represented the first Neighbor Islands school to participate in five years. Ka`u High Junior Rowlie John Flores submitted a story to The Ka`u Calendar and explained:
    Youth and Government allows students to speak freely and openly on political and debate topics that some would not dare put their noses under. The YMCA of Honolulu program has been around for nearly 66 years, longer than Hawaiʻi has been a state.
      Some 100 students each year from grades 6-12 learn how to be more involved in the democratic practices of the state government. The students experience taking the place of real government officials.
    In preparation for the legislative conference, students first research topics in class that range from abortion to euthanasia, composing bills in advance they later debate to determine whether that specific bill is something Hawaiʻi needs for the betterment of its people.
    Before the 65th legislative conference held in January, the Youth and Government program in Hawaiʻi did not receive any Neighbor Island delegations for years. However, thanks to Kaʻū High teacher Kevin Sun, the school sent the first delegation in five years from outside Oʻahu. Kaʻū High sent 11 student delegates: ten took part in the state House and state Senate, and one participated in the Press Corps.
    Kaʻū experienced a good first-year. Out of seven bills proposed by Kaʻū students–ranging from gun control to the distribution of contraceptives in public schools–two were passed.

Chloe Gan, a senior at Kaʻū High, inpired by Youth and Government, attended the Conference on National Affairs at the
Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina this Summer after attending youth and Government at the Hawaiʻi Capitol.
Photo from YMCA

    Kaʻū High alumni Kaiminani Rapoza wrote the first bill passed, proposed legislation focused on ending rape culture by requiring that students attend a class that teaches the negative effects of rape culture.
     The second bill passed was written by current Kaʻū High junior, Rowlie John Flores. The bill proposed an increase in the state’s minimum wage by amending the current minimum wage law. Flores also claimed one of the two awards Kaʻū High received by being named the Rookie Legislator Award for the Senate.
     Aislinn Carroll, a former Kaʻū delegate, was given a Rookie Legislator Award for the House of Representatives. Aislinn is now a member of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s delegation.

Chloe Gan is the first Kaʻū High student
 to attend the Conference on National Affairs.
Photo by J-R Abalos

   Kaʻū students inspired by the Youth and Government program are now attending similar conferences outside Hawaiʻi. This summer Chloe Gan, a current Kaʻū High senior, joined six other Hawaiʻi students at the Conference on National Affairs held at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina. Gan is the first Kaʻū High student to represent the school at the national level. At Blue Ridge students discussed and debated national and international issues. Gan proposed a four-day school week.
    With the successes of Kaʻū High during its first year in the Youth and Government program, Kaʻū students are working hard to continue to represent the school and Hawai‘i Island. The students are hard at work composing drafts of their bills, and learning how to properly debate and present their bills. Experienced members are helping new members draft bills and finding sources to support their bills.
     Kaʻū High plans to represent the community well this December, whether it is to claim more awards, pass more bills, or simply display the aloha and true spirit of the Kaʻū community at the State Capitol.
     The students are selling shave ice to raise money for this year'r trip and have seed funding form O Ka`u Kakou.

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The 1011 Japan Tsunami reached this Okoa Bay house
in South Kona.  Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY was observed for the first time ever, yesterday, Nov. 5 with arrival of a Japanese government delegation to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Command Center and the Hilo Airport Incident Command Center. Jointly proposed by 142 nations including the U.S. and Japan, the United Nations General Assembly voted in December 2015 to designate Nov. 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all nations and communities to observe the day to raise tsunami awareness and share approaches to risk reduction.   The visit by the Japan delegation followed their participation in an evacuation drill in Valparaiso, Chile, involving 100,000 people. In Hilo, the group toured the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     Ryota Takeda, Secretary General for the House of Representatives, Japan Diet, led the visiting delegation. “We human beings cannot escape from natural disasters, but we can minimize the damage. Preparedness makes a big difference in the outcome of a disaster,” Takeda said. “I trust that our cooperation and collaboration with Hawaiʻi will boost preparedness in years to come.” He also noted that a million people worldwide participated in inaugural World Tsunami Day programs.
     Takeda was accompanied by Takeshi Ogino, a deputy director in the Japan Ministry of Defense, Kimihito Aguin, also of the Ministry of Defense, and Satomi Okagaki, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were joined in Hilo by Yasushi Misawa, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, and Rumi Ariyoshi of the Consul General’s office.

World Tsunami Awareness Day participatnts (clockwise from top left): 

Marlene Murray, Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohawa, 

Secretary General Ryota Takeda, Ed Teixeira, Ilihia Gionson, Tiffinie Smith,

Rumi Ariyoshi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Satomi Okaga

and Honorary Consul General of Hilo Art Taniguchi.

       The Japan delegation was hosted by Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohara, Civil Defense Director Ed Teixeira, Hawaiʻi Island District Airports Manager Chauncey Wong Yuen, members of Hawaiʻi County’s emergency management team, and Marlene Murray, Director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
     One briefing covered the annual tsunami evacuation drill conducted by schools in Keaukaha,and the the Nov. 1 statewide test of the emergency warning system. Another covered tsunami evacuation drills in Japan and Chile. The group participated in a communications exercise with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and amateur HAM radio operators.
     The Hawaiʻi County Managing Director said, “We hope that all we have been through will go far in making our community stronger and more prepared for disasters.” Kurohara referenced the multitude of natural disasters challenging the Hawaiʻi Island community in recent years, including tsunami threats like the one generated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan that caused damage in West Hawaiʻi, multiple hurricane warnings, wildfires, flooding, the dengue outbreak, Tropical Storm Iselle, and the Puna Lava Flow.

    The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day also focused on education. Exchange students from Hawaiʻi Island will go to Japan to participate in a disaster risk reduction summit for high school students, Nov. 25-26 in Kuroshio. The summit will host 350 students from 30 countries. For more World Tsunami Awareness Day info, visit World Tsunami Awareness VideoWorld Tsunami Awareness Video. For tsunami preparedness tips, visit http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/tsunami_safety.php. Sign up for Civil Defense alerts athttps://countyofhawaii.bbcportal.com/.

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THIS IS ARBOR DAY WEEKEND and Arbor Day organizers across the country encourage people to plant trees. On this island participants, including Hawai`i Electric Light Co., Kua O Ka La Public Charter School and others are giving away one native tree per family: milo, niu, kou, kokiʻo ke‘oke‘o, kukui, koʻokoʻolau, and māmaki. Each tree comes with information on planting a tree and siting it properly to avoid safety hazards and to provide cooling shade for homes. The giveaway continues today at Makua`u Farmers; Market in Pāhoa.

HELCO, a charter school and others are giving away native trees this
weekend, wrapping up at Maku`u Farmers' Market in Pahoa today.
Photo frrom HELCO

AN UPCYCLE FASHION SHOW is drawing artists, clothes designers and models to create outfits out of found and reused things. To enter the competition: Upcycle Fashions must be made of recycled or reused materials that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled. Vintage clothes will not be accepted. Complete outfits are recommended. Upcycle Fashion creators write a detailed and entertaining description in a few sentences on what the outfit is made from and why sustainability is important to the community. Categories are for adults, businesses, teens and children. Entrants must sign up by Nov. 18. The Upcycle16 Fashion show will be at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center in Hilo on Saturday, Dec. 3. A $100 prize goes to the People’s Choice. See www.ehcc.org.
     Upcycle16 Art Show opens on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. and runs Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays form 10 a.m. through Dec. 2 at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center. Recycle Hawaiʻi will be on hand for the Tutu Hana Hou Award presentation with a display and information on Hawai`iRecycles Day, BeRecycled Pledge and Be Recycled Sweepstakes.

Ballots for the General Election this Tuesday, Nov. 8:

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Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

Humpback whales are back to give birth and raise calves for the winter. Photo by Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures  
Photo from NOAA

HUMPBACK WHALE SEASON is here. Members of the Northern Pacific stock of humpback whales have already been seen off Hawai`i Island, as early as late October. The humpbacks winter in southern waters from western Mexico to Hawai`i and southern Japan islands. They give birth and raise their calves until they leave in Spring, swimming to northern waters to feed all Summer. According to a Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary statement: "Scientists estimate that approximately 12,000 humpback whales migrate from their high-latitude feeding grounds off Alaska to breed, calve and nurse their young each year in Hawai`i’s warm waters. While some have already begun to arrive, the majority will be here between January and March – the peak of the whale season."

Humpback whales are headed here and to Japan and Mexico to winter.
Image from NOAA

     The Sanctuary reports that the humpbacks "have increased in numbers since the days they were hunted. While Hawai`i’s iconic humpback whales are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act, threats and concerns still exist and protections are still afforded by different state and federal agencies, including Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary."
     Staff at the Sanctuary warn that "Collisions between whales and vessels occur annually and these events present serious risks to boaters as well as the whales. Whale calves are vulnerable to vessel strikes because they are difficult to see as they rest just under the surface. Young whales also must surface more frequently."
    Ocean users are required to keep a safe distance and refrain from approaching humpback whales within 100 yards by any means – in a vessel, on a surf board or swimming. While these annual visitors attract wildlife enthusiasts, they also pose safety hazards to ocean users "when these 45-ton marine mammals surface, breach or slap their massive tails or flippers."
    Entanglement is another major threat to humpback whales, cautions the Marine Sanctuary, which receives dozens of reports of whales entangled in gear each whale season. "While large whales are not in immediate risk of drowning, entanglement may result in starvation, physical trauma, infections, and may contribute to ship strikes since the animals are less mobile."

Humpback whales are identified by markings on their tails.
Photo from NOAA

    Hawaiian Islands Large Whale Entanglement Response Network formed in 2002 to support response efforts and to learn more about sources and impacts of entanglements to humpback whales and other marine animals. The network partners with state and federal agencies, including the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, private non-governmental organizations, fishermen, researchers, and other individuals.
     While public help is appreciated, "People who haven't been authorized should not try to help an entangled or otherwise injured whales," warns sanctuary staff.  Instead, maintain the required safe distance and call the NOAA Marine Mammal Hotline at 1-888-256-9840, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately. "Ocean users can play an important role, by reporting and providing information and images of the animal and threat. Prompt reporting is the best way to help a distressed humpback whale."
     If reporting a suspected approach violation, call NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. Additional guidelines and safety tips can be found at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

A person of Native Hawaiian heritage and knowledge sought to become
an advisor to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine
Sanctuary. Photo by Nicklin/Minden Pictures
Photo from NOAA

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY seeks to fill a primary seat on its advisory council with a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry and knowledge of the Kohola. The sanctuary is also accepting applications for a Maui County alternate and Molokaʻi Island primary and alternate. The council ensures public participation in sanctuary matters and provides advice to sanctuary management.

“The members of our advisory council represent an extremely important element of our community,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent. “Their input, experience and expertise assist sanctuary managers in making informed and timely decisions on how best to protect and conserve our important cultural and natural resources.”

   Candidates are selected based on expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding protection and management of marine resources. Applicants chosen as primaries or alternates expect to serve a two-year term.

     Applications are due by Wednesday, Nov. 30. To receive an application kit or for further information, contact Kate Spidalieri via email at Kate.Spidalieri@noaa.gov; by phone at (240) 533-0679; or visit the sanctuary website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html

    Completed applications should be submitted to: NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/HIHWNMS/Kate Spidalieri, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship. See facebook.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED is pau in Kaʻū but still available only today, Saturday, at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through noon tomorrow.

Election Day voting locations this coming Tuesday, Nov. 8, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below

HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK picnic is this Sunday, Nov. 6 at  11 a.m. at Manuka Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate ham radio and their families are invited. Call Dennis Smith, 989-3028.

PUʻU O LOKUANA hike this Sunday, Nov. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free. Entrance mauka off Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View. See nps.gov/havo.  

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM FROM U.H. HILO will provide a volleyball clinic at the new Kaʻū Gym on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p..m. The volleyball workshop is open to men and women and boys and girls of all ages. With no fee for participants, it is sponsored by the county Department of Parks and Recreation and Hawaiʻi Police Activities League and Kaʻū community policing officers. Marley Strand-Nicolaisen is a Kaʻū High alumni and Trojan volleyball champion who is a member of the Vulcan team, expected to assist with the workshop. For more information, call Nona Makuakane, Pahala Recreation Director at 854-7316 or officer Blaine Morishita at 936-7192.

Here are the General Election Ballots, with registration and early voting at places outside Ka`u and for General Election Day on Tuesday. See locations above.

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Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016

David Okita pilots one of his Volcano Helicopters over eruption at Kilauea. Helicopter transport is the only way HVO scientists and
technicians can install and maintain many monitoring instruments on the Island of Hawaiʻi, conduct field experiments or map new
volcanic deposits ininaccessible areas, and make direct observations of eruptions. Pilots that fly the helicopters and mechanics
that maintain them to thehighest standards are crucial in performing work safely and to report reliably on the status and
 eruptions of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes See story below. USGS Photo

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY IN KA`U FOR EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED. Voting is available until noon and again from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

    Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote today and tomorrow at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and through noon tomorrow.
     Election Day voting locations on Tuesday, Nov. 8 are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See the ballots below.

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New bypass extends Ali`i Drive all the way to Napo`opo`o.
Photo from County of Hawai`i

  BEGINNING TODAY, KAʻŪ MOTORISTS can travel north on a makai, scenic route, a 7.5- mile bypass road all the way from Napoʻopʻo to Keauhou. The new 2.2 mile segment cost $28 million. It begins at the intersection of Hwy 11 and Nāpoʻopoʻo Road. It hooks up to the bypass at the bottom of Halekiʻi Street below Kealakekua’s Kona Scenic Subdivision that runs approximately 3.5 miles to Aliʻi Drive in Keauhou. The entire bypass is now called Ali`i Drive.
     Many Kaʻū residents work and shop in Kona and commute daily along Māmalahoa, Hwy 11. The two-lane bypass gives motorists an alternate, uncrowded and scenic coastal route.

Ground breaking for the southern segment
of the new bypass.
Photo from Big Island Video News

     This bypass was originally envisioned in 1960, and dubbed the Māmalahoa Relief Highway and incorporated into a document known as A Plan For Kona.
     The state began planning for the road in 1979 to relieve traffic resulting from commuters driving to Kailua-Kona from residential areas in Kainaliu and further south. In 1999 an Environmental Impact Statement for the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass was completed.
     The County proposed a number of improvements in 2008 prior to opening the northern segment of the bypass. These improvements allowed residents to use the northern stretch before the southern segment was completed. In March 2009 the northern segment opened for afternoon rush-hour traffic, and in June of 2010, it opened 12 hours a day, all week.
     Beginning in January 2013 the bypass opened for traffic 24 hours a day.
     In July 2014, public officials broke ground for the 2.2 mile southern segment of the bypass that opens today.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

A satellite GPS station transported by helicopter.
USGS photo

A MOST DANGEROUS AND IMPORTANT WORK is covered in this week’s Volcano Watch, written by scientists of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: “Ask almost any volcanologist and field technician what they consider to be the most important and yet potentially dangerous aspect of their work on active volcanoes and they will probably say, ‘Flying in a helicopter to remote areas to make observations or install and maintain monitoring instruments and radio systems.’

     The scientists ask readers to “Consider what it takes to land in the middle of a jagged lava flow or near the edge of a deep crater to service the monitoring network many dozens of times in a year. Or, landing at more than 30 sites on many different lava flows at least twice in the span of a week to complete an annual GPS survey to determine the way in which a volcano deforms from year to year.”

     The USGS scientists point out that “Lava flows are highly irregular with surface relief measured in meters (yards), and almost never level even over the narrow width of a small helicopter's skids. A pilot has to pick a landing spot to place the skids so they're level side-to-side and front-to-back, and with plenty of room between the tail rotor and ground. On any single flight day, the pilot might have to repeat this maneuver a few dozen times.

On land and in the air scientists take risks to study volcanoes.
USGS photo

     “One of the most challenging environments for a small helicopter‘s capability and a pilot's skill is flying at high elevation (considered above 2,440 m or 8,000 ft above sea level). The helicopter's rapidly turning rotors create lift to keep the aircraft aloft, but lift efficiency is strongly affected by air density. At high elevations, lower air density decreases lift, reducing maneuverability and the payload that a helicopter can carry.
     “The top of Mauna Loa Volcano is at 4,170 m (13,680 ft) above sea level. Since the 1984 eruption, we have installed dozens of instruments and radio hubs at high elevation, many of which have solar power and radio systems that need regular maintenance and upgrades. Just a few months ago, HVO installed new web cams on the volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone and south rim of the summit caldera as high as 4,046 m (13,275 ft).

    “These and many other monitoring stations on Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Mauna Kea volcanoes were installed, and subsequently maintained, with helicopter support. The skill and keen observational ability of pilots, and the resolve of mechanics working behind the scenes to maintain the helicopters, make it possible for us to work at remote sites again and again, and return home safely at the end of the day, every day.

USGS scientists reach remote heights of Mauna Loa
by helicopter to document volcanic activity. USGS photo

     “Pilot skill is also critical to position the helicopter at just the right distance from and height above an active lava flow so that we can take a series of photographs (hundreds!) and thermal video that allow us to create accurate maps of the flow that we routinely share with Civil Defense, post on the HVO Web site, and use for research. You can find recent examples of these on our web site: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maps/
     “A helicopter flight may appear as routine as driving to the grocery store, but thinking so invites misfortune. The professionalism shown by pilots and mechanics and their commitment to safe flight–witnessed every time we board their aircraft–means that we can perform our mission with confidence.
     The scientists offer a “Mahalo nui loa to current and past companies, most of all to their pilots and mechanics, who, over the years, have made it possible to build and sustain one of the best volcano-monitoring networks in the world here on the Island of Hawai‘i.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Runners traveling to Bhutan will visit and
stay in remote locations.

VOLCANO RUNS DIRECTOR Sharron Faff, who lives in Volcano and also owns the Kona Marathon, is leading a group of runners to the Himalayas for the Bhutan International Marathon and Half Marathon. The running retreat and marathon is scheduled for March 1-7, 2017 in the Kingdom of Bhutan, often called the Land of Happiness. Faff describes the adventure as a “lifetime chance to run above the clouds in the world’s happiest country.” The event features meeting a diverse group of Bhutanese officials and spiritual leaders, and international runners, guest speakers and coaches. See more at https://sistermarathons.org/destination-marathon/bhutan-international-marathon.

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FIRST FRIDAY FLOWERS offers flower arranging techniques today from Kaipo Ah Chong,  from 2 p.m. to 4 p..m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $45. Call 967-8222.

EXPORE MAUNA LOA SOUTHWEST RIFT ZONE on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, 10:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m.. Hike Upper Palm Trail to an overlook and learn the geology and history from park rangers. Pack a lunch. Free. Entrance off mauka side of Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View.

HERE ARE THE BALLOTS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION:



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