Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017

Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Hirono, and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) at Senator Mazie Hirono’s press conference
yesterday as she attempted to protect Medicare and Medicaid. Photo from Office of Sen. Mazie Hirono

  

ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE JEFF SESSIONS, the U.S. Senator from Alabama, was the target of questions from Sen. Mazie Hirono concerning his views on immigration, civil rights, and abortion rights today. There were ten hours of grilling during the first day of his confirmation hearing, which continues on Wednesday. The following are some of Hirono's remarks directed to President-elect Donald Trump's nominee:

Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump nominee
for U.S. Attorney General

     “You probably know Senator Sessions that I am an immigrant," said Hirono, who was born in Japan. "And you indicated in one response that you would want immigration reform to center around skills-based immigration reform. And if that were the case, my mother who brought me to the country to escape an abusive marriage would not have been able to come to this country.
     “I’ve heard from immigrants, LGBT Americans, women, and religious minorities who are terrified that they have no place in President-elect Trump’s vision of America. And based on what I’ve heard since the election, I am deeply concerned their fears are well-founded. I’m hoping you can address some of these concerns.”
     Hirono also pressed Sessions on his long anti-choice record, and tried to secure a commitment from Sessions to uphold Roe v. Wade. In Hirono's view, Sessions dodged the question and she told him: "I think most of us know that the next opportunity for the Supreme Court to weigh in on whether or not to change Roe v. Wade would be a close decision and likely possibly a 5-4 decision and it is not just a hypothetical, but a real concern to a lot of people.”
     She also questioned Sessions’ record on voter protection: “We know that since the Supreme Court's decision that did away with major parts of the Voting Rights Act, that numerous states, 13 states, have enacted laws that are contrary to the Voting Rights Act. So I hope that as Attorney General, you would vigorously review those kinds of laws and to prosecute and to seek to overturn those state laws just as your predecessors have done.”
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KEEP UP THE FIGHT TO PROTECT MEDICARE AND MEDICAID was the battle cry of Sen. Mazie Hirono yesterday after all but two Republican Senators voted against her amendment to prevent any changes to either program without a supermajority in the Senate. The proposal was co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, where Vice President-elect Mike Pence served as governor.

     Said Hirono, “During the campaign, President-elect Trump promised not to cut Medicare and Medicaid. Senate Republicans broke this promise tonight and demonstrated that they are willing to sell-out seniors and working families in their crusade to repeal Obamacare. But tonight’s vote has not dimmed my resolve. I will do everything in my power to protect Medicare and Medicaid for families in Hawai`i and across the country.”

     A wide range of organizations supported the amendment, including AARP, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, National Education Association, Healthcare Association of Hawai`i, Hawaii Public Health Association, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

     After hosting a press conference with Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Hirono took to the floor to share the story of Anne and Lanny Bruder from Kaua`i who depend on Medicare to treat Anne’s glaucoma and Lanny’s heart condition.  “Like many of our kupuna living on a fixed income, they simply could not afford the extra $6,000 a year they would be forced to pay if Republicans succeed in their effort to privatize and voucherize Medicare,” Hirono said. 

     The Hirono-Donnelly amendment would have created a budget point of order to prevent changes to Medicare that raise the eligibility age, change eligibility requirements, or privatize and voucherize the program. The amendment would also prevent changes to Medicaid that reduce state funding from current levels. Any changes to either program would require a supermajority in Congress.

    The Hirono-Donnelly amendment has 29 co-sponsors, including Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
       Hirono pointed out that nearly one in three Americans depend on Medicare and Medicaid for their health needs.
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Affordable Airbnb accommodations are found in Na`alehu and throughout Ka`u,
Volcano and Miloli`i.  Photo form Airbnb

AIRBNB HAS LITTLE IMPACT on housing in Hawai`i, according to a report in this afternoon’s Pacific Business News. PBN writes about a study done by housing analyst Ricky Cassiday which says that Airbnb is found in 1.53 percent of the statewide housing stock. It is the third largest vacation rental company in Hawai`i and brings an average additional income of $9,000 a year to each host. The year long study analyzed 8,134 listings and found that 88 percent of them were booked less than half the year, indicating that most of the time the houses are used by owners. 

       “It is important to note that this activity serves as a vital economic lifeline for many hosts while also providing substantial economic benefits to local businesses and Hawai`i’s overall economy,” stated Cassiday,
     PBN also reports on a 2016 Hospitality Advisors LLC analysis, stating that Airbnb contributed $353 million to Hawai`i’s economy in 2015.
   PBN wrote that “Cassiday notes that housing availability and affordability are not impacted by the number of short-term rentals, but instead by complex housing market regulations, zoning laws, mainland and foreign direct investment, limited supply, lack of public investment, policy, economic opportunity, lack of infrastructure, cost of production, and other dynamics.”
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THE IDENTITY OF AN OCEAN VIEW WOMAN KILLED IN A CAR CRASH has been released. Thirty-four year old Mona Yoshitaro, a member of the Marshallese community, died following a two-vehicle crash Friday, Jan. 6 on Highway 11 just north of the 96-mile marker.
     Responding to a 7:18 p.m. call Friday, police determined that a 2003 Kia four-door sedan operated by Yoshitaro had been traveling north on Highway 11 near the 96-mile marker when it crossed left of center on the roadway and collided head-on with a 2003 Nissan pickup truck that was traveling south.
     The occupants of the Nissan, a 66-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman, both of Ocean View, were taken to Kona Community Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Yoshitaro was also taken to Kona Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:55 p.m. Friday. Police believe speed and inattention were factors in the crash. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
     The Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a coroner’s inquest investigation and is asking for anyone who may have witnessed the accident to call Officer Christopher Kapua-Allison at 326-4646, extension 229. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo. This is the second traffic fatality this year compared with none at this time last year.
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Brennen Nishimura scored the first point of the soccer season for the Trojans during the opener for the Ka`u Trojans.
Photo by Pam Taylor

KA`U TROJANS WON THEIR FIRST SOCCER GAME OF THE SEASON. The battle against Christian Liberty ended this past weekend at Pahala County Ball Park with the Trojans on top. The final score was 3 to 1. Brennen Nishimura won the first point of the soccer season for the Trojans.

`UKULELE MAKING DEMONSTRATION, Wednesday, Jan. 11  from 10 a.m. to noon. Kilauea Visitor Center lana`i in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Oral Abihai shares his skills in making the instruments from local and exotic woods. Free; park entrance fees apply.

MAKE A BEADED PEACE SIGN, Wednesday, Jan. 11 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. For children grades K-8 at Pahala Community Center. Call 928-3102.

KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE annual meeting is set for Discovery Harbour Community Center on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m.
Bring a dish to share. Find out how to be a part of the Ka`u Chamber. RSVP at 443-3127.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Jan. 9, 2017

Stars over the crater on Kilauea. Photographer Eric Einwiller captured the fire of the volcano and the starry night skies.

PROTECTING MEDICARE AND MEDICAID is a top priority for Sen. Mazie Hirono in Washington, D.C. This week, Hirono and Sen. Joe Donnelly, who represents the state of Indiana where Vice-president-elect Mike Pence has served as governor, introduced an amendment to protect Medicare and Medicaid from the budget reconciliation process.
     Said Hirono: “For the past 50 years, seniors and working families have enjoyed the peace of mind of knowing that Medicare and Medicaid will be there for them. This budget resolution would dismantle these critical programs and our social safety net, resulting in too many families losing their health insurance. I will do everything in my power to protect these benefits for families in Hawai`i and across the country. Said Donnelly: “Every day, Hoosier (Indiana) families and seniors rely on Medicare and HIP 2.0, which Governor Mike Pence established and was made possible thanks to the health care law. I have opposed and will continue to oppose privatization of Medicare or turning it into a voucher system. If my colleagues, Republican or Democratic, have constructive ideas that would strengthen Medicare or Medicaid, count me in, but if they want to break promises to our seniors or take away coverage and increase premiums for families, count me out.”
    Hirono explained that the Hirono-Donnelly amendment would create a budget point of order to prevent changes to Medicare that raise the eligibility age, change eligibility requirements, or privatize and voucherize the program. The amendment would also prevent changes to Medicaid that reduce state funding from current levels. Any changes to either program would require a supermajority in Congress. Hirono pointed out that nearly one in three American families depend on Medicare and Medicaid for their health care needs.

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Native Hawaiians interested in participating in films
about Ala Kahakai Trail and other National Parks can
respond to a casting call through Feb. 15.
Photo from NPS

A CASTING CALL FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS has gone out from the National Park Service on the Island of Hawaiʻi.  Through Feb. 15, Native Hawaiians are invited try out for a variety of roles in four new Visitor Center films, produced in both the Hawaiian and English languages. Participating is the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail which runs through Ka`u. The other parks are Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park.
     The films are scheduled for release in 2018. From the Native Hawaiian perspective, they are designed to tell rich stories of Hawaiʻi’s past, from 300 A.D to modern times. No acting experience is necessary.
     All parks involved "are dedicated to the preservation, protection, and interpretation of traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources," says a statement from NPS.

     All four NPS sites are located on the western side of the island. Each 15-minute film is being produced, not just for domestic and international visitors, but also for the Hawaiian people themselves. Each will be available for viewing in English and Native Hawaiian languages. The films will include Audio Description in both languages for visitors who are blind or have low vision, and on-screen Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in both languages for visitors who have hearing impairment.
     "The stories of these sacred places are told through on-camera interviews with Hawaiian kūpuna, spiritual leaders and cultural practitioners," says the NPS statement. 

    Also interviewed for the films are Native Hawaiians who work at each park as interpreters, cultural experts, natural resource managers, and historians. "All voices are woven into a 'living' tapestry, revealing each park’s distinct story from a Native Hawaiian perspective. A common thread throughout is the spiritual relationship native Hawaiians have with their gods, their land, and one another. The films honor and celebrate the beauty and deep history of the Hawaiian people – past, present, and future – and the National Park Service sites that help preserve the legacy and spirit of sacred places."
     Great Divide Pictures of Denver, CO, award-winning producers of over 30 films for the National Park Service, is producing the films for the Hawaiʻi parks. To complement the interviews, Great Divide will capture the visual splendor of each park from the ground and air, and will produce cinematic historical recreations that bring Hawaiʻi’s important past alive. 

Ala Kahakai Trail in Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

     The historical recreations will be filmed on-site at each park in May 2017. Great Divide and the National Park Service are looking to cast people who will portray Kamehameha the Great and Keōua Kūʻahuʻula. In addition, the producers are looking to cast warriors, kahuna, aliʻi (Hawaiian royalty), and makaʻāinana (commoners). 

      Among the historical scenes planned for production are: the intense personal journey of an escaped warrior who undergoes a spiritual transformation at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau during the 1600s; the 1791 confrontation of rivals, Kamehameha and Keōua Kūʻahuʻula, at Puʻukoholā Heiau; the ingenious methods Hawaiians used to create life-sustaining fishponds at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park; and how ancestral Hawaiians created an extensive network of trails – lifelines – throughout the island, commemorated now by Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.

     The casting deadline is Feb. 15, 2017. Send email to: gdpcasting@gmail.com. 

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ALLOWING FISH FARMING AS CLOSE AS THREE MILES OFFSHORE is the plan by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Farms in federal waters are seen as an answer to depletion of wild fish stock. An Associated Press story by Caleb Jones describes it like this: "As traditional commercial fishing is threatening fish populations worldwide, U.S. officials are working on a plan to expand fish farming into federal waters around the Pacific Ocean. The government sees the move toward aquaculture as a promising solution to feeding a hungry planet."

Sylvia Earle, former chief scientist for NOAA, questions the federal plan to

allow and manage open ocean aquaculture. Photo by Kip Evans/Mission Blue

     Federally managed fish farms already exist in the Gulf of Mexico. The AP story notes: "Fish farming has been practiced for centuries in Hawai`i and around the world. But modern aquaculture, some environmentalists say, carries pollution risks and the potential for non-native farmed fish to escape and enter the natural ecosystem. Most shellfish consumed in America comes from farms, and their methods are widely considered sustainable. However, some farms that grow carnivorous fish such as salmon have raised concerns about sustainability because they use wild-caught fish to feed the captive species."

     The AP story also quotes Sylvia Earle, a supporter of President Barack Obama's recent expansion of the marine monument area in Hawaiian waters. Earle is NOAA's former chief scientist, a renowned deep ocean explorer, educator, and head of Mission Blue, an international group to protect the world's oceans.

        According to the AP story, Earle said, that "there are more environmentally sustainable and economically viable options than open-ocean aquaculture, which uses floating net-pens or submerged cages. 'We have to make a choice with aquaculture,' she said. 'Is our goal to feed a large number of people? Or is our goal to create or to serve a luxury market?'” 

     The story reports Earle saying that no dollar figure can be attached to keeping the ocean, and, in turn humans, healthy. “We now have recognition of other values of the ocean beyond what we can extract either for food or for products,” she told AP.

     The AP also reports NOAA saying researchers in waters off the Big Island "are studying ways to make open ocean farming safe and efficient. They are studying different techniques and species to better understand problems the industry could face."

     See more on NOAA's aquaculture programs at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture and more on Sylvia Earle at www.mission-blue.org 

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EDDIE KAMAE, A FAVORITE HAWAIIAN MUSICIAN AND LEADER in the 20th century Hawaiian Renaissance, died on Saturday morning at the age of 89. Through the years he distinguished himself as a singer, musician, composer, a documentary film director, and author.
     Kamae helped compose classics like E Ku’u Morning Dew and formed the Sons of Hawai`i with the late Gabby Pahinui. Over the years, the Sons of Hawai`i included musicians with Ka`u connections such as the late Dennis Kamakahi and the recording of his award winning song Wahine `Ilekea. Kamae also performed with Pahala native Ledward Ka`apana and his late brother Nedward. Kamae's recordings of songs about Hawai`i Island include Mary Kawena Pukui`'s Mauna Kea, Kamae's Waipi`o Valley Song and Hualalai.

Eddie Kamae with his palaka shirt and album cover.

      Well-known Ocean View hula dancer and long time entertainer, Sammi Fo, remembers Kamae from the late 60’s. At that time Kamae was friends with her late husband, Buddy Fo, also a top Hawaiian musician, and dated Buddy’s beautiful aunt. “Eddie was among the very best `ukulele players in the Hawai’i, she said on Sunday. “I remember him wearing checked shirts, which we called Palaka Shirts, and workers’ bib coveralls and then he would tie a handkerchief around his head like a sweatband. It was like a trademark look for him.”
     Kamae’s professional career began in 1948 as part of The `Ukulele Rascals duo with Shoi Ikemi. He would later play Spanish music, show tunes, and the classics as a soloist at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
     In 1959, Kamae met Gabby Pahinui and formed The Sons of Hawai`i. Their 1971 album The Folk Music of Hawai`i was a crucial part of the overall rediscovery of the Native Hawaiian culture, also reviving interest in the elegant music of the monarchy era.
     Together with Joe Marshall and David “Feets” Rogers, Kamae and Pahinui brought to life an amazing repertoire of authentic Hawaiian music that might otherwise have been lost to the ages, including songs that were written by Queen Lili‘uokalani during her incarceration in Iolani Palace after the U.S. Marines overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. Kamae found them in the Bishop Museum archives, arranged the scores and began playing them.

Led Ka`apana, who grew up in Pahala, played with Eddie Kamae at
numerous performances. Photo by John Berger

According to the Hawaiian Legacy Foundation, Kamae received nearly 50 awards, honor and tributes, including Master of Traditional Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Hawai`i for "a lifetime of achievements in preserving Hawaiian language and culture through music and film." He was also recognized in 1979 as a Living Treasure of Hawai`i by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii`, and in 2007 he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
     A statement from the Kamaes’ Hawaiian Legacy Foundation on Kamae's death read: “Eddie Kamae passed peacefully this morning with his wife Myrna by his side, a smile on his face and ‘E Ku’u Morning Dew playing in the background. His legacy will continue through the Hawaiian Legacy Foundation.”

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INFRASOUND, THE ATMOSPHERIC SOUND and vibration below the threshold of human hearing, is the After Dark in the Park presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at Kīlauea Visitor Center auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Milton Garces explains how infrasound can provide early warning of manmade and natural disasters, through “listening” to Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualālai volcanoes through one of the most advanced infrasound networks in the world. Entry is free;  $2 donation helps with park programs. Park Fees apply.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017

Hōkūleʻa will soon return to Pacific waters after its around the world voyage through Indian and
Atlantic Oceans. Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

A HOMECOMING DATE FOR HAWAI`I'S LEGENDARY SAILING CANOE has been set. Hōkūleʻa will soon sail through the Panama Canal and return to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in nearly two years. Since May of 2014, she has visited 150 ports in 27 nations to create a symbolic “lei of hope” around the globe. Hōkūleʻa is due to make her historic arrival at Magic Island on O`ahu on Saturday, June 17. The landing will include a homecoming ceremony and celebration. Eventually, shorter sailing voyages to Hawai`i and the other Hawaiian islands will also welcome her home.

Hōkūleʻa will soon reenter the Pacific after sailing

 the Indian and Atlantic Oceans for nearly two years.

Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

     Hōkūleʻa stopped in Ka`u several times in her preparation for the international sailing adventure, the crew meeting with community and school children to show them the preparation and share the enthusiasm for the long adventure at sea.

     The title of her Malama Honua Worldwide voyage can be translated as “to care for our Island Earth.” A primary mission of the voyage is to grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world.   
      Hōkūleʻa sailed the Pacific from Hawai`i to Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. In the Indian Ocean, she visited Bali, Maritius and South Africa. Rounding the southern tip of Africa, she entered the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at the island of Saint Helena, then Brazil, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maine.     
     After spending several months sailing up and then down the East Coast, Hōkūleʻa left U.S. waters in Key West, Florida. The crew spent Christmas and New Years in the Caribbean, sailing to the west of Cuba on their way south. In Panama, the crew will engage with local communities in marine activities.

     It will take the crew about two days to make their way from Colon, through the 48-mile Panama Canal, to Balboa to re-enter the Pacific Ocean and sail to the Polynesian Triangle for the final leg of the voyage. She will make stops in the Galapagos Islands, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and French Polynesia.

     Her sister canoe, Hikianalia, returned to the islands last year.

     Hōkūleʻa is the Polynesian name for Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Bootes. She is a performance-accurate full-scale replica of a waʻa kaulua, a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe. She was launched on 8 March 1975 by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and is best known for her 1976 Hawaiʻi to Tahiti voyage completed with exclusively Polynesian navigation techniques.

     See more and keep track of the voyage at www.hokulea.com
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A voyage for the worldwide sustainability movement continues on the Hōkūleʻa, the Polynesian Voyaging Canoe.
Map from Polynesian Voyaging Society

PEACEMAKING BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE was the focus of a statement released Friday by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who was sworn into the 115th Congress last week and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Gabbard supported a UN resolution opposing continued Israeli settlement activity in areas claimed by Palestinians. She voted against U.S. House Resolution 11 that condemns UN opposition to the Israeli settlements.  The U.S. Congress passed its resolution supporting the settlements last week with a vote of 342 to 80.  The House resolution also condemns UN Ambassador Samantha Power's and the Obama Administration's decision to refrain from blocking the UN resolution against the settlements.

United States Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, who declined

 to block the UN resolution condemning Israel settlements in territory

 claimed by Palestinians. Hawai`i Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard 

supported the UN resolution and voted against a

resolution in Congress that condemns it. Photo from the UN

    Gabbard explained her vote: "While the UN resolution was one-sided and problematic in many respects, it recognized that the continued expansion of Israeli settlements undermines the path to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
     "On Jan. 5, 2017 the U.S. House of Representatives considered H.Res.11 which condemns the UN’s actions, as well as the U.S. government’s decision not to block the UN Resolution. I voted against H.Res.11 because it represents a one-sided view of the current situation, and undermines a long history of bipartisan U.S. efforts to work through bilateral and multilateral forums toward a two-state solution.
     “I know how important our enduring alliance with Israel is. My vote upholds my commitment to maintaining and strengthening this alliance, as well as my long-held position that the most viable path to peace between Israel and Palestine can be found through both sides negotiating a two-state solution.

Tulsi Gabbard sworn into the 115th Congress with
 Republican leader Paul Ryan. Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

     "While I remain concerned about aspects of the UN Resolution, I share the Obama Administration’s reservation about the harmful impact Israeli settlement activity has on the prospects for peace.
      “Ultimately, a negotiated solution must come from Israelis and Palestinians themselves, and can only happen when both parties are committed to peace, where they alone determine the terms of the settlement. I co-sponsored H.Res.23 which reaffirms the U.S. commitment to Israel, and a negotiated settlement leading to a sustainable two-state solution that re-affirms Israel’s right to exist as a democratic, Jewish state and establishes a demilitarized democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to support bilateral negotiations between Israel and Palestine in order to bring an end to this enduring conflict.”

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THE COST OF CLEARING OF ALBIZIA TREES is one of the justifications presented by Hawai`i Electric Light Co. in its proposal to raise its customers' electricity rates.
     Albizias, cousins to the monkeypod tree, were introduced to Hawai`i in 1917 from the Molucca Islands in Indonesia and have spread across the islands. Thinly rooted and top heavy, they often fall during storms, taking out power lines and poles and crashing into vehicles and homes.
     According to the rate case filed by HELCO before the Public Utilities Commission, the utility wants ratepayers to help finance the cutting and trimming of albizia. The rate hike would be 6.5 percent to accommodate albizia cutting and many other costs. The rate hike could be as high as 12.5 percent, if HELCO is able to purchase a fossil-fuel power generating plant in Hamakua.

Albizia trees that towered over Bull Kailiawa's Ka`u coffee
plantings in Moa`ula. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

    The felling of albizias could be funded by turning the harvested trees into electricity, according to the managers of several projects on the north end of the state. On Kaua`i, a Green Energy Team was founded to develop biomass-to-energy, with albizia as one of the main sources of fuel. The company is selling the electricity to the Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative. During a blessing for the project last April, Gov. David Ige remarked,  “In addition to producing energy, we have found a use for albizia, described as an invasive species, the scourge of the islands during the last hurricane.”
     The plant was funded, in part, with a $72.9 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. The budget for the facility was $90 million.
     Eric Knutzen, of Green Energy Hawai`i, asserted, “It’s been about 12 years since we first talked about this. It’s been a long road, but it’s operating, now — producing on an average of 12.4 percent of Kaua`i’s energy needs being provided through Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative.”
     Jim Kelly, of the Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative, said, “This plant is sustainable, renewable, and independent of local and foreign oil supply.”
    Reports from The Garden Island newspaper on Kaua`i stated that more than albizia will be burned to make electricity at Green Energy Hawai`i. 

Albizia treated with herbicide.
Photo from Big Island Invasive Species Council

     “In addition to contracts to clear invasive albizia trees from several locations around the island, GET is in negotiations with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to purchase up to 15,000 tons of eucalyptus and pine trees that were scorched in Koke`e during fires in the summer of 2012. Those trees are being cut down and removed as part of a major reforestation project on 700 acres of forest reserve land,” reported The Garden Island.

      Concerning a separate proposal that has not come to fruition by another company on Kaua`i, Life of the Land made comments on the use of albizia. Life of the Land noted that one problem with albizia is that the chopping down of the “mature plant will decrease the invasive population. However, invasive trees are difficult to cut down and chop up, so they are left standing and saplings are used instead. This does not eliminate the invasive problem.” 

      During the time when `Aina Koa Pono was proposing a biofuel plant in Wood Valley, the managers also proposed using albizia, monkeypod, Christmas berry and all other non-native trees to fuel their microwave refinery. `Aina Koa Pono also proposed to grow biofuel crops on lands between Pahala and Na`alehu to make fuel for electricity to be sold to HELCO. The proposed site of the `Aina Koa Pono plant is now being used for growing coffee.

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MEDICINE FOR THE MIND. Buddhist healing meditation teaching for beginners through advanced, Volcano Art Center, Sunday, Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. Free. 985-7470.

SENIOR ID's available, Monday, Jan. 9 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Pahala Housing Center and 11 a.m. to noon at Na`alehu Community Center. For residents 60 and older. 928-3100.

INFRASOUND, THE ATMOSPHERIC SOUND and vibration below the threshold of human hearing, is the After Dark in the Park presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at Kīlauea Visitor Center auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Milton Garces presents a talk Tuesdy on sounds below threshold of
human hearing that can provide early warning of manmade and natural
disasters. Photo from infrasound Laboratory University of Hawai`i

     These low-frequency sounds are generated by large-scale fluid flow and can propagate for thousands of kilometers to provide early warning of natural or man-made hazards. Active open-vent volcanoes, such as Kīlauea, are exceptionally good sound emitters, and scientists are steadily building a continuous baseline of volcano-acoustic activity, including infrasonic tremor from Halemaʻumaʻu and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.  

     Milton Garces, Director of the University of Hawaiʻi Infrasound Laboratory, talks about “listening” to Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualālai volcanoes through one of the most advanced infrasound networks in the world. Entry is free but $2 donation. Park Fees apply.

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