Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017

"New legislation in support of tiny houses is in motion," according to One Island, which held a Tiny House Community
Conversation on the Big Island in late January and plans another for late February. See story below. Photo from One Island

THREE  BILLS ON MAKING IT EASIER TO PLACE TINY HOUSES on  land in Hawai`i are making their way through the Hawai`i legislature with support from both Ka`u state Senators Russell Ruderman and Josh Green and west Ka`u's House of Representatives member Richard Creagan. In one bill, tiny houses, under 500 square feet, are seen as a way to provide housing for farm workers, farmers and ranchers.

    House Bill 2 is specifically written for Hawai`i Island: "Authorizes tiny homes of less than 500 square feet for farm workers in agricultural districts in a county with a population of more than 180,000 but less than 250,000, notwithstanding any county ordinance or regulation to the contrary." It was introduced by Rep. Cindy Evans of Kona.

    House Bill 229 would prohibit "the State and counties from adopting building codes that require minimum floor space or room sizes unless necessary for safety or environmental standards."

The Hawai`i Legislature is considering allowing smaller homes with alternative
materials and designs. See One Island.

     House Bill 1375 could allow larger dwellings and could open up the mobile home market in Hawai`i, as it takes up the problem of affordable housing.  It states: "The legislature finds the supply of affordable housing in Hawai'i does not sufficiently meet demand. Many financially vulnerable residents are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless......The purpose of this Act is to allow counties to grant zoning exemptions for alternative dwellings and alternative dwelling parks that can be built by private parties."

     The bill would give the counties the authority to oversee sanitation, inspections, safety and other requirements but would provide exemptions to allow alternative dwellings to include: "mobile homes, recreational vehicles, converted shipping container units, micro  housing units, pre-fabricated sheds, indigenous Hawaiian dwellings using traditional Hawaiian architectural practices and materials, tents, yurts and lean to shelters that are leased by a willing lessor to a willing lessee per rental agreement between parties."

     The alternative dwelling parks are defined in the bill as "more than one alternative dwelling that may have common shared elements including but not be limited to bathrooms, showers, dining facilities, swmimng pools, playgrounds, sewage, water, trash collection, or, electricity."

      The House Committee on Housing noted concerns raised by the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness that the bill "may result in the formal establishment of homeless encampments. Both the Hawai`i Interagency Council on Homelessness and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness have recommended against the formal establishment of homeless encampments."

      See testimony on the bill and submit testimony at House Bill 1375.

      A nonprofit-organization called One Island has taken up the tiny houses and sustainability cause and is organizing Tiny House Community Conversation meetings around the island as well as encouraging testimony to the legislature. See One Island.

       The next Tiny House Community Conversation meeting will be Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m at the Hawaii`i Cultural Center of Hamakua.

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

DEATH WITH DIGNITY IS A TOPIC DR. RICHARD CREAGAN, a member of the state House of Representatives, is talking about at the Capitol this session. He said today that he supports a proposed law, House Bill 201, entitled Related to Medical Aid in Dying. The bill was introduced by House Speaker Rep. Joseph Souki and is described by Creagan as "designed by and for the people of Hawai`i, taking into account our unique geographical needs, and is based on best practices from more than 30 combined years of safe practice in six states. The law works as intended, with none of the dire results that opponents predicted."

Physician and Representative
Richard Creagan
Photo by Ann Bosted

     

     Creagan noted that former Hawai`i Governors George Ariyoshi, John Waihee, Benjamin Cayetano and Neil Abercrombie agree on the measure. They and an organization called Compassion & Choices Hawai`i "and a supermajority of our electorate are asking for your support for this important, timely and merciful measure. It is time for Hawai`i citizens who want this relief to be able to get it without the disruption and stress of moving to another state," said Creagan.

     Compassion & Choices launched a legislative campaign earlier this year and supports a lawsuit on behalf of Hawai`i resident John Radcliffe and a physician, asserting that the Hawai`i constitution and state law allow the practice of medical aid in dying. The organization also sent a letter to Congress last week urging it to allow the District of Columbia's recently approved Death With Dignity Act to remain in place.

     Creagan, the Ka`u physician who serves west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, wrote a position paper on the legislation proposed for Hawai`i: "The people of Hawai`i have been asking for a medical aid in dying option (also known as “death with dignity”) for almost 20 years. Today, 80 percent of Hawai`i residents believe medical aid in dying should be an option in our state," Creagan reports.
     He defines it: "Medical aid in dying is an end-of-life medical practice in which a terminally ill, mentally capable individual who has a prognosis of six months or less to live requests, obtains and — if his or her suffering becomes unbearable — self-administers medication that brings about a peaceful death."     

      The physician contends that "If you ask terminally ill people how they would like to die, most will say, 'I would like to die peacefully, at home, in my sleep.' As a former emergency room doctor, I can tell you that all too often, this is not the case. In their final stages, terminally ill people can be rushed to the ER repeatedly, admitted to an ICU and hooked up to ventilators, feeding tubes and IVs. Of course, if this is the individual’s wish, then every measure to sustain life should be taken. However, if this becomes a case of prolonging the dying process well beyond what the individual wants, to a stage some would call torture, we must agree it is not right," Creagan reasons.
    "Even terminal sedation (increasing pain meds until the patient stops breathing) might not be the ideal choice for some, who wish not to be sedated into unconsciousness and death at another’s direction and hand, but to make that final and most important choice on their own."
     Creagan writes, "We can offer that choice. A physician who practiced in Oregon, where medical aid in dying has been legal for nearly 20 years, told a story about the first person she prescribed life-ending medication to. The woman, who was dying a prolonged and agonizing death from ovarian cancer, wanted to die at home, in her own bed, with her husband holding her hand and her two dogs on the bed with her. She wanted a peaceful and meaningful end to her meaningless agony while she was still mentally intact and she achieved that goal. 

     "Yes, palliative care and hospice are a great boon to many. But for some, they may not relieve all the physical suffering or mental agony. When people are dying, facing only agony and are ready to go, they should have the means to a peaceful passing, if that is what they wish.

Cancer victim John Radcliffe, left, has sued the state with help of 

attorney Anderson Meyer, pollster Barbara Ankersmit, and

 Compassion & Care Hawai`i campaign manager Mary Steiner.

Photo from Compassion & Choices

     "How would I feel if I had a terminal illness and were in a constant unwavering pain that even the most powerful medications could not alleviate? If I had lost my bodily functions and all the skills and tools I had spent my life developing? I would be comforted just knowing a medical aid in dying option was available to me — and I certainly would not deny another the right to consider this option," states Creagan.

     Creagan says that "opponents argue that people will be coerced. In fact, no doctor will be compelled to prescribe if they do not wish to, but there are many that will find it part of a difficult but profoundly meaningful part of their final duty as a physician to their patients. No person who has a religious objection — or any objection — would be pressured or forced to utilize this choice. Coercing an individual to use a medical aid in dying option would be a crime, as it is in all authorized states.
     "The idea that the Hippocratic oath forbids physicians to do this is ludicrous. Over 40 years ago, when I graduated from medical school, we were told that that oath was a traditional part of the ceremony but was an antiquated relic and that we should not even repeat the words if we felt uncomfortable doing so. I certainly did not repeat those words from another time and place," writes Creagan.
        Compassion & Choices has launched a petition that supporters can sign. More can be read on the legislation and pro and con testimony can be provided to the Hawai`i Legislature by clicking on HB201.

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

Senior IDs, Monday, Feb. 13, from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., St. Jude’s Church in Ocean View. For residents 60 and older. 928-3100

Valentine’s Day Cards, Monday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Community Center. Ages 5 – 10, 939-2510

Valentine’s Day Cards, Tuesday, Feb 14, 2 – 3 p.m., Kahuku Park. Ages 6 – 12. 929-9113

Valentine’s Day Buffet, Tue, Feb 14, 5 – 8 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Prime rib, lemon-buttered fish, vegetable stir-fry with tofu and more. $27.95 adult; $14.50 child (6-11 yrs old). Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356

The Hylaeus Project and the Newly Endangered Bees of Hawai‘i, Tue, Feb 14, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Natural historian Lisa Schonberg discusses seven species of the yellow-faced bees of Hawai‘i that became the first bees to ever be listed as endangered. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Brenda Iokepa-Moses

Ka`u Farm Bureau has set its first meeting of 2017 for this Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the auxiliary room at the new gymnasium in Pahala at 6 p.m. Election of new officers is planned for the meeting, said Ka`u Farm Bureau President Brenda Iokepa-Moses. She recently returned from the National Association of Conservation Districts meeting in Denver, representing the state of Hawai`i.

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Feb. 11, 1017

Big Island Video News and John Tarson of Epic Lava Tours are not only documenting this monster "lava fire hose" near a boat in
the shadows, they report a new lava breakout upslope from the base of Pu`u O`o.
See www.bigislandvideonews.com and epiclava.com

CONSULT THE STATE DEPARTMENT, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, HOMELAND SECURITY: Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the U.S Senate Judiciary Committee, recommended this to Pres. Donald Trump yesterday during an interview on MSNBC.  Hirono, herself an attorney, called Trump's attempted ban on visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries an "unconstitutional executive order" and said, "so far President Trump has lost in the courts and I think the wise thing for him to do is to rescind the order because the order created chaos."
       When asked about the administration rewriting the ban to make it more in line with the U.S. Constitution, Hirono suggested that if "President Donald Trump wants to go down that path again, he really should involve the State Department, the Justice Department, the Homeland Security - these are all people who have something to say and something to bring to the table."

       The reporter asked her, "Would you support basically any version of this immigration travel ban if the administration would go back and revise it?"  Hirono replied, "I look at any further steps by this administration really, really carefully because we know where they're coming from. It's basically a ban on Muslims and that is unconstitutional in my view - that is not what our country stands for.... if it singles out certain groups for discriminatory treatment, it will be challenged."

Judge Neil Gorsuch will be interviewed
by Sen. Mazie Hirono next week for the position of
U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Photo from Wikipedia

      Hirono also talked about Trump's national security official Michael Flynn's alleged discussions with Russian officials, including the Russian ambassador, before Trump took office. Hirono said, "I'm not comfortable with the relationship of this administration and some of the individuals in this administration - their relationship with Russia because we know that Russians tried to interfere with our presidential elections. There are a lot of concerns of what President Trump's relationship is with Russia. These are valid concerns. So frankly, I would hope that the President would listen to people like General (James) Mattis, who is now the Secretary of Defense, who brings a lot of mature experience on national security issues."
     Concerning the Trump administrations' connections with Russia, Hawai`i Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted yesterday, "It's weird that no one has been fired yet.," then quickly followed up, tweeting. "I stand corrected. There was Sally Yates," the Acting Attorney General whom Trump fired when she warned him on the unconstitutionality of the travel ban.
     Concerning the pending appointment of Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, Hirono said she "will be very focused on such issues as the woman's right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, the balance of how he views corporate interests versus individual rights." She said "Judge Gorsuch has written hundreds if not thousands of decisions. I'm reviewing some of the more important decisions to see where he comes from."
     About Gorsuch, whom she will meet next week, Hirono also said, "I have some pretty serious concerns - because I think President Trump said he wanted a Justice who would overturn Rowe v. Wade. This is not a President who likes to have people who have different opinions because he did fire the Acting Attorney General, for example, when she stood up to him on his executive order (travel ban)...."
    Hirono said she plans to question Gorsuch. "I am really concerned that Judge Gorsuch is really going to have the kind of perspectives that do not support individual rights, voting rights, civil rights - the issues that should concern the American people."

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KA`U'S REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS TULSI GABBARD, Bernie Sanders and Nina Turner are the only ones who could defeat Pres. Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to H.A. Goodman of CounterPropa.com. The political writer, whose assessment was carried in the Huffington Post and other publications this week, writes that "President Trump's latest legal defeat prevents him from banning immigrants from seven Muslim majority nations. However, this is a political win for Trump. Many conservatives are already blaming the next attack on Democrats.

Goodman's widely published opinion piece calls Gabbard the "antithesis of Trump"
and said she went to Syria and met with Assad "to find a solution to the bloodshed,
not to promote Assad or Putin's view of the world." He contended that she "put her
value system ahead of the Democratic Party." Photo by Abraham Williams

    "Media, and America's political establishment, can't seem to accept the fact that Trump will not be defeated by indignation and outrage. For every angry liberal, there's a happy conservative who likes Trump's executive orders or policy objectives. Whether or not they work is another story; loyalty is what Trump voters crave."
     "Trump's base of voters love him more than ever, because unlike Democratic politicians (who vote against affordable medicine like Senator Cory Booker), President Trump abides by the Republican Party's purest ideology. Trump wants a border wall, immigrant ban, and many other policies that might never become reality, but millions of people don't care; they voted for someone who isn't compromising 'pragmatism' for ideological purity.'"
     Goodman writes that Democrats "need the antithesis of Trump." He names Sanders, Turner and Gabbard as "the antithesis."
     Regarding Gabbard, Goodman writes, "Congresswoman Gabbard, for example, has already been attacked by The Daily Beast and Washington Post, so we know she’s a threat to the Democratic establishment. In terms of the world’s greatest threat, American regime change is linked to the estimated deaths of 500,000 people in Iraq. As for Obama sending soldiers to Syria and repeating Bush’s failed policies, Congresswoman Gabbard took matters into her own hands," writes Goodman, pointing out that she went to Syria, met with its president and released the following statement:
     “My visit to Syria has made it abundantly clear: Our counterproductive regime change war does not serve America’s interest, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of the Syrian people.
     “As I visited with people from across the country, and heard heartbreaking stories of how this war has devastated their lives, I was asked, ‘Why is the United States and its allies helping al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups try to take over Syria? Syria did not attack the United States. Al-Qaeda did.’ I had no answer.

Gabbard claims that America's involvement in regime change has led to such
situations as the war in Syria. Photo by Abraham Williams

     “I return to Washington, DC with even greater resolve to end our illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government. I call upon Congress and the new Administration to answer the pleas of the Syrian people immediately and support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop directly and indirectly supporting terrorists—directly by providing weapons, training and logistical support to rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS; and indirectly through Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Turkey, who, in turn, support these terrorist groups. We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. 
     “From Iraq to Libya and now in Syria, the U.S. has waged wars of regime change, each resulting in unimaginable suffering, devastating loss of life, and the strengthening of groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
    “Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it. I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there’s a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering.
     “The U.S. must stop supporting terrorists who are destroying Syria and her people. The U.S. and other countries fueling this war must stop immediately. We must allow the Syrian people to try to recover from this terrible war.”
       Goodman writes that "Tulsi Gabbard met with Assad to find a solution to the bloodshed, not to promote Assad or Putin’s view of the world. For centrist Democrats, they simply can’t understand why anyone would break with protocol, for the greater goal of peace. Tulsi Gabbard put her value system ahead of the Democratic Party, and for this reason, will be able to defeat Trump in 2020."

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

‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, Feb. 12, 9:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo

Medicine for the Mind, Sunday, Feb. 12, from 4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Buddhist healing meditation for beginners through advanced. Free. Patty, 985-7470

Senior IDs, Monday, Feb. 13, from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., St. Jude’s Church in Ocean View. For residents 60 and older. 928-3100

Valentine’s Day Cards, Monday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Community Center. Ages 5 – 10, 939-2510

Valentine’s Day Cards, Tuesday, Feb 14, 2 – 3 p.m., Kahuku Park. Ages 6 – 12. 929-9113

Valentine’s Day Buffet, Tue, Feb 14, 5 – 8 p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Prime rib, lemon-buttered fish, vegetable stir-fry with tofu and more. $27.95 adult; $14.50 child (6-11 yrs old). Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356

The Hylaeus Project and the Newly Endangered Bees of Hawai‘i, Tue, Feb 14, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Natural historian Lisa Schonberg discusses seven species of the yellow-faced bees of Hawai‘i that became the first bees to ever be listed as endangered. Free; park entrance fees apply.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Feb. 10, 2017

Hawai`i's Navy Shipyard hosts tens of millions of dollars in jobs for local people, such as the $18 million restoration and maintenance
of the battleship USS Missouri years ago. Senators Hirono and Schatz are calling for an end to Pres. Trump's freeze on Navy
shipyard hiring. See story below.  Photo from U.S. Navy

JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER Shinzo Abe met with President Donald Trump today and following their joint press conference, Sen. Mazie Hirono, herself an immigrant from Japan, joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss the U.S. alliance with Japan and U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
     She said that she was very pleased that  "President Trump made very clear how important our friendship and alliance is with Japan and to acknowledge that peace and stability in the Pacific area is critical to our national security. Of course, Hawai`i has a big role to play with our bases, etc.  in the Indo-Asia-Pacific arena. So that was really good news."

     She said she and other Senators met with the Japanese Prime Minister this morning and that she mentioned that General James Mattis chose Japan and South Korea to make his first diplomatic trip as Secretary of Defense. She said the Prime Minister said that it was very important to the Japanese people "that someone with that kind of support that General Mattis had in his confirmation would come to Japan and reaffirm the importance of this part of the world and our alliance with them."

      Hirono said she "pays attention to what President Trump does as opposed to what he says. It is what he does that will get implemented."

      Hirono said that Trump "says a lot of things. He tweets a lot." She noted "he had earlier criticized Japan for not doing enough for our mutual defense, but today he made it very plain that we will go forward and work very closely and there was no criticism of Japan.”  She said that was "really reassuring to me."

    Hirono said that it is very important for Trump to listen to people "like General Mattis who brings a lot of foreign policy experience and maturity to the table so that he doesn't have to walk back earlier comments" that "lead to consternation."
     She said it was also very important that Trump, after creating uncertainty in talking with the leader of Taiwan, talked to the President of China to reaffirm the one China policy.

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

FAMILY AND MEDICAL INSURANCE LEAVE legislation has been reintroduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and fellow lawmakers to help protect working families and provide paid family and medical leave. Gabbard is an original cosponsor of the bill.

      “While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has empowered millions over the past two decades, we must do more. Only 39 percent of working parents and 35 percent of working mothers are eligible for and can afford to take unpaid family and medical leave through the FMLA,” said Gabbard.  “Our current family leave policies fall behind every other industrialized nation, and leave millions of people choosing between their family’s health and financial stability. Congress must take the next step forward by passing the FAMILY Act to better protect and empower working parents and families in Hawaiʻi and across the country.”
      The Family and Medical Leave Act, which passed in 1993 provides unpaid, job-protected leave for serious health related events. However, only about half of the workforce qualifies for this unpaid leave, and many more simply cannot afford to take it because it is unpaid. The FAMILY Act (H.R.947) would establish a medical leave insurance program in the U.S. and allow workers to make 60 percent of their pay for up to 12 weeks to care for a serious personal health condition; a family member with a serious health condition; a newborn, newly-adopted child, or a newly-placed foster child; and an injured servicemember arising from deployment.

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

NAVY SHIPYARD WORKERS IN HAWAI`I are receiving lobbying support from Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.). Today, they called on the Acting Secretary of Navy to clarify the exemption from President Trump’s federal hiring freeze for shipyard workers. Recently, the Defense Department announced that employees of Navy shipyards and other employees that directly support the shipyards would be exempt. But the process for requesting exemptions at the shipyards would still leave positions open for weeks, if not longer.

The Navy Shipyard works on submarines to battleships and Hawai`i Senators
are urging the Trump administration to lift a hiring freeze. Photo from U.S. Navy

     According to Hirono, the hiring freeze is impacting Navy shipyards despite the Department of Defense providing an exemption for certain workers. "The freeze continues to prevent shipyards across the country from hiring personnel who directly impact the readiness of the fleet such as engineers, acquisition workforce personnel, trade mechanics, radiological and emergency personnel, regulatory compliance and other support personnel that are necessary to maintaining the Navy’s surface and submarine fleets," said a statement from Hirono's office.
     Last month, Hirono and a bipartisan group of seven Senators wrote to Secretary of Defense James Mattis to call for exempting Department of Navy shipyard civilian employees from the recent executive order signed by President Trump that freezes federal hiring.
    While the President’s executive order states that it does not apply to military personnel or positions considered essential to meet national security responsibilities, the uncertainty had caused shipyards across the country to suspend hiring.
     The letter sent today urges the Navy to allow workers to be hired and promoted as soon as openings become available, as would have happened before the freeze:
     “In our opinion, it would be easier, less expensive, and further in-line with the intent of the Department of Defense’s exemption authority to establish an automatic exemption process that clearing a class of positions based on occupation code and command. Furthermore, pushing the decision down one or more levels would be more responsive to the needs of Combatant Commanders while providing the due diligence required to ensure that all hiring and promotion actions are executed appropriately. Given these concerns, we urge you to retract the policy and issue guidance that offers immediate exemption authority for those federal civilians working at the public shipyards and depots that keep our ships and submarines ready.”

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NASA ER-2 aircraft is flying over Hawai`i Islands volcanoes this month. ER-2's have played an important role in Earth science research
with an ability to fly into the lower stratosphere at subsonic speeds, enabling virtual satellite simulation missions. In Hawai`i, the
 NASA ER-2 is being used to collect high altitude scientific data that will help scientists calibrate, validate, and
simulate remote sensing data from future satellites. Photo from NASA

HIGH-FLYING NASA AIRCRAFT are used to study the volcanoes on this Island. They take off from Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base on O`aha and are the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists at Hawai`i Volcano Observatory:
     NASA's ER-2 aircraft  is a modified U-2 reconnaissance plane designed to collect scientific data at high altitudes. These data will help scientists calibrate, validate, and simulate remote sensing data from future satellites that will eventually orbit the Earth at even higher altitudes. "Remote sensing" refers to the use of imaging technology that allows us to see the world in a new light, from a remote and unique vantage point.
      From late January through February, NASA is conducting this high-altitude airborne remote sensing data collection campaign over the State of Hawai`i. Several NASA-funded, multi-year projects will use these data to study coral reefs and volcanic processes.
      The data will also be used to help develop a future Earth observing satellite instrument called the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI). If funded, HyspIRI will be a global mission that will provide crucial information for studying the world's ecosystems, as well as natural hazard events, such as volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and drought.

NASA Dryden life support technician Jim Sokolik assists pressure-

suited pilot Dee Poerter into the cockpit of NASA's ER-2 Earth resources aircraft.
NASA Photo by Jim Ross

     To replicate the characteristics of data collected by Earth observing sensors aboard orbiting satellites, the ER-2 will cruise at an altitude of about 65,000 feet (above 95 percent of Earth's atmosphere) with a diverse suite of instruments. In its wing pods and under the fuselage, it carries the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), the MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER), and the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES).
      These instruments are designed to measure reflected and emitted radiation (light) in hundreds of distinct wavelengths, from the visible through the thermal infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such data give us quantitative information about surface composition, texture, and temperature of the ground. This information, combined with field-based measurements, enables scientists to study a variety of atmospheric, geologic, and ecological processes to better understand our natural environment and how our environment responds to human activities.
      On the Island of Hawaiʻi, with the support of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and the National Park Service, research scientists from universities, NASA, and the U.S. Geological Survey are conducting field work and collecting data. They are using these data to investigate links between vegetation health and volcanic gas and thermal emissions; volcanic thermal anomalies; the composition and chemical evolution of volcanic gas plumes from Kīlauea Volcano; and active volcanic processes and hazards, such as surface lava flow activity.
     The overarching goals of this mission and the related scientific research projects are to characterize key volcanic processes, such as the rate of magma ascent to the surface, the amount of lava being erupted per day at Kīlauea, and interpretation of possible eruption precursors. Lessons learned should help scientists inform emergency response agencies and the public before, during, and after future eruptions.
      Specific questions that this mission will address include: How do volcanoes signal impending eruptions through changes in surface temperature, gas and aerosol emission rates, or health and extent of vegetation cover? How can we improve forecasts of volcanic activity? How can we mitigate the impacts of eruptions by remotely measuring surface temperature and volcanic gas emission rates?
      This research, conducted in one of the best natural volcanic laboratories on Earth, will help us answer these questions, and ultimately extend this knowledge to the monitoring of other active volcanoes around the world. 

The lava entry at Kamokuna is still flowing into the ocean, visible from a new
viewing area established by Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo from USGS

     
VOLCANO ACTIVITY UPDATES: Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 15 and 34 m (49–112 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g flow was still active, with lava entering the ocean near Kamokuna and surface breakouts near Pu'u 'Ō'ō. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.
     Mauna Loa is not erupting. During the past week, small-magnitude (up to magnitude 3.0) earthquakes continued, primarily beneath the upper Southwest Rift Zone and the Northeast Rift zone at depths less than 5 km (3 miles). A small number of earthquakes also occurred on the west flank of the volcano at depths above 13 km (8 miles). Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone.
     Three earthquakes were reported as felt in Hawai`i this past week. On February 3, 2017, at 10:07 a.m., HST, a magnitude-2.8 earthquake occurred 4.8 km (3.0 mi) north of Mauna Loa's summit at a depth of 10 km (6 mi), and at 12:41 a.m., a magnitude-3.4 earthquake occurred 13.8 km (8.6 mi) southeast of Kīlauea's summit at a depth of 9 km (5 mi). On February 6, at 12:08 a.m., a magnitude-3.0 earthquake occurred 69.1 km (42.9 mi) southwest of Mākena, Maui, at a depth of 44 km (27 mi).

        Visit the HVO website (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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PANCAKE BREAKFAST, Saturday, Feb. 11 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.,  Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033

ATLAS RECYCLING AT SOUTH POINT U-CART, Saturday, Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

REALMS & DIVISIONS OF KAHUKU, Saturday, Feb. 11 from  9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Pu‘u Kahuku Trail explores realms and divisions of the traditional Hawaiian classification system at Kahuku. Free. nps.gov/havo 

HULA KAHIKO, Saturday, Feb. 11 from  10:30 – 11:30 a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Kumu hula Manaiakalani Kalua and Akaunu perform. Nā Mea Hula with Kumu Ab Valencia and Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., gallery porch.