The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, April 14, 2022

Only the handicapped, lei stand vendors, lifeguards and emergency vehicles are allowed on
the sandy parking at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. Photo by Bob Martin

NO PARKING ON THE BEACH AT PUNALU'U became a community topic of discussion on Wednesday and Thursday, as visitors and kama'aina were directed to a parking lot mauka of the shoreline.
With everyone accustomed to parking on the sand adjacent to the beach and along the adjacent roadside,
the new boulders and signage that block parking drew numerous comments to The Kaʻū Calendar and other area facebook pages.
It also drew questions exchanged verbally among Kaʻū residents, including: Is this the beginning of a new round of preparing for commercial development near the shore? What will happen to the area being cleaned up? Will it be a park or commercial enterprise, or both? Does the exemption from the Special Management Area permit for cleaning up and making repairs allow all the work being done without additional permits?
What about the lei stands at the beach? Will the lei stand families who have depended on their beachfront enterprise for generations be allowed to stay? Will their their volunteer lifeguards, who for generations were the only lifeguards at Punalu'u and still do make rescues after county lifeguard hours - Will they be able to keep their presence at the beach?

Boulders block roadside parking near Punalu'u Black Sand Beach.
Photo by Bob Martin

What about the boat ramp? Will locals head for the boat ramp to park, overwhelming that area? Will the boat ramp area eventually be blocked from parking, camping and picnicking as well?
Will everyone be charged at the parking lot or kama'aina get a discount or a pass?
Here are some of the comments posted on The Kaʻū Calendar and other area facebook pages:
Kelly Clark said the developer is "trying to push this development through on a 1980 Environmental Impact Study," and pointed to other developments on the Hawai'i Island coast, such as the Four Seasons and at Pine Trees "just to name a few." Clark predicted that the resources and turtles will be exploited "for financial gain."
A couple called Ray N Christy on their facebook page posted that pulling the parking off the beach and nearby roadside - "That's actually a good thing. But check out Punalu'u community page and see what's really brewing," referring to development plans that have been presented to the community over the last six months.
Emmet Enriques wrote, "Sad that locals not only just lost access but also will be charged in the future… and didn’t even get the opportunity for input." Curtis Sharp replied, "Hapuna Beach charges but not if you're a resident (hi. driers license). Enriques replied, "Exactly. Punalu'u is turning into another Hapuna."
Echo Love wrote, "A well managed parking lot is what’s essential to ensure safety and convenience for both the locals and visitors coming to the beach. Parking fee is not a big deal in my humble opinion, especially it goes towards a non profit."

Newly painted parking stalls and curbs at the old parking lot where beachgoers
are directed to leave their vehicles at Punalu'u. Photo by Bob Martin

Alberto Benovia said, "Kanaka wale no." Kawai Kanawaliwali wrote, "Pushing out the kanakas."
Laura Wong wrote, "Time to initiate Traditional Access To Coast protections..To ensure that public pathways to the coast are protected. Check out the evolution of private land owners slowly but surely blocking all public access to shoreline on O'ahu and on Maui.
"The police are routinely called to disputes and physical altercation between property owners and swimmers at a place known as ‘Portlock’ on O'ahu. I grew up surfing swimming and hiking on that shoreline in the 1970’s.
"Prior to that land privatization, first Hawaiian and then over the years other local people too - went

The old path from parking lot to the beach
has been uncovered. Photo by Bob Martin

fishing and swimming and surfing there. Now the owners of the land fronting that coastline have gated and walled off all access to the shore that fronts their private property. The owners of that land touching public shoreline claim that the public may not access the shore over their property- the county failed to protect access to that shoreline by not upholding the traditional access points used by pedestrians for hundreds of years."
Manu Kane posted: "Another Cheap Shot at Punalu'u Beach.. Apparently the foreign investors have blocked areas where we used to park and are now funneling locals and tourists to a lot where you're going to have to pay."
Sophia Hanoa posted, "The people of Ka'ū. No parking signs at Punaluʻu lei stand area are for the safety of everyone. Alternate parking areas are provided. Emergency vehicles and Handicap parking will have access to the area. With an influx of tourists, something had to be done. So please help to support the safety of all, especially our children and elderly."
Timothy Totten said, "Expansion of the County Beach parking would seem appropriate at this juncture."
Larry Cush said, "I'm happy to see a parking lot. However, I cringed to hear they are going add a fee for parking. The big boulders seem heavy handed to me. Couldn't there be a way that is more welcoming? Perhaps add fees for commercial bus and tour parking only. Please remember this is about showing caring and inclusive change for the community not just commercial interest!"
Deborah Ward wrote, "The turtles laying eggs were impacted by the vehicles and disrupted access to the ocean. I think will be an improvement long time coming."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/.See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano

Volcano Students talking about Farm in a Box kits are Kalia Andrade,
Lahela Hanoa, Aliyah Gayacan, of Na'alehu. Photo by Barbara Sarbin

VOLCANO SCHOOL OF THE ARTS & SCIENCES GAVE FREE FARM IN A BOX KITS at ʻO Kaʻū Kākou's Nāʻālehu Market on Wednesday. Volcano School 's eighth grade Permaculture and Civics students prepared the kits. Fifty resident families were were treated to packages of organic soil, fertilizer, pea, lettuce, and beet seeds, and a large pot, all sourced from McCall’s Farm in Volcano. Students also supplied instructions to successfully plant and grow the veggies at home.
This initiative was the culminating event for the students’ studies of Food Justice, which taught the importance of equal access to healthy food in the community. The students visited local farms and ranches to learn about sustainable agriculture and small-scale backyard family farming, including McCall’s Farm in Volcano, Punachicks Farm in Kurtistown, Mana’o Farm and Kuahiwi Ranch in Nāʻālehu.
As part of this project, students researched the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, gave presentations on each one to inform their classmates about solutions to these global issues, and participated in a UNICEF Hunger Banquet to bring alive the real situation of World Hunger.

Volcano School students assembling Farm in a Box kits are Kamaehu Guerpo-Craft

of Pāhala, Raedyn Breihaupt-Louis, Lahela Hanoa, Mackenzie DeCoito, of Nāʻālehu.

Photo by Barbara Sarbin

The eighth graders also engaged in the Global Run Project, wearing pedometers throughout the school day to try to collect as many steps and miles as possible. A nonprofit charitable organization, Something Good in the World, donated $1 for each mile that the students walked, ran, jumped, and danced. Students said they really enjoyed seeing how many steps and miles they could get each day, and ended up with over 200 miles, raising enough funding to create the 50 Farm-in-a-Box kits.
The eighth graders worked hard to package the soil and fertilizer. They sorted seeds, decorated labels and instructions, and were excited to spend more than five hours at the Farmer’s Market in Nāʻālehu. Residents approached their booth to ask questions and receive the free kits to support food security by growing their own organic, healthy vegetables at home.
Many adults commented to the youth about the importance of their community service project and said they were impressed with the students' knowledge of food justice at such a young age. “You are the future,” said one resident who supported their work with a donation towards the project. Their teacher Barbara Sarbin said the students "are the future…now."

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals studied by Volcano School of Arts & Sciences students.

See The Ka'u Calendar April edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Boulders were dropped along the roadsides near Punalu'u Black Sand Beach on Tuesday, to direct
motorists to a mauka parking lot. No-Parking signs were installed on the black sand beach where
visitors and locals have parked for generations. Photo by Bob Martin

THE LANDSCAPE AROUND PUNALU'U BEACH CHANGED ON WEDNESDAY with the arrival of boulders and no-parking signs to direct people away from driving vehicles onto the black sand and onto the shoulders of adjacent county and private roads. The boulders along Ninole Loop start at the private parking lot belonging to Eva Liu on her 445 acres at Punalu'u below Hwy 11. The boulder lines run on both sides of the county and private roads past Jeanette Howard's house and the Dahlberg House. They stop where the pavement ends and the black sand begins.

No-Parking Anytime signs advise drivers not to leave their cars on the beach. Along the pavement closest to the beach, the boulders make it impossible for people to park on the roadside. As a result, the parking lot, which formerly served the Black Sands restaurant and museum, drew motorists who parked and walked to the beach on Tuesday. In the parking lot, lines delineating stalls have been painted white, while yellow paint covers the curbs.

Yellow curbs and a cleaned-up parking lot drew visitors who faced boulders
blocking parking along the roads next to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, with
no-parking signs at the beach. Photo by Bob Martin

Liu said that eventually there will be a charge for parking but for now it's free. In the future, any money collected for parking will go to a nonprofit stewarding the place, Liu said. Remnants of a paved path from the parking lot to the beach were recently cleared of overgrowth and will become a safe walkway once a small bridge is built over a gully running through it, said Liu.
County Council Chair Maile David stated she supports "not having vehicles on the beach and redirecting all parking to the newly created parking lot." She said it would "protect this significant cultural resource against adverse environmental impacts from fluids from cars parked on the sandy beach areas." She noted that she will work with county Department of Public Works "to have signage installed directing motorists to the public beach parking lot area."
Left with parking on the sand are workers at the vendor stand, the lifeguards and those with disabilities. Candice Kaawa, who works for Liu, said she will put up handicapped parking signs next week. She also said that without the cars parking on the beach, the lifeguards who take their vehicles in and out of the area, "said they could actually go in and reverse, and not have any problem." She also said, "It's safer. People can walk now without cars just zoomin' in."

Path to the beach from the parking lot at Punalu'u.
Photo by Bob Martin

Sea Mountain at Punalu'u condominium owner Matt Baker pointed to the open space from the road to the beach and said, "This is no longer a parking lot to the beach. It's a road to the beach. People won't be parking everywhere anymore. There's a nice pathway to go up to the parking lot. This whole area was so congested. It was so dangerous and now people can park safely, have an experience and start taking in the beach before they even get here, hear the birds and walk into this beautiful area. This is wonderful."
Concerning no parking on the black sand, Baker said, "We're not making new black sand. It's only a one time deal, from what I understand. Now that people aren't parking on the beach, they won't be driving away with sands, which is a limited, precious, black sands. So that won't be happening anymore."
Additional cleaning of the area, including lands around the old restaurant and museum will be the goal of a volunteer cleanup this Saturday, led by O Ka'u Kakou, said Liu.

BEING A CITIZEN ADVOCATE AT THE HAWAI'I LEGISLATURE at the end of session presents some challenges. The Public Access Room points out that this is a time of conference meetings between House of Representative and Senate members: "Conference is often marked by long periods of waiting, interrupted by whirlwinds of activity, and it’s all hard to follow! Much of the action takes place between

legislators away from the conference meetings. As an advocate, what can you do to make your voice heard? While no public testimony is accepted, you can certainly contact those members named to the conference committee, especially the chairs. Refine your message to be clear on any aspects of the bill you find absolutely necessary (or unacceptable). Don’t forget to also let your own legislators, as well as others with whom you’ve developed a relationship, know your view — you never know when they may be helpful."
On the Legislature’s website (capitol.hawaii.gov), use the “Conference Committee” bar on the Reports and Lists page for assistance in following the action. "Remember, if your bill has any fiscal implications, or has been referred to FIN or WAM, it’ll need the money committee’s blessing. The deadline for bills to emerge with a conference draft is Thursday, April 28th, for non-fiscal bills and Friday, April 29th, for fiscal bills." Learn more about being involved with the Hawai'i Legislature at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/

See The Ka'u Calendar April edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, April 12, 2022

The 29th annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference will be held virtually and is open for registration.
See more below. Photo from Hawai'i Conservation Alliance

COLEHOUR BONDERA will run for County Council to serve District 6 from Kona through Ka'u into Volcano. Bondera made the announcement Tuesday evening. He is a farmer and community developer. He said that raising Kona coffee, avocados, and his two children on their farm in Honaunau over the last 20 years has embedded him in the community. His slogan is "Food Security, Local Economy and a Healthy Climate."

Colehour Bondera announced Tuesday
evening that he will run for County Council.

Bondera said he serves the community "through local farmer associations, solving community needs, and responding to his neighbors." He has frequently served as president of organizations and has helped to found them when the need arised. He said he believes "this island can have a food secure, thriving local economy, by taking care of the ‘Aina and our community. With the pandemic, rising costs, and the ups and downs of tourism, our residents are struggling. High housing costs, inadequate transportation, lack of decent jobs, and outmoded schools are challenges that many families face."
Having dealt personally with many of these challenges, Bondera said, he’s ready to stand up for the needs of his neighbors in District 6. He said he works through "Listening to our diverse community and how they see change happening." Hawai'i County Council "can change our families’ lives significantly with better planning, access to affordable housing and public transportation, higher quality schools and real family supporting jobs. As an island, we need a sustainable local food system and economy moving away from fossil fuel dependency."
With community members' help, Bondera said, he "will work with the other members of the County Council and Mayor to make this happen! Together we can stand for our needs and hopes -- be heard, be understood, and be sure that the needs of all community members are addressed.” See more at www.colehourbondera.com.

PILINA MAULI OLA - CONNECTIONS THAT OFFER RESILIENCE AND HOPE is the theme of the 29th annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference to be held virtually July 15-22. A statement from the organizers says, "In Hawaiʻi, pilina or connections with place and with the living elements of the world around us, are the foundations of mauli ola, our mutual well-being. For Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Hawaiians), the connections are ancestral, and for all of us in conservation, the aloha we form in the places we work are the basis for both our own dedication as well as the partnerships we build to address the challenges we face. On land and sea, forging and enhancing those connections offers an opportunity to deepen our

Connections that Offer Resilience and Hope is the
theme of this year's Hawai'i Conservation Conference.
Image from Hawai'i Conservation Alliance

individual and collective resilience, and the ways we perceive and experience mauli ola – all dimensions of well-being. We will share stories of success and hope to inspire pilina between people, communities, and place that lead to the innovations needed to address the challenges of conservation in a world undergoing unprecedented transformations."
Registration for the conference is available with early bird discounted fees and scholarships. The organizers are also accepting proposals to present papers on areas of research and policymaking.
Members of the alliance who produce the conference include Kamehameha Schools, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, The Nature Conservancy, University of Hawai'i-Hilo, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Tropical Botanical Gardens, Pacific Island Cultural Adaptation Science Center. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bishop Museum NOAA, state of Hawai'i Foresetry & Wildlife, state Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawai'i Invasive Species Council, Hawai'i Association of Watershed Partnerships, National Park Service, Conservation International Hawai'i and the Army's Hawai'i Natural Resources Program.
According to the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance website, a major goal "is to increase the area of Hawai'i’s terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems under the cooperative and collaborative management by Alliance members, working in tandem with neighboring communities. Alliance-created data collection tools and programs increase opportunities for collaborative management efforts and support community participation in conservation of Hawai'i’s natural and cultural resources."
Read about the many programs of the organization at www.hawaiiconservation.org, from the Ahupua'a Accelerator Initiative to a Conservation Career Compass and how to register for the conference.

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC'S 2021-22 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT IS TITLED TAKING ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE TOGETHER. The sustainability report, released on Tuesday, tracks the corporate progress in sustainability. It says Hawaiian Electric reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent last year, and surpassed 1 gigawatt of solar capacity. It hit a consolidated renewable portfolio standard of 38

percent statewide. That means 38 percent of its electricity sales came from renewable resources.
Hawaiian Electric president and CEO Shelee Kimua said that “Faced with challenges stemming from the pandemic and global supply chain issues, we were still able to lower GHG emissions and add more renewable energy to our island grids. We’ll continue to reduce our dependence on imported oil each year so that we’re able to stabilize energy costs for our customers.”
The report features the company’s Climate Change Action Plan, which outlines the steps being taken to reduce GHG emissions across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves. Those steps include the retirement of the AES coal plant at the end of September, adding another 50,000 rooftop solar systems to about 93,000 already online and promoting energy efficiency.
Also included in the report are examples of how the company has partnered with communities to build a more sustainable Hawaiʻi. The reportʻs power generation maps showcase more than 30 grid-scale renewable energy facilities and nearly two dozen renewable projects expected to come online over the next few years.
For more information and company data, go to hei.com/esg. HEI, Hawaiian Electric’s parent company, has published its 2022 environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and sustainability report.

See The Ka'u Calendar April edition at
www.kaucalendar.com,
on newsstands and in the mail.

About The Kaʻū Calendar

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, April 14, 2022

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, April 12, 2022