Ka‘ū News Briefs, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022

Volunteers and school staff clear an area for native plants and a culinary greenhouse at Kaʻū High 
& Pāhala Elementary on Saturday. Photo by Jennifer Makuakane

THE SECOND KA'Ū HIGH COMMUNITY GARDEN WORKDAY AND FIFTH ANNUAL HAWAI'I ISLAND FOOD SUMMIT welcomed Jodie Rosam to the Pāhala campus as guest presenter on Saturday with her knowledge of the wiliwili tree. She explained how to propagate the native trees, which are known for their red and orange blossoms and their popularity among native Hawaiians for making lei.

Jody Rosam, left, teaches about the propagation
of wiliwili trees. Photo by Jennifer Makuakane

    Rosam spoke about the natural history and ecology of wiliwili: where they live, how they grow, where to find them in Kaʻū. She explained that wiliwili is drought-deciduous (it drops its leaves during the dry season). The showy orange, red, salmon, peach, light green, yellow, or even white flowers bloom during the summer months after the leaves drop, and the nearly heart-shaped leaflets emerge in threes during the fall. Wiliwili can grow quite large, exceeding 45 feet tall with an impressively wide crown. Wili means to twist, screw, or wind, and wiliwili means repeatedly twisted, referring to the seed pods that twist to expose the bright, coral colored seeds. Rosam told participants about threats to the wiliwilli, including fire, habitat loss, the gall wasp that almost wiped them out in the early 2000s.  

The wiliwili. Art by Joan Yoshioka

    She shared moʻolelo about wiliwili and the four sisters at Paʻula in Kaunāmano, and also shared the ʻōlelo noʻeau. Finally, each participant was able to fill a pot with media, learn to scarify the seed, and plant it to bring home along with growing instructions.

    After Rosam's presentation, volunteers cleared and cleaned the lower field at the school to prepare for the native Hawaiian garden and culinary greenhouse. Both areas will be part of the middle school students' project this coming year.
    Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary released a statement thanking the Hawaiʻi Island School garden Network team, Zoe Kosmas of HISIGN lead, Jody Rosam and Stacey Breining of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance, Hawaiʻi Island Food Basket, County of Hawaiʻi, and state Department of Health.
    The school also sent a mahalo to Āina Akamu and Jennifer Makuakane of its Kaʻū Global Learning Academy, its Farm Manager Jesse Denny and "hardworking volunteers."

    See more from Rosam on the wiliwili in the September 2021 edition of The Ka'u Calendar and in Ka'u News Briefs at  http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2021_09_06_archive.html

The wiliwili tree, a species almost wiped out by a wasp in the early 2020s, can be propagated
from its seeds. Photo from Hawai'i Department of Agriculture

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KILAUEA'S SUMMIT LAVA LAKE CONTINUES TO BE QUIETLY REMARKABLE is the headline for this week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists and associates of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:
    In fact, the slow and steady lava lake activity in Halemaʻumaʻu crater has been quite fascinating, so it deserves another Volcano Watch visit.
    The first thing to appreciate is that we are witnessing a pattern that has typified Kīlauea’s summit behavior for centuries—the cycle of collapse and refilling. The caldera floor collapses and/or subsides—often due to an eruption on the rift zone—and subsequent summit eruptions fill the depression with new lava. Destruction and reconstruction, set on repeat.
    Numerous cycles of collapse and refilling occurred during the 1800s and early 1900s. These ranged from large to small, some spanning much of the caldera floor, with others limited to just the Halemaʻumaʻu area. In each instance, lava eventually returned to the summit and filled much or all of the depression.
    The collapse of the crater floor in 2018 was one of the largest such events in the past 200 years. Over the past year and a half, lava has been erupting in Halemaʻumaʻu crater and slowly refilling the new

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo looks east, and shows that the lake surface is composed of large crustal plates separated by incandescent spreading zones, with spattering along the east margin. The lake and the surrounding crater floor, formed by solidified lava, are being gradually uplifted due to endogenous lava supply beneath the surface. USGS photo by M. Patrick

depression. Since returning to Halemaʻumaʻu in December 2020, lava has refilled about 17% of the volume of the 2018 collapse.
    Watching the current activity is like having a time machine to an earlier century on Kīlauea.
    The second thing that is interesting about the current activity is the manner in which the lava is refilling the crater. In the simplest scenario, we might imagine the lava in Halemaʻumaʻu simply pouring in over earlier flows, stacking up and filling the crater.
    While a portion of the refilling is being done in this manner, a major amount of the refilling is

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“endogenous.” In other words, lava from the vent is supplied beneath the solidified surface crust, out of view, lifting the crater floor. It’s akin to inflating a giant air mattress.
    We can track this growth with unprecedented detail using modern tools. A continuous laser rangefinder measures the lava surface every second, with centimeter precision. Webcams operating on the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu show the nature of uplift clearly.
    The process of endogenous growth is particularly well illustrated with the webcam on the east rim of Halemaʻumaʻu (the B1cam). Timelapse images from this webcam show the central portion of the crater floor is being lifted like a piston, intact and largely without fracturing.
    The active lava lake—forming a relatively small portion of the crater floor—has essentially been lifted up gradually with the remainder of the crater floor. The laser rangefinder shows short-term fluctuations in the level of the active lava in the lake, superimposed on a gradual upward trend of the crater floor due to this slow uplift.
    Around the perimeter of this central portion of the crater floor, a series of large cracks have developed. Beyond the cracks, along the margins of the crater floor, the behavior is more complex than simple piston-like uplift. This outer region is often tilted and deformed from the endogenous growth below.
    At the same time, this zone along the margins of the crater floor is often resurfaced due to ooze-outs—basically lava that is squeezed out from beneath the crater floor, onto the surface.
    This type of endogenous growth, or “bodily uplift,” was also observed in the 1800s and early 1900s. But it hasn’t been observed so much in the past hundred years on Kīlauea. And it certainly hasn’t been observed this clearly before, given our modern tools such as laser rangefinders and webcams.
    You can bear witness to this important phase in the lifecycle of Kīlauea, and a fascinating period in Hawaiian volcanism. Volcano watchers on the Island of Hawaiʻi can see the summit lava lake filling Halemaʻumaʻu crater by visiting the public viewing areas in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. For those off-island, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcams showing the lake and crater are operating 24/7 on the HVO website (www.usgs.gov/hvo).

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COMMUNICATING WITH EMPATHY is the topic of this month's Kuʻikahi Mediation Center Brown Bag Lunch event on August 18 as part of its Finding Solutions, Growing Peace series. Talks are Third Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. This month's speaker is Anne Marie Smoke on the topic Communicating with Empathy: The Path to Seeing More Deeply.

        "How can we engage in communication that will help to establish a deeper connection with others?" asks Smoke.

Anne Marie Smoke, Appellate Mediation Program

Administrator for Center for Alternative Dispute

Resolution, Hawai'i State Judiciary.

    "Empathy development includes emotional intelligence techniques such as perspective taking, staying out of judgement, recognizing someone's emotions, and communicating understanding." The talks is designed for participants to take away tools to practice empathic communication in daily life.
    Smoke is Appellate Mediation Program Administrator and Trainer for Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary. She holds a graduate certificate in conflict resolution and MS in Travel Industry Management (sustainable tourism), is a facilitator for multiple policy-development and strategic planning initiatives, and has 17 years of training experience including teaching conflict management practices.
    Kuʻikahi's Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session and connect with others interested in Finding Solutions, Growing Peace. To get the Zoom link, register online at https://freebrownbagtalk.eventbrite.com.

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Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022

Kahuku-Pōhue parcel skirts Pōhue Bay and the Kaʻū Coast, attached to 16,451 acres, recently
acquired by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and subject of a public input meeting Aug. 13.
NPS Photo

THE MEETING ON THE PŌHUE BAY LANDS just acquired by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is subject of a call for public participation on Saturday, Aug. 13, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center, 92-8924 Leilani circle. National Park Service has sent out an invite to the public regarding the session on "protection and potential future use of the remote 16,451-acre Kahuku-Pōhue parcel the park acquired last month."
    Park managers are "seeking feedback from the community about the natural and cultural resources of the area, and wish to explore suggestions for public use that are compatible with resource protection," says the invite.

Brackish water pond that connects to the ocean at high tide.
NPS Photo by Jessica Ferracane

  A second meeting will be offered via virtual webinar on Wednesday, August 17 at 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/97789413155; or call in to (346) 248-7799, webinar ID: 977 8941 3155. The park, Trust for Public Land and the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development will participate in both meetings.
    The Park statement says that before the land transfer, the park met with community members in partnership with Trust for Public Land and Hawaiʻi Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development "to better understand the land's cultural, historical and ecological significance. Community engagement will continue over the next few months. Until Pōhue interim operating procedures can be worked out, and safe access protective of cultural and natural resources can be ensured, public access to the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel is temporarily restricted.
    "There are no restroom facilities or capacity for trash removal, and emergency response is very limited. Portions of the current jeep trail and pedestrian routes to the coastline pass through private lands not managed by the park."

Pōhue is one of the few white sand beaches found on the southern part
 of the island of Hawaiʻi. NPS Photo by Jessica Ferracane

    The Park calls the new section the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel in reference to the Hawaiian place name, Kahuku. Kahuku is the mauka-to-makai (inland to ocean) ahupuaʻa  (historic land division), in which Pōhue is located. In addition, many Kaʻū locals refer to the bay as Pōhue Bay and its adjacent beach as Kahuku Beach. The park welcomes additional information about other ʻinoa ʻāina (Native Hawaiian or indigenous) place names for Kahuku-Pōhue. 

    The Park website includes a section on Kahuku-Pōhu'e at www.nps.gov/havo/learn/historyculture/kahuku-pohue.htm It includes the following:

Pōhue holds a network of culturally and historically significant trails.
NPS Photo by Jessica Ferracane

"Located on the southern flank of Mauna Loa, the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel is home to numerous well-preserved and significant Hawaiian cultural sites, including the largest recorded abrader quarry in Hawaiʻi, lava tubes, burial site, mauka-makai (mountain to sea) trails, fishing shrines, remains of once-thriving coastal villages, and petroglyphs. 

A well-preserved portion of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail or Ala Loa, an ancient coastal trail system, hugs the coastline. The Pōhue coastline is also critical habitat for federally listed endangered Hawaiian species, including honu‘ea (Hawaiian hawksbill turtle) and ʻīlioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seal). Rare endemic ʻōpaeʻula (red shrimp) live in the area’s anchialine ponds, and the bay is often frequented by native and migratory birds, including ʻiwa (frigate bird), koaʻe kea (white tailed tropic bird), kōlea (golden plover), ʻūlili (wandering tattler) and ʻaukuʻu (black crowned night heron).
    The statement notes that "On July 12, 2022, the Trust for Public Land transferred ownership and stewardship of Kahuku-Pōhue to the National Park Service. The 16,451-acre parcel—from Māmalahoa Highway to the shoreline—is now part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Trust for Public Land has also donated $800,000 to the Friends of Volcanoes National Park to support the National Park Service’s management of Pōhue Bay."
    Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said, “Pōhue is an incredibly precious and culturally significant landscape that needs to be protected.... the park is working to develop an interim operating plan for Pōhue that explores opportunities for public use compatible with resource protection. We thank the community for your patience and for the manaʻo shared so far."

Puʻu Kī, the large cinder cone along the coastline of Pōhue. NPS Photo by Jessica Ferracane

 

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Aiea. Photo from DLNR

WAIEA IS NOW A STATE NATURAL AREA RESERVE, north of Miloliʻi and inland from Hoʻokena Beach Road. State Department of Land & Natural Resources released a statement this week saying, "A roughly 1,260-acre parcel in Waiea, on Hawai‘i island has been designated as part of the State Natural Area Reserve System managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife."
    Waiea NAR contains moist koa and ‘ōhi‘a dominated forests on the western flank of Mauna Loa within the South Kona district. "It is great habitat for rare forest birds and plants. In fact, wild ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) were last observed in Waiea," says the DLNR statement.
    The new reserve is approximately 1.5 miles mauka (upland) of where Highway 11 (Mamalahoa Hwy) intersects with Ho‘okena Beach Road. While NARs are generally open to everyone for hiking and nature study, this area is currently landlocked by adjacent private land, so currently there is no access.

Waiea understory. Photo from DLNR

DLNR says Waiea is unique, "because it has distinct seasonality compared to other forests in the NARs system. It evolved under a summer wet season, while most wet forests in Hawaiʻi evolved with a winter wet season."
    The NAR system "seeks to keep these forests as intact as possible, to preserve plants and wildlife that evolved over millennia to become unique to the islands. Protection of these species perpetuates the cultural practices that evolved with these ancient landscapes.
    "These native Hawaiian forests absorb rain, providing life-giving water, while reducing erosion onto beaches and reefs below. NARs have the highest levels of protection in the state to ensure that current and future generations can continue to experience these incredible places that make Hawaiʻi so unique."
    Individuals interested in learning more and giving back to the NAR system can take an online tour and make donations which will support planting native trees or removing invasive species like rats or feral goats, that can wipe out the last known individuals of extremely rare species. "This support is critical for local conservation work," says the DLNR statement.

Waiea fenceline. Photo from DLNR

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Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022

Gov. David Ige and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige with Miloli'i residents as the new Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area is established with the stroke of a pen. Photo from DLNR

A VISIT TO MILOLI'I BY THE GOVERNOR THIS WEEK CELEBRATES THE NEW COMMUNITY BASED SUBSISTENCE FISHING AREA. On Tuesday, with the stroke of a pen in front of Miloli'i residents, Gov. David Ige signed administrative rules to make the coastline bordering this remote village the second Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area in the state. A long time in the making and supported by the persistence of residents, the Miloli‘i CBSFA aims to protect and conserve fish populations and their habitats, by combining traditional Hawaiian fishing practices with modern approaches to conservation.

First Lady Dawn Ige and Gov. David Ige at Miloli'i to make
the Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area official.
Photo from DLNR

    

    Act 271, enacted by the Hawaiʻi Legislature in 1994, led to the designation of 18-miles of coastal waters along the rugged coastline on either side of the small community as the first permanent, legislatively designated CBSFA. Years of work by dedicated community members, with support from biologists and staff at the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources and research and non-governmental organizations, led to the development of a set of administrative rules designed to ensure abundant stocks of priority species and high-quality fishing now and into the future.
    Laila Kaupu, a fifth generation Miloli‘i fisher, was one of the prime movers behind the CBSFA initiative and headed up the community group, Kalanihale, which was instrumental in the development of the rules.
    On Tuesday, following a boat tour and snorkel with the Governor and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige, Kaupu let out a happy sigh and said, “That’s my feeling and I’ve got a feeling our kupunas are feeling the same. Just a lot of relief knowing that the community came together in its efforts, with the support of state and federal agencies. We can be that shining light that the governor mentioned for other coastal communities.”
    In remarks before signing the administrative rules into law, the Governor said, “We need young people to carry this work forward and encourage other communities to create community-based subsistence fishing areas for the benefit and future of the entire state. Miloli‘i is a shining example of how we can all work together for the benefit of our marine resources, our keiki and our kupuna.”

State Division of Aquatic Resources staff joined Miloli'i residents, including
 Laila Kaupu, to take Gov. David Ige and First Lady Dawn Ige snorkeling
 during their Tuesday visit. Photo from DLNR

 

    State Department of Land & Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case added, “This has indeed been a long road for Miloli‘i, but you all have persevered. We join you today in celebrating this tremendous achievement and remind us all, that the work has just begun in implementing these rules to manage Miloli'i’s resources. Here, and across the state we face immense challenges due to climate change, over-fishing and other ecosystem stressors. This is a giant step in the right direction, and we are grateful for such dedicated partners, rooted in tradition, with the goal of co-management of nearshore resources.”
    In 2015, also during the Ige Administration, the Hāʻena CBSFA was established on Kauaʻi. In 2016 the Kaʻūpūlehu “Try Wait” community-led marine rules on Hawaiʻi Island were passed. These communities, with Miloliʻi, "have inspired communities statewide to propose rules with the DAR to sustain Hawaiʻi’s marine resources," says a statement from DLNR.
    After his snorkeling expedition at Miloli'i, the Governor said, “It’s beautiful being out in the ocean and being able to see the coral colonies. It’s a spectacular day.”

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HIGH PATIENT CENSUS AT KAʻŪ HOSPITAL'S SISTER FACILITY IN HILO is the word from spokesperson Elena Cabatu. She sent out a report on Thursday saying that for the past two to three months, Hilo Medical Center has been experiencing high patient census and "operating above our capacity. Today, we started with a very full hospital with 13 holds in the Emergency Department, 13 patients in our overflow areas and 37 waitlisted patients."

    She said she will provide updates on the hospital two to three times per week "to keep our staff and community informed."

    Cabatu said multiple factors "are causing our hospital to be very full." They include: a continuous flow of sicker patients seeking care for a variety of issues, including COVID; long-term care facilities on island with limited capacity to accept hospital patients due to staffing shortage and COVID outbreaks; difficulty in discharging patients resulting in high number of waitlisted patients remaining in hospital beds; and fewer open beds leading to holding patients in the Emergency Department waiting for a bed to open.
    To accommodate the high patient census, Hilo Medical Center has opened additional beds in the Extended Care Facility; uses overflow beds in other patient care areas such as OB Unit, Short Stay and Recovery; offers overtime to staff and brings in traveler to staff additional beds; has doubled enrollment for its Nurse Residency Program to train 45 new nurses; has launched a paid Nurse Aide Training Program; and encourages staff to enroll in a Critical Care Nurse Training Program to help care for sicker patients. View a Town Hall Meeting on the subject at https://youtu.be/lePA4Cpev80. Learn about opportunities to enroll in the paid Nurse Aid Training Program at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022_07_26_archive.html

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THE COUNTY INVITES THE PUBLIC TO AN UPDATE ON CLOSURE OF PĀHALA AND  NĀ’ALEHU LARGE-CAPACITY CESSPOOLS. The public informational meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Nā‘ālehu Community Center, 95-5635 Māmalahoa Highway.
    The meeting will cover the Administrative Order on Consent recently signed by the County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is posted at https://www.epa.gov/uic/closure-cesspools-pahala-and-naalehu-administrative-order-consent-county-hawaii, and answer questions about potential impacts to residents resulting from compliance with the order. See a story on the evolution of the plans at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022_07_30_archive.html.

    The county's Deputy Director of Environmental Management, Brenda Iokepa-Moses, said the public gathering will include "updates since our meeting in Pāhala on March 16, 2022, on the different options under consideration for wastewater treatment as a result of the cesspool closures. County representatives will explain requirements of the Administrative Order on Consent, and also provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide comment." See story on the March 16 meeting at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022_03_16_archive.html.
    The county is expected to present its idea of switching from lagoon style wastewater treatment to individual wastewater systems.

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Coffee leaf rusts devastates crops.
Photo from CTHAR

A NEW PRUNING METHOD PUBLICATION FOR COFFEE LEAF BORER AND LEAF RUST has come from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources. The pruning methods for Hawaiʻi coffee growers aim to to mitigate the effects and further spread of these devastating stressors. Coffee Leaf Rust and the Coffee Berry Borer were identified in Hawaiʻi in October 2020 and August 2010, respectively. See the U.H. publication. The updated publication can be found at: at https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-126.pdf.

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A POLICE OFFICER'S RESPONSE IN VOLCANO netted him an Officer of the Month Award. Officer Michael Sailer is honored "for his exceptional investigative police work and lifesaving efforts during an incident involving the kidnapping and torture of a male victim," says the statement from Hawaiʻi Police Department. He received the Officer of the Month commendation from the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i during a ceremony Thursday, July 14.
     A four-year veteran of the department, Sailer responded to a report of a dispute at a residence in Volcano on Tuesday, June 7. According to the statement from HPD: Upon arrival, the officer began
searching the area initially making a loud announcement of police presence. "He heard a male yelling for help one time then it became quiet. Officer Sailer continued calling out 'police!' for several minutes with no response. In the quiet, Officer Sailer could hear heavy breathing coming from inside the residence.

Aloha Exchange Club's Raymond Hasegawa with Officer
Michael Sailer, who is honored for rescuing a kidnap victim
 in Volcano from two culprits who may have planned murder.
Photo from HPD

    "Officer Sailer again called out 'police!' and observed what appeared to be a small amount of blood on the front door. While at the front door, he called out “police!” again and a teenage male answered the door. The officer noted that the male was wearing gloves and could hear a man yell for help from inside the residence.
    "Asking the teen to step out from the residence, Officer Sailer entered the front room and discovered a man lying on the floor handcuffed with his feet zip-tied and a second man kneeling on top of the male victim. In addition to having his hands and feet restrained, the victim had a rag partially stuffed in his mouth and duct taped. The man kneeling on the victim told officers that there was a restraining order and that the tied up male had broken the law."
    After securing the residence, Sailer found tactical gear, an assault rifle, a pistol, ammunition, and evidence of a kidnapping and assault that had taken place in the residence. "In the course of investigation, the officer officer discovered that the victim had been held against his will within the residence and assaulted. It appeared that the two males in the residence may have intended on killing the victim and covering up the incident." Police charged both with a variety of crimes, including kidnapping and assault.
     The HPD statement says, "Sailer’s perseverance to uncover what had transpired that evening in Volcano resulted in him interrupting a potential homicide in the making. Through his efforts, a life was saved, two violent suspects were apprehended, and multiple firearms were safely recovered."
    Every month Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i honors a Police Officer of the Month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors. All officers selected for Officer of the Month are eligible to be selected as the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai‘i Officer of the Year.

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