The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, shown with Boys & Girls Club members in Dec. 2010 at Pāhala Plantation House,
is co-chairing the bid by Kai Kahele to become the next Congressman representing Kaʻū and the rest of rural
Hawaiʻi. Abercrombie is asking that current Rep. Tulsi Gabbard step down now. Photo by Julia Neal

TULSI GABBARD MADE NATIONAL NEWS SHOWS OVER THE WEEKEND, as they took up her voting kanalua (present - rather than yes or no) during the recent impeachment of Pres. Donald Trump by the House of Representatives. She told ABC News, on Saturday, that the impeachment will create "lasting damage" to the country. She called the possibility of Trump winning a second term a "serious concern" and said, "I think impeachment, unfortunately, will only further embolden Donald Trump, increase his support and the likelihood that he'll have a better shot at getting elected, while also seeing the likelihood that the House will lose a lot of seats to Republicans."
She contended that her kanalua vote was "not a decision of neutrality" and claimed that she was "standing up for the people of this country and our ability to move forward together. Thinking about what's politically advantageous, whether for me or for my party, does not enter into my mind around these decisions that have really great consequence."

Gabbard in a town hall in New Hampshire yesterday, where she defended
her unwillingness to vote for Trump's impeachment. Image: Tusli2020.com

She called the impeachment vote the fallout of a "zero sum mindset" between Republicans and Democrats. Gabbard was one of three Democrats to decline from voting yes to impeach the President. Rep. Jeff Van Drew voted no and switched from the Democratic to Republican Party. Rep. Collin Peterson also voted no.
Some opinions on Gabbard's vote include accusing her of "getting attention. We're talking about her, and really we shouldn't spend any time talking about her," said Democrat and former senator Claire McCaskill, an MSNBC contributor.
Gabbard doubled down in campaign speeches this weekend, predicting that, should the U.S. Senate exonerate Trump, he will take the message across the country and his support for a second term as president will grow.
In the meantime, last week, former Gov. Neil Abercrombie called on Gabbard to resign her post as congresswoman representing Kaʻū and the rest of rural Hawaiʻi. Abercrombie is honorary co-chair of the campaign of state Sen. Kai Kahele, who seeks to replace her. Abercrombie criticized Gabbard for missing many votes in the House during her campaign for President. In October, Gabbard stated she would not seek reelection to Congress, and would continue with her presidential campaign.

Kai Kahele is running for
Gabbard's seat.

Said Abercrombie, "Whatever her future holds in terms of a presidential campaign, I think in order for the people of Hawaiʻi to be properly represented, she should resign the seat and allow a special election to take place."
Ilihia Gionson, Gabbard's Hawaiʻi Island liason, responded: "Just this session, she has secured major legislative wins for Hawaiʻi, including better reporting on Red Hill aquifer protection, consultation between the military and Native Hawaiians, helping our veterans affected by toxic burn pits, opportunities for defense contracting for Native Hawaiian companies, and more. Her pursuit of the highest office in the land has not compromised her and her team's commitment to serving the people of Hawaiʻi in her fourth term in Congress."

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DRIVERS IN HAWAIIAN OCEAN VIEW ESTATES ARE ASKED TO BE CAUTIOUS of road workers who are repairing and maintaining the 157 miles of roads in the development. Road workers have reported recent "near hits," which HOVE Road Maintenance Corporation states is "dangerous, reckless, and disrespectful."

Also of note: four new bus stops for Kaʻū High and Intermediate school students have been announced: Aloha Blvd. and King Kamehameha Blvd., King Kamehameha Blvd. and

Kailua Blvd., Kailua

Blvd. and Trade Wind Blvd., and Trade Wind Blvd. and Aloha Blvd.

According to the HOVE Road Maintenance Corporation website: "HOVE covers over eighteen square miles – almost twelve thousand acres – which contains about 11,500 lots. Development began in the late 1950s, and a trust fund was established by the developer for the maintenance of the roads, equivalent mileage to about halfway around the island. Over time, the trust fund proved inadequate, and by the early 1980s, many (HOVE) roads were virtually impassable without a 4-wheel drive. HOVE RMC, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, was established by the Hawaiʻi Third Circuit Court in 1983 for the purpose of rebuilding and maintaining the roads within the subdivision, without assistance or support from the County or State.

"According to local remembrance, we started out with 'a truck, two shovels, and a bucket of bitumen.' In 1985 RMC acquired some second-hand equipment, and began rebuilding in earnest. Today, Ocean View has one of the best privately-maintained road systems on the island, and perhaps in the state.

"As the population of our area continues to grow, we are constantly pressed to keep pace with the times and traffic conditions. 'Road Maintenance' now includes stop and street signs, line markings, road patching, repair and resurfacing, shoulder maintenance, and line-of-sight clearing. All lot owners within the HOVEsubdivision are members of the Road Maintenance Corporation. This website has been developed for the purpose of keeping our members informed, and making it easier for them to communicate with the Board of Directors and the Office Staff."

The next Board of Directors will be held Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m.

See hoveroad.com for more.

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HOLIDAY HUGS, NOT SYMPATHY HUGS is the message from Hawaiʻi Police Department, for driving safely and unencumbered during the holiday season:

"This Holiday Season make sure your loved ones get a holiday hug and not a sympathy hug. It’s terrible how a fatal crash impacts a family. From 2013 to 2017, there were 4,110 drunk driving U.S.). In 2018, during Christmas and New Years Eve, 285 people died in drunk driving related fatalities in the U.S.

related deaths in the month of December (in the

"Remember, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicating substance is illegal in Hawaiʻi. If you use an intoxicant it impairs your thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination. Drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, using illicit drugs, or using some medications can put you and others in serious danger. If you consume any of these, don't drive.

"This weekend Officers from the Hawaiʻi Police Department will be searching for drivers who are under the influence. When they are located they will be stopped and they will be arrested. You have been warned. Drive Sober or get pulled over."

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TROJANS JUNOIR VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL team won its last game of the year. On Saturday, Dec. 28, the JV team won by two points, taking down the guest team, Kohala. With 44 points, Kaʻū's Jensen Navarro-Villa and Jocyiah Mukini each scored 10 points, Ivan Ramos scored 8, Micah Espejo scored 7, Waiola Akiu scored 4, Lentron Jara scored 3, and Jezekial Jara scored 2.

The Varsity team game ended 68-36, the game going to Kohala. The Trojans' Daysen Burns scored 9 points, Blake Nakano scored 8, Raymond Polido-Kalili and Kealiikoa Reyes-Nalu each scored 6, Elijah Evangelista scored 5, and Kyson Toriano scored 2.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

2019-2020 Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, DEC. 31

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tuesday – last Tuesday, monthly – Dec. 31, 11:30a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Volunteers welcome. Dave Breskin, 319-8333

KMC New Year's Eve Party, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 5-8p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. Blue Tattoo and midnight toast. $10 cover charge for non-KMC guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply

. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

THURSDAY, JAN. 2

Women's Expression Group, Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 3-4:30p.m., PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Women welcome to drop in. Free. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2, 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-70

33, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2, 6:30-8:30p.m., Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

Fit & Firm Volcano Medium Intensity Strength Adult Exercise Class - 4 weeks, Fridays, starting Jan. 3, 8-9a.m.,Volcano Art Center. Payment in full of $36 due at first class session, check or exact change. No make-ups, roll-overs or prorating for missed classes. Limited to 15 people. Must call to reserve spot in advance. No drop-ins. Puakea, 315-9130, volcanoartcenter.org, soulfitnesshawaiipksm.com

Strong Seniors Chair Exercise Class - 4 weeks, Fridays, starting Jan. 3, 10-11a.m.,Volcano Art Center. Payment in full of $45 due at first class session, check or exact change. No make-ups, roll-overs or prorating for missed classes. No drop ins. Limited to 15 people. Reserve spot in advance. Puakea, 315-9130, volcanoartcenter.org, soulfitnesshawaiipksm.com

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Dec. 4, 10a.m.-1p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 4 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. F

ree. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1st Sunday, monthly –

noon-2p.m., Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc or sites.google.com/viewith southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

ONGOING

Christmas in the Country featuring 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, daily, through Dec. 31, Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees app

ly. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org

Vote for the Best Cottage Decorations at Kīlauea Military Camp through Tuesday, Jan. 1. The public is invited to stroll along the sidewalks around the KMC Cottages where the staff has entered a contest for best Christmas decorations. The outdoor displays are best seen at night. KMC is located within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

The KMC New Year's Eve Party on Tuesday, Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. at the Lava Lounge will have live music from Blue Tattoo. The $10 cover charge includes a champagne toast at midnight. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Call 967-8356 or see kilaueamilitarycamp.com.

T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511

Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call 808-938-1088.

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Funding to support Kaʻū and Kona Hema preserves of The Nature Conservancy has totaled almost $500,000 from The Karasik Family Foundation. It helps conserve some 12,000 acres of native forest on
the slopes of Mauna Loa. Photo from The Nature Conservancy

KAʻŪ & KONA HEMA FOREST PRESERVATION efforts received a $45,000 donation at the end of 2019, marking donations of almost $500,000 over the last 15 years by The Karasik Family Foundation. Dr. and Mrs. Richard Robbins, representing The Karasik Family Foundation, gave the donations to The Nature Conservancy, which stewards 12,000 acres of native forest on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

ʻŌhiʻa native forests are preserved by
The Nature Conservancy in south Kona and
Kaʻū. Photo from The Nature Conservancy

A statement from the Conservancy says that the Max and Yetta Karasik Family Foundation's 2019 gift of $45,000 is supporting dramatic and ongoing recovery of The Nature Conservancy's Kona Hema and Kaʻū preserves, which provide fresh water for people and vital habitat for native forest birds and other native species.
"We are grateful to the Karasik Family Foundation for investing in Hawaiʻi Island's future by understanding the importance of healthy native forests," said Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi Executive Director Ulalia Woodside. "Their 2019 donation marks 15 years of giving, totaling nearly $500,000, to improve the forests of south Kona and Kaʻū."
In 2019, the Conservancy's 8,240-acre Kona Hema Preserve celebrated its 20th anniversary. Purchased in three parcels between 1999 to 2003, the preserve has been transformed from former pastureland to a thriving native forest. TNC has erected 25 miles of exterior and interior fences, removed all feral animals, cleared 620 acres of invasive weeds, restored 350 acres of pastureland to koa forest, and planted 5,700 native fruit trees and shrubs.
"When we began acquiring Kona Hema, the native forest was inundated with feral animals and heavily impacted by a century of logging and ranching," said Woodside. "Today, thanks to the Karasik Family Foundation and other supporters, our conservation efforts have resulted in a dramatic forest recovery."

Shalan Crysdale of The Nature Conservancy with donors,
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Robbins, of The Karasik Family
Foundation. Photo from The Nature Conservancy

Among the many positive changes is an upsurge in water recharge. Kona Hema is now contributing 14.5 million gallons of water a day to local aquifers, and scientists say that with continued investment the recharged will only increase. In addition, the ʻōmaʻo, a native thrush, recently established a small population in the preserve after having not been seen in south Kona for 40 years.
The 3,500-acre Kaʻū Preserve was established in 2002 after the Conservancy purchased former C. Brewer lands bordering the State's Kaʻū Forest Reserve. Its wet koa-ʻōhiʻa forest shelters 153 plant species unique to Hawaiʻi and, in the absence of feral hoofed animals, one of the island's richest assemblages of endangered forest birds.
"We're proud to help The Nature Conservancy do what it does best for the future of our island - use science to inform its decisions, adapt to changing circumstances and work with partners to expand their impact," said Dr. Richard Robbins from the Karasik Family Foundation. "To witness the revitalization of these lands is very rewarding."

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DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR STATE GRANTS-IN-AID IS FRIDAY, JAN. 17 at 4:30 p.m. for the 2020 Legislative Session. Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Donovan Dela Cruz and House Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke announced that qualified nonprofit and other organizations can now apply for funds. Last year, the Legislature awarded nearly $30 million in grants to non-profit organizations across the state "for various public purposes recognized as priorities and seen as complimentary to state government functions, including health, educational, workforce development, social services, and cultural and historical activities," states the announcement.

Information on the GIA process and the application is available on the Legislature's website at capitol.hawaii.gov. Click on the Legislative Information tab. Questions? Contact staff of House Committee on Finance (586-6200) or Senate Committee on Ways and Means (586-6800).

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SEABIRD CONSERVATION AND PLASTICS REMOVAL are some of the accomplishments of the Friends of Midway Atoll (FOMA) National Wildlife Refuge in 2019. Celebrating 20 years, the group's president, Wayne Sentman, sent an email to supporters to commemorate their actions: making headway in eradicating mice, which have been documented attacking and even killing breeding albatross; removing plastic pollution from Midway's islands and reefs; and hosting rememberance ceremonies for veterans of the Battle of Midway. The group is also planning upcoming multi-million dollar projects to restore the historic Transportation building's roof, to protect it from further decay.

Sentman wrote: "All of these projects are important to the mission of FOMA and the many people that find the Refuge so valuable, even though at present, none of us are able to visit. Your support, through donations or membership, of the Friends of Midway Atoll allows us to continue to work in support of the Refuge and the volunteers working out there, as well as numerous projects like those mentioned above, and others, that are being undertaken annually."

Donations to the group can be made online or mailed to: Friends of Midway Atoll NWR,

17 Katrina Lane, San Anselmo, CA, 94960

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TOMORROW IS THE FINAL DAY OF CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY, featuring the 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The free exhibit, which opened in November, runs through Dec. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and offers "a merry scene of art and aloha" in the historic building.

In addition to the artwork VAC offers year-round, unique holiday offerings of island-inspired gifts, ornaments, and decorations – including some that are VAC exclusives – are on offer, all made by Hawai‘i Island artists. The Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit presents one-of-a-kind wreaths "in a variety of imaginative media, techniques, and styles, from the whimsical to the traditional. Those looking for truly original wreaths as well as one-of- a-kind, handmade gift items will not be disappointed by the selection created by the local artistic community," states VAC.

Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-7565 or see volcanoartcenter.org for more details.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

2019-2020 Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, DEC. 31

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tuesday – last Tuesday, monthly – Dec. 31, 11:30a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Volunteers welcome. Dave Breskin, 319-8333

. 967-8356, kilaueamilitarycamp.com

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1

Read, Build, and Play LEGO, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2:30-4p.m., Pāhala Public Library. All ages; young keiki must be accompanied by parent or adult caregiver. No personal LEGO. 928-2015, librarieshawaii.org

Hula Voices with Hawai‘i Island Kumu Hula - Featuring Miss Aloha Hula Brenda Alidon Kanehailua, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 5:30-7p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery. "Talk Story" session. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org

THURSDAY, JAN. 2

Stewardship of Kīpukapuaulu, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 9:30a.m., Kipukapuaulu parking lot,

Mauna Loa Road

, off Highway 11 in HVNP. Volunteers remove invasive, non-native plant species that prevent native plants from growing in the park. Bring clippers or pruners, sturdy gloves, a hat, and water. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothing that can get permanently stained from morning glory sap. Be prepared for cool and wet or hot and sunny weather. New volunteer? Contact Marilyn Nicholson for more info, nickem@hawaii.rr.com. Parental/Guardian accompaniment or written consent required for under 18. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Kahuku Orientation Talk, Thursday and Friday, Jan. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31, 10-10:30a.m., HVNP Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Women's Expression Group, Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 3-4:30p.m., PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Women welcome to drop in. Free. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

Craft Day, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 – every Thursday, monthly – 3:30-4:30p.m., Pāhala Public Library. Ages 3 and up. 928-2015, librarieshawaii.org

CANCELED due to septic work at OVCC: Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6:30-8:30p.m., Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

Stewardship at the Summit, Friday, Jan. 3 and 17, and Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25, 8:45a.m.-noon, meet Paul and Jane Field at Kīlauea Visitor Center, HVNP. Volunteers remove invasive, non-native plant species that prevent native plants from growing in the park. Wear sturdy hiking shoes, long pants. Bring hat, rain gear, day pack, sunscreen, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental/Guardian accompaniment or written consent required for under 18. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Movie Matinee, Friday, Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 – every Friday, monthly – 2-4p.m., Pāhala Public Library. Free entry and popcorn. Keiki must be accompanied by parent or adult caregiver. 928-2015, librarieshawaii.org/events

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Free Hot Shower and Hot Lunch Day, Saturday, Jan. 4, 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-2p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Last Saturday of the month, Kady and Drew Foster give haircuts – 12 slots available – and Big Island Giving Tree hands out clothes and items like razors and toothbrushes. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org

Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

Grand Slam Band, Saturday, Jan. 4, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1st Sunday, monthly – noon-2p.m., Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc or sites.google.com/viewith southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Guided Hike of Kīlauea Iki Crater, Monday, Jan. 6, 13, 20, and 27, 10a.m.-1p.m. Meet Ranger Mike at Kīlauea Iki Overlook Parking Lot. Iconic four mile, moderately difficult hike, with an elevation gain of 400 feet. Crosses steaming crater floor through the intersection of eruption and native rainforest. Free; Park entrance fees apply except Jan. 20. nps.gov/havo

Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Dietrich Varez Block Printing with Desiree Moana Cruz, Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. No registration required. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ONGOING

Christmas in the Country featuring 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, daily, through Dec. 31, Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees app

ly. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org

KMC hosts a Christmas Day dinner buffet, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Dec. 25 at Crater Rim Café. Main entrees of Prime Rib, Roast Turkey, and Holiday Lamb Stew. $29.95/adult, $16.95/child for ages 6-11, five and under free. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

Call 967-8356 or see kilaueamilitarycamp.com.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Healthy coral environments supports all kinds of marine life. Read what the Legacy Reef Foundation is doing
- and what the public can do - to help support corals. Photo from legacyreeffoundation.org

AN ADOPT A CORAL PROGRAM will soon be launched to raise money to propagate coral to be used to restore reefs here and afar. The program is sponsored by the Legacy Reef Foundation, located in the Natural Energy Lab at the Hawaiʻi Ocean Science & Technology Park near the Kona Airport. Members of the public will be able to adopt a coral for $20 a month. See legacyreeffoundation.org.
The founders are Bill Coney and Dr. Susanne Otero who aim to save coral reefs in Hawaiʻi and in far off places like New Guinea and Fiji. On the Board of Directors is state Sen. Russell Ruderman, who represents south-east Hawaiʻi island, from Pāhala through Puna. One aspect of taking care of coral is the statewide sunscreen ban, which Ruderman co-sponsored. The ban prohibits the sale or distribution of oxybenzone and octinoxate-containing sunscreens and cosmetics in the state, unless by prescription. The ban begins a year from tomorrow, on Jan. 1, 2021.

Another purpose of Legacy Reef Foundation is to educate the public about the importance of coral reefs. School and community groups are invited to visit their headquarters where they operate a coral nursery, listen to a talk on coral reefs and, if desired, go on a dive. Reservations required for all tours; call 808-664-5737 to book.
Comey posted on the website: "A few years ago, I realized that the reefs around Hawaiʻi – where I grew up swimming, sailing and diving – were no longer as full of life as they had been just a few decades before. To ensure that my grandchildren will enjoy what I experienced as a child, I dreamed of restoring some of the local reefs. That dream became a reality when I met Dr. Susanne Otero and we created a non-profit organization, called the Legacy Reef Foundation. We opened a world-class coral restoration lab at the NELHA marine facility in Kona, Hawaiʻi. Our mission is the restoration and conservation of coral reefs in Hawaiʻi and around the world, and to ensure critical food security for future generations. With the help of our community, we can rebuild coral reefs globally and feed coastal communities for generations to come.

A tour at some of the tanks at the Legacy Reef Foundation.
Photo from legacyreeffoundation.org

Launched in March 2018, after "a year of planning and an extensive site search," NELHA "allows easy access to the reefs our team is researching, as well as unlimited surface seawater and deep nutrient-rich seawater. Our location and determination to expand will allow Legacy Reef to grow into one of the top coral research centers in the world.
"Since the founding of Legacy Reef Foundation, we have built our coral research lab, our coral tank farm, and have begun the process of creating our first containerized coral nurseries. We also have established a passionate management team, a qualified national fundraising team, an educational center, and a community outreach effort."
Corals are marine invertebrates that live in compact colonies of identical, individual polyps – sac-like animals only a few millimeters wide and a few centimeters long. A set of tentacles surrounds a central mouth opening. A hard exoskeleton, made of calcium carbonate, is excreted near the base of the animal, and together, over many generations, the colony creates a large skeleton, which together make up coral reefs. Individual heads grow by asexual reproduction of polyps. Corals also breed sexually by spawning: polyps of the same species release gametes simultaneously over a period of one to several nights around a full moon.

Coral, being grown in tanks. Photo from legacyreeffoundation.org

All stony corals feed on small plankton or dissolved organic matter that is in the waters. Most corals use their nematocysts on their tentacles to capture and sting their prey and feed at night. Other corals obtain the majority of their energy and nutrients from photosynthesis. These corals need sunlight and clear water less than 60 meters (200 ft) deep. The corals also need the algae that grows on and in them to survive, a symbiotic relationship: the corals give the algae a place to live and eat, and the algae photosynthesizes, supplying corals with glucose, glycerol, amino acids, and more. The algae also aid in calcifying the corals' skeleton and removing waste. Rich microbiomes are often found in corals with healthy algae. However, the algae also burden the corals somewhat, so when corals are exposed to stressors like warmer water, runoff from soil, and chemicals in the water, the coral expels the algae, and both algae and corals begin to die off.
Corals that survive bleaching events are good to propagate, as they are considered resilient.

A healthy coral. Photo from legacyreeffoundation.org

According to an article today in West Hawaiʻi Today, the Foundation's Director of Operations, Sandra Romer, said one goal of the foundation it to "put everything you need to start a coral nursery in a container and send it off to islands in the Pacific that need reef restoration and then they would re-establish their own reefs and educate their community to keep the reefs from degrading further. We are trying to get a real simple system – as cheap as you can get that you can put in shipping containers and take to places who don't have as many resources."
The website states that a Legacy Reef Foundation program called Repairing Our Oceans will cost $1.25 million per year. This includes empowering shore communities, training local scientists, and providing support to locations away from Hawaiʻi Island. Donations can be made at interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E347254&id=2.
To become involved, volunteer in the lab or in the office at NEL. There is also a Pau Hana event on the last Friday of almost every month – call 808-664-5737 in advance.
The Legacy Reef Foundation website states that, in mid-2020, a Coral Education Center will open at the NEL location. The center will feature a large aquarium tank and interactive learning tools "that will merge ancient Hawaiians wisdom regarding the pivotal role of coral with our present understanding of its place in the food pyramid."

Watch the Reefs at Risk film at thecoverupfilm.com/reefs-at-risk.

Reefs at Risk is a documentary film about sunscreen ingredients said to cause harm to the ocean and specifically corals, which is linked by the Legacy Reef Foundation on their site. According to thecoverupfilm.com, the makers of the documentary, helping to protect coral reefs and marine life includes "choosing to wear sun-protective clothing and sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide." The site states that "many sunscreens are now being labeled as 'reef safe' when they are not! If they contain any of the following chemicals they are not reef safe: oxybenzone/benzophenone, octinoxate, octisalate/octocrylene, homosalate, avobenzone, ethylhexl methoxycinnamate, parabens, retinyl palmitate, and fragrance." The site urges consumers to "Read your labels!" and to download this eco-friendly sunscreen guide.
The makers of Reefs at Risk urge educating others about the issue by sharing the documentary link, thecoverupfilm.com/reefs-at-risk, and to become a sponsor or make a tax-deductible donation to support the outreach and help the film be seen on more airlines – it is already featured on Hawaiian Airlines – on cruise ships, TV stations, at more film festivals, online, and at grassroots events.

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Aerial fireworks are illegal for private use in Hawaiʻi. Photo by Kris Bakken

A WARNING ABOUT ILLEGAL FIREWORKS was issued by Hawaiʻi County Fire Department, leading up to celebrations tonight for New Years Eve. The warning addresses how illegal fireworks impact the community, pets, and livestock. County officials report many complaints "about fireworks and homemade explosive devices that disturb residents and their animals," and address the negative affect these have on older people in the community, and those who are ill or suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Fire Chief Darren Rosario said, "The problem seems to be growing in various neighborhoods, and it poses a potential hazard. We urge the community to be considerate of their neighbors by not using illegal fireworks or explosives."

Ground fireworks, like these set off in Kaʻū, are legal fireworks for private
use. Photo by Michael Worthington

Rosariosaid those who use illegal fireworks and explosives are liable to be issued hefty fines and penalties, including federal imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $2,000 per offense. Parents, guardians, and those who have custody or control of a minor, and who allow said minor to explode any illegal fireworks, can be held liable. Liability may also extend to homeowners, renters, or those responsible for property, where someone is knowingly allowed to explode any aerial device on the property.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR LANDS TO BE PRESERVED by the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission are open through Friday, Feb. 28. The next meeting of the commission is Monday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Kona at West Hawaiʻi Civic Center

The goal of PONC is to acquire land or easements for public outdoor recreation and education, including mauka/makai access, historic or culturally important areas and sites, natural resource, significant habitat or eco-systems, forests, beaches, coastal areas, natural beauty, agricultural lands, and watersheds. Learn more at hawaiicounty.gov/departments/finance/property-management. Suggestions from the community for lands to be preserved provide the Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i with an island-wide list of prioritized properties.

In 2019, PONC preserved 2,317 acres of Kaʻū, which included Kaunāmano, 1,363 acres between Nāʻālehu and Honu‘apo, fronting four miles of Ka‘ū coastline and reaching up to the 600-foot elevation; Kiolaka‘a, 1,840 acres stretching over four miles inland to the 700-foot elevation; and Manaka‘a, 348 acres just south of Nā‘ālehu, with remains of the Manāka‘a Fishing Village on cliffs overlooking Waikapuna.

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OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER IS CLOSED through Sunday, Jan. 5 for septic tank work. See ovcahi.org/calendar.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

2019-2020 Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1

THURSDAY, JAN. 2

Stewardship of Kīpukapuaulu, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 9:30a.m., Kipukapuaulu parking lot,

Mauna Loa Road

Kahuku Orientation Talk, Thursday and Friday, Jan. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31, 10-10:30a.m., HVNP Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Women's Expression Group, Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 3-4:30p.m., PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Women welcome to drop in. Free. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

Craft Day, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 – every Thursday, monthly – 3:30-4:30p.m., Pāhala Public Library. Ages 3 and up. 928-2015, librarieshawaii.org

CANCELED due to septic work at OVCC: Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6:30-8:30p.m., Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Hawai‘i County Council Committee Mtgs., Tuesday, Jan. 7 (Hilo) and 21 (Kona) – second and fourth Tuesday, monthly. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Blended Learning Computer Class, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 – every Tuesday and Wednesday, monthly – 8a.m.-3p.m., St. Jude's computer lab. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Family Yoga Class, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28 – every Tuesday, monthly – 9:30-10:30a.m., PARENTS, Inc., Nā‘ālehu. 0-12 years old and caregivers. All levels welcome. Wear comfortable clothes. Bring mat, if can - supplies limited. Free. 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

A Walk into the Past with Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28 10a.m., noon, and 2p.m. One hour performance includes climbing stairs and entering a confined space. Meet at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Ka‘ū actor-director Dick Hershberger brings the renowned geologist and founder of Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, Dr. Jaggar, to life. Space limited; pick up free tickets at Visitor Center's front desk day of program. Supported by Kīlauea Drama Entertainment Network. Free; Park entrance fees apply. nps.gov/havo

Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 1, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 4-5p.m., Volcano Art Center. $85/VAC member, $95/non-member. Basics class focuses on vocabulary, counting, simple conversation, grammar, and sentence structures. No textbook or previous knowledge required. No class Jan. 24 or 31. Instruction by Kumu Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. volcanoartcenter.org

Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 2, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 4-5p.m., Volcano Art Center. $85/VAC member, $95/non-member. Class focuses on expanding vocabulary, using longer snippets of conversation, and understanding how repeating Hawaiian word and phrase patterns can be used to communicate using many types of sentences. Class taught using Hawaiian as language of instruction about 10% of the time to help with listening comprehension. No textbook required. No class Jan. 24 or 31. Instruction by Kumu Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. volcanoartcenter.org

Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Level 3, Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4, 6:30-8p.m., Volcano Art Center. $85/VAC member, $95/non-member. Class taught over 50% in the Hawaiian language to increase comprehension and to "immerse" the student. Class is ideal for teachers, cultural practitioners, and those with the goal of using Hawaiian language on a daily basis. No textbook required. No class Jan. 24 or 31. Instruction by Kumu Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. volcanoartcenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tues

day, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

After Dark in the Park - Transitions: What's Next for HVO and the Volcanoes it Monitors?, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 7-8p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Tina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge of HVO, describes the current status of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa and what might be coming next, and gives update on HVO's new volcano observatory. Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo

ONGOING

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The native wiliwili tree, Erythrina sandwicensis, also known as the Hawaiian Coral Tree, is in danger from a wasp pest.

One wasp species was already brought to Hawaiʻi to help control the pest, but adding another wasp species is

being suggested. Submit comments and questions by Wednesday, Jan. 22. Photo from Hawaiʻi Dept. of Ag

SAVING THE COLORFUL, NATIVE WILIWILI TREE is the aim of a plan to introduce a wasp from Africa that will kill off the wasp that damages wiliwili. The biological control plan issued by the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Land & Natural Resources seeks to protect the native wiliwili tree – Erythrina sandwicensis, also known as the Hawaiian Coral Tree – and other native trees from an invasive erythrina gall wasp, Quadrastichus erythrinae. This gall wasp has attacked and killed many hundreds of trees.
Those who live in or frequent Kaʻū and the rest of Hawaiʻi will recognize the wiliwili in bloom, usually with red/orange flowers and a spreading canopy. Red wiliwili seeds are valued among Native Hawaiians for making leis and other uses.

A second biocontrol agent, Aprostocetus nitens, is
suggested to help save the wiliwili from invasive
pest wasp EGW. Photo from waspweb.org

Comments and questions regarding introduction of the wasp are due by Wednesday, Jan. 22. Submit online at dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/biocontrol/contact-us, or by mail to: Attn: State Protection Forester, Div. of Forestry and Wildlife, Kalanimoku Bldg., 1151 Punchbowl St., Rm. 325, Honolulu, HI, 96813. Read the whole Draft Environmental Assessment at oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/Doc_Library/2019-12-23-ST-DEA-Erythrina-Gall-Wasp-Biological-Control.pdf.

The damaging gall wasp was discovered in the islands in 2005. A Tanzanian wasp, Eurytoma erythrinae, was brought to Hawaiʻi for biocontrol in November, 2008, "following rigorous specificity testing," according to DLNR. E. erythrinae attacks the gall wasp pest by feeding on its larvae. Six months after release, states DLNR, E. erythrinae established successfully and wiliwili trees began to recover.

Invasive erythrina gall wasp (EGW), Quadrastichus
erythrinae, have attacked and killed many hundreds of
native wiliwili trees. Photo from Hawaiʻi Dept. of Ag

However, states DLNR, damage by gall wasps to flowers, seed pods, and seedlings of wiliwili persists, because the galls formed on flowers and seedling are usually small and scattered, and E. erythrinae does well only on large galls. The Draft EA supports release of a second biocontrol agent, Aprostocetus nitens, another kind of non-endemic wasp, to complement E. erythrinae in controlling the gall wasp pest. Collected in its native region of Africa, A. nitens can complete development on a single wasp and survives well on small and large galls. Testing has proven A. nitens to be host specific to the gall wasp pest, which means that it will not predate on other gall wasps that are not harming native plants.

A Tanzanian wasp, Eurytoma erythrinae was brought to

Hawaiʻi for biocontrol of the erythrina gall wasp in

November, 2008. Photo from Hawaiʻi Dept. of Ag

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DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF HAWAIʻI HAS ANNOUNCED CHANGES TO METHODS for the 2020 elections. Changes to the Presidential Primary include:

The Precinct meetings – where Precinct and District officers, and delegates to state and county conventions, are elected – will take place on Wednesday, March 4, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at various locations across the state. A complete listing of those locations will be put on the Party's website, hawaiidemocrats.org, later this month. These meeting were previously held along with the PPP.

All enrolled members of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, with current mailing addresses, will be able to vote by mail in the Party-run Presidential Primary.

Update membership information at hawaiidemocrats.org/join and registration at olvr.hawaii.gov by Feb. 18. Ballots will be mailed. A second mailing will happen after March 8 for anyone that joins between Feb. 19 and March 8. Those that join after March 8 will have to go to a polling location on April 4.

DPH's Party-run Presidential Primary will offer Rank-Choice Voting: Every voter will be able to vote for up to three top candidates.

Same-day voter registration, Party enrollment, and in-person voting will be available for those who miss the vote-by-mail deadlines or chose not to vote by mail. This service will be available on Saturday, April 4 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at locations on every island except Niʻihau. The complete list of polling locations will be available on the Party's website hawaiidemocrats.org later in January.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE NEXT MAUNA LOA ERUPTION and the 2018 Kīlauea eruption are the subjects of a talk that will be given on Thursday, Jan. 30, to close out the 11th annual Volcano Awareness month. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno will come to Ocean View Ocean View Community Center – 92-8924 Leilani Circle – from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event will also focus on the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan for Hawaiʻi Island, and comments from the community will be welcome at the meeting.
Neal and Magno will talk about the current status of Mauna Loa, hazards of future eruptions, experiences from Kīlauea 2018 eruption, preparing for next Mauna Loa eruption, and how communities can stay informed. The meeting is free and open to public. More info at "HVO News" at volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/, (808) 967-8844, or askHVO@usgs.gov.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

THURSDAY, JAN. 2

Stewardship of Kīpukapuaulu, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 9:30a.m., Kipukapuaulu parking lot,

Mauna Loa Road

Kahuku Orientation Talk, Thursday and Friday, Jan. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31, 10-10:30a.m., HVNP Kahuku Unit Visitor Contact Station. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Women's Expression Group, Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 3-4:30p.m., PARENTS Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Women welcome to drop in. Free. Lindsey Miller, 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

Craft Day, Thursday, Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 – every Thursday, monthly – 3:30-4:30p.m., Pāhala Public Library. Ages 3 and up. 928-2015, librarieshawaii.org

CANCELED due to septic work at OVCC: Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Mtg., Thursday, Jan. 2 – 1st Thursday monthly – 6:30-8:30p.m., Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1st Sunday, monthly – noon-2p.m., Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc
or sites.google.com/viewith southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

Hawai‘i County Council Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 8 (Hilo) and 22 (Kona) – second and fourth Wednesday, monthly. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.

ʻAi Pono: Healthy Hawaiian Foods, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 10a.m.-noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. ‘Anake (Aunty) Edna Baldado discusses eating and living healthier with native Hawaiian foods like kalo (the staple food of Hawaiians), ‘uala (sweet potato), and ‘ulu (breadfruit). Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Restoring Hope Group, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 15, 22, and 29 – every Wednesday, monthly – 4-6p.m., PARENTS Inc. Office, Nā‘ālehu. For families with keiki ages ages 3-17. Free, dinner included. Registration required. For more info, 333-3460

ONGOING

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Kāwala ahupuaʻa in Kaʻū Moku (district) is preserved for agricultural and cultural uses. Photo from Trust for Public Land

CONSERVING SCENIC AGRICULTURAL LAND ABOVE THE KAʻŪ COAST has been achieved at Kāwala. The 772 acres of pasture, extending from Nāʻālehu toward the shoreline, is preserved in perpetuity for agriculture and cultural preservation through a Conservation Easement.

The announcement was made today by Ala Kahakai Trail Association, Kuahiwi Ranch, The Freeman Foundation, and The Trust Public Land. The Freeman Foundation provided financial support for the purchase, facilitated by The Trust for PublicLand. The Conservation Easement is held by Ala Kahakai Trail Association and Ho‘omalu Ka‘ū.

Keoni Fox, Director of Ala Kahakai Trail Association, said, "This conservation easement will preserve sections of an ancient trail system that connect the fertile fields of Nāʻālehu with abundant marine resources along the coastline including a culturally significant landscape with ancient Hawaiian sites and iwi kupuna (burials). My own kūpuna (ancestors) are buried here, so protecting Kāwala and its burial sites is especially meaningful to my ‘ohana."

Wendy Scott-Vance, President of Ho‘omalu Ka‘ū, said "We are committed to working with Kuahiwi Ranch, the Ka‘ū community, and Kāwala descendants to steward this wahi pana and perpetuate Ka‘ū's culture for generations to come."

Kuahiwi Ranch recently purchased the 772 acre Kāwala property for pasture for its grass-fed beef. "While the family was excited about the purchase," stated the announcement, "it was a stretch financially. Kuahiwi Ranch asked The Trust for PublicLandfor assistance to restrict future land use to agriculture with a Conservation Easement."

Michelle Galimba of Kuahiwi Ranch said, "We are extremely grateful to The Freeman Foundation for generously supporting our Ranch's vision. Proceeds from the Conservation Easement will reduce our family's debt incurred to buy the land and allow us to reinvest in our ranch. Our family is passionate about growing free-range, grass fed beef and contributing to Hawai‘i's food security. We are committed to partnering with the Ala Kahakai Trail Association and the broader community to enable our ranching operations to co-exist and compliment the preservation of the cultural and natural resources on this property."

The 772 acres of Kāwala are used by Kuahiwi Ranch for free-range,

grass-fed beef and contain ancient Hawaiian cultural and burial sites.

Photo from Trust for Public Land

Lea Hong, Hawai‘i State Director, The Trust for Public Land, said, "We are humbled to support the Ka‘ū community, which has been working for decades to protect their beloved 80 mile coast to honor their kūpuna, paniolo traditions, and rural lifestyle. This would not have been possible without the generous philanthropic support of the Freeman Foundation."

The Kāwala Conservation Easement is the second among five conservation projects along the Ka‘ū coast to close. Waikapuna, with 2,317, closed Dec. 16, 2019. The other locations, which are pending, are Manaka‘a FishingVillage, Kiolaka‘a, and Kaunamano. All five projects would conserve over 6,000 acres of coastline, cultural sites, and pasture land, and connect over 10 miles of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.

The Ala Kahakai Trail Association helps to connect the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to the community and ensures that Hawaiian values and principles are acknowledged and practiced. "We foster partnerships with the Trail and help guide the management and sustainment of the Trail. Our vision is that the Trail is a viable, appropriately-used and managed trail that follows the path of our ancestors – creating a bridge of understanding, respect and balance for all to use, protect, learn from and appreciate."alakahakaitrail.org

Kāwala ahupuaʻa is the second of five Kaʻū Moku lands that are
set for conservation. Photo from Trust for PublicLand

Ho‘omalu Ka‘ū is a community nonprofit based in Nāʻālehu. "Our mission is to perpetuate, protect and conserve the land, culture, knowledge, and history of Ka‘ū and its people. We are committed to protecting the archeological, cultural, and historical treasures of Ka‘ū." The group was recently awarded stewardship of the Kahua Olohu, the ancient Makahiki grounds in Nā‘ālehu, acquired by the County of Hawai‘i's Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund.

Kuahiwi Ranch is a family owned and operated cattle ranch run by three generations of the Galimba family. Operating on 9,000 acres, Kuahiwi Ranch specializes in local, free-range, grass-fed beef which contributes to Hawai‘i's local food security and self-sufficiency. The Ranch markets about 450,000 pounds of meat annually to Whole Foods, Foodland, and Foodland Farms, as well as restaurants such as Town, Volcano House, and Kīlauea Lodge. kuahiwiranch.com

The Trust for PublicLand creates parks and protects land for people, "ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for PublicLand park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for PublicLand and share why nature matters to you, visit tpl.org/hawaii."

Brian Shiro, Seismologist, USGS

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

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TALKS ABOUT EARTHQUAKES AND HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES OBSERVATORY will be given by U.S. Geological Survey HVO scientists next week in Kona and Hilo. Both programs are free and open to the public, no reservations required. . These talks are two of many programs offered during Hawaiʻi's 11th annual Volcano Awareness Month in January 2020:

Living with Earthquakes in Hawaiʻi on Wed., Jan. 8, 6 p.m., West Hawaiʻi Civic Center Council Chambers, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Kona. USGS HVO seismologist Brian Shiro talks about how Hawaiian earthquakes are monitored, the history of damaging earthquakes in Hawaiʻi, and how residents can prepare for the next "big one."

Transitions: What's Next for HVO and the Volcanoes it Monitors? on Thurs., Jan. 9, 7 p.m., University Classroom Building (UCB), Room 100, on the main UH-Hilo campus, 200 W. Kawili St. USGS HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal recaps HVO's situation since having to vacate its building at Kīlauea's summit in 2018, shares info on the exciting next steps for the volcano observatory in 2020 and beyond, and describes the current status of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.

Tina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge,

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

More details are posted on the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website – in the HVO News corner – at volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo. For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov or call 808-967-8844.

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COLLEGE STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY FOR MOSAICS IN SCIENCE by Monday, February 3. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's 12-week paid summer internship position is designed to engage university students and recent graduates with on-the-ground work experience in the National Park Service. A $4,800 stipend, and all travel costs are covered, including a week-long career workshop in Washington, D.C. to meet with NPS managers.

The internship is open to U.S.citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park.

For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at j ody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

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MAUNA LOA VOLCANO IS NOT ERUPTING. The largest volcano on Earth's Alert Level is ADVISORY, Aviation Color Code is YELLOW. Rates of deformation and seismicity have not changed significantly over the past week and remain above long-term background levels.
     During the past week, HVO seismometers recorded 82 small magnitude earthquakes beneath the upper elevations of the volcano. Seven additional earthquakes slightly larger than M.20 were detected, which is normal for the volcano at this time. Most earthquakes occurred at shallow depths of less than 5 km (~3 miles) below sea level.
     Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements show continued slow summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system.
     Gas concentrations at the Sulphur Cone monitoring site on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable. Fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit have not changed significantly.
     For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html.

Mauna Loa, Earth's largest volcano. USGS photo/J.D. Griggs, 1985

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

FRIDAY, JAN. 3

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

A Walk Through Kīlauea Volcano's Summit History, Thursday, Jan. 9, Friday, Jan. 17, Wednesday, Jan. 22, Saturday, Jan. 25, 8-10a.m., Devastation Trail Parking Lot. Join USGS HVO scientist emeritus Don Swanson on a two-hour walk. Learn about the past 500 years of Kīlauea Volcano's history. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Beginning Improv for Adults, Thursday, Jan. 9 through Feb. 13, 1-3p.m. Learn to live more in the moment, think on your feet, let go of self-judgment, bring more joy in your life, and recapture your playful spirit in the 6-week workshop series with improv legend Keli Semelsberger. Attendance to all 6 classes is not required – classes may be attended individually. No prior experience is necessary. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

ONGOING

Deadline to Sign Up for Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū is Friday, Jan. 10. Classes run Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, at Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St. in Pāhala. The free class series on Chronic Kidney Disease is lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong. Bring a pen and whomever cares/cooks/shops for the person(s) with CKD. Enroll online at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

The endemic ʻio, Hawaiian Hawk, is no longer on the federal endangered species list. Learn about what the removal means, and the future of the iconic bird of prey. See more below. Photo from Wildlife Conservation Biology

NO WAR WITH IRAN, URGED TULSI GABBARD today, following a U.S. airstrike that killed Iran's top general while he was visiting Iraq. Kaʻū's member of the U.S. House of Representatives and candidate for U.S. President said:

"Make no mistake: Trump's actions are an act of war. They were taken without any authorization or declaration of war from Congress, seriously escalating this tit for tat conflict, pushing us deeper into an endless quagmire and dangerously undermining our national security." In a video message, Gabbard called the actions "so incredibly shortsighted, damaging, and dangerous for our country." She asked her constituents to "stand with me in sending a message to Trump and his neocon advisers — no war with Iran, no more regime change wars, and no more delay in bringing our troops home. Millions of people voted for Trump because he promised the American people he would get us out of these stupid wars; that he would bring our troops home. But his actions don't match his rhetoric. He has deployed 15,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East, just in the last eight months. We have more troops in the Middle East now than when he was elected."

Kaʻū's Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard opposes war with Iran.

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NO MILITARY ACTION, UNLESS APPROVED BY CONGRESS, was the call today from Sen. Mazie Hirono, after U.S. airstrikes killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Hirono, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, issued the following statement:

"General Soleimani was a reprehensible figure responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American service members and thousands of innocent people around the world.

"His death in a U.S. airstrike further escalates hostilities and increases the potential for widespread violence in a part of the world already fraught with peril.

"In normal times, we could have confidence that the President – fully cognizant of the potential ramifications of this strike – was mobilizing a whole of government response and coordinating with our allies to seek a diplomatic outcome. But these are not normal times.

"Congress must reassert its Constitutional responsibility and demand the president seek authorization prior to any military conflict with Iran."

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Dark morph of the ʻio. Photo from USFWS

ʻIO, THE HAWAIIAN HAWK, IS OFF THE THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES LISTS, as of Tuesday, Dec. 31. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced that the ʻio, Buteo solitarius, which only lives on Hawaiʻi Island, "no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species under the Act." The hawk's population estimates "have been stable for at least 30 years," and the species "is not currently, nor is likely to become again, an endangered species."

Removal from the federal list will not diminish ʻio's status under state law. USFWS, in coordination with the State of Hawai‘i, U.S. Geological Survey Biological Resources Discipline, and the National Park Service, plan to conduct islandwide surveys every five years for a period of 20 years.

ʻIo were first listed as endangered on March 11, 1967. The ʻio's restricted range and small population size, with the loss of native forest habitat from agriculture, logging, and commercial development, influenced the listing. Due to recovery and conservation efforts, the hawk is found all over the island, and is nesting and foraging successfully in both native forests and conserved habitats, and has large areas of protected habitat.

The ʻio is a small, broad-winged species of hawk endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and is the only member of the hawk family that nests and resides in the islands. This bird of prey measures, as an adult, at 16 to 18 inches in length, the female being larger. Two color phases exist: a dark phase (dark brown head, breast, and underwings), and a light color phase (dark head, light breast and light underwings). Feet and legs are yellowish in adults and greenish in immatures.

Hawaiian hawks mate for life and defend their territories year-round. Eggs are laid from March to June and the eggs hatch from May to July. The young birds fledge from July to September. A typical clutch consists of one egg. The hawk is known to breed only on Hawai‘i Island, but there have been at least eight observations of the species on the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Maui since 1978, and fossils are known from the islands of Moloka‘i and Kaua‘i. The hawk's range is estimated to encompass 2,372 square miles, comprising 58.7 percent of the island of Hawai‘i. Population estimates conclude there are about 3,000 in the wild.

Light morph of the ʻio. Photo from USFWS/Jack Jeffrey

In traditional Hawaiian culture, the ‘io is believed to be an ‘aumakua – a family or personal god in the shape of an animal. Mortals did not harm or eat ‘aumakua, and in return, the ‘aumakua would warn and reprimand mortals in their dreams, visions, and calls. ‘Io are also considered a symbol of Hawaiian royalty because of their lofty flight.

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COMMENTS ON THE CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM for Hawaiʻi and other coastal waters are due by Monday, Jan. 27. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal Management has prepared a draft programmatic environmental impact statement. Find the draft PEIS here: coralreef.noaa.gov.

The draft PEIS addresses concerns about the CRCP, including environmental impacts and potential mitigation. NOAA anticipates that some environmental effects will be caused by site-specific, project-level activities implementing the CRCP. The final PEIS will be used to support an environmental decision-making framework that will comply with statutes such as the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Three options are evaluated in the draft: no action, addressing three primary threats, identifying and implementing "a suite of standard, discretionary conservation and mitigation measures." The main difference between no action and the first alternative is the latter would include research and potential application to respond to imminent threats to corals.

Coastal areas and marine waters included in the program are: Hawaiʻi, Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands, and targeted international regions including the wider Caribbean, the Coral Triangle, the South Pacific, and Micronesia. Publication of this document begins the public comment period for the draft PEIS.

A healthy coral reef. NOAA photo

Submit comments at regulations.gov/NOAA-NOS-201-0127 or by mail to: Harriet Nash, Deputy Director, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, Office for Coastal Management, 1305 East-West Highway, N/OCM6, Room 10404, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Contact liz.fairey@noaa.gov for more information.

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NEW LAWS IN HAWAIʻI that take effect in January include:

Firearms - As of Jan. 1, the Red Flag law allows a judge to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Healthier Drinks Options for Keiki - As of Jan. 1, restaurants will need to offer healthier beverages such as white milk, water, or 100 percent fruit juice as the default drinks with kids meals in restaurants. Drinks like sodas can still be ordered.

Marijuana Possession - As of Jan. 11, penalties for marijuana possession will change to a fine of no more than $130 for 3 grams or less of the drug.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

RESEARCHING HAWAIIAN CULTURAL HISTORY to discover whether Halemaʻumaʻu Crater featured lakes in the past is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:

The growing lake of groundwater within Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano as it looked on Dec. 18.

The pond is 189 m (650 ft) long. USGS photo by M. Patrick

The new Halemaʻumaʻu crater lake at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano is on everyone's mind at USGS HVO as scientists look to Hawaiian chants for mention of past crater lakes:

This is the first lake of groundwater observed on the crater floor in nearly 200 years. So we looked to Hawaiian chants for mention of a crater lake before western contact and whether it was associated with explosive eruptions.

To our knowledge, a lake is not mentioned explicitly, but Hawaiians did tell a few stories where Pelehonuamea faced the threat of water drowning her volcanic fires at Kīlauea. A few are briefly recounted here.

Pele and her older sister Namakaokahaʻi, the eldest in a family of many siblings, were imbued with different powers – Pele reigned over volcanoes and eruptions; Namakaokahaʻi ruled the seas and beaches.

Namaka, as she is known to friends, hated when Pele spread lava over beaches and intruded land into the ocean. Pele didn't appreciate Namaka trying to remove lava from the coasts. They fought frequently. We see these two sisters continuing to fight with spectacular explosive displays each time lava enters the ocean.

Another Pele story involving water features Kamapuaʻa, the pig deity from Oʻahu, who traveled to Kīlauea to woo Pele and take her for his wife. Pele persistently spurned his advances, insulting him and even trying to kill him. Kamapuaʻa's infatuation turned into anger, and the pig-man flooded Pele's crater with water to put out her volcanic fires.

One of the late Dietrich Varez's works to address the story of the two sisters.
Image from volcanoartcenter.org

Fortunately, Pele's brother hid her firesticks and used them to reignite the volcanic flames. Some versions of this story describe Pele chasing Kamapuaʻa to the sea as either a lava flow or ejected hot rocks; other versions resolve the conflict in a brief marriage.

A better-known story is the saga of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Pele's youngest sister. It's a long story mostly focused on Hiʻiaka’s journey from Kīlauea Crater to Kauaʻi to retrieve Pele's lover, Lohiʻau. Along the way, Hiʻiaka developed into a powerful woman.

The journey was long, and Pele became suspicious that Lohiʻau was being unfaithful to her.

When Hiʻiaka arrived at the Kīlauea Crater rim with her new husband, Lohiʻau, Pele was incensed and ordered her siblings to kill him as punishment. This enraged Hiʻiaka and she decided to retrieve Lohiʻau's spirit to revive him, and to seek revenge and destroy Pele by flooding Kīlauea Crater with water.

Hiʻiaka jumped down to the crater floor, and not finding the spirit of her husband, stomped her feet. "The entire crater of Kīlauea was rocked and the cliff walls of Uēkahuna trembled," from The Epic Tale of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, translated by Nogelmeier – and the first layer of Kīlauea cracked open. She looked down, but still not seeing her husband, she stomped again.

She continued stomping through several layers without finding her husband's spirit. The described effects of Hiʻiaka repeatedly stomping to get deeper beneath the crater floor are eerily like the continuous strong shaking of the 2018 collapse events.

Hiʻiaka finally got down to the fifth layer that was holding back water, which, if released, would rise and flood the crater, turning Kīlauea into a lake and putting out Pele's fires forever. At the last instant, Hiʻiaka was dissuaded from her destructive task and reconciled with her sister.

Hiʻiaka was seeking groundwater like that which appears in Halemaʻumaʻu today. Geophysical studies over the past 30-40 years showed the presence of a water table, elevated about 600-800 m (2,000-2,600 ft) above sea level, beneath the caldera floor. HVO scientists hypothesize that the currently growing lake is an exposure of this groundwater returning to its former level following the 2018 summit collapse. It is only visible to us because of the deep pit formed by that collapse.

An analogy is digging a hole in beach sand. If you dig deep enough, water will start to flow through the sand into the hole.

HVO geologists think this Hiʻiaka story may have been inspired by an earlier Kīlauea caldera collapse about 1500 CE. Although in most versions of the story Kamapuaʻa's deluge didn't result in explosions and Hiʻiaka never unleashed subterranean water, geologic study of post-collapse explosive deposits suggests at least an intermittent presence of a lake.

These legends are but a few from the rich Hawaiian literature on Pelehonuamea and her volcanoes. Along with geologic studies, they can provide insight to understanding the ever-changing volcanic landscape of Kīlauea Volcano.

The first photos of the pond show how rapidly it grew. The image on the left was taken July 25, the one
on the right on Aug. 1. USGS photos by S. Conway

Volcano Activity Updates

Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL. Monitoring data showed no significant changes in activity over the past month. Seismicity was relatively consistent with some episodic increased rates at the summit coincident with inflation. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and below detection limits at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the lower East Rift Zone. The water lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly expand and deepen.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption is certain. This past week, 89 small-magnitude earthquakes were detected beneath the upper elevations of Mauna Loa. Deformation measurements show continued summit inflation. Fumarole temperature and gas concentrations on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable.

Three earthquakes with three or more felt reports occurred on the Island of Hawai‘i this past week: a magnitude-2.6 quake 11 km (7 mi) southeast of Leilani Estates at 6 km (4 mi) depth on Dec. 31 at 4:12 a.m., a magnitude-2.9 quake 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Volcano at 3 km (2 mi) depth on Dec. 29 at 7:33 p.m., and a magnitude-3.0 quake 20 km (12 mi) E of Hōnaunau-Nāpō‘opo‘o at 3 km (2 mi) depth on Dec. 26 at 7:00 a.m.

Visit volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Boys Basketball

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Saturday, Jan. 4, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult, two-mile, hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Keiki Science Class, Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1st Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-noon, Ace Hardware Stores islandwide; Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030 and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Apply for Mosaics of Science by Monday, Feb. 3. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's 12-week paid summer internship position is designed to engage university students and recent graduates with on-the-ground work experience in the National Park Service. A $4,800 stipend, and all travel costs are covered, including a week-long career workshop in Washington, D.C. to meet with NPS managers.

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at j ody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

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Electricity production by Tawhiri Pakini Nui windmills at South Point could be reduced under Hawaiian Electric's
plan to use more geothermal. See more below. Photo by Peter Anderson

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC PROMISES LOWER ELECTRIC BILLS WITH PUNA GEOTHERMAL VENTURE BACK ON LINE THIS YEAR. On Dec. 31, Hawaiian Electric filed its power purchase agreement with the state Public Utilities Commission to resume buying electricity from Puna Geothermal Venture. The PGV facility, in operation since 1992, shut down and was partially covered by lava during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. The plan is to reopen PGV in the second quarter of this year, if PUC approves the agreement.

Hawaiian Electric said the geothermal facility would "produce an additional 8 megawatts of firm, lower-cost renewable energy, further reducing bills and the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity," making PGV a 46-megawatt plant. Until PGV was shut down, Hawai‘i Island had the highest rate of renewable energy production in the state. Hawai‘i Island's renewable energy total would be close to 70 percent with the additional megawatts.
Residential bills would drop about $7.50 a month starting in 2022, and $13 a month in 2023, based on current prices. Lower rates would come with a new contract when upgrades are completed in 2022, then run through 2052.

The contract changes the cost paid by Hawaiian Electric to PGV to a fixed rate, no longer linked to volatile oil prices. Electricity from PGV would displace about 160 million gallons of oil over the life of the contract, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, states Hawaiian Electric.

The utility is also applying to construct 69 Kilovolt overhead transmission lines to reconnect PGV to the grid. The application was suspended in August pending additional information on the power purchase agreement.

All repairs, including rebuilding the transmission lines and the switching station that ties PGV into the grid, are at no cost to utility customers.

This image shows the proposed configuration of the new Puna Geothermal Venture plant, courtesy Hawaiian Electric.

Sharon Suzuki, president of Hawaiian Electric's MauiCountyand Hawai‘i Island utilities, said, "We thank our regulators for the opportunity to revisit the agreement and find solutions that will reduce customer bills. The pricing of renewables has dropped significantly in recent years. The owners of PGV recognize that and we appreciate their willingness to sit down and work with us on an amended contract that benefits customers and accelerates our transition to 100 percent renewable energy."

Isaac Angel, chief executive of Ormat Technologies, Inc., owner of PGV, said, "We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Hawaiian Electric and Hawai‘i Electric Light, and are grateful for its support of geothermal power. We are proud to partner with Hawaiian Electric and enable Hawai‘i's commitment to clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As Hawai‘icontinues to pursue the goal of achieving 100 percent of its electricity generation from renewable sources, PGV is an increasingly critical source of renewable energy and capacity, unaffected by volatile fossil fuel pricing, in this region."

The PUC recently denied a motion to intervene by Tawhiri Power LLC, which sells power generated by its Kaʻū windfarm to Hawaiian Electric, reported Big Island Video News. According to PUC documents, Tawhiri stated that "if HELCO's proposed transmission project is approved, it may result in HELCO curtailing production from Tawhiri's wind farm, which 'has the potential to financially ruin' Tawhiri's investment in the windfarm." The PUC instead granted Tawhiri "participant status in lieu of intervention," reported BIVN.

Hawaiʻi Department of Health requested a Wednesday, Jan. 22 deadline to make a decision on whether an environmental review is required. Puna Pono Alliance and other community members, reported BIVN, "are demanding further environmental review as a condition precedent to PGV's request for an air pollution permit renewal." Puna Pono argues that the Environmental Impact Statement produced in 1987 is not valid, following the 2018 eruption, "because the present situation has changed substantively from that addressed by the 1987 EIS in many matters that may have a significant effect," reported BIVN.

Pacific Business News reported that, after PGV was shut down, Hamakua Energy facility had to take on the demand load, going from a 15 percent capacity plant to a 75-to-80 percent capacity plant overnight. The Hamakua plant is an asset of Pacific Current, a tier-one subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, reported PBN, that "invests in renewables, transportation electrification and clean water, energy, and agriculture. In late October, the Pacific Current signed a contract with Pacific Biodiesel, to add biofuel to the fuel mix at the Hamakua plant, and reduce the intake of Naphtha fuels."

Lava inundated Puna Geothermal Venture in the Lower East Rift Zone during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

Photo from Civil Defense

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PASS THE NO MORE PRESIDENTIAL WARS RESOLUTION, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard urges Congress, following the U.S. airstrike Friday that killed Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani. The resolution would "restore Constitutional balance and ensure Congress fulfills its responsibility to determine whether or not to declare war," states Gabbard.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Introduced in May by Gabbard, the resolution would allow the House to charge the president with impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors" if the president initiates wars without prior congressional declarations. The resolution also prohibits the president from "making the United States a co-belligerent in an ongoing war" without a congressional declaration.

On social media, Gabbard said, "We need to get American forces out of Iraq and Syria now. How many more American lives, how many more trillions of dollars will be wasted before we exit? It could be now, or it could be 10 or 20 years from now, but there is no American victory."

She said neocons are "praising Trump actions against Iran in Iraq," but that those actions are "opposite of what many Trump voters voted for." Gabbard called the attack a "fundamental violation of the Constitution. Trump's action will drag us deeper into war with Iran that will be far more costly and devastating than the wars in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan. We must get our troops out of Iraq and Syria now."

Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, "was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," according the Department of Defense. DOD also stated Soleimani approved attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said a "harsh retaliation is waiting" for the U.S. Khamenei called Soleimani "the international face of resistance," and declared three days of public mourning for the general's death.

Hessameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, said, "Trump, through his gamble, has dragged the U.S. into the most dangerous situation in the region. Whoever put his foot beyond the red line should be ready to face its consequences."

Iranian state television, in a commentary, said the action is "the biggest miscalculation by the U.S." since World War II. "The people of the region will no longer allow Americans to stay."

A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike

in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday, Jan. 3. The Pentagon said the U.S.military

killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the

direction of Pres. Donald Trump.

Photo from Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office via Associated Press

The airstrike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and five others, including the PMF's airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda, Iraqi officials said.

Trump tweeted, "General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more... but got caught! He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of protesters killed in Iran itself.

"While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago! The United States has paid Iraq Billions of Dollars a year, for many years. That is on top of all else we have done for them. The people of Iraq don't want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice. Over the last 15 years, Iran has gained more and more control over Iraq, and the people of Iraq are not happy with that. It will never end well!"

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Protesters against a possible war with Iran, outside the White House, posted on social media by Sen. Brian Schatz.

"ANOTHER, EVEN MORE CATASTROPHIC WAR" is possible, said Sen. Brian Schatz, after U.S.airstrikes killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani on Friday. Schatz tweeted, "The neocons are back on television with their magical thinking, their moral hectoring, and their amnesia about Iraq. They could very well get us into another, even more catastrophic war. They have lied about almost everything. There is no reason to suddenly give them the benefit of the doubt because they took a precipitous military action. Instead, our deepest skepticism, our toughest oversight, our most probing questions, must come now.

"Lotta experts saying this is going to work out fine. And by experts, I mean people who were aggressively wrong over the last twenty years."

Schatz also remarked, "Young people are going to have to vote in record numbers in order to put this madness to an end. Today is a good reminder that there is a real difference between the two major political parties and that a vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Donald Trump."

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SECOND SATURDAY IN VOLCANO VILLAGE happens next Saturday, Jan. 11. Each month, the entire Volcano area hosts a wide array of entertaining, engaging, educational, and delicious activities from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Free family fun, open to the public.

Volcano Garden Arts will host self guided "SecretGarden" tours of its famous gardens. There will also be specials in the art gallery, which showcases the works of many local artists; receive a 10 percent discount.

Special menu selections will be featured at Cafe Ono, which serves lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Mondays.

For more details and information, call (808)985-8979 or visit experiencevolcano.com, volcanogardenarts.com, cafeono.net.

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THE TROJANS BOYS BASKETBALL team hosted Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy in a Varsity-only game on Friday. Kaʻū scored 34 to the Ka Makani's 61. Elijah Evangelista scored 11 points for Kaʻū, Kealiikoa Nalu-Reyes scored 8, Kyson Toriano scored 4, Michael Rodante, Raymond Polido-Kalili, and Kaikea Kaupu-Manini each scored 3, and Dayson Burns scored 2.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Boys Basketball

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Soccer

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

Farmers Market, Sunday, Jan. 5, 12, 19, and 26 – every Sunday, monthly – 6-10a.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

ʻŌhiʻa Lehua, Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free. nps.gov/havo

Clay – High Fire!, Sunday, Jan. 5 through Feb. 23, 11:30a.m.-2:30p.m. or 2:45-5:45p.m. 8-week morning or afternoon pottery series with Erik Wold. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, Jan. 10 – second Friday, monthly – 9a.m.-noon, Ocean View Community Center. Free disability legal services provided by Hawai‘i Legal Aid. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Swap Meet, Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25 – second and fourth Saturday, monthly – 8-12:30p.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Hike the Path on Mauna Loa's 1868 Lava Flow, Saturday, Jan. 11, 10a.m.-1p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. RCUH-HVO geologists Katie Mulliken and Lil DeSmither lead this guided hike along the Pu‘u o Lokuana trail. Free; bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Hula Kahiko - Kumu Kapuaikapoliopele Ka‘au‘a Nā Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman & Kekoa Harman with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo and Nā Mea Hula with Loke Kamanu & ʻOhana, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 10:30-11:30a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery. Hula performance. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org

Nā Mea Hula with Kumu Hula Moses Kaho‘okele Crabbe, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery porch. Hands-on cultural demonstration. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org

Sounds at the Summit: Muriel Anderson Live in Concert, Saturday, Jan. 11, 6:30p.m. The guitarist/harp-guitarist leads a journey in music and stories, with a backdrop of visuals artfully compiled by award-winning photo-artist, Bryan Allen. Tickets available online or at any VAC location. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Girls Night Out Band, Saturday, Jan. 11, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

ONGOING

Deadline to Sign Up for Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū is Friday, Jan. 10. Classes run Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, at

Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St.

in Pāhala. The free class series on Chronic Kidney Disease is lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong. Bring a pen and whomever cares/cooks/shops for the person(s) with CKD. Enroll online at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.

Apply for Mosaics of Science by Monday, Feb. 3. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's 12-week paid summer internship position is designed to engage university students and recent graduates with on-the-ground work experience in the National Park Service. A $4,800 stipend, and all travel costs are covered, including a week-long career workshop in Washington, D.C. to meet with NPS managers.

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at j ody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal gives an update on Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, and the
planned new observatory, this Tuesday at After Dark in the Park. See details below. Photo from Big Island Video News

TAKE PART IN THE 2020 CENSUS, urges Julie Jimenez of the League of Conservation Voters. In a recent email, Jimenez said that census data shapes the future, and that "You have the power to help strengthen our democracy."

The census is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years, on the turn of the decade, starting April 1. The data collected by the census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives – a process called apportionment – and is used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities.

Said Jimenez, "A fair and accurate count is necessary to ensure that resources are distributed equitably, especially for communities of color, low-wealth, and immigrant communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution. And despite Trump's attempts to undermine the census, the law requires each person to be counted, regardless of immigration status."
She said that communities of color "are among the most impacted by environmental injustice," and that more should be done "to protect and amplify their voices in our political process. If our communities aren't fully counted, they could miss out on crucial investments in clean water and other community and environmental protections.
"Make sure that your community is represented. Pledge to get counted today. I believe that ensuring that everyone is fairly counted is critical to ensuring that all communities have seats at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact them."

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A HOUSE CONCERT AND SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF HAWAIʻI will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at 19-3938 Keonelehua Ave. off Wright Rd in VolcanoVillage. Parking is available but carpooling to the house from CooperCenteris advised.

Entertainment will include Americana and World Music by Anomaly, Virtuoso Guitarist and Violinist, Lauren and Loren. Sample their music at soundcloud.com/huala/film-2a and soundcloud.com/huala/loren2a.

The $20 suggested donation includes heavy pūpū and refreshments, BYOB. Tickets available online at hawaiicountydemocrats.org/bw2020. For further information contact Ann Oshiro-Kauwe, 808-282-3107.

The announcement of the event states: "Our current mission is to positively impact election outcomes for Democratic Candidate victories in key battleground states for the 2020 General Elections in the Presidential and Congressional Senate races. Through an island wide fundraising effort in all districts, the HCC Aloha Campaign Scholarship Fund will be established to send 5 Hawaiʻi Island Democrat recipients as a force and contribution to our sister states to ensure the 2020 Blue Wave.

"We are requesting your support and cordially invite you to join us for a fun evening of wonderful music, food, and fellowship at our District Fundraiser!"

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KAʻŪ HOSTED FOUR BASKETBALL GAMES ON SATURDAY for Varsity and Junior Varsity. The Girls team played against Kamehameha Hawaiʻi, the Boys against Pāhoa.

The ladies JV team scored 25 against Pāhoa's 36. Riley Ann Brown scored 14 of those points for Kaʻū, Alazaeh Abellera scored 6, Kawai Smith scored 3, and Hulali Baji scored 2.

The Varsity game was a harder competition, with the Warriors scoring 66 over the Trojans' 11. Shania Silva scored 5 points for Kaʻū, CeAndra Silva Kamei and Esmeralda Kuahiwinui-Nunez each scored 2, and Grace Smith and Kaohinani Grace each scored 1 point.

In the Boys JV game, Kaʻū found victory, scoring 63 over the Daggers' 23. Jocyiah Mukini scored 20 points for the Trojans, Cyrus McMasters scored 13, Jezekial Jara scored 8, Waiola Akiu scored 7, Ivan Ramos and Micah Espejo each scored 5, Lentron Jara scored 3, and Gabriel Sesson-Paaluni-Young scored 2.

The Trojans Varsity Boys team scored 43 to Pāhoa's 50, a much closer game. Kyson Toriano score 11 points for Kaʻū, Blake Nakano and Michael Rodarte each scored 10, Kaikea Kaupu-Manini scored 4, Elijah Evanglista and Dayson Burns each scored 3, and Raymond Polido-Kalili scored 2.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Soccer

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

MONDAY, JAN. 6

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Mtg., Monday, Jan. 6 – first Monday, monthly – 4-6p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Papa ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian Language Classes Levels One, Two, and Three will be taught on Tuesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 4 at Volcano Art Center by Kumu Kaliko Beamer-Trapp. Each levels costs $85/VAC member, $95/non-member. No text books are required. There will be no classes Jan. 24 and 31. volcanoartcenter.org
Level One, from 4-5p.m., focuses on vocabulary, counting, simple conversation, grammar, and sentence structures.
Level 2, 5-6:30p.m., focuses on expanding vocabulary, using longer snippets of conversation, and understanding how repeating Hawaiian word and phrase patterns can be used to communicate using many types of sentences. Class taught using Hawaiian as language of instruction about 10% of the time to help with listening comprehension.

Level 3, 6:30-8p.m., is taught over 50 percent in the Hawaiian language to increase comprehension and to "immerse" the student. Class is ideal for teachers, cultural practitioners, and those with the goal of using Hawaiian language on a daily basis.

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

SUNDAY, JAN. 12

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Sunday Walk in the Park: Halemaʻumaʻu Trail, Sunday, Jan. 12 – second Saturday, monthly – 10a.m.-noon, meet at Kīlauea Visitor Center, HVNP. Organized by Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate 1.6 mile round trip hike. Free for members. Register online. Park entrance fees apply. 985-7373, admin@fhvnp.org, fhvnp.org

Medicine for the Mind: Teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, Sunday, Jan. 12 and 26 – 2nd Sunday, monthly – 3-5p.m., Volcano Art Center. Free; calabash donations welcome. Dress warmly. Patty Johnson, 345-1527, volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

Deadline to Sign Up for Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū is Friday, Jan. 10. Classes run Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, at

Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St.

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at j ody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Nothocestrum breviflorum is an endangered plant in Kaʻū that could be assisted by the Pacific Islands
Plant Conservation Fund that is now before the U.S. Senate for approval. Photo from Wikipedia

ESTABLISHING A PACIFIC ISLANDS PLANT CONSERVATION FUND is one aim of the Extinction Prevention Act, introduced into the U.S. Senate by Mazie Hirono, along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).

The Pacific Islands Plant Conservation Fund would receive $30 million over six years. The fund would be divided among applicants from states, tribes, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and authorities that manage habitat that is home to the targeted group of species. Priority would be given to projects with a local funding match and funds would be targeted to on-the-ground efforts to prevent the most sensitive species from going extinct.

Sen. Mazie Hirono planted a native ʻōhiʻa tree during a visit to Lyon
Arboretum. Click here to watch a video of her visit.

Hirono said, "Hawaiʻi is home to over 350 federally listed threatened and endangered plant species, the most of any state. (See the state Department of Land & Natural Resources list.) The growing threat posed by climate change means these plants are especially vulnerable, and we need to act now to prevent them from disappearing forever. The Pacific Islands Plant Conservation Fund that this bill establishes would provide critical resources to prevent our most sensitive plant species from going extinct."

David Smith, Administrator for the state Department of Land & Natural Resources Division of Forestry & Wildlife, said, the agency "is charged with protecting 45 percent of the nation's endangered plants in remote nearly-inaccessible mountainous areas with limited resources. We are excited at the potential funding this bill could bring to increase our capacity to prevent the extinction of hundreds of nationally important plant species."

Earlier this year, she reintroduced S. 2384, the Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act, which includes a collaborative grant program to fund efforts to keep rare plant species from becoming endangered and help endangered plant species recover. The bill also encourages federal land management agencies to prioritize hiring botanists and incorporating native plants on federal lands. The Senator touted these priorities in a visit to Lyon Arboretum in August 2018.

The rare Strongylodon ruber is found in Kaʻū forests. In Hawaiian it is called
nuku ʻiʻiwi, kaʻiʻiw, nuku. Photo from U.H. Botany

Protecting and promoting the use of native plants is a priority, according to Hirono.
In addition to the Pacific Islands Plant Conservation Fund, the Extinction Prevention Act would provide funds to protect a wide variety of threatened and endangered species throughout the nation, including North American butterflies, Eastern freshwater mussels, and Southwest desert fish. The bill establishes a conservation fund for each of the four targeted species groups.

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THE NEW HOMESHARING HAWAIʻI non-profit seeks to connect those seeking housing with seniors who have a room to rent. The Homesharing Hawaiʻi pilot project is under the nonprofit Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network. Pacific Business News reported that Homesharing Hawaiʻi "will identify seniors looking to share their homes, while providing screening and matching services, follow-up assessments, and interviews with stakeholders to better understand how home-sharing can benefit Hawaiʻi's residents."

Chuck Larson, former executive director of Seagull Schools, has come out of retirement to be president of the nonprofit. Larson told PBN: "We have policies in place that make people feel safe – for both the home owner and renter." He told PBN that pairs embark on a "camping trip," where the renter stays with the home owner for two weeks to "test it out and to see if they're compatible. It's a hard thing to do, but we're learning as we go."

L to R: David Tumilowicz, VP of PR for Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi;

Christy Nishita, PhD, researcher at University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa Center

on Aging, and Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network board member;

Nina Miyata, manager of community benefit and community relations, KPH;

Charles Larson, president, Hawaiʻi Intergenerational Network.

Photo from Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi

Larson told PBN he is a volunteer, taking no salary, and is looking to secure $150,000 in funding in 2020, adding two full time and one part-time staff positions, in addition to the Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association staff person already working on the project. The nonprofit received a startup grant of $15,000 from Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association, reported PBN.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi issued a $55,000 donation on Oct. 16 to address Hawaiʻi's housing shortage and to help prevent feelings of isolation in Hawaiʻi's growing senior population.

David Tumilowicz, vice president of public relations, communications, and brand management at Kaiser Permanent Hawaiʻi, said, "By 2020, 1 in 4 Hawaiʻi residents will be 60 years or older. As our population ages, we must support systems that help kupuna live independently and stay active, such as providing affordable housing, creating age-friendly cities, and developing community-based health care and services."

"It's not just an affordable housing issue, it's a wellness and health issue," Larson told PBN. He told the publication that he completed a feasibility study in 2018 to see how well this program would fare, with a three-pronged approach: comparing high housing prices, catering to Hawaiʻi's growing aging population, and having the nonprofit backing to put it all together. He said he modeled the program from a national home-sharing organization in Vermont.

"We're not inventing anything new," said Larson. "I didn't know what I was getting myself into when this happened. I was just looking for something meaningful to do – and this is it."

He said the next steps include building partnerships with policymakers and getting the word out.

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ADVOCACY TRAINING FOR THE 2020 HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE is sponsored by the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, Tuesday, online and by phone, from 5:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m. Democratic Party members can participate by calling in to (605) 313-6153, meeting ID: 809760#; or online at join.freeconferencecall.com/dphvideo, meeting ID: dphvideo.

The agenda will include a briefing on 2020 Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi priority bills and issues; how a bill becomes a law; how to use the Capitol on-line system; how to write or speak effective testimony; how to enjoy a public hearing; how to engage with staff and elected officials; how to support bills; and more.

What to expect at the March 4th District/Precinct Meeting at DPH HQ remote training, open to the public, will be held Thursday, Feb. 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The training will include: responsibilities and how the elections will work for Precinct Officers, District Officers, and Delegates to the State Convention and the CountyConvention; and how to become a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in Milwaukeein July 2020. Participate by calling in to (605) 313-6153, meeting ID: 809760#; or online at join.freeconferencecall.com/dphvideo, meeting ID: dphvideo.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KAʻŪ IS UNDER A WIND ADVISORY through Tuesday at 6 p.m. High surf and small craft advisories are in place for east-facing shores of Kaʻū through Friday, Jan. 10.

According to weather.com, winds in Kaʻū will be as strong as 43 miles per hour tomorrow, with gusts up to 50 mph, and will stay above 20 mph through the end of next week. People are urged to be cautious about roof shingles coming loose, branches coming off trees, loose items around the home, and danger in driving high-profile vehicles. Power outages are expected.

Caution in high surf conditions includes large waves, strong longshore and rip currents, and shore erosion due to the high water levels.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Swap Meet, Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25 – second and fourth Saturday, monthly – 8-12:30p.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Second Saturday in Volcano Village, Saturday, Jan. 11 - second Saturday, monthly - 10a.m.-4p.m. Each month, the entire Volcano area hosts a wide array of entertaining, engaging, educational, and delicious activities from Free family fun, open to the public. For more details and information, call (808)985-8979 or visit experiencevolcano.com, volcanogardenarts.com, or cafeono.net.

Hike the Path on Mauna Loa's 1868 Lava Flow, Saturday, Jan. 11, 10a.m.-1p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. RCUH-HVO geologists Katie Mulliken and Lil DeSmither lead this guided hike along the Pu‘u o Lokuana trail. Free; bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Zentangle Embedded: It Grows Like Coral!, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 10a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Creative tangle techniques inspired by Gustav Klimt and Keith Haring. Art supplies provided. Open to all levels. No experience required. Potluck, bring snack to share. $30/VAC member, $35/non-member, plus $15 supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Hula Kahiko - Kumu Kapuaikapoliopele Ka‘au‘a Nā Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman & Kekoa Harman with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo and Nā Mea Hula with Loke Kamanu & ʻOhana, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 10:30-11:30a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery. Hula performance. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org

House Concert and Silent Auction Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Fundraiser, Saturday, Jan. 11, 6-9p.m., 19-3938 Keonelehua Ave. off Wright Rd in VolcanoVillage. Parking available but carpooling from CooperCenteradvised. Entertainment will include Americana and World Music by Anomaly, Virtuoso Guitarist and Violinist, Lauren and Loren. $20 suggested donation includes heavy pūpū and refreshments, BYOB. Tickets available hawaiicountydemocrats.org/bw2020. For further information contact Ann Oshiro-Kauwe, 808-282-3107.

Sounds at the Summit: Muriel Anderson Live in Concert, Saturday, Jan. 11, 6:30p.m. The guitarist/harp-guitarist leads a journey in music and stories, with a backdrop of visuals artfully compiled by award-winning photo-artist, Bryan Allen. Tickets available online or at any VAC location. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Girls Night Out Band, Saturday, Jan. 11, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 12

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Captain Kiko Johnston-Kitazawa (left) and James Akau (right) on The Golden Rule, after sailing her from
Kauaʻi to Honolulu before her peace mission to the Marshall Islands and on to Japan for the 75th anniversary
of the nuclear bombing at Hiroshima. Photo from The Golden Rule Project

KAʻŪ CREW MEMBERS SAILED ON THE GOLDEN RULE from Kauaʻi to Oʻahu in under 18 hours, leaving Nawiliwili on News Years Day and arriving at Ala Wai Boat Harbor on Jan. 2. Fourth generation canoe builder Kiko Johnston-Kitazawa of Honuʻapo, captained the voyage, joined by Pāhala waterman James Akau,
The 30-foot wooden sail boat is on a short break from its anti-nuclear warfare mission. The vessel and a varied crew sailed throughout the Hawaiian Islands in recent months, spreading the anti-nuclear message of The Golden Rule Project, a mission of national organization Veterans For Peace. See more at vfpgoldenruleproject.org.

The Golden Rule, in Ala Wai slip 638.
Photo from The Golden Rule Project

In September of 2019, Akau sailed The Golden Rule from Hilo to Maʻalea, Maui, where the crew was greeted by grateful Marshall Islanders whose home islands were desecrated by nuclear weapons testing generations ago.
Following the passage from Kauaʻi to Honolulu, The Golden Rule rests in Ala Wai Boat Harbor slip 638 for repairs, slated for Friday through Monday, Feb. 7-10. After repairs, The Golden Rule Project plans to sail the boat to the Marshall Islands, Guam, Okinawa, and South Korea, with arrival in Japan by August for the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.
Johnston-Kitazawa is a well-known canoe builder, sailor, and educator. He shares his perspective on sailing and building iconic Hawaiian canoes. One of his frequently used visual aids is a 28-foot double-hulled canoe, called a waʻa kaulua. The canoe was built in 1993 from two hulls crafted in the 1950's. He added the wooden ʻiako (crossbeams) and planks to form the pola (platform) between the two canoe hulls. He then lashed all these parts together using traditional Hawaiian methods: rope. He also added a mast and sail to the platform. No nails, bolts, or screws were used in its construction, though dacron sail cloth is used for the sail. Ten people can sit comfortably in the two canoe hulls and paddle the sailing canoe, which can reach speeds of up to 21 knots.
Johnston-Kitazawa details the different styles of canoes and explains when and why each were used throughout Hawaiʻi's history. Polynesians who originally settled the island, possibly first landing in Punaluʻu, arrived by canoe. For island life, canoes were essential for fishing and trading, and for wars and unifying the islands.

Capt. Kiko, showing rowing techniques aboard a Hawaiian canoe.

Capt. Kiko, as he is known in the community, was born on Oʻahu. His family moved to Hilo when he was about five years old. He raised his two sons in Kaʻū, as a longtime resident and boatbuilder at Punaluʻu, while his wife Margaret Johnston-Kitazawa served as the physician at Kaʻū Hospital.
Concerning his boatbuilding passion, he told The Kaʻū Calendar that he remembers reading a book at seven years old, in the Hilo Boys Club Library: Kodoku, Sailing Alone Across the Pacific by Kenichi Horie.
Johnston-Kitazawa owned his first sailboat at age 14 and his first captain's license at age 18. At 14, he sailed on a 40-foot catamaran from Hawaiʻi to Victoria, British Columbia. He has since sailed from Hawaiʻi to Canada and California three times – a journey not favored by prevailing winds.
He has built and sailed traditional Hawaiian canoes in Hawaiʻi for more than 30 years. He teaches sailing and navigation on his canoes to many school children, classroom most often in Hilo Bay. He also teaches Hawaiian boat building to those interested in learning. Over the years, many people have stopped by his canoe at many community events for his expert instruction and hands-on experience in building boats and lashing canoes.

Capt. Kiko, working on a canoe.

For more information on his canoe excursions, open to the public, out of Hilo Bay, go to Captain Kiko's web page, waakaulua.com/index.htm.

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POLICE ARRESTED 23 FOR DUI IN KAʻŪ IN 2019 and the same in 2018, according to statistics issued by Hawaiʻi Police Department today. During 2019, police arrested 1,085 islandwide, for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. In 2018, police arrested 1,095 for DUI.
The numbers of DUI arrests by district show that in North Hilo police arrested four in 2019 and four in 2018. Was the only place where DUI’s increased, with 178 in 2018, and 219 in 2019.

Of the 1,085 island wide arrests for DUI in 2019, 233 were in traffic accidents, an increase of 42.9 percent from 2018 when police arrested 163 drivers for DUI after accidents.
In 2019, major accidents decreased 13.5 percent to 983, from 1,137 in 2018.

In 2019, fatal crashes totaled 25 on Hawaiʻi Island, compared with 30 fatal crashes (one with multiple deaths) resulting in 32 fatalities recorded in 2018.

Impairment was a factor in 12 island traffic fatalities in 2019. Of those, four involved alcohol only, seven involved drugs only, and one involved both alcohol and drugs. Those totals may increase due to pending toxicology reports.

In 2019, police arrested 65 drivers under the age of 21 for DUI, compared to 54 in 2018, an increase of 20.4 percent.

HPD warns: DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

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KAʻŪ IS UNDER A FLASH FLOOD WATCH Thursday through Saturday evening, as is all of Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. An unstable airmass will bring increased shower activity, reports the National Weather Service. Windward areas will be most susceptible to flooding. Caution is recommended for all due to possible impassable roadways, and debris clogging streams and gulches. Continuing strong winds causing falling tree branches, and high surf and small craft advisories, are of special concern for east-facing shores of Kaʻū through Friday, Jan. 10.

According to weather.com, winds in Kaʻū will stay above 20 mph through the end of next week. People are also urged to be cautious about roof shingles and danger in driving high-profile vehicles. Expect power outages.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

SIGN WAVING FOR PEACE and against a war with Iran will be held Thursday, Jan. 9 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the intersection of Māmalahoa Highway and South Point Road. Kaʻū Voices, an informal group of Kaʻū residents affiliated with Indivisible - a national group that takes "actions to resist the GOPs agenda, elect local champions, and fight for progressive policies," according to their website - is sponsoring this event. All are invited to participate in this demonstration for peace. Signs will be provided, or participants may bring their own.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUTH SPORT SPECIALIZATION SAFETY is addressed by the National Athletic Trainers' Association, promoted by Kaʻū High Athletics. The guidelines are meant to "help reduce the risk of injury related to sport specialization and to keep (school-aged youth) athletes safe, healthy, and in the game," according to NATA. The guidelines include:

Delay specializing in a single sport for as long as possible. Specializing is defined as training and/or participating in one sport year-round.

Play on one team at a time. NATA recommends youth athletes play only one sport per season.

Participate for less than eight months per year in a single sport.

Keep sports training and/or participation to less than the age in years of the youth to hours in the week (e.g.: a 15-year-old should not play organized sports for more than 15 hours in a week).

Take a minimum of tow days off from organized sports per week.

Rest and recover from each sports' season before starting a new sport.

See the infographic for more details, right.

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Kaʻū Trojans Girls Soccer team went up against the Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy's Ka Makani (the wind)

yesterday in Waimea. Photo from Kaʻū Athletics

MONDAY'S GIRLS SOCCER GAME ENDED IN A TKO – The Trojans ladies traveled north to Kamuela where Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy scored 12 points. With Kaʻū at zero, the referees shut down the game in Waimea.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Boys Basketball

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Bookstore and Thrift Shop, Tuesday-Saturday, 8-11:30a.m., and Sunday, 6:30-10a.m., weekly, Cooper Center in Volcano. Shop, donate, or both. thecoopercenter.org

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Mtg., Tuesday, Jan. 7– 1st Tuesday, monthly – 6-8p.m., Pāhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

SATURDAY, JAN. 11
Nā Mamo o Kāwā Community Access Day, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – gates open 6a.m.-6p.m., Kāwā. All cars must park at end of road fronting Kāwā Flats. Dogs must be on leash. No driving through fish pond. 557-1433, nmok.org, facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 8-11a.m., Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Swap Meet, Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25 – second and fourth Saturday, monthly – 8-12:30p.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Zentangle Embedded: It Grows Like Coral!, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 10a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Creative tangle techniques inspired by Gustav Klimt and Keith Haring. Art supplies provided. Open to all levels. No experience required. Potluck, bring snack to share. $30/VAC member, $35/non-member, plus $15 supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Hula Kahiko - Kumu Kapuaikapoliopele Ka‘au‘a Nā Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman & Kekoa Harman with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo and Nā Mea Hula with Loke Kamanu & ʻOhana, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 10:30-11:30a.m., hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery. Hula performance. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-8222, volcanohula@gmail.com, volcanoartcenter.org

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Ka‘ū Homeschool Co–op Group, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 9a.m., Ocean View Community Center. Parent-led homeschool activity and social group, building community in Ka‘ū. Call to confirm location before attending. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Lauhala Weaving Ku‘uipo Kakahiki-Morales, Tuesday, Jan. 14 – second Tuesday, Monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

After Dark in the Park – What's Happening at Kīlauea Volcano's Summit?, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7-8p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. What are the potential hazards at Kīlauea’s summit? Could explosive activity return? What is known about the water lake? How is it monitored? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists Matt Patrick and Tricia Nadeau as they answer these questions and more. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Employees of the Federal Highway Administration and National Park Service plan repairs to the road leading

to Kīlauea Overlook. NPS photo

REPAIRS TO INFRASTRUCTURE TORN APART BY 2018 EARTHQUAKES in Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park will begin mid-February, according to a statement from the Park. Local construction company Jas. W. Glover won the $3,298,000 contract to fix roads, paved trails, and other features.

The work is a big step toward restoring visitor access to sections of the Park. Closed for public safety since May 2018 are Crater Rim Drive and Crater Rim Trail between Kīlauea Military Camp and Kīlauea Overlook. Waldron Ledge and Crater Rim Trail, a.k.a. Earthquake Trail, between Volcano House and Kīlauea Iki are also closed. Other repair sites include the five-mile section of Hilina Pali Road from Kulanaokuaiki Campground to Hilina Pali Overlook currently closed to vehicles, the road to the Park's water catchment system, pavement near the entrance station, and Chain of Craters Road.

Park employees were able to repair areas like this sink hole near

Trail Marker 4 on Kīlauea Iki Trail. NPS photo

Work is expected to finish this summer. Funding comes from Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads and Trails Fund, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019, and the Federal Lands Transportation Program.

Extended closures of Chain of Craters Road below Puhimau Crater parking area and Hilina Pali Road of up to three weeks are anticipated during the work, but specific dates have not been set. All repair-related closures in the Park will be communicated to the public in advance.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Acting Superintendent Rhonda Loh said, "We're very excited to see this project moving forward. There's been a lot of planning and preparation to get to this point. When complete, the road and trail repairs will restore access to some truly spectacular views and unique backcountry experiences. We thank the public for their patience as we continue with park disaster recovery efforts."

Additional disaster recovery continues in the Park, which sustained significant damage from the 60,000 earthquakes that shook Kīlauea between April 30 and Aug. 4, 2018. The Park's recovery progress is regularly updated on the park website at nps.gov/havo/recovery.htm.

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Randy Cabral supported Mayor Harry Kim's
veto on the County Council ban on using
pesticides on county lands.
Photo from Big Island Video News

THE MAYOR'S VETO OF THE HERBICIDE BAN for county parks and roads stood today with a County Council vote of 5-4. Puna Council woman Ashley Kierkiewicz voted for the veto after supporting the ban when when approved by the council in a 6-3 vote in November. Kaʻū's Council member Maile David voted for the ban.
Bill 101 would have barred use of 23 herbicides, including Roundup, in Hawaiʻi County parks, roads, bikeways, sidewalks, trails, drainageways, and waterways.

Mayor Harry Kim vetoed Bill 101 in December, explaining that he had "regulatory, operational, and other concerns." He said the county "does not have the level of expertise to identify herbicides as causing 'high risk of exposure,' as 'dangerous chemicals,' or as 'harmful chemicals.'"

The council listened to one hour of testimony before casting votes today. The majority of speakers urged the council to override the veto. Among them was Randy Cabral, statewide President of the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, Kaʻū rancher, and former manager of macadamia orchards and their processing plant in Pāhala.
Cabral said that farmers are hurting in countries that banned the targeted herbicides. He said that recent national studies showed that pesticides can be safe and that people should be trained to use them. He said pesticides protect the watershed, public health, and crops, and said he feared the ban would lead to a ban of all pesticides. He also talked about the fiscal implication of the cost to taxpayers for maintaining roads and other public places without pesticides.
Some spoke with emotion, saying that loved ones lost their lives due to herbicide exposure. At least one spoke about the harm herbicides can do to bees. One woman said she was proud of mothers who recently came together to weed a public space. She said she didn't know any mothers who would want herbicides around their children.
Joseph DeFrank spoke in favor of continued use of the herbicides, saying that he has prepared roadways to be planted with native Hawaiian plants by using some of the herbicides the bill would ban. He also said his research, funded by tax dollars, would be worthless if the bill passed, and that the "potential loss of lives" if the bill passed would be caused by county workers spending more time along roadsides, "a dangerous place to work," he stated.
See the testimonies at bigislandvideonews.com/2020/01/08/council-vote-fails-to-override-veto-on-herbicide-use-ban/.

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FREE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM BASIC TRAINING will be held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hilo, starting Jan. 11 through Feb. 1, and at OceanViewCommunity Center, starting Feb. 22 through March 14. Kaʻū's CERT teams are based in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates and Discovery Harbor. More Basic CERT classes will be held in Kona, Kohala, and Puna, later in the year. Sign up by emailing hawaiicert@gmail.com.

Bill Hanson, administrative officer for Hawaiʻi Island CERT, told The Kaʻū Calendar the training helps people "learn to face an emergency in a calm, cool, logical manner." He said another important thing is to learn about emergency communications. He said there are courses to obtain an amateur radio operator technician license, learn how to do damage assessment after a disaster, or learn how to do hands-only CPR, "which is gaining popularity and is a skill we would like everyone to know." He said there are more courses available to residents and businesses, all of which are free. A radio course is set for six Thursdays, starting Feb. 6 in Hilo and starting Oct. 29 in Keaʻau.

The CERT Program provides residents and businesses with the basics in how to properly prepare and respond to an emergency at home, at work, or in the community.

Hawai‘i Island has 11 of the 13 climate zones of the world and Hawai‘i County leads all 3,140 U.S.counties in multi hazards potential, with Kaʻū ranking very high on that list. Residents and businesses should be prepared, CERT addresses those needs, states the website, hawaiicounty.gov/departments/civil-defense/hawai-i-county-cert.

Training through the CERT Program provides a learning platform in: basic disaster response, fire safety, light rescue, team and responder coordination, and basic medical care. Using the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom and reinforcing those modules with practical application through role playing and exercises, the CERT Program provides fundamental skills and understanding to make meaningful decisions in responding to incidents in the community, workplace, or home.

CERT encourages community participation and provides support to emergency response organizations when the need arises.

Basic CERT training is a 27-hour FEMA certification course. Class attendance requires personal commitment as the course takes 4 consecutive Saturdays to complete.

Contact Hanson for more information at 808-937-2181.

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USGS HVO records all earthquakes in Kaʻū. Red and orange epicenter dots are from quakes that have happened
within the last two days. USGS HVO image

A 3.6 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE struck north of Pāhala, on the slopes of Mauna Loa yesterday at 4:04 a.m. U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory recorded the quake as 5.4 miles deep. Many deep earthquakes between Pāhala at Kapaoʻo Point have occurred in the past several days, including a 3.5M quake on Monday, Jan. 6, 1:19 p.m., at 21.9 miles deep. Only one "felt" report for Pāhala was recorded in the last 24 hours, when a 2.2M quake struck at 11:44 a.m. today.

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HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS for Kaʻū are expected to last through Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The Flash Flood watch is in effect from tomorrow at 6 a.m.through Saturday at 7 p.m. The Wind Advisory is in effect through tomorrow at 6 p.m.The High Surf advisory is in effect through 6 p.m. on Friday.

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TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL traveled to Kohala yesterday to face off with the Cowboys in a Varsity game. Kaʻū came away with 24, but Kohala took the game with 48.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Thu., Jan. 9 @Waiakea

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

THURSDAY, JAN. 9

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thursday, Jan. 9 – second Thursday, monthly – 6:30p.m., United Methodist Church, Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkeley Yoshida, 747-0197

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Friday, Jan. 10 – second Friday, monthly – 9a.m.-noon, Ocean View Community Center. Free disability legal services provided by Hawai‘i Legal Aid. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SATURDAY, JAN. 11
Nā Mamo o Kāwā Community Access Day, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – gates open 6a.m.-6p.m., Kāwā. All cars must park at end of road fronting Kāwā Flats. Dogs must be on leash. No driving through fish pond. 557-1433, nmok.org, facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 8-11a.m., Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Swap Meet, Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25 – second and fourth Saturday, monthly – 8-12:30p.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Entertainment will include Americana and World Music by Anomaly, Virtuoso Guitarist and Violinist, Lauren and Loren. $20 suggested donation includes heavy pūpū and refreshments, BYOB. Tickets available hawaiicountydemocrats.org/bw2020. For further information contact Ann Oshiro-Kauwe, 808-282-3107.

Sounds at the Summit: Muriel Anderson Live in Concert, Saturday, Jan. 11, 6:30p.m. The guitarist/harp-guitarist leads a journey in music and stories, with a backdrop of visuals artfully compiled by award-winning photo-artist, Bryan Allen. Tickets available online or at any VAC location. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

As rain moved in to Kaʻū offsetting the drying winds, these rainbows colored skies above Pāhala Preschool.

Read the weather update, below. Photo by Kirk Slack

A WAR POWERS RESOLUTION passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The resolution to require congressional approval of any military action against Iran was co-introduced by more than 130 House members, including both Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Ed Case. The vote was approved, 224 to 194, with the sole Independent, 220 House Democrats, and three House Republicans voting yea. Eight House Democrats voted against the resolution.

Before the vote, Gabbard took to the House Floor, saying Pres. Donald Trump "has committed an illegal and unconstitutional act of war, pushing our nation headlong into a war with Iran without any authorization from Congress – a war so devastating and costly it would make our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan look like a picnic.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted to require congressional approval for action
against Iran and told reporters her opinion on the situation.
Image from MSNBC

"In doing so, he has undermined our national security in two critical ways. Number one, Iran is no longer complying with the Iran Nuclear Agreement and is quickly speeding forward in developing their nuclear weapons capability, putting us and the world at greater risk.

"Number two, our troops in Iraq are no longer focusing on preventing a resurgence of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, instead all of their efforts are now focused on Iranian forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias."

See the video of her remarks.

Case said, "We just passed (resolution) 224-194 to require the President to obtain Congress' approval to engage in hostilities against Iran except in limited situations including imminent armed attack. There may be circumstances in which we should engage, but neither this nor any other President should be able to do so alone without Congress agreeing. That's been the basic rule throughout our history and we should not ignore or weaken it."

Hawaiʻi's senators also commented. Sen. Brian Schatz said: "No war with Iran."

Sen. Mazie Hirono said Trump's "lack of impulse control and inability to plan ahead has created an international crisis that requires a diplomatic response. Congress needs to assert our constitutional authority to ensure we do not engage in war with Iran."

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NEW INVESTMENTS IN NATIVE COMMUNITIES is the goal of a bill introduced by Senators Mazie Hirono and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). The bipartisan Inspiring Nationally Vibrant Economies Sustaining Tribes Act (INVEST Act) aims to promote new investments in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities through the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program.

The INVEST Act would establish a 10 percent set-aside within the NMTC program for Native Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFIs) and other qualified entities to invest in Native communities. The bill would also support technical assistance for those Native CFDIs.

In Hawaiʻi, the NMTC program has provided tens of millions of dollars to support the construction and development of health centers, clean energy projects, and other community initiatives. Recently enacted spending legislation reauthorized the NMTC program at $5 billion in 2020.

The bill has been endorsed by the Native CDFI Network, the Native American Finance Officers Association, and the Alaska Federation of Natives.

Hirono said, "The New Markets Tax Credit program has been an effective tool for promoting community development and economic growth across the country, but more can be done to ensure Native communities share in that success. Under this legislation, Native Hawaiian communities in our state and other Native communities across the country will benefit from new access to much-needed resources. I am proud to join Senator Murkowski to introduce this legislation to support Native communities and build on the program's success."

A rainbow brightened the sky over the pine tree entrance
to Pāhala today, while inclement weather continues
to affect Kaʻū. Photo by Jana Kaniho

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KAʻŪ IS UNDER A FLASH FLOOD WATCH through Saturday afternoon, states the National Weather Service: "An unstable airmass will move over the islands tonight and into the weekend, bringing an increase in enhanced showers across the area but primarily" Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. Showers will be possible over most areas. The most susceptible places for flooding will be windward locations which have already received rain this week, states NWS.
The public should be aware of possible debris in streams and gulches clogging bridges and culverts, and some roadways becoming impassable. Strong winds may cause tree branches to fall which will potentially add to the
amount of debris, states NWS.

High surf on east-facing shores are expected to continue through 6 p.m. Saturday.

Maunakea has some snow, and Mauna Loa is expected to receive some in the next few days. Mauna Kea Observatories forecast states that "extensive fog, ice, high humidity and flurries are likely to plague the summit through the next 5 nights. There is also a chance for periods of heavy snow at virtually anytime, mainly after tonight. Extensive daytime clouds are expected throughout the forecast period."

Recently reopened Maunakea Access Road to the summit is closed to the public at the 9,200 foot level, at the Visitor Information Station, due to icy road conditions.

Double rainbow this morning welcomed teachers and students to the Pāhala school campus.

Photo by David Berry

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A PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING will be held by County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management's Solid Waste Division on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Nā‘ālehu Clubhouse, 95-5635 Māmalahoa Hwy, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The public, and users of the residential transfer stations, are encouraged to attend and give input. The Solid Waste Division will be discussing the facilities' operating days and the possibility of modifying the current schedule for transfer stations.
Visit hawaiizerowaste.org or call the Solid Waste Division Office at 961-8270 for more.

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FRIENDS OF THE KAʻŪ LIBRARIES' ANNUAL MEETING will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, starting at 5:30 p.m.at Pāhala Plantation House on Maile Street. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū.

Sandra Demoruelle, president of Friends, told The Kaʻū Calendar, "Everyone is encouraged to attend and share their ideas on how to improve our libraries. We all benefit by having great libraries, so we welcome old and new members who want to join our team and help promote our motto: 'Want to succeed? Read!'"
Questions? Contact Demoruelle at naalehutheatre@yahoo.com or 808-929-9244.

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MAUNA LOA VOLCANO is not erupting. The Current Volcano Alert Level is ADVISORY, Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW. Rates of deformation and seismicity have not changed significantly over the past week and remain above long-term background levels.
During the past week, HVO seismometers recorded 56 small magnitude earthquakes beneath the upper elevations of the volcano. Most earthquakes occurred at shallow depths of less than 5 km (~3 miles) beneath the volcano.
Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements show continued slow summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system.
Gas concentrations at the Sulphur Cone monitoring site on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable. Fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit have not changed significantly.
For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Fri., Jan. 10 host Honokaʻa

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 8 host Kealakehe, 2pm

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

FRIDAY, JAN. 10

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – 8-11a.m., Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Swap Meet, Saturday, Jan. 11 and 25 – second and fourth Saturday, monthly – 8-12:30p.m., Cooper Center in Volcano. thecoopercenter.org

Sharp Turns – The Creative Art of Woodturning Exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 16, daily, 9a.m.-5p.m. Volcano Art Gallery features works of Aaron Hammer and Mark and Karen Stebbins. Join the artists for an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7p.m. Live woodturning demonstration will be held Saturday, Jan. 25, 11a.m.-2p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Stained Glass Basics I with Claudia McCall, Saturday, Jan. 11, 18, and 25, 9a.m.-1p.m. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

Aloha Kidney in Kaʻū, Thursday afternoons, 1-3:30p.m., Jan. 16 through Feb 20, Kaʻū Resource Center, 96-3126 Puahala St. in Pāhala. The free class series on Chronic Kidney Disease lead by retired kidney doctor Ramona Wong. Bring a pen and whomever cares/cooks/shops for the person(s) with CKD. Enroll online by Friday, Jan. 10 at alohakidney.com or call (808) 585-8404.

Nāʻālehu School Family Reading Night, Thursday, Jan. 16 – third Wednesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Community work days at Nā Mamo o Kāwā help restore and maintain the preserved area. Tomorrow's event is
cancelled due to recent weather, but the workdays occur monthly. See story below. Photo from Nā Mamo o Kāwā

PROPOSED DEREGULATION OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ACT by the Trump Administration drew a response from Sen. Mazie Hirono yesterday: "One of the few things that the American people can count on from the reckless Trump administration is prioritizing corporations above all else. Today's weakening of #NEPA is yet another handout to special interests at the expense of our environment, public health, and communities."

Under the proposed rule, "cumulative impacts," including affects to the climate, wouldn't need to be taken into account for projects of federal agencies.

Reuter's reported the new rule would "speed permitting for major infrastructure projects like oil pipelines, road expansions, and bridges," and is "one of the biggest deregulatory actions of the president's tenure." The plan was revealed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which coordinates federal environmental efforts on the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives. The plan "would help the administration advance big energy and infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL oil pipeline or roads, bridges, and federal buildings that President Donald Trump and industry groups complained have been hampered by red tape," reported Reuter's.

During a press conference yesterday, Trump said, "For the first time in over 40 years today we are issuing a new rule under the National Environmental Policy Act to completely overhaul the dysfunctional bureaucratic system that has created these massive obstructions."

The public will have 60 days to comment on the new rule one it is officially submitted.

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SAFE DRINKING WATER is at the heart of the PFAS Action Act, supported by Tulsi Gabbard’s vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The act would bar manufacture of "Forever Chemical" polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are found in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams, and products that resist grease, water, and oil. The act would also direct the Environmental Protection Agency to establish drinking water standards, and authorize $100 million for this and for a grant program to support treatment efforts.

Many PFAS-related provisions that were stripped from the final version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act are included in the new bill.

Gabbard said, "Every American in every community across our country deserves clean water. That is why I voted for and strongly support the passage of the PFAS Action Act today. PFAS contamination sites blanket the map, affecting almost every state and PFAS chemicals have been implicated in cancer and other illnesses. The harmful effects are felt in our veteran and military family community – many of whom were exposed to the chemicals that were used at military installations.

"Unfortunately, the spread of PFAS contamination is moving faster than the EPA's efforts to regulate, prevent, detect, and treat contaminated water supplies. Failing to act is a failure to the American people and will only cost us immeasurably more to deal with the environmental and health fallout in the future."

Gabbard has introduced two bills, the Oxybenzone and Octinoxate Impact Study Act of 2019 and the Reef Safe Act of 2019, to study and protect public health and the environment from potentially harmful chemicals in sunscreen. She has also joined with 41 of her colleagues to introduce the Ban Toxic Pesticides Act of 2019, which would re-ban the use and stockpile of pesticide chlorpyrifos.

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HAWAIʻI’S INTERAGENCY BIOSECURITY PLAN to control invasive species has reached 57 percent of its mission, according to Gov.David Ige. He said that 57 percent of the plan's goal have been initiated, are ongoing in perpetuity, or have been completed in three years. "These actions have resulted in a more robust agriculture industry, the protection of our natural resources, our economy, and our unique way of life here in Hawai‘i."

Ige said Hawai‘i is "at an invasive species crossroads: the islands are home to more endangered species than any other state." He gave thanks and kudos to Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Hawaii DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources), Hawaii State Department of Health, University of Hawai‘i News, Hawaii Department of Transportation and the @HawaiiInvasiveSpeciesCouncil "for your hard work to getting us to this halfway point."

To learn more and to view the full plan, visit dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/.

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NĀ MAMO O KĀWĀ COMMUNITY ACCESS DAY IS CANCELLED for tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 11, due to recent weather. Call 557-1433 or see nmok.org or facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii for the next workday.

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WHAT ON EARTH IS A GEODESIST? is the subject of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory's research geophysicist/geodesist Ingrid Johanson:

People and jobs at HVO, Part 1: What on earth is a geodesist?

USGS HVO is responsible for monitoring active volcanoes in Hawaiʻi, which involves assessing hazards and communicating with interagency partners and the public. Our mission also includes advancing our knowledge of volcanic processes through scientific research.

It takes many people in diverse roles to accomplish these goals. During January's Volcano Awareness Month, our Volcano Watch articles will introduce readers to some of the people and jobs at HVO.

One role at HVO is that of "geodesist," which is someone who studies the sub-field of geophysics called "geodesy." I usually avoid calling myself a geodesist when meeting new people because it often results in puzzled looks. Instead, I use HVO's terminology for our team, and say that I'm part of "the deformation group."

This informal team name gets at the heart of what we do: we study how the surface of a volcano deforms as a way to determine what is happening underground.

Geodesy is primarily concerned with precise measurements of the earth, such as might happen during a geodetic survey. Results from surveys after the 1906 magnitude-7.9 San Francisco earthquake, which offset fence lines and property boundaries, had a profound impact on our understanding of how faults move—and ultimately brought geodesists into the earth sciences.

Geophysicist Sarah Conway, a member of the USGS

HVO deformation team, readies a temporary GPS

station during a campaign survey of benchmarks

on Kīlauea Volcano to monitor changes in the

ground surface. USGS photo by I. Johanson

A geodesist's tools are similar to those of a surveyor. In the past century, triangulation and leveling were popular techniques. Today, Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments form the backbone of our monitoring program, which also includes borehole tiltmeters and satellite radar (InSAR).

The general approach to using geodetic data on a volcano is to perform multiple surveys to determine how benchmark positions have changed. As magma moves into a volcano, the surrounding rock is pushed outward. When we measure positions of benchmarks on the surface of the volcano, we find that they have also been pushed away from the magma source. Today, permanently installed instruments constantly monitor benchmark positions so we can see ground motion within minutes.

Growing and maintaining HVO's permanent geodetic instrument network is one of the deformation group's most important jobs. This permanent network consists of over 60 GPS stations and 16 tiltmeters, and data from it are critical for hazard assessment. In particular, tiltmeters, which are incredibly sensitive to changes in ground slope, are often the first indicator of inflation as a volcano pressurizes.

While HVO's deformation group is responsible for analyzing and interpreting the data, it takes many others to keep the network running. HVO's field engineers build, install, and maintain our field instruments. IT staff ensure that our computers can communicate with remote sites from which data are transmitted and that we are equipped to analyze the data.

We supplement the permanent geodetic network with annual campaigns to collect additional benchmark data using temporary GPS stations. Around 80 benchmarks are surveyed each year for 2-3 days to determine yearly changes in position. These surveys provide a higher density of measurements in certain areas, enabling us to more precisely determine deformation patterns over many years.

To help interpret geodetic data, I use computer models that calculate the expected motion at the earth's surface due to expansion or contraction of magma bodies with simplified shapes, such as spheres or ellipsoids. Simple shapes are used because they adequately match the data and are less time-consuming to calculate than irregularly shaped bodies. Time is important because I run many thousands of calculations to test different models to discover the position, length, width, depth and volume changes that best match the data we've collected.

The best-fitting model shows us the most likely place that magma is moving into or out of the volcano, as well as where magma is accumulating and how close it is to the surface. However, no single type of data gives the whole picture of a volcano, so we must interpret our geodetic data along with geologic, seismic and gas data. HVO's different teams come together as a whole to develop sound hypotheses for current activity, hazard levels, and future scenarios.

Next week, another HVO team writes about its work. Until then, we hope to see you at one or more of our Volcano Awareness Month programs. The schedule is posted on HVO's homepage, volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/.

Deformation data from Kīlauea since 2015. USGS graph

Volcano Activity Updates

Kīlauea Volcano is not erupting and its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at NORMAL. Kīlauea monitoring data showed no significant changes in activity over the past month. Seismicity was relatively consistent. Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low at the summit and below detection limits at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the lower East Rift Zone. The water lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly expand and deepen.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level remains at ADVISORY. This alert level does not mean that an eruption is imminent or that progression to an eruption is certain.

Six earthquakes with three or more felt reports occurred on the Island of Hawai‘i this past week: a magnitude-2.8 quake 13 km (8 mi) south of Volcano at 7 km (4 mi) depth on Jan. 7 at 6:08 a.m., a M3.6 quake 16 km (10 mi) north of Pāhala at 9 km (6 mi) depth on Jan. 7 at 2:04 a.m., a M2.4 quake 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Volcano at 2 km (1 mi) depth on Jan. 6 at 11:33 a.m., a M3.5 quake 5 km (3 mi) northeast of Pāhala at 35 km (22 mi) depth on Jan. 6 at 11:19 a.m., a M2.3 quake 6 km (4 mi) south of Leilani Estates at 1 km (1 mi) depth on Jan. 4 at 8:05 p.m., and a M2.9 quake 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Hōnaunau-Nāpō‘opo‘o at 11 km (7 mi) depth on Jan. 4 at 6:46 p.m.

Visit volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvofor past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Sat., Jan. 11, @Konawaena

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 11 @Honokaʻa

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kealakehe

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 11 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

SATURDAY, JAN. 11

CANCELLED: Nā Mamo o Kāwā Community Access Day, Saturday, Jan. 11 – second Saturday, monthly – gates open 6a.m.-6p.m., Kāwā. All cars must park at end of road fronting Kāwā Flats. Dogs must be on leash. No driving through fish pond. 557-1433, nmok.org, facebook.com/NMOK.Hawaii

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

Public Information Mtg. by County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management's Solid Waste Division, Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Nā‘ālehu Clubhouse, 95-5635 Māmalahoa Hwy, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend and give input. The Solid Waste Division will be discussing the facilities' operating days and the possibility of modifying the current schedule for transfer stations. Visit hawaiizerowaste.org or call the Solid Waste Division Office at 961-8270 for more.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on

Maile Street

. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.comor 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻalaiki Road, above the waterfalls, is often used by Kaʻū residents and visitors when flooding closes Hwy 11
during heavy rains, like today's. See below a weather update. Photo by Julia Neal

OHA PROPOSES TO RESTORE HAWAIIAN EXPERTISE IN STATE LAND USE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. In its package of bills for the 2020 Hawaiʻi Legislature, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs states that "Since 2016, a number of state boards and commissions with land use and resource management responsibilities have been required to attend a Native Hawaiian law and public trust training course; in addition, several of these boards are required to have at least one member possess experience or expertise in relevant Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices or resource management approaches. Combined, these requirements seek to ensure that decisions impacting our lands and resources are more informed as to the rights, values, and practices of Native Hawaiians, and have the potential to enhance our islands' sustainability and resilience for present and future generations."

Kaʻū has some of the largest swaths of pristine land managed by the state.
Map from Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

OHA charges, however, that "despite the regular provision of notice to board and commission administrators, the vast majority of boards and commissions subject to the training course requirement have failed to fully comply with their training responsibilities. As a result, land use and resource management decision-making may continue to be less than fully informed on Native Hawaiian concepts, practices, and rights associated with the ‘āina. Moreover, requiring only a single member of critical decision-making bodies, such as the Land Use Commission and Board of Land & Natural Resources to have experience or expertise in Hawaiian practices or resource management approaches, has not resulted in decisions that consistently recognize or incorporate Native Hawaiian knowledge, values, and rights. These issues in turn have led and continue to lead to substantial conflict, distrust in government decisions and processes, and even legal action against the state, and may further foreclose critical opportunities to ensure our islands' resiliency and self-sufficiency through culturally-informed land use and resource management."

The OHA proposal would:

Require an annual report by OHA and DLNR of all individuals who have failed to meet the one-year training deadline under the law; prohibit individuals who have failed to meet their requirement from serving on a permitted interaction group or voting on any matter before their respective boards or commissions, until they have attended a training course; remove untrained individuals from their respective boards or commissions at the end of the regular legislative session following their deadline to complete the training course, unless they complete the training course or are reconfirmed by the Senate before the session ends; and allow the individual votes of untrained council, board and commission members to be challenged and subject to being nullified and voided following a contested case proceeding.

The measure would also require that four of the nine-member LUC and four members of the seven-member BLNR be appointed from a list of nominees submitted by OHA, similar to the way in which OHA nominees are appointed to the various island burial councils. The requirement would take effect after the end of the current terms of all sitting BLNR and LUC members.

"Such meaningful representation of Native Hawaiian perspectives will particularly ensure that land use and resource management decisions incorporate and benefit from Native Hawaiian practices, values, and knowledge relating to the ‘āina," says the OHA statement to the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

See more on OHA efforts below.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Ancient Hawaiian hula site, ʻImakakāloa Heiau, is one Kaʻū cultural location.
Photo from Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation

PROTECTING HISTORIC SITES is another OHA initiative. According to Office of Hawaiian Affairs, "State historic preservation laws provide a process by which county grading- and construction-related permit applications can be vetted for potential impacts to iwi kūpuna and archaeological/historical sites; this process includes the opportunity to attach permit conditions as well as develop and apply other protective measures to mitigate any potential impacts. Historic preservation laws further impose criminal and civil penalties for the knowing desecration of iwi kupuna, burials, and archaeological/historical sites, and for failing to stop work upon the discovery of a burial."

Despite these laws, states OHA, concerns have been raised regarding landowners and contractors who ignore county permitting requirements before beginning construction work, thereby avoiding the procedural protections established under historic preservation laws, and likely impacting countless iwi kūpuna and archaeological and historical sites. "These concerns have been compounded by written statements from the State Historic Preservation Division that impacts to iwi kūpuna from unpermitted grading or construction activities cannot be investigated or enforced after-the-fact, due to the likelihood that any evidence of such impacts have already been destroyed. For unscrupulous landowners and contractors, this admitted lack of after-the-fact enforcement may even represent a significant financial incentive to engage in unpermitted work especially where iwi kūpuna may be found, as the otherwise minimal penalties for unpermitted work may be far less than the costs of complying with permitting processes and conditions protecting iwi kūpuna and historic sites.”

This OHA proposal would seek to better protect Native Hawaiians' ancestors by:

South Point holds many areas where iwi kūpuna were laid to rest,
but soil erosion from human activity may have covered up
some of the history. DLNR photo

Increasing maximum fines for violations to the chapter, including unpermitted grading or construction activities that would have otherwise involved historic preservation review; prohibiting further work or permit issuance for the subject property where unpermitted activities occurred, until submission and approval of a work schedule that includes recommended actions from SHPD staff or a department-approved archaeologist who has inspected the worksite for evidence of potential impacts to iwi kūpuna or historic sites; holding landowners and contractors jointly liable for all assessment and mitigation costs associated with unpermitted activities; requiring the establishment of a citizen complaint intake process and the development of informational resources for citizens to document/report potential HRS 6E violations and impacts to iwi kūpuna or historic sites; requiring the posting of notice at worksites regarding iwi kūpuna and historic preservation laws, and informing workers and the public of the citizen complaint intake process; and amending the historic preservation special fund, which collects historic preservation fines and fees, to explicitly allow fund monies to be dedicated towards enforcement related activities.

See more on OHA efforts in future Kaʻū News Briefs.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING is on effect for Kaʻū and much of the windward side of Hawaiʻi Island through tomorrow at 1:30 a.m., states the National Weather Service. Local areas expected to have the most change of flooding include Nāʻālehu and Kāwā Flats. The public is warned to not cross running water, and to avoid streams, rivers, drainage ditches, and culverts, even if they are currently dry. Rock and mud slides are also a possibility.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

DECIPHERING KĪLAUEA'S 2018 ERUPTION is the subject of a free, public talk on Thurs., Jan. 16 at 7 p.min the University Classroom Building (UCB), Room 100, on the main UH-Hilo campus,

200 W. Kawili St., Hilo

. U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo scientists Lopaka Lee and Cheryl Gansecki will tell the story of magma sources within Kīlauea Volcano as revealed by analyses of lava samples collecting during the eruption. This is one of many programs offered during Hawaiʻi's 11th annual Volcano Awareness Month this month.

For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov, call 808-967-8844 or see volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

KAʻŪ HOSTED TWO GIRLS BASKETBALL GAMES yesterday, with Junior Varsity facing Honokaʻa and Varsity facing Pāhoa.

The Trojans put up a good fight against the Dragons in the Varsity game, scoring 35 to 54, to Honokaʻa. During the game, Grace Smith scored 8 pints for Kaʻū, Kaohinani Grace scored 7, Riley Ann Brown and CeAndra Silva-Kamei each scored 6, Shania Lee Silva scored 4, and Melinda Eder and Heidi Vidal each scored 2.

In the JV game, the Daggers scored 48 points to the Trojans' 11. Kaʻū's Kawai Smith scored 6 points for the home team, Hulali Baji scored 3, and Candace Keohuloa scored 1.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

SUNDAY, JAN. 12

Puʻu o Lukuana, Sunday, Jan. 12, 9:30-11a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, short, .4 mile hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on

Maile Street

. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.comor 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Hawaii Wildlife Fund - Ka‘ū Community Cleanup, Saturday, Jan. 18. Space available. BYO-4WD also welcome. R.S.V.P. in advance to 769-7629, mattieHWF@gmail.com, or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com. wildhawaii.org

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Hike Back in Time To The 1969-74 Mauna Ulu Eruption, Saturday, Jan. 18, 10a.m.-1p.m., Mauna Ulu parking lot. USGS HVO geologist Dr. Carolyn Parcheta leads a two-hour guided walk along the fissure that started the Mauna Ulu eruption, the longest observed effusive rift eruption at the time which built lava shield, Mauna Ulu, growing mountain, a prominent landmark on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Jan. 18 and Feb. 4 – every other Tu

esday – 10a.m.-1p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Pupule Papales Band, Saturday, Jan. 18, 7-10p.m., Kīlauea Military Camp's Lava Lounge, in HVNP. $5 cover charge, free to in-house guests. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Raging waters blocked Kaʻū Coffee farmers from crossing the ford to reach Moaʻula - Cloud Rest orchards today.
Photo by John Qualls

A 72-YEAR-OLD DRIVER AND PASSENGER WERE RESCUED FROM KĀWĀ FLATS early this morning. A call came in at 12:13 a.m., when her school bus stalled as she attempted to cross a flooded Highway 11, reported Hawaiʻi Fire Department. The first unit on scene arrived at 12:26 a.m. Both HFD and Hawaiʻi Police Department units responded. The woman and passenger did not need medical attention and no injuries of rescuers were reported.

A rushing stream in WoodValley. Photo by Julia Neal

The flash flooding closed Hwy 11 at Kāwā Flats from 8:50 p.m. Saturday to about 7 p.m. Sunday, one of the longest periods in recent history. State Department of Transportation officials on the scene called the water "big."
A group of Wood Valley residents, at a flooded ford with water too high to cross, talked about a scary Saturday night with the sound of boulders rolling and crashing in the streams.
The flood warning was is still in effect, through 6 p.m. Monday.
Schools are expected to open Monday morning with bus service. Those who rely on Hele On Bus routes that service Kaʻū may want to check heleonbus.org for updates, as some cancellations were planned.
See more photos of the rain, rain, rain coming down, down, down in Kaʻū, below.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

PROTECTING BURIAL SITES AND THE BONES OF ANCESTORS, IWI KŪPUNA, is the goal of planned amendments to the Hawaiʻi State Historical Preservation Division's administrative rules. For the 2020 Hawaiʻi Legislature, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs released a package of bills. OHA-4 proposes to fix "persistent procedural inconsistencies relating to the identification and protection of iwi kūpuna and burial sites, which have led to inconsistent and inadequate protection for iwi kūpuna."

OHA states that the National Park Service also found "significant operational problems with the division," in 2010. "Despite the apparent need for greater regulatory guidance to address these issues," stated OHA, no rule amendments have been made to the administrative rules for burial sites or iwi kūpuna for over 23 years, nor regarding archaeological or historical sites and resources for over 16 years.

"The State Historic Preservation Division has been contemplating rulemaking action in the near future and this resolution would send a clear legislative message to the division that any such rulemaking must address specific, long-standing issues that have inhibited the consistent and appropriate protection of iwi kūpuna, burial sites, and archaeological/historical resources and sites that embody the physical and spiritual legacies and final resting places of our ancestors. The resolution will point to general and specific rule provisions that SHPD should consider," and will likely include:

A bridge built in 1945 on Wood Valley Road

handles flooding. Photo by Julia Neal

Improving accountability for archaeologists responsible for surveying development sites; developing an alternative or streamlined historic preservation process for projects specifically aimed at preserving or stewarding historic resources or cultural resources; standardizing the archaeological inventory survey sampling and reporting requirements to improve consistency; creating a process to reclassify "inadvertently discovered" burials as "previously identified" burials, especially where burials are discovered during exploratory testing or where burials are found in concentrations; empowering the Island Burial Councils; providing stronger and periodic training to Island Burial Councils on their statutory and administrative authorities and responsibilities; improving requirements for consistent consultation with descendants and knowledgeable individuals throughout the historic preservation review process; requiring the metes and bounds recordation of preservation sites at the Bureau of Conveyances; and creating a process to document and address rule violations by cultural resource contractors.

Learn more at oha.org. See more on yesterday's and tomorrow's Kaʻū News Briefs.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Water rushes under Hwy 11 after days of heavy rainfall. Highway 11 has reopened after being closed for almost 24 hours. Only one vehicle in Kaʻū was officially reported stranded during the closure. Photo by Julia Neal

HELPING FORMER INMATES, PAʻAHAO, FIND STABLE EMPLOYMENT is the goal of another piece of legislation introduced for the 2020 Legislative session. As noted in OHA's 2010 report on The Disparate Treatment of Native Hawaiians in the Criminal Justice System, the inability of former pa‘ahao to find stable employment and support their families after their release "is one of the major 'collateral consequences' of incarceration, which particularly burden the Native Hawaiian community. Criminal background checks as part of the employment process may exacerbate this burden by allowing prospective employers to effectively discriminate against pa‘ahao even after they have paid their debt to society. Notably, national studies show that employers may be far less inclined to hire individuals with even a misdemeanor criminal conviction record – particularly for individuals of color – and despite the length of time from their past illegal activity.

Water roars through WoodValley. Photo by Julia Neal

"While existing state laws generally prohibit employment discrimination based on arrest and court records," states OHA, "Hawai‘i statutes still allow employers to rescind job offers or make other employment decisions based on convictions up to ten years old, as long as the conviction has a 'rational relationship' to the job. This express allowance and the ten-year criminal background checks it encourages may substantially and unreasonably hinder pa‘ahao efforts to earn a legitimate income and support their families, potentially leading to recidivist behavior and otherwise frustrating state investments in their rehabilitation and reentry into society.

"This measure would mitigate the impacts of the ten-year criminal background checks encouraged under state law, by limiting the length of time that convictions may be used in employment decisions from a maximum time period of five years for felonies and three years for misdemeanors (subject to existing exceptions for certain occupations and agencies such as those related to law enforcement). These new limits will discourage most employers from using old and possibly irrelevant convictions in making employment decisions; shorten the unreasonably long ten-year background check period used by employers in evaluating job applicants; and ensure that those who have long past paid their debt to society receive a more meaningful opportunity to support themselves and their families and become contributing members of the community.

"By striking a better balance between employers' liability concerns and the need to provide pa‘ahao with meaningful employment opportunities, this measure will help to reduce recidivism, facilitate successful pa‘ahao reentry, and enhance public safety in the long-term. Importantly, this measure will not apply to employers who are expressly permitted to inquire into their employees' or prospective employees' criminal history pursuant to federal or state laws (e.g. DOE to determine suitability to work with children, public safety to insure against risks to the department or the public, etc.), nor will it affect existing reporting requirements (e.g. for sex offender registries).

Learn more at oha.org. See more on yesterday's and tomorrow's Kaʻū News Briefs.

A coffee farmer helps clear boulders off Wood Valley Road. Photo by Julia Neal

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

DUE TO INCREASED AGRICULTURAL THEFT, Hawaiʻi Police Department issued a statement to remind the public about the following:

Agricultural theft of agricultural equipment, supplies, products, or parts thereof, – valued between $100 and $20,000 – or agricultural products that exceed twenty-five pounds, could be considered theft in the second degree, a class C felony. Thefts from premises showing a crop at the entry point, that are "fenced, enclosed, or secured in a manner designed to exclude intruders, or have signs prominently displayed such as "Private Property,""No Trespassing," or a similar message, are also eligible as class C felonies.

"Possession of agricultural products without ownership and movement certificates is prima facie (sufficient) evidence that the products are or have been stolen," stated HPD.

Transport and sale of all agricultural commodities marketed for commercial purposes that exceed 200 pounds or have a value of least $100 requires a Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture Certificate of Ownership/Movement of Agricultural Commodities record describing the commodity, the amount and value of the commodity. The certificate must include: seller's name, residence address, telephone number, and license plate number of any vehicle used by the seller to deliver the commodity to the place of purchase; name of the farm owner and address of origin; name of the buyer or consignee, and destination; and signature of the seller and, upon sale, the signature of the buyer or consignee. Two copies of the certificate shall accompany the shipment, and one copy each shall be retained by the seller and the buyer or consignee.

Miles of Hwy 11, from the bridge construction site at Punaluʻu to past

floodwaters at Kāwā Flats, remained closed from 8:50 p.m.

Saturday until after dark Sunday. Photo by Julia Neal

Sales over $300 also require the seller to present the buyer with a valid photo ID card or license, issued by a federal or state government agency.

HPD recommends helping safeguard against agricultural theft by taking an active involvement and establish communication within the community and neighborhood to help increase awareness. Make it difficult for a thief or trespasser to enter onto or steal from the property by using: fencing, signage, motion sensors, and ample lighting; security cameras, drones, or private security near high-value commodity areas; no-glow infrared flash trail cameras that are easily downloadable; dogs; strategically placed and secured storage containers away from main roads or highways.

HPD also asks the public to assist law enforcement by reporting any suspicious activity to the Hawaiʻi Police Department, (808) 935-3311. HPD recommends including the date, time, and location, along with descriptions of the suspect(s) or vehicle(s) and direction of travel; providing photographs and/or video; requesting that the officer contacts you and avoid remaining anonymous if willing; providing the name of the vendor or business attempting to buy or sell suspected stolen goods.

For buyers of ag commodities, HPD recommends establishing a paper trail; getting to know the seller; verify the seller's ID; gather a photocopy of a government-issued ID or license if the commodity is valued at $300 or more; and provide a receipt for all transactions.

Download an Agricultural Certificate at hawaiipolice.com/01-08-20-agricultural-thefts.

A road to Kaʻū Coffee farms becomes impassable. Photo by John Qualls

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Mon., Jan. 13 host Hilo

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on

Maile Street

. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.comor 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

Ocean View C.E.R.T. Mtg., Saturday, Jan. 18 and Feb. 4 – every other Tuesday – 10a.m.-1p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Community Emergency Response Team monthly meeting and training. Jan. 4 meeting canceled due to septic work at OVCC. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

The selected intern will assist with the development of education curriculum for Kīpukapuaulu and Pu‘u Loa trails in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

For more information, contact Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Education Specialist Jody Anastasio by email at j ody_anastasio@nps.gov. To apply go to go.nps.gov/mosaics or mosaicsinscience.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Feral goats roamed in huge herds in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park before control began in the 1970s.
Helicopter flights tomorrow will survey for wild goats along the Kaʻū boundary of the Park.
See more HVNP flight plans below. Vintage photo from National Park Service

ENCOURAGING LANDOWNERS TO ALLOW NATIVE HAWAIIAN PRACTITIONERS TO ACCESS land, water, roads, and trails is the aim of a bill to be submitted by Office of Hawaiian Affairs to the 2020 Hawaiʻi Legislature. OHA-5would address liability concerns of private and government landowners who grant "explicit permission to cultural practitioners to access their lands to specifically engage in Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices." A summary of the bill from OHA says it would encourage accommodation of practitioners "and facilitate the perpetuation of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, as envisioned in our constitution and otherwise protected under the law."

OHA explained that the bill would not require practitioners to obtain permission to exercise their constitutionally protected rights, but would encourage landowners to grant permission through reducing liability. The bill proposes that the owner of the land would owe "no duty of care to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for the purpose of engaging in a Native Hawaiian traditional
and customary practice, or to give any warning of a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity on such premises to persons entering for such purposes, or to persons entering for a purpose in response to a cultural practitioner who requires assistance, either direct or indirect, including but not limited to rescue, medical care, or other form of assistance."

A hula heiau in Kaʻū where permission is given to a group of cultural practitioners to protect and care
for the site on Olson Trust property. Photo by Jasmine Cronin

OHA stated: "The Hawai‘i constitution provides cultural practitioners with the right to access less-than-fully-developed lands in the reasonable exercise of their Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices; in recognition of Hawai‘i's unique history of land ownership, land tenure, and native displacement, this right extends to both government and privately held lands. Unfortunately, both private and government landowners may be reluctant to provide explicit permission or otherwise accommodate practitioners seeking to access their lands, due to liability concerns.

"Such landowner reluctance may force practitioners to risk physical conflict or even the possibility of citation and/or arrest in order to access lands they do not have permission to be on. In the latter case, practitioners would also have the costly burden of proving in court that they were in fact engaged in the reasonable exercise of their traditional and customary practices, in order to avoid conviction and a criminal record. Faced with such risks and burdens, Native Hawaiian practitioners may choose to forego the continuation of their practices and the perpetuation of their culture, undermining the vision and intent of our unique constitutional protection."

Read more at oha.org. See more on Sunday's and Saturday'sKaʻū News Briefs.

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FLIGHT PLANS FOR JANUARY are announced by Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park:

Tuesday, Jan. 14, between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., for ungulate surveys near the Ka‘ū boundary from sea level to 1,500-ft. elevation.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., for ungulate surveys near the Ka‘ū desert boundary between sea level and 1,500-ft. elevation.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes will monitor petrels on Wednesday and
Thursday at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Photo from NPS

Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 15 and 16, between 7 a.m.and noon, for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kīlauea to Mauna Loabetween 8,000- and 9,000-ft. elevation.

Monday, Jan. 27, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., for invasive banana poka surveys and control on Mauna Loa Road between 5,000- and 6,000-ft. elevation.

Tuesday, Jan. 28 between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., for ungulate surveys and control work in Kahuku Unit, between 4,000- and 6,000-ft. elevation.

Tuesday, Jan. 28, between 10 a.m. and noon, to survey for Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death in the Kahuku Unit between 2,000- and 4,000-ft. elevation.

In addition, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory may conduct flight operations over Kīlaueaand Mauna Loa to assess volcanic activity and maintain instrumentation.

The park regrets any noise impact to residents and park visitors. Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.

Management of the park requires the use of aircraft to monitor and research volcanic activity, conduct search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources, and to maintain backcountry facilities.

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Visitors gaze at Kīlauea Iki Crater from the Pu‘u Pua‘i Overlook. NPS photo/Janice Wei

PUʻU PUAʻI OVERLOOK parking lot and a short section of Devastation Trail have reopened in Hawai‘i VolcanoesNational Park. The area was closed in late December to protect breeding and nesting nēnē, threatened endemic Hawaiian geese. "The sensitive nesting time for this family has concluded, and the parents and their goslings are thriving," stated the Park.

The public is reminded to stay 60 feet away from nēnē and never give them food. Nēnē that are comfortable with people and handouts are more likely to be killed by vehicles.

Only 30 nēnē remained statewide in 1952. Efforts to recover the imperiled species began in the 1970s. The Nēnē Recovery Program continues today: more than 200 birds thrive in the park from sea level to around 8,000 feet, and the species has more than 3,000 living members.

Still on a storm watch but lighting up at Punaluʻu

Black Sand Beach. Photo by Maria Miranda

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A GALE WARNING AND A HIGH SURF ADVISORY are in effect for Kaʻū. High winds of 29 to 40 mile per hour winds are forecast through tomorrow, states the National Weather Service. The high winds are expected to cause rough seas through Thursday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m.The remnants of the storm that caused flooding all over Kaʻū will keep the waves above 5 feet. NWS warns that hazardous seas should be avoided by most non-necessary water travel.

In addition, a Brown Water Advisory is in effect for all of Hawaiʻi Island. Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch stated that, due to heavy rains, the public is advised to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff "due to possible overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals, and associated flood debris. Not all coastal areas may be impacted by runoff. However, if the water is brown stay out. Continue to practice good personal hygiene and follow-up with your primary care physician if you have any health concerns."

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HELE ON BUS SERVICE will be limited on Monday, January 20, in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. See heleonbus.org for details.

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KAʻŪ BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS faced off with Kealakehu on Saturday in Junior Varsity and Varsity games. The Trojans' JV team came close to a win, scoring 56 points to the Waveriders' 61. Varsity had a harder challenge, scoring 29 to Kona's 59 points.

Today, the teams traveled to Hilo to play JV and Varisty games against the Waiakea Warriors. The JV Trojans had an even closer game, scoring 59 points to Hilo's 61. Kaʻū's Micah Espejo scored 23 of the game's points, Ivan Ramos scored 10, Cyrus McMasters scored 8, and Waiola Akiu, Jezekial Jara, and Jocyiah Mukini each scored 6.
The Varsity game had a wider spread, with Hilo taking the game at 84 points to Kaʻū's 39. Dayson Burns scored 13 points for the Trojans, Kyson Toriano scored 7, Raymond Polido-Kalili scored 6, Kealiikoa Reyes-Nalu and Blake Nakano each scored 4, Elijah Evangelista scored 3, and Jyron Young scored 2.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Boys Basketball

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Mon., Jan. 20 @Honokaʻa

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wed., Jan. 22 and Sat., Jan. 25 Girls BIIF

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, JAN. 14

Empower Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 14 and 28 – every other Tuesday, monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., PARENTS, Inc. office, Nā‘ālehu. Empowering girls group. Registration required. Diana, 935-4805

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on

Maile Street

. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.com or 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, JAN. 20

Fee Free Day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Monday, Jan. 20, midnight-11:59p.m. Park entrance fees waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

AdvoCATS, Monday, Jan. 20, 7a.m.-4:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free spay/neuter for cats. 895-9283, advocatshawaii.org

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Sunset and stargazing adventures are back in action on Maunakea, as the University of Hawaiʻi establishes
new rules for access and operations on the mauna. The businesses shut down in July during protests blocking the
road to construction of the planned Thirty Meter Telescopes. See story below. Photo from Mauna Kea Summit Adventures

AFTER A WILD WEEKEND OF FLOODING at ranches and farms in Kaʻū, with roads torn up and streams breaching their banks to carve new paths through the land, the weather calmed down Monday into Tuesday.
Phil Becker, President of the Kaʻū Farm Bureau, reported 17 inches of rain at the Aikane coffee farm and ranch. He said he and Merle found 1500 to 2,000 feet of fencing taken down by the storm.
He said he wants to thank Ray Mizuno and his county road team for cleaning up the old cane haul road between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu. Becker said he has never before seen such a stream of vehicles that steadily traveled on the mountain bypass during the nearly 24 hours from Saturday night into Sunday when Hwy 11 was closed with flooding at Kāwā Flats. He noted damage to the rural bridges, including one near his home.

A rural bridge was damaged during the recent flooding. Photo by Phil Becker

Kapāpala Ranch reported 15.05 inches of rain in four days, from Thursday through Monday at 8 a.m., with most of it from Saturday to Sunday morning. Residents and workers reported ranch roads destroyed and having to make new paths across pastures to travel Pāhala.
National Weather Service recorded the peak three-day total day from 2018's Hurricane Lane– the highest flow in 30 years – was 56 inches at KahunaFalls, with a storm total of 58 inches. The preliminary peak flow value from WailukuRiver from this storm system was 52,500 cubic feet per second at a stage value of 21.61 feet. This was the second highest flow value in the last 30 years; peak flow from Lane's rainfall was 82,300 cfs at 24.40 ft stage. At Honoliʻi Stream just north of Hilo, peak flow on the night of Saturday, Jan. 11 had a preliminary value of 14,200 cfs at 17.32 ft stage, which is the fourth highest in the last 30 years. By comparison, peak flow at this site from Hurricane Lanewas 19,900 cfs at 19.9 ft stage.

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TULSI GABBARD'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN RELEASED THE FOLLOWING, AHEAD OF TODAY'S DEMOCRATIC DEBATE. The tribute to Kaʻū's congresswoman who is running for President, without participation in the debate, comes from a Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member, Cody Two Bears, who wrote: "I'm not watching tonight's debate and I hope you'll give me a second to explain why: Not one of those candidates on the stage tonight speak for me. Most don't speak for you. Billionaires and millionaires, people who bought their way onto the stage, establishment mouthpieces, a candidate who appropriated my culture — they don't represent our diverse American voices. Where are the indigenous voices? The women of color? The warriors for peace? The people like Tulsi who time and time again have stood on the front lines of the most important challenges facing our nation."
Cody Two Bears stated that "Tulsi is all of those things, but mostly she's a leader who shows up. She showed up at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota to stand arm in arm with my tribe against Big Oil and the Dakota Access Pipeline when they tried to grab our land and soil our planet for dirty profits. She showed up as a soldier in Iraq, and then Kuwait, to put her life on the line for all of us. Tulsi always shows up... and then she listens.

Cody Two Bears of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
calls Gabbard a "Warrior for the People."
Photo from Cody Two Bears

"I firmly believe now more than ever — while we face a warming world, a planet on the brink, the threat of war with Iran, and nuclear war — we need a president who will ensure the history, the lived experience and the voices of indigenous people, and black and brown people around the world, are heard. We need a candidate who can bridge the great and growing divide between Americans that ignores our common humanity. Our common dreams of shared health, wealth and happiness. I believe Tulsi is the only candidate who can do this, and that's why we need to stand with her now. When our voices are being silenced, and left off that debate stage. When we're being out-raised and outspent by candidates who don't represent all of us.
"Tulsi represents the values of living in harmony with nature and having respect for the Great Spirit, Father God and Mother Earth. She has the spirit of aloha, respect for all. Tulsi is not just speaking up for my people, she's a voice for indigenous people everywhere: No other candidate is standing up for the indigenous people of the Middle East, the indigenous Yazidis, Druze, Christians, and minority Muslims that are being targeted and persecuted based on their beliefs, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia. Will you help me today in lifting up Tulsi's voice for peace, for our planet, for all of us?"
In lieu of the dabate, Gabbard scheduled a live stream talk story with Dennis Kucinich, Lawrence Lessig, and Stephen Kinzer. Her campaign calls it "an urgent and timely conversation about the escalating war with Iran, the constitutionality of Trump's actions and the best path forward to peace." It is available at tulsi.to/discussion.

The Democratic Presidential Debate was scheduled for 4 p.m. Hawaiʻi Time on CNN stations and CNN.com, which cosponsored it with the Des Moines Register newspaper. Candidates in the debate:
Former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; businessman Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Sunset is spectacular on Maunakea and part of the Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail tour. Photo from Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail

MAUNAKEA TOUR COMPANIES WILL LIKELY RECEIVE NEW PERMITS to continue their operations. Gov. David Ige on Monday approved and signed new administrative rules for Maunakea land managed by University of Hawaiʻi. The rules take effect on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Tour companies, some of them in business for decades to offer sunset and stargazing from Maunakea, shut down last July when protesters of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope blocked the road to the summit to stop construction trucks. Companies laid off tour guides, drivers, mechanics, and other workers and cancelled catering and other services, for the tours, which provided employment in the community.
Maunakea tour companies are up and running again with reservations available online.

The UH Board of Regents adopted the new rules on Monday after an 11-hour meeting at UH Hilo, where 99 people testified.

UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, who oversees the Master Plan and Comprehensive Management Plan for UH-managed lands on Maunakea, said this week, "It is now time to utilize these rules to address the issues with excessive traffic that have been raised, as well as to issue new permits for commercial tour operations. We look forward to working with the community as we move forward."

Ige said, "With the opening of Mauna Kea Access Road and a return to normal activity on the mountain, I believe it is the right time to approve the rules. I have personally observed that there was too much traffic on Mauna Keaand these rules will give the university the tools needed to better manage public and commercial access."

Bonnie Irwin is UH Hilo Chancellor
and says it is time to address traffic
and issue new permits for
commercial tours on Maunakea.

The purpose of the rules, under HRS section 20-26-1, is to "provide for the proper use, management, and protection of cultural, natural, and scientific resources of the UH management areas; to promote public safety and welfare by regulating public and commercial activity within the UH management areas; to ensure safe and appropriate access to the UH management areas for the public; and to foster co-management with the Department of Land and Natural Resources in UH management areas."

The governor's office stated the final version of the rules "is the result of extensive consultation and public outreach" that included Native Hawaiian organizations, Hawaiʻi Island business organizations, commercial tour operators and government agencies including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Office of the Hawaiʻi County Mayor, the Mauna Kea Management Board, and Kahu Kū Mauna.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THE COUNTY'S SOLID WASTE MEETING FOR KAʻŪ TONIGHT was cancelled due to the recent stormy weather and will be rescheduled. The Public Information Meeting by County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management's Solid Waste Division had been scheduled for tonight, Jan. 14 at Nā‘ālehu Clubhouse. Among the topics to come up at the next meeting will be improvements and changes at the county's transfer and recycling stations where people take their trash.
Visit hawaiizerowaste.org or call the Solid Waste Division Office at 961-8270 for more.

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State Senator Map, showing District 2 and District 3.

THE 30TH STATE LEGISLATURE OPENS tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 15. Floor sessions will begin at 10 a.m. The galleries will open to the public at 9:30 a.m. from the rotunda level. Seating is limited.

Sen. Dru Kanuha

In keeping with recent practice, the floor session will be kept to a minimum. No musical entertainment is planned, and no family, friends or guests will be seated on the chamber floor. Years ago, the opening was a huge celebration with hula, music, food, many speeches and an abundance of floral presentations, with parties in every legislator's office.

Floor proceedings will air Wednesday live on ʻŌlelo channel 53 from 10 a.m. and live through local public access stations.
To look for subject matter of interest in bills proposed and to follow Kaʻu's legislators and the bills they introduce, support and oppose, see www.capitol.hawaii.gov. The online access presents an easy-to-drive program to keep up with the session and to submit testimony. Kaʻu's Senators and House members:

Sen. Russell Ruderman

Sen. Dru Kanuha represents District 2: Honuʻapo, Nāʻālehu, Green Sands, Mark Twain, Discovery Harbour, South Point, Waiʻōhinu, Ocean View, and Miloliʻi into Kona. He serves on the Housing, Education, Government Operations, and Ways & Means Committees. He can be contacted at 808-586-9385, senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov, and works from Room 206 at the state capitol building.

Follow the bills Kanuha introduces at capitol.hawaii.gov.

State Representative Map, showing District 3 and District 5.

Sen. Russell Ruderman represents District 2: Punaluʻu, Pāhala, WoodValley, and Volcano, through to HawaiianParadiseParkand Puna. He serves on the Human Services, Agriculture & Environment, and the Commerce, Consumer Protection, & Health Committees. He can be contacted at 808-586-6890, senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov, and works from Room 216 at the state capitol building.
Follow the bills that Ruderman introduces at capitol.hawaii.gov.

Rep. Richard Onishi

Rep. Richard Onishi represents District 3: Punaluʻu, Pāhala, WoodValley, and Volcano into South Hilo. He serves on the Tourism & International Affairs, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection & Commerce Committees. He can be contacted at 808-586-6120, reponishi@capitol.hawaii.gov, and works from Room 404 at the state capitol building.
Follow the bills that Onishi introduces at capitol.hawaii.gov.

Rep. Richard Creagan

Rep. Richard Creagan represents District 5: Honuʻapo, Nāʻālehu, Green Sands, Mark Twain, Discovery Harbour, South Point, Waiʻōhinu, Ocean View, and Miloliʻi into South Kona. He serves on the Agriculture, Judiciary, and Tourism & International Affairs Committees. He can be contacted at 808-586-9605, repcreagan@Capitol.hawaii.gov, and works from Room 427 at the state capitol building.
Follow the bills Creagan introduces at capitol.hawaii.gov.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Wed., Jan. 22 @HPA

Boys Basketball

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Mon., Jan. 20 @Honokaʻa

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wed., Jan. 22 and Sat., Jan. 25 Girls BIIF

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Wednesday, monthly – 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries Annual Mtg., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m. at Pāhala Plantation House on

Maile Street

. Elections for officers will happen during the short business meeting, followed by potluck pūpū. Sandra Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.com or 808-929-9244.

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Jan. 15 – third Tuesday, monthly – 6-7p.m., Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading, make & take activities, snacks provided. Free,

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, JAN. 20

Fee Free Day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Monday, Jan. 20, midnight-11:59p.m. Park entrance fees waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

AdvoCATS, Monday, Jan. 20, 7a.m.-4:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free spay/neuter for cats. 895-9283, advocatshawaii.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

Cultural Understanding through Art & the Environment: Ti Leaf Lei Making with Jelena Clay, Tuesday, Jan. 21 – third Tuesday, Monthly – 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Pre-registration required; class size limited. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

After Dark in the Park – Kīlauea Lower East Rift Zone 2019: Quiet But Insightful, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 7-8p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Why did the fissures erupt along a linear pattern? How long will it take for the lava to solidify? Why is vegetation still dying in the area? Join USGS HVO geologist Carolyn Parcheta as she explores these and other queries, and shares recent observations and findings by HVO scientists. Free; Park entrance fees apply. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

New immediate treatment for Rat Lungworm is recommended by Hilo Medical Center.
See details, below. Photo from UH-CTAHR

"A TALE OF TWO EVENINGS" is the Tulsi Gabbard presidential campaign's description of Democratic debate night Tuesday. The campaign staff for Gabbard, Kaʻū's representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a statement saying, "On the presidential 'debate' stage: The least representative group of candidates to date delivered 60 second sound bites to the corporate media, partaking in irrelevant he-said-she-said squabbles that have no bearing on the big issues facing our country today."

It contrasted Gabbard's appearance: "On a stage in Concord, New Hampshire: Tulsi sat down with leading anti-war experts, Dennis Kucinich, Stephen Kinzer, and constitutional authority Lawrence Lessig to speak directly with the people of New Hampshire about how we got into these wars, how they impact all of us, and how we get out of them and get our troops home."

Tulsi Gabbard last night with Denis Kucinich and Stephen Kinzer.

See the peace talks.

The Gabbard 2020 statement said, "Last night highlighted the difference between Tulsi and every other candidate: Some people pay lip service to service and 'peace seeking' while working or voting to fund for-profit wars, while Tulsi leads with her actions. Tulsi has been asking the common sense, bi-partisan questions that impact every American: Do these wars make our people safer? Are they constitutional? What's the real cost of these wars?

"Tulsi is the only candidate who deeply and personally understands the terrible cost of war. And she will keep fighting for all of us, for peace and the safety and security of all Americans – as long as we stand with her."

Gabbard stated earlier that she will not run for reelection the congressional post representing Kaʻū and all of rural Hawaiʻi. State Sen. Kai Kahele is running to take her place.

On Tuesday's Democratic Party debate stage in Des Moines, Iowa, six candidates debated: Former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; businessman Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. It was the last debate before the Iowacaucuses on Monday, Feb. 3. The next Democratic Party debate will be on Friday, Feb. 7.

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Sen. Kai Kahele, who is running
for U.S. Congress.

KAHELE FOR CONGRESS FUNDRAISING NUMBERS for 2019 are released by the campaign committee. Kahele's campaign ended the year with $718,568.20 raised. During the 4th quarter of 2019, the Kahele for Congress Committee reported $216,985.62. The committee also reported through 2019 the campaign received more than $385,000 through online donations from over 14,600 individual donors, with an average contribution of $26.32.

Kahele is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat, now held by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard who announced she will not run for reelection, in order to focus on her presidential campaign. The 2nd District encompasses Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kaua'i, Niʻihau, and the rural parts of Oʻahu, including Waimānalo, Kailua, Kāneʻohe, the North Shore, and the Leeward coast.

Kahele said, "My wife Maria and I remain humbled by the outpouring of aloha we have received from every corner of the State of Hawaiʻi. Thank you for your generosity and support. Over the last year, we have laid a solid foundation for our campaign to represent Hawaiʻi's 2nd Congressional District. As we begin the next phase of this endeavor, we march into 2020 towards the August 8th primary election with a strong grassroots organization and the necessary resources to get our message out to the voters."

Kahele serves as Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Water and Land in the Hawaiʻi State Senate where he represents his hometown of Hilo. He is an 18-year combat veteran aviator and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard.

Former Hawaiʻi Governors John Waiheʻe, Ben Cayetano, and Neil Abercrombie serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the Kahele for Congress Campaign Committee. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Honolulu City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson and former Kauaʻi Mayor Bernard Carvalho have formally endorsed Kahele's candidacy.

See kaikahele.com.

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Rat Lungworm lifecycle.

A PREVENTATIVE FOR RAT LUNGWORM disease is a new protocol at HiloMedicalCenter and its sister Kaʻū Hospital. Emergency Department and outpatient clinics are encouraged to prescribe pyrantel pamoate, a medication to treat pinworms, to those who have just eaten a snail or slug, the carriers of rat lungworm.

The treatment is a "promising" preventative measure, said Dr. Jon Martell, Chief Medical Officer at HiloMedicalCenter. The Rat Lungworm expert said it has the potential to immobilize Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae, which could be expelled through the victim's stool without causing an infection. The treatment came from an unpublished study, authored by researchers John Jacob, Ingo Lange, Ghee Tan and Susan Jarvi at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo's Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.

Martell said, "Based on this recent research, we will inform patients that pinworm medication might have benefit if taken immediately after accidental consumption of a snail or slug. The potential, though not proven, benefits appear to outweigh the minimal risk of the treatment. Snails and slugs in East Hawaiʻi often carry the parasite and the pinworm medicine is available over-the-counter and safe if given as instructed on the package. We are recommending that people who have been exposed read the patient information for the medication and make an informed decision. The sooner you take the pinworm medication the more likely it is to help. We also recommend that you get the snail or slug tested later if you can, and absolutely go to see your primary care provider within a couple of days for assessment and possible use of additional treatment."

Rat Lungworm, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, parasite.
Image from UH-Hilo Jarvi lab

As the leading hospital in the country for diagnosing and treating Rat Lungworm, HiloMedicalCenterhas made this information available on its website, and will initiate an education program for providers and the public.

HiloMedicalCenterhosts and facilitates the Rat Lungworm Support Group on the second Wednesday of the month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Keaʻau Communit

y Center. Survivors of Rat Lungworm, their caregivers, and other supporters are invited to join in-person and via the Zoom online meeting platform. For more information, go to hilomedicalcenter.org/our-services/support-groups/rat-lungworm-support-group. See hilomedicalcenter.org, halehoolahamakua.org or kauhospital.org.
Acquiring Rat Lungworm is often related to eating unwashed fresh vegetables exposed to slugs carrying the disease.

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Friends of the Kaʻū Libraries. Photo by Julia Neal

FRIENDS OF THE KAʻŪ LIBRARIES held its annual meeting tonight at Pāhala Plantation House. During the business meeting, officers for 2020 were elected: Pres. Linda Morgan, VP Debra Lynn Dickerson, Secretary Sandra Demoruelle, and Treasurer Debbie Wong Yuen.

During the meeting, the group reported that kids with books in their homes have "higher achievement." Nāʻālehu school library gave away 500 books before winter break, "getting books into the homes." During discussion, a public librarian quipped: "Audio books are a good gateway drug."

Also during the meeting, those in attendance voted to fund the milling of the monkeypod tree which was removed for the Nāʻālehu library expansion. Idea is to create a monkeypod bench to honor late librarian Lisa Cabudol and to make other hardwood creations to honor the tree.
Contact Demoruelle, naalehutheatre@yahoo.com or 808-929-9244, with questions.

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BIG ISLAND GIVING TREE will be at St. Jude's Episcopal Church on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon. Free clothing, shoes, linens, toiletries, and cleaning products will be offered for humans; free dog and cat food from the Humane Society. Grab a free hot shower, a free hot meal, use free wifi or a computer, and charge electronic devices for free at the church, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers welcome; contact Don Hatch at don.hatch@hatchville.com.

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THE TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM traveled to Konawaena on Tuesday to do battle against the Wildcats. Junior Varsity player Hulali Baji scored the only 4 points Kaʻū managed during the four quarters. Konawaena won the game with 56 points. Kaʻū's other JV players are Dallas Carlos, Sanoe Kihe, Mahea Cachero, Faith Masuhara-Molina, and Jasmine Cardeiro.

The Varsity ladies spread the points scoring around a bit more, with Melinda Eder and Kaohinani Grace each scoring 2 points, and Grace Smith scoring 1. The Wildcats won the game, 99 to 5. The other Trojans Varsity players are Kaliana Salazar-Harrell, Jayla Medeiros, Caiyle Kaupu, Kayla Pak, Braelyn Kauhi, Kassie Alapai, Juliana Losalio-Watson, and Grace Hing.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Wed., Jan. 22 @HPA

Tue. and Wed., Jan. 28 and 29 BIIF @Civic

Boys Basketball

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Mon., Jan. 20 @Honokaʻa

Mon., Jan. 27 @Kamehameha

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wed., Jan. 22 and Sat., Jan. 25 Girls BIIF

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

Fri., Jan. 31 and Sat., Feb. 1 BIIF @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Big Island Giving Tree at St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m.-noon. Free clothing, shoes, linens, toiletries, and cleaning products for humans. Free dog and cat food from the Humane Society. Grab a free hot shower, a free hot meal, use free wifi or a computer, and charge electronic devices for free at the church, 9a.m.-1p.m. Volunteers welcome; contact Don Hatch at don.hatch@hatchville.com.

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, JAN. 20

Fee Free Day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Monday, Jan. 20, midnight-11:59p.m. Park entrance fees waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

AdvoCATS, Monday, Jan. 20, 7a.m.-4:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free spay/neuter for cats. 895-9283, advocatshawaii.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

Kuʻi Kalo: Pound Poi, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 10a.m.-noon, Kīlauea Visitor Center lanai, HVNP. Make poi, the staple food of the Hawaiian diet. The root of the kalo plant is cooked and ku‘i (pounded) to create this classic Hawaiian dish. Join Ranger Keoni Kaholo‘a‘a as he shares his knowledge of kalo. Part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ‘Ike Hana No‘eau, Experience the Skillful Work, workshops. Free; Park entrance fess apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Hōlei Sea Arch Overlook is closed pending evaluation after discovery of instability and new cracks.
NPS photo

HŌLEI SEA ARCH OVERLOOK IS CLOSED inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. It closed this afternoon until further notice due to new cracks and instability observed on the coastal cliffs.
The short trail to the sea arch is at the end of Chain of Craters Road, 22.1 miles from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes' Visitor Center. Today the trail was roped off. Visitors are advised to stay back from the cliff edge, and obey all posted signs.
"We are consulting with subject matter experts on the extent of the hazard," said Acting Superintendent Rhonda Loh. "This new development reminds us that Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is an ever-changing volcanic landscape and we appreciate the public's understanding," she said.
Chain of Craters Road remains open. The 19-mile drive takes visitors through some of the most spectacular scenery in the park.
The Hōlei Sea Arch is 90 feet high and was formed about 550 years ago.

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A HELICOPTER NOISE ACT CALLED RETURN SERENITY AND SAFETY TO HAWAIʻI has been introduced to the Hawai‘i 2020 Legislature by Hawaiʻi Island Coalition Mālama Pono – HICoP. The group has long advocated more regulation of tour helicopters to ease noise over neighborhoods.

The announcement from Bob Ernst of the HICoP Board said the legislation would require all tour helicopters to operate with FAA-approved flotation and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. Tour copters would be required to "keep their noise footprint out of all occupied properties." Failure to comply would result in denial and/or rescission of operating permits.

Bob Ernst of Hawaiʻi Island Coalition

Mālama Pono. Photo from

Big Island Video News

HICoP said the legislation "will definitely improve the quality of life for those on the ground" and will benefit tour copter operators "in that all complaints will stop, crashed copters will not sink therefore passengers will not drown, operation locations will be known so first responders can find wreckage quicker, and the tour copter operators can continue their businesses unhindered."

HICoP said the legislation is needed because:

The FAA "has failed" to implement National Transportation Safety Board recommendation regarding flotation on all tour helicopters. HICoP references the recent death of a 16-year-old boy who "could not escape the sunk crashed tour helicopter in Pearl Harbor and died of submersion."

The FAA "has failed" to require tour helicopters to be equipped with ADS-B and further failed to require that ADS-B be on during operation. The equipment is meant to allow tracking and to help avoid in-air collisions with other human craft.

HICop noted the many complaints air traffic noise, and said:

"The last FAA tour copter noise nuisance pollution and crash safety hearing took place at Nani Mau on August 14, 2018.

"The FAA has failed to attend the Roundtable Meetings (with government, citizens, and helicopter companies). The Roundtable was without any meaningful action and the Roundtable is now defunct.

"The FAA has completely ignored the complaints regarding the tour helicopter noise nuisance pollution in Hawai‘i but has implemented helicopter operational routes on Long Island with FAA Rule 14 CFR Part 93 to address the complaints of helicopter noise nuisance pollution complaints on Long Island New York. The FAA has abdicated all responsibilities and duties regarding tour copters in Hawaiʻi.

"The Hawaiʻi CODEL (congressional delegation), Schatz, Hirono, Gabbard, Hanabusa, have full knowledge of the tour copter noise nuisance pollution, the tour copter crashes and fatalities from tour copter crashes, and they have done nothing to address these issues as requested by HICoP and others. They have totally ignored their constituents pleas for help and instead taken the political donations of the tour copter operators.
"Representative Ed Case, hero for those on the ground living in misery from tour copter noise nuisance pollution and in danger of copter crashes, has filed federal legislation, much of which parallels the proposed HICoP legislation.
"Airports Division Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has totally ignored the tour copter noise nuisance pollution issue and the lack of safety regarding tour copter crashes and danger for those on the ground. The Airports Division could not even implement the Stakeholder Roundtable after the 2018 meeting and recently declared the Roundtable defunct."
See more at hicop.org.

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DON'T BE OFFENDED BY PEOPLE DRIVING AROUND WITH HAWAIIAN FLAGS, Mayor Harry Kim told those gathered at the opening of the 2020 Hawai‘i Legislature yesterday in Honolulu. He said it's symbolic of "many wrongs of the past. It's symbolic of finally being able to say, I'm proud to be a Hawaiian." He said the issue of Maunakea is not the telescope, not just the issue of the mountain, "only part of it."

He urged everyone to continue communication with protectors of Maunakea and said he is hopeful that the legislators will become more involved. "Maunakea can be such a catalyst to address so many things that we should address."

Ann Bosted, center, in an OV lava tube.
Photo by Norman Thompson

The mayor said he has been asked how the recent opening of the access road happened in such a short time. "I'll say it openly: it was because of the attitude and cooperation of the protectors. Without their willingness to sit down and see how we could do it in that time, it would never have been done. There was no magic in, it was their willingness to sit down and talk."

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LAVA TUBES OF OCEAN VIEW is the subject of an hour long talk at Ocean View Community Center on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Presented by Peter and Annie Bosted, it will include presentation of images of the underground in the Ocean View area – especially an extensive system in the Kahuku Unit of the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, which abuts HOVE – and Hawaiian lava tubes in general.

The Bosteds, who say they are passionate about photographing caves all over the world, promise "lots of eye candy. We will also talk about cave conservation, cave exploration, caving organizations, and explain why the lava tubes of Ocean View (and the Big Island) are among the best in the world!" said Annie Bosted.
Those who want to know more about what's going on under their feet, and those curious about lava tubes, are invited to the free presentation, along with family and friends, said the Bosteds.

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MAUNA LOA VOLCANO is not erupting. The 13681 ft (4170 m)-tall volcano is at Alert Level: ADVISORY, with a Current Aviation Color Code of YELLOW. Rates of deformation and seismicity have not changed significantly over the past week and remain above long-term background levels.
During the past week, HVO seismometers recorded 52 small magnitude earthquakes beneath the upper elevations of the volcano. Most earthquakes occurred at shallow depths of less than 5 km (~3 miles) beneath the volcano.
Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements show continued slow summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano’s shallow storage system.
Gas concentrations at the Sulphur Cone monitoring site on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable. Fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit have not changed significantly.
For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html.

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BOYS BASKETBALL HOSTED KEALAKEHE yesterday in games for both Junior Varsity and Varsity. JV Trojans faced the Waveriders, scoring 41 to 49, with Kealakehe winning. 15 Waiola Akiu scored 15 points for Kaʻū, Micah Espejo 11, Jocyiah Mukini 9, Jezekial Jara 4, and Lentron Jara scored 2.

Varsity played a hard game, scoring 25 to Kealakehe's 51. For the Trojans, Kyson Toriano scored 9 points, Elijah Evangelista scored 5, Raymond Polido-Kalili scored 4, Blake Nakano scored 3, Kealiikoa Reyes-Nalu scored 2, and Seth McMasters and Michael Rodarte each scored 1 point.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 14 host Konawaena

Thu., Jan.16 @Kealakehe

Wed., Jan. 22 @HPA

Boys Basketball

Wed., Jan. 15 host Kealakehe

Fri., Jan. 17 @Parker

Mon., Jan. 20 @Honokaʻa

Mon., Jan. 27 @Kamehameha

Soccer

Wed., Jan. 15 @Konawaena

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wed., Jan. 22 and Sat., Jan. 25 Girls BIIF

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

UPCOMING

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, JAN. 20

Fee Free Day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Monday, Jan. 20, midnight-11:59p.m. Park entrance fees waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

AdvoCATS, Monday, Jan. 20, 7a.m.-4:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free spay/neuter for cats. 895-9283, advocatshawaii.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

THURSDAY, JAN. 23
PETFIX Spay and Neuter Free Clinic for Cats and Dogs, Thursday and Friday, Jan. 23 and 24, Ocean View Ranchos. Registration: contact Bridget at (808)990-3548 or petfixbigisland@gmail.com.

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

New and transient face of Kāwā after last weekend's storm. Stones and sand shift to new locations. Freshwater ponds
and streams change. See more below. Photo by Clarissa Pua/Nā Mamo O Kāwā

COST OF LIVING IS WORTH ATTENTION as the 2020 Hawaiʻi Legislature starts its work, states Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi. The organization urges people to review its report, noting that a pound of bananas averaged 68 cents nationwide, $1.51 in Hawaiʻi. See the video.

The video shows that a gallon of milk costs $3.11 average, nationwide. In Honolulu, $6.32. According to numbeo.com, average rent is $1,767 in Hawaiʻi versus $1,286 on average in other states.

See the cost of living video.

The video reports that U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found that $100 in Hawaiʻi buys $84 in the average cost of goods nationwide. It's "the worst among all the states."
In comparison, the lowest cost-of-living state is Mississippi, where $100 in buys $116 in goods.

The solution, suggests Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi, is to lower cost of living by cutting taxes, reducing regulations, allowing more homes to be built, and increasing business opportunities.

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TO INCREASE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, County of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Works Traffic Division will convert the intersection of Pikake Street and Kamani Street in Pāhala to an all-way stop.
The intersection is the site of the Hele On Bus stop, entrance to Kaʻū High School & Pāhala Elementary, the Kaʻū District Gym, tennis courts and swimming pool, Pāhala Library, Bank of Hawaiʻi, the U.S. Post Office, Longs Drugs, and two food stores. It's Pāhala's busiest corner.
The all-way stop will be installed in response to community concerns for pedestrian safety at the intersection, says a statement from County of Hawaiʻi.

A four-way stop will assist the cross walk overseers with their job of
protecting students and the public going to the Pāhala campus.
Photo by Julia Neal

The work – which includes enhanced striping, pavement legends, and signage – is scheduled to take place this coming Tuesday, Jan. 21 through Friday, Jan. 24, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather and construction conditions permitting.
During this work period traffic flow will be controlled by special duty officers. Motorists are advised to expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes.
The County of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Works apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause and thanks the community for patience and understanding.
If there are any questions or concerns, call the Traffic Division at 961-8341.

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PARENTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN are encouraged to fill out the annual School Quality Survey. The deadline to complete and return the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education survey is March 13. All responses will remain anonymous. The survey provides information on how schools are doing with respect to campus culture, satisfaction, safety, and engagement. The feedback supports planning and improvements, and fulfills legislative and Board of Education requirements.

Parents/guardians of students in grades K-12 receive a hard copy of the survey form and prepaid postage envelope. Replacements for lost survey forms can be requested at the child's school office. Students in grades 3-12 took the survey online at school. Teachers, administrative office staff, and instructional support staff have the opportunity to take the survey until March 13.

Rodney Luke, assistant superintendent, Office of Strategy, Innovation and Performance, said, "We highly encourage parent participation in this feedback survey as last year's return rate was only 28 percent. This is a great opportunity for parents to share their feedback on what works and where we can improve in providing a quality education for their children. We want them to know that their voice matters and the Department is listening."

The public can view the SQS reports for their community schools and statewide results via HIDOE's Accountability Resource Center Hawaiʻi website, http://arch.k12.hi.us/. Hover over the "School" tab on the main page, then click "SQS: School Quality Survey" to search by year and school.

Anyone with questions about the survey can contact HIDOE toll-free at 855-276-5801 or email SQS@k12.hi.us.

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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES LAUNCHES FLIGHTS BETWEEN HILO AND HONOLULU this Sunday, Jan 19. It also launches direct flights between Kona and Oakland on Sunday and Kona and San Jose this Tuesday, Jan. 21. Southwest said it will operate as many as 12 daily Hawaiʻi-California flights and up to 34 interisland flights by the end of January.

Southwest's president, Tom Nealon, said today that demand for service to and within Hawaiʻi "continues to be very, very strong, and our load factors continue to exceed our system average."

John Aitken, San Jose's director of aviation, said today that Hawaiʻi is a year-round in-demand destination for Silicon Valley. "We are pleased that Southwest Airlines has responded by adding service to meet our community's needs." He noted that Hawaiʻi Island is one of its "popular leisure destinations," now more accessible "through Southwest's competitive fares and excellent service levels."

Waterlogged plants along the new edge of the fresh water
flowing to brackish water at Kāwā.
Photo by Clarissa Pua/Nā Mamo O Kāwā

Hawaiian and Alaska Airline companies are competing with Southwest for a piece of the action: Hawaiian has daily flights between San Jose and Honolulu, and San Jose and Kahului; Alaska will begin daily summer flights between San Jose and Kona, Honolulu, Kahului, and Lihue, according to San Jose airport officials, reported the East Bay Times.

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A BROWN WATER ADVISORY is in effect for all east-facing shores of Hawaiʻi Island. The recent heavy rains – the largest since Hurricane Lane in 2108 – resulted in stormwater runoff entering into coastal waters.

Nā Mamo o Kāwā sent The Kaʻū Calendar photos of the impact at Kāwā, the coastal surf spot, county preserve, and conservation area. The storm brought changes to streams and ponds in the area, and sand and stones moved locations.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch stated the public should stay out of "flood waters and storm water runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals, and associated flood debris." Not all coastal areas may be impacted by runoff. However, if the water is brown, stay out. Continue to practice good personal hygiene and follow-up with a physician with health concerns.

This fresh and brackish water at Kāwā is framed by
stones and storm debris.
Photo by Clarissa Pua/Nā Mamo O Kāwā

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HILO WOMEN'S MARCH, Hawaiʻi Counts!, will be held Sunday, Jan. 19, 11 a.m. at Moʻoheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave. Groups that have taken part in the past include Kaʻū Voices, AiKea Movement, UNITE HERE Local 5, Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association, National Organization for Women, and American Association of University Women.

The announcement from the organizers of the national march, said, "This month, over two hundred Republicans in Congress urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. In July, Donald Trump's Supreme Court could deny access to safe, legal abortion to millions of Americans.

"This is exactly why we must show up in full force for the Women's March 2020 ... Our reproductive freedom is truly at stake in 2020 - along with so many other crucial issues."

See womensmarch.com/sister-march.

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TROJANS GIRLS BASKETBALL team faced off against Kealakehe yesterday in Kona. The Waveriders won both games. The Junior Varsity game ended at 42 to 17, the Varsity game much closer, at 31 to 29.

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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment.

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events.

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Wed., Jan. 22 @HPA

Tue. and Wed., Jan. 28 and 29 BIIF @Civic

Wed. thru Sat., Feb. 5-8 HHSAA on Oʻahu

Boys Basketball

Mon., Jan. 20 @Honokaʻa

Mon., Jan. 27 @Kamehameha

Tue. and Wed., Feb. 4 and 5 BIIF @ Kealakehe

Thu. thru Sat., Feb. 13-15 HHSAA on Oʻahu

Soccer

Sat., Jan. 18 Girls @Kamehameha

Wed., Jan. 22 and Sat., Jan. 25 Girls BIIF

Wed. thru Sat., Feb. 5-8 Girls HHSAA on Oʻahu

Sat., Feb. 1 and 8 Boys BIIF

Thu. thru Sat., Feb. 13-15 Boys HHSAA on Oʻahu

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 18 @HPA

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kamehameha

Sat., Feb. 1 @Hilo

Sat., Feb. 8 BIIF @Konawaena

Fri. and Sat., Feb. 21 and 22 HHSAA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 18 @Kamehameha

Sat., Jan. 25 @Kona Community Aquatic Center

Fri., Jan. 31 and Sat., Feb. 1 BIIF @Kamehameha

Fri. and Sat., Feb. 14 and 15 on Maui

UPCOMING

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Soft Pastel Still Life Workshop with Patti Pease Johnson, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9a.m. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Birth of Kahuku, Saturday, Jan. 18, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, easy-to-moderate hike. Bring snack and water. nps.gov/havo

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate, one-mile walk. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, JAN. 20

Fee Free Day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Monday, Jan. 20, midnight-11:59p.m. Park entrance fees waived for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 985-6101, nps.gov/havo

AdvoCATS, Monday, Jan. 20, 7a.m.-4:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Free spay/neuter for cats. 895-9283, advocatshawaii.org

TUESDAY, JAN. 21

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

FRIDAY, JAN. 24

Old Style Pau Hana Mele & Hula ‘Auana, Friday, Jan. 24 – fourth Friday, monthly – 4-5:30p.m., Volcano Art Center. Held outdoors, weather permitting. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

The internship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents ages 18-30, and to military veterans up to age 35. Funding is provided under a cooperative agreement for youth conservation activities as part of the Public Lands Corps program, which mandates that these age ranges are followed.

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