The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Quilt Shop-Hoppers came to Pahala Quilting & Creative Sewing Center yesterday during one of several tours of island quilt shops which run through Feb. 20. For information, see facebook.com/BigIslandQuiltShopHopHawaii. Photo by Ron Johnson

FOLLOWING KA`U’S REJECTION OF A SPACEPORT years ago, state officials are considering Kona Airport to become the state’s first certified spaceport. According to a story in West Hawai`i Today, suborbital space flights could begin as early as next year. Future possibilities include long-distance flights across the planet and launching of satellites from aircraft.
Jim Crisafulli, state Office of Aerospace Development director, told reporter Tom Callis that the airport has been selected among 27 potential locations across the islands as the best home for space tourism based on its runway length, location away from highly populated areas and uncongested skies.

Suborbital space flights could begin taking off from Kona International Airport
as soon as next year. Image from XCOR

Crisafulli called space tourism the “third dimension” of Hawai`i’s visitor industry, and he told Callis that he believes the state should be at the forefront.
According to the story, the office is conducting several studies, including an environmental assessment, so it can seek Federal Aviation Administration approval. Crisafulli told Callis he expects to start the FAA application process later this year, with certification coming in the “first or second quarter of 2015.” Crisafulli said he believes impacts of the current proposal would be minor. “A more time-consuming Environmental Impact Statement won’t be needed if the assessment doesn’t find any significant impacts,” reported Pacific Business News previously, referencing Crisafulli. “Other studies around the country for these so-called ‘spaceports’ haven’t required an EIS,” PBN reported. A public review process, however, is required.
Space tourism flights reach an altitude of about 61 miles, Crisafulli said, which is far enough from the planet to experience weightlessness.

Hawai`i Tourism Authority chief Mike McCartney had previously told Pacific Business News that a spaceport would support luxury resorts, high-end restaurants and other enterprises catering to the ultra-rich.
See westhawaiitoday.com.

A PISCES project studies using material from lava rock to build a sidewalk.
Shown here is Ala Kahakai Trail in Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL SPACE CENTER for Exploration Systems is researching how to turn regolith, found in lava rock and moon rock, into usable material. The material is similar to the basaltic rock that makes up the islands, and PISCES executive director Rob Kelso told Tom Callis, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald that the material can be used for building materials as well as to make fuel.

Using a three-dimensional printer, PISCES plans to combine basaltic dust with a binding material to form a hard surface and build a sidewalk as a demonstration project.
Kelso told Callis it is partnering with Hawai`i County Public Works Department on the project in March. A location has not been selected.
Another project being considered would demonstrate how rovers could extract regolith and, along with other machines, turn it into fuel or other material that it can use. “If a part breaks, you can’t send a repair mission,” he said. “But if it has a 3-D printer, it can scoop up some regolith, and it could in theory be able to repair itself.”
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Sen. Russell Ruderman

Sen. Josh Green

KA`U’S STATE SENATORS Josh Green and Russell Ruderman have introduced legislation that would increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including electronic smoking devices, from 18 to 21. SB2029 passed hearings at Senate Health and Commerce & Consumer Protection Committees Thursday. A hearing by the Judiciary & Labor Committee has yet to be scheduled. The bill follows Hawai`i County’s approval of a similar law in December of last year.
Unlike Hawai`i County’s law, which subjects distributors, but not purchasers, of tobacco or electronic cigarette products to fines, this proposal would fine both parties. The bill calls for any person under twenty-one years of age who purchases tobacco products to be fined $10 for the first offense. “Any subsequent offense shall subject the violator to a fine of $50, no part of which shall be suspended, or the person shall be required to perform not less than forty-eight hours nor more than seventy-two hours of community service during hours when the person is not employed and is not attending school.”
This and other bills are available at capitol.hawaii.gov.

KAHU-FM 91.7, NOW BROADCASTING Hawai`i Public Radio’s HPR2 programming, aired a feature last week called How American Food Companies Go GMO-Free in A GMO World. The producers interviewed farmers who are making money selling to Japanese and other buyers who want GMO-free food. It is all about the market driving a desire for GMO-free food, the NPR report stated.

Pahala Quilting owner Donna Masaniai, at left, greets a Shop-Hopper at yesterday's stop.
Photo by Ron Johnson

Dan Charles, of NPR, spoke with Lynn Clarkson, who was at the forefront of the non-GMO market. When Clarkson was looking for buyers of his corn, he recognized a problem food companies were having. When the companies processed corn, they were getting inconsistent results because of too much variation in raw materials. Clarkson told them the cause was simple; they were getting many different genetic types of corn in each shipment.
Clarkson said the solution was to buy “a single variety, a single hybrid, delivered at any one time, so you’re not mixing different cooking characteristics.”
To be able to deliver grain the companies wanted, Clarkson signed contracts with farmers and agreed to pay them a premium for specific corn hybrids or varieties of soybeans.
He delivered this uniform, predictable grain to food companies, first in Chicago and then to foreign buyers, particularly in Japan.
When GMO crops became available about 20 years ago, his Japanese customers didn’t want them. Clarkson told Charles that Japanese food companies were suspicious of the new technology and didn’t want to risk a hostile consumer reaction.
To accommodate these customers, Clarkson made sure the farmers he bought grain from grew varieties that weren’t genetically engineered.
According to the report, most of these farmers don’t object to genetic engineering, and most of them grow both GMO and non-GMO crops.
Doing so requires extra work, cleaning machinery between harvests of different fields and keeping crops separated by at least 100 feet. While the separation doesn’t always work perfectly, Clarkson said the food industry knows small traces of GMOs must be tolerated. “It always comes down to: How do you define GMO-free?” he told Charles. “What’s the tolerance level? If it’s zero, we might as well have a drink and part friendly, because we can’t do business. We cannot hit a zero standard.” According to Clarkson, in the U.S., “GMO-free” means that the product contains no more than 0.9 percent GMOs.

ROMANCING THE LEAF is the topic Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. JoAnn Aguirre discusses how tea has served as the foundation for romance in the arts. Free to VAC members; donations welcome.

For more information, email teaquiero77@gmail.com.

HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE is available Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Na`alehu United Methodist Church. Kamehameha Schools East Hawai`i Resource Center representatives meet with students who want to pursue education beyond high school and families who want help with summer program applications and more information about resources.

Services include help with admission applications for summer programs, financial aid and scholarship services, Ho`oulu Hawaiian Data Center forms and general information about Kamehameha Schools programs and resources. For more information, call Nikki or Noelani at 935-0116.

AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK TUESDAY at 7 p.m., Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park archaeologist Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura shares a presentation of the challenges faced by the National Park Service before, during and after World War II at Kilauea, in what was then called Hawai`i National Park.

U.S. Army Signal Corps in the 1940s at Kilauea Military Camp. Photo from KMC

The findings of Moniz-Nakamura’s extensive research were recently published in the Hawaiian Journal of History. The program takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Edna Buldado shares the cultural uses of kalo, or taro, tomorrow at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from NPS

KA`U’S U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD invites Ka`u High School students to participate in the first-ever Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Academic Competition. The House STEM App Challenge offers high school students in Hawai`i and across the country an opportunity to compete in the creation of a software application, commonly referred to as an app, for mobile, tablet or computer devices on a platform of their choice.

“Our students are equipped to become leaders in technology and innovation, and friendly competitions like the House STEM App Challenge encourage them to explore advanced industries,” said Gabbard. “This is an opportunity for our talented keiki to showcase their abilities and work toward high-skilled opportunities in our 21st Century economy.”
The apps will be judged by an appointed panel of individuals within the academic, tech and entrepreneurial fields. The winning student’s app in each participating congressional district will be featured on the U.S. House of Representatives website and on display at an exhibit in the U.S. Capitol.
Additional details about the competition and application are available at gabbard.house.gov/house-stem-app-challenge.
The deadline to submit applications to Gabbard’s office is Wednesday, Apr. 30.

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AS THE U.S. SENATE PREPARES TO VOTE on the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act, a strong bipartisan coalition continued the push for an independent, objective and unbiased military justice system. Sen. Mazie Hirono joined 52 senators, including 43 Democrats and nine Republicans, who have publicly announced their support of this proposal that seeks to reverse the systemic fear that victims of military sexual assault consistently describe in deciding whether to report the crimes committed against them due to bias and inherent conflicts of interest posed by the military chain of command’s current sole decision-making power over whether cases move forward to a trial.

“The awareness of sexual assault in the military has led to a number of important changes,” Hirono said. “But, in listening to the survivors, we have not made what they consider the most important change: putting the decision to prosecute these crimes in the hands of trained military prosecutors. While we have more than 50 senators supporting this bill, the challenge right now is for us to get the 60 votes necessary to bring this bill to the floor for a vote. We are still hopeful we can bring this bill to the floor.”

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U. S. SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ HAS CO-INTRODUCED the Safe Streets Act of 2014, legislation intended to improve safety of Hawai`i’s and the nation’s roads and expand access for all users. With many roads today designed only for cars and busy traffic, communities across the country have pushed for safer, more livable, Complete Streets. Complete Streets policies call for safely accommodating travelers of all ages and abilities, including drivers, transit passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Safe Streets Act would change the approach to the way federally funded roads are planned, designed and built, ensuring new roads follow Complete Streets policies that make sure sidewalks, crosswalks, and safe transit access are taken into consideration as roadway plans are developed. Safe Streets legislation would increase safe travel options, like walking and biking, and help save lives, Schatz said.  
“Too many people are killed or injured each year because our streets are simply not designed and built with the safety of everyone – including pedestrians and bicyclists – in mind. Our communities deserve safer streets,” Schatz said. “Many of our roads in Hawai`i and across America make travel difficult for seniors, families, youth and others who are unable or choose not to drive. Our legislation provides common sense solutions to consider the needs of our seniors and children, encourage alternative forms of transportation and make our roads and communities safer for everyone.”

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Hawai`i County prosecuting attorney Mitch Roth
Photo by Chuck Green

THE STATE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS has upheld Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura’s dismissal of a civil lawsuit against several county officials. Nakamura, in Jan. 2013, said Hawai`i County’s initiative making marijuana use by adults on private property the lowest law enforcement priority is unenforceable. The initiative passed in 2008 by a vote of 35,689 to 25,940.
A group of marijuana activists filed a suit against several county officials, including County Council members, in March 2011, alleging that they failed to implement and enforce the initiative.
In the decision for a panel of three judges, Associate Judge Daniel R. Foley wrote: “The County derives its powers to enact and enforce ordinances from the general laws of the state of Hawai`i. … The county’s authority to enact and enforce ordinances, however, is limited by the Legislature’s power to enact laws of ‘statewide concern.’”
Foley also said state laws that criminalize and regulate adult use of cannabis “provide further evidence of legislative intent to pre-empt the Lowest Level of Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance.”
One of the defendants, Hawai`i County prosecuting attorney Mitch Roth, called the ruling “the right decision for the court to make,” reported John Burnett in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.
County deputy corporation counsel Michael Udovic, who represented the county in the original lawsuit and in the appeal, told Burnett the opinion was “an appropriate decision” and “pretty straightforward.”

“Once you have a state law that covers a specific area, the County Council really doesn’t have any authority to make any laws which are in conflict with the state law,” he said. “That’s what the whole thing was all about.”

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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Daryl "Sammy" Sampaga, wearing his Never Give Up shirt,
never gave up and has completed his trek around the island.
Photo by Julia Neal

AFTER ARRIVING IN PAHALA ON JAN. 18, Daryl “Sammy” Sampaga has completed his walk around the island to raise funds for his nonprofit Operation Sammy Muscular Dystrophy. Sampaga plans to use money raised from the walk to purchase two Hawaiian canoes that he plans to use to teach handicapped keiki how to paddle.

Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reported that Sampaga raised $8,000 of his goal of $25,000. Mayor Billy Kenoi, who had walked with Sampaga on his way through Hamakua, told Sampaga, “Whatever you short, no worry, because we goin’ buy those wa`as. And we’re goin’ finish the fundraising for you. … You got all the community behind you,” reported John Burnett.

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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JOANN AGUIRRE DISCUSSES HOW TEA has served as the foundation for romance in the arts tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Free to VAC members; donations welcome.
For more information, email teaquiero77@gmail.com.

HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE is available Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Na`alehu United Methodist Church. Kamehameha Schools representatives meet with students who want to pursue education beyond high school and families who want help with summer program applications and more information about resources.
For more information, call 935-0116.

ARCHAEOLOGIST JADELYN MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses challenges faced by the National Park Service before, during and after World War II at Kilauea during an After Dark in the Park program at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura

SAM AND EDNA BULDADO SHARE the cultural uses of the kalo (taro) plant Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

Call 987-5698 for more information.

WANT TO LEARN JAPANESE? The first class on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji gauges interest for future classes and starts with the absolute beginner; more advanced students are also welcome. Space is limited.

Contact Maiki at 989-4259 or hawaiiislandlife@gmail.com.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Biomass, such trees and grasses growing in Ka`u, may not be a good alternative to fossil fuel in creating electricity, according to a lawyer for a community group opposing the Hu Honua project in Pepeekeo. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION would implement a pilot project to research solutions for addressing the little fire ant threat in the state if HB2469 passes the Legislature. The bill calls for the department to address the spread of the little fire ants within infested county parks, test different types of pesticides for controlling and eradicating the little fire ant and develop model strategies to eradicate the threat of little fire ants that other counties can implement. The project would begin June 30 and last one year. The department would submit a report detailing findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature before convening of the 2016 legislative session.

According to an Associated Press story in West Hawai`i Today by Sam Eifling, The ants live both in trees and on the ground, infesting crops and attacking people, pets and other animals. “They drive away insects, birds, lizards and mammals that prey on other pest insects, further harming crops.”

Legislation calls for research on eradication of little fire ants, which are much smaller
than tropical fire ants. Photo from Hawai`i Department of Agriculture

Cas Vanderwoude, research manager of the Hawai`i Ant Lab at University of Hawai`i, told Eifling that “officials can eradicate an entire colony using bait poisons that foraging ants carry back to the 90 percent of workers who don’t leave the nest.”

Information on this and other bills is available at capitol.hawaii.gov.
See westhawaiitoday.com.

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BURNING BIOMASS OR BIOFUEL TO CREATE electricity may not be a good alternative to burning fossil fuels, according to a lawyer representing the community group Preserve Pepeekeo Health and Environment. The group challenged the permit approved by the state Department of Health Clean Air Branch to operate Hu Honua power plant. Federal Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy has called for the state to consider pertinent factors, including pollutants that would be generated during start-up, shutdown and malfunctions at the facility, as well as by certain types of equipment, such as backup generators, and modify or reissue the permit.
Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission approved the Hu Honua project, while it rejected twice the `Aina Koa Pono proposal to produce biofuel from plants and trees growing in Ka`u at a refinery above Pahala.
“This (Hu Honua) is not an isolated facility,” attorney Mark Chytilo told John Burnett, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. “There is a number of biomass or biofuel facilities throughout the country that we’re all looking at pretty carefully. You may say, on one hand, biofuel, what a great idea to reduce our burning of fossil fuels for greenhouse gas purposes, but the reality is that there’s new analysis coming out that even burning wood waste may not be beneficial from a greenhouse gas perspective. Add to that the fact you can’t regulate it; you can’t clean it very well. You can’t clean the fuel very well.
“Air pollution control devices can be very effective at scrubbing pollution out of a waste stream, but they need a uniform and regular effluent stream. Wood waste is never uniform because it’s an irregular fuel. For those reasons, these are issues that have significance well beyond this individual facility.”

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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Rep. Mazie Hirono, second from right, has introduced the Native Adult Education
and Literacy Act. Photo from Office of Sen. Hirono

U.S. SEN. MAZIE HIRONO, along with Sens. Jerry Moran, of Kansas, and Mark Begich, of Alaska, has introduced the Native Adult Education and Literacy Act, legislation that would “increase educational access to Native communities by awarding competitive grants for Tribal Colleges and Universities and Native Hawaiian Education Organizations,” according to Hirono’s office.

“Current law doesn’t do enough to respond to low high school completion rates, basic literacy skills and employment rates of adult American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians,” Hirono said.

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KA`U’S U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD has supported passage of the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act. The legislation aims to take steps toward protecting the United States from cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, both physical and technical.
“The threat of cyber-attacks is real and is not limited to our bank accounts or email; they threaten our electrical grid, mass transportation and the management of water and gas pipelines,” said Gabbard, a co-sponsor of the legislation. “We take this threat seriously and establish necessary public-private partnerships to protect our critical infrastructure. A large-scale attack on any of these sophisticated systems would have devastating impacts on families and communities across our country.
“The NCCIP Act is a first step toward strengthening our defenses against these kinds of cyber-attacks. It also guards personal privacy protections by requiring all federal agencies to report, without delay, network data breaches involving personally identifiable data to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Information Center, as well notifying any potential victims.”

Sanjeev "Sonny" Bhagowalia

Privacy, national security and industry advocates have expressed support for the legislation. The bill now awaits consideration and a vote by the full House of Representatives.

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SANJEEV “SONNY” BHAGOWALIA IS HAWAI`I’S new chief advisor for technology and cyber-security. The new executive leadership position was created to establish Hawai`i as a premier technology and cyber-security hub in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to strengthen ties between Hawai`i and Washington, D.C. in support of the state’s Business and Technology Transformation.

“Under Sonny’s exceptionally positive leadership and energy, the state of Hawai`i has made great strides in developing a strong technology and security foundation, launching key programs to transform business and technology in the state and charting a strong course for the future with a nationally recognized transformation plan,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “Now more than ever, we need Sonny to help our state take the next step by representing Hawai`i at a national level to ensure we establish a cohesive technology and cyber-security strategy, position Hawai`i for future federal collaboration and investments and encourage our community stakeholders to continue to support Hawai`i’s technology transformation.”

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IN SPORTS, KA`U HIGH BOYS VARSITY basketball team won their last game of the season on Friday, beating St. Joseph’s 65 – 57. Larry-Dan Al-Navarro was high scorer, with 25 points.

Leah Mello-Waiwaiole won her wrestling matches at Waiakea and Hilo, pinning her four opponents.

ARCHAEOLOGIST JADELYN MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses challenges faced by the National Park Service before, during and after World War II at Kilauea during an After Dark in the Park program at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park today at 7 p.m. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

SAM AND EDNA BULDADO SHARE the cultural uses of the kalo (taro) plant tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.

A STAFF MEMBER FROM U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office meets with constituents and assists with casework and other issues tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.
Call 987-5698 for more information.

WANT TO LEARN JAPANESE? The first class tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji gauges interest for future classes and starts with the absolute beginner; more advanced students are also welcome. Space is limited.

Contact Maiki at 989-4259 or hawaiiislandlife@gmail.com.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN MEETS with his Ka`u constituents Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Ruderman will review the current legislative session and discuss issues important to the community.
For more information, contact Ruderman at senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov or 808-586-6890.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Cold fronts from the north have brought precipitation, helping dry areas of Hawai`i Island out of severe drought. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLANS to develop clearer rules regarding replacement of state legislators who leave office before their terms expire, according to a story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. This follows an appeal of the party’s recent election of Na`alehu resident Richard Creagan to replace state Rep. Denny Coffman, who resigned. Lei Kihoi, one of nine candidates who submitted applications for the seat, claimed the election was rigged. According to reporter Nancy Cook Lauer, Kihoi said she was barred from the election meeting even though she was eligible to vote as a president of a district precinct.

Rep. Richard Creagan

“The core question is whether the election on Dec. 27, 2013 was ‘rigged’ in order to bring an expected result,” Kihoi said in a Jan. 6 memo to party chair Dante Carpenter. “My answer is yes.”
Kihoi asked the party to re-do the election, but, according to Cook Lauer, several Hawai`i Island Democratic Party officials said they and Carpenter “looked into the allegations and determined they were without merit.”
Carpenter told Cook Lauer, “The Democratic Party examined all of the concerns that were raised and determined that what did transpire was in compliance with the Democratic Party constitution and bylaws as well as the Hawai`i County party rules.
“Things were brought up … we know to be not perfect by any stretch,” he added. “We look forward to lots of discussion and changes of rules regarding elections.”
Creagan, who recused himself from the election meeting, told Cook Lauer he questioned the process because of his concerns it could be more transparent. “I didn’t want to take a position where there was any question,” Creagan said. “I was concerned that things were done properly because we hadn’t done them before.”

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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KA`U HAS RECEIVED LESS SEVERE RATINGS on the national drought monitor in the last several months, reported Colin M. Stewart, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.

Drought conditions have improved in Ka`u.
Map from National Drought Monitor

“So far, the wet season has been kind of what we expected since the early fall,” Kevin Kodama, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, told Stewart. “At the start of the season, we were thinking it was going to be wet until at least the beginning of 2014, and then we’d see how it goes from there. The drought has been getting a lot better.”
Despite lower-than-average rainfall totals for many of the island’s rainiest areas, many of the usual dry areas have seen increases in rainfall amounts.
“We still need additional rain as we head into the dry season (beginning in May),” Kodama said. “As for the long-term outlook for the next couple of months, the Climate Prediction Center is still calling for above normal rainfall.”
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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TRINETY S. CRAPSER, OF OCEAN VIEW, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree attempted assault, third-degree assault, first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, according to a story in West Hawai`i Today. The charges follow a robbery last month where the victim, Discovery Harbour resident Trudi Grentz, alleged that Crapser, wielding a hatchet, attacked her.
At a preliminary hearing, Grentz said Crapser demanded possession of her purple Corvette parked on South Point Road.
Kainoa Kahele-Bishop, of Ocean View, a second suspect in this robbery as well as another reported that same day, is scheduled for an arraignment and plea hearing Feb. 19.

See westhawaiitoday.com.

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Sen. Brian Schatz

THE U.S. SENATE HAS ADVANCED the Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, which would safeguard military retirees from changes in cost of living adjustments that are set to take effect in 2015. Schatz helped to introduce similar legislation that would protect military retiree pay in December and fought to include this provision as part of the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act last month.

“The last place we should be looking for savings is in reductions in military retiree benefits. These people put their lives on the line, and we need to hold up our end of the bargain and make sure they get every dollar they were promised after careers of service to our country,” said Schatz. “We need to pass this bill and reverse any pay changes before they have a chance to go into effect.”

To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES ARE SENDING out an email that reminds employers that a state of Hawai`i Department of Labor notice reviews a new law that expands employee rights to express milk in the workplace.
Employers must provide a reasonable break time for employees to express milk for the employee’s nursing child for one year after the child’s birth each time the employee has a need to express breast milk.
They must also provide a location, other than the restroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public that may be used by an employee to express breast milk.
The law requires employers to post a notice in a conspicuous place accessible to employees and use other appropriate means to keep employees informed of this right.
Employers with fewer than twenty employees may be exempt from this requirement if they can show that accommodating the first two points would cause undue hardship.

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WANT TO LEARN JAPANESE? The first class today at 4 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji gauges interest for future classes and starts with the absolute beginner; more advanced students are also welcome. Space is limited.
Contact Maiki at 989-4259 or hawaiiislandlife@gmail.com.

NA`ALEHU ASSEMBLY OF GOD hosts guest speakers today and this weekend. A Missions Service with Jeff & Pam Gregory takes place today at 6:30 p.m.

John & Meleana Harke present Camp Meeting 2014 Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
For more information, call 929-7278 or email office@naalehuag.org.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT takes place Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., when volunteers meet at Kilauea Visitor Center Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park to help remove invasive Himalayan ginger from park trails. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HANA HOU RESTAURANT in Na`alehu offers Valentine’s Day dinners Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Special menu items include prime rib, crab lasagna and garlic shrimp, baby back ribs with guava BBQ glaze and baked mahi mahi stuffed with crab and scallops. Meals include starter and dessert for $30 per person. Earnest Kalani provides entertainment on Friday.
Call 929-9717 for reservations.

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available Friday at South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu. Prime rib is $21.95, snow crab is $26.95, and a combination is $29.95. Music by Kaleo Peters.

For reservations, call 929-7404.

VALENTINE’S DAY BUFFET is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The buffet features prime rib, chicken piccata, shrimp and mushroom alfredo and more for $24.95 for adults and $14.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8356 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Young `Io, Hawaiian hawk, with road kill, along Hwy 11 in Ka`u. `Io could be removed from the endangered species list.
Photo by Julia Neal

`IO, THE HAWAIIAN HAWK, could be taken off the federal endangered species list where the bird has been protected since 1967 when the population was estimated at a few hundred. With the count now estimated at around 3,000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a request on the Federal Register yesterday to reopen pubic comment for its proposal to remove `Io from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife under the Endangered Species Act.
The `Io is seen frequently in Ka`u, from the grounds of Ka`u Hospital to yards, pastures, forests and nearshore parks. Ironically, the `Io prey on the young of another endangered species, the `Alala, Hawaiian crow.
`Io are also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Comments on delisting the `Io were previously accepted in 2008 and 2009, but additional comments will be received. To read more on the proposal for delisting, see http://federalregister.gov/a/2014-02982. Testimony can be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov for 60 days, beginning Feb. 14. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar

MINIMUM WAGES IN HAWAI`I, which have remained at $7.12 an hour since 2007, are the subject of intense debate at the state legislature this session. Hawai`i has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. and 21 states have higher minimum wages. Minimum wages by state range from no minimum wage in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee to Washington state where the minimum wage is $9.32. During his recent State of the State Address, Washington governor Jay Inslee said the wants to again raise the minimum wage, this time to $11.82 or higher to help remedy “50 years of income inequality.”

While Hawai`i legislators themselves have enjoyed a 12 percent increase in their pay over the last seven years, they have been unable to come to an agreement on how to handle the push to increase minimum pay in Hawai`i.
A bill in the state House of Representatives, HB 2580, would raise the minimum wage over time, reaching $9.50 an hour by January of 2017. Thereafter it would adjust through using the consumer price index. The tip credit would be dropped. State Senate Bill 2609 would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by January 2017 and would also use the consumer price index as the regulator of future minimum wage increases. The tip credit would be cancelled.
During the 2013 legislature, the minimum wage increase failed over debates about the tip credit. The tip credit gives restaurant owners tax credits for accurate reporting of tips by their employees.
A coalition called Hawai`i Needs a Raise held a rally yesterday afternoon at the state Capitol, asking for a $10.10 minimum wage and elimination of the tip credit. Members of the group, which represent Hawai`i Appleseed, Hawai`i Commission on the Status of Women, Local 5 and other anti-poverty groups, gathered at the Capitol and their representatives marched to the office of the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and also the office of House Finance Committee chair. Honolulu Star Advertiser reporter Derrick Depledge wrote this morning that "Skirmishes over process are often early warning signs that legislation is in trouble. At the start of session in January, there was broad consensus among Abercrombie and majority House and Senate Democrats for a minimum wage increase and some reasonable accommodation on a tip credit. Opponents had largely been pushed into the margins." See more at www.staradvertiser.com.
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RADIATION MONITORING is closer to reality as SB 3049 proposed by Pahala resident Sara Witt has passed the state Senate health committee and was sent to the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection. If it passes that committee, it would go to the Senate’s Ways & Means Committee, which takes care of funding. The bill would fund monitoring around the state of Hawai`i to determine radiation levels in the wake of the Japan Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster on March 11, 2011. The nuclear power plant at Fukushima continues to leak radiation into the ocean where it can be lifted into the air and re-depostited here. Senate Bill 3049 was introduced by east Ka`u Sen. Russell Ruderman and west Ka`u Sen. Josh Green, a physician who heads the Senate health committee. West Ka`u Rep. Richard Creagan, also a physician, and Rep. Fay Hanohano introduced the House version.
The monitoring would be in food, dairy products, rainwater, aquifers and drainage ditches. The state Department of Health would report radiation levels on a website. The program would start July 1 and run through June 30, 2019.
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As shown in orange, Ka`u and Volcano have hot spots
for prospective geothermal development.

GEOTHERMAL PROJECTS would be come under more county control if either state House of Representatives measure, up for consideration today, passes through committees and earn legislature approval. House Bill 1766, introduced by Faye Hanohano, of Puna, would would revise Hawai`i law on regulating mineral resources to limit geothermal plants to geothermal subzones which were eliminated by the legislature in 2012 through Act 97.
The state Board of Land & Natural Resources would establish the geothermal zones and issue permits for geothermal development on lands classified Conservation. The county would handle permitting on other lands. The bill would establish permit requirements requiring assessments of geologic hazards; environmental, cultural and social impacts; compatibility with allowed uses in the
surrounding area; and determining whether potential benefits are in the interests of the resident population, county and state. The geothermal developer would be required to state potential for health, safety and nuisance impacts and would set up buffer zones between geothermal development and adjoining lands.
A different bill, HB 2639, would return authority to the counties for issuing permits on all land but Conservation district property. State Board of Land & Natural Resources chair William Aila, Jr. testified that his deparment "does not oppose restoring home rule authority throught the issuance of geothermal resource permits, as we believe each individual county should maintain its authority to regulate use that occurs within its appropriate land use districts."
There would be no geothermal subzones. However, there would be standards for approval of projects when they are without unreasonable health, environmental or socioeconomic impacts on nearby residents; when they don’t burden government with new infrastructure costs; and when the geothermal developers are able to prove reasonable measures to mitigate impacts. This bill would require some of the revenues from geothermal to be placed in a fund for land, administered by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. Both bills were up for public hearings today in committees.
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Halema`uma`u at dawn. Photo by Park Ranger Stephan Geiger

FREE ADMISSION TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK celebrates, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the connections between national leaders and all 401 National Park Service sites during Presidents Day weekend, Feb 15-17. The National Park Service will also waive admission fees on five additional days in 2014 – the first weekend of National Park Week (April 19
and 20), the National Park Service’s 98th birthday Aug. 25, National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27, and Veterans Day Nov. 11.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes is one of five national park units on the Island of Hawai‘i. Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is also free of charge on the NPS fee-free 2014 dates. Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail do not charge entrance fees. National park passes that provide free or discounted admission year round are available for active duty military members and their dependents, senior citizens, and people with permanent disabilities. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HANA HOU RESTAURANT in Na`alehu offers Valentine’s Day dinners Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Special menu items include prime rib, crab lasagna and garlic shrimp, baby back ribs with guava BBQ glaze and baked mahi mahi stuffed with crab and scallops. Meals include starter and dessert for $30 per person. Earnest Kalani provides entertainment on Friday.
Call 929-9717 for reservations.

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available Friday at South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu. Prime rib is $21.95, snow crab is $26.95, and a combination is $29.95. Music by Kaleo Peters.
For reservations, call 929-7404.

VALENTINE’S DAY BUFFET is available at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The buffet features prime rib, chicken piccata, shrimp and mushroom alfredo and more for $24.95 for adults and $14.50 for children ages 6 to 11. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8356 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Ka`u High School students ready for science fair competitions on O`ahu. Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

KA`U HIGH SCIENCE STUDENTS are headed to O`ahu for statewide competition following success at the East Hawai`i District Science & Engineering Fair held at Imiloa last weekend. Ka`u High School science teacher Marcus Douglas said he is very proud of the Ka`u team members who won awards at the event in Hilo and have put on a science fair at their Pahala campus. Jennifer Tabios, a senior who lives in Na`alehu, took first place in Chemistry while Deisha Gascon, a sophmore at Ka`u High School took the top prize for Environmental Management.
The statewide Hawai`i State Science & Engineering Fair will be held at the Hawai`i Convention Center, March 31- April 2 in Waikiki and Ka`u High is planning to enter.

Young Ka`u students interact with the older students at a
recent science fair on the Pahala campus.
Photo courtesy of Marcus Douglas

The competition is sponsored by the Hawai`i Academy of Science, a private, non-profit organization founded in 1925. The Academy promotes scientific research and education in Hawai`i and the Pacific Rim and executes programs and experiences for the science and learning communities. In addition to the Hawai`i Science & Engineering Fair, it hosts The Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability, a program called Science Date, as well as STEM Week in Hawai`i. See www.hawaiiacademyofscience.org.

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA has announced two sessions based in Pahala this summer. The first will be Land & Sea Camp, from June 29 – July 8. According to founder Michael Richards, the focus will be on volcanoes – geology – and the ocean – oceanography. Students will visit Kilauea, the world’s most active and easily studied volcano. Students will visit the footprints trail and see one of the world’s greatest mineral collections, as well as visit beaches made entirely of minerals. Students will learn “not just about the events that take place in the natural world but experience first hand how they affect plants, animals and humans. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the world’s greatest laboratory for Earth Science,” says Richards.
Through the outdoors, students learn about such topics as plate tectonics, volcanics, erosion, ocean structure, marine life and Hawaiian history and culture.

Science Camps of America rolls out programs for this summer, based in Ka`u, with scholarship opportunities.
Photo from Science Camps of America

The second session is Air & Space Camp, July 8 – 17. It teaches students about Earth’s atmosphere, climate and space. Students visit observatories and centers where astronomers work. They learn how scientists study concentrations of substances in the atmosphere. They see alternate energy development in action. Richards says that students “will gain a better understanding of climate change and be better prepared to participate in the solutions to the challenges you will face. The Big Island of Hawai`i is the ideal location for experiencing the air and space sciences.” Students learn about solar system formation, the moon, planets and space exploration.
Students come from around the state and mainland and stay at Pahala Plantation House & Cottages with instructors, counselors and program specialists. Some scholarships are available to Ka`u students. To sign up for a scholarship or contribute to a scholarship fund, see http:/sciencecampsamerica.com. Call 678-619-0974.

STAKEHOLDERS IN COFFEE plan to “design the future of Hawai`i’s coffee industry,” during a two-day, $100 a person, planning event at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa, according to a statement from Hawai`i Coffee Association president Greg Stille. Processors, roasters, wholesalers, retailers and other stakeholders are invited to the meetings Feb. 28 - March 1.
Stille said the sessions “will explore the industry’s potentials and address its challenges.”
Dr. Donna R. Ching, of University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, will facilitate the planning sessions. Times are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. The $100 fee includes daily continental breakfast, lunch and all supplies.
Event sponsors include Hawaii Coffee Association, Kona Coffee Council, Maui Coffee Association and Hawai`i Coffee Growers Association. Register at www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.

According to the press release, the Hawai`i Coffee Association’s mission is to represent all sectors of the Hawai‘i coffee industry, including growers, millers, wholesalers, roasters and retailers. “HCA’s primary objective is to increase awareness and consumption of Hawaiian coffees. A major component of HCA’s work is the continuing education of members and consumers.” For more info, visit www.hawaiicoffeeassociation.com.

FREE ADMISSION TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is tomorrow, Sunday and Monday to celebrate Presidents Day weekend,

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER SPECIALS are available at Hana Hou and South Side Shaka’s in Na`alehu and at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Cafe in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

A snoozing sow at a Korean Natural Farming pig operation on the Big Island at Hubbles Hog Heaven.
Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

LEGISLATION FOR LABELS on GMO foods and cell phones passed out of the state Senate Health Committee this week, according to its chair, west Ka`u senator and physician Josh Green. SB 2571 SD1 would require all new and used cellular telephones sold or leased by a retailer in Hawai`i to bear this label:
"To reduce exposure to radiation that may be hazardous to your health, please follow the enclosed product safety guidelines.....” The bill would require the warning label be "conspicuous, legible, non-removable and printed in bold lettering, and affixed to the front and back of all cellular telephone packaging."

A poster about cell phones in San Francisco,
where there is also debate about warnings.

The senator stated: “We need to make sure cell phones are as safe as possible to use and that consumers are clearly informed that over-exposure to radiation from cell phones can be harmful to your health. Cell phones are an almost universally used tool and are here to stay, which makes it even more important that they are used safely and that consumers are aware of the potential hazards. The cell phone manufacturers themselves include legal disclaimers and health warnings buried deep in the packaging and instructional materials of their products, and in the phone software menus themselves. This measure is intended to clearly inform consumers of the health warnings that are buried in cell phone product safety guidelines.”
The cell phone bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Consumer Protection, which has not yet scheduled it for a hearing. See http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2571&year=2014

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LABELING FOOD FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS would be required by SB 2521. Also championed by Sen. Josh Green, it would mandate the labeling for raw agricultural commodities, processed food, and seed or seed stock, that have been genetically engineered.
“The people of Hawai`i have a right to know what is in the food they eat,” Green said. “If the people want a label informing them that there are GMOs in foods, then the legislature should follow their will and pass a simple but effective labeling system.” The bill was passed on Feb. 13 in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health. It was referred to the Senate Committees on Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, which are yet to schedule hearings. See
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2521

Chris Manfredi, of Na`alehu, a coffee broker and land manager, who recently became President of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation, testified that the Hawai`i Farm Bureau "strongly opposes SB 2521." He said, "We strongly believe that food labeling should be regulated at a federal level." Manfredi also stated: "There are no credible studies, much less a consensus among researchers and the medical community, that crops produced with GMO technology are unsafe. In fact the opposite is true. Independent reviews of thousands of studies have to come to the consensus conclusion that GMO crops are safe."

Green disagrees with Manfredi's opposition to labeling and is joined by another physician, Dr. Richard Creagan, who represents west Ka`u in the state House of Representatives, owns a farm in Ka`u, and is a member of Hawai`i Farmers Union United. Creagan said this morning that "People will not agree on safety of GMOs because there is a range of GMOs and many studies to be done. However, the right to know is important. If you are worried about what's in your food it is going to have a negative effect on your health. The only way to allay suspicions it to label what is in the food. The Europeans have done this," noted Creagan.

However, the state Department of Health does not want to be involved in regulating GMO labeling. Gary Gill, Deputy Director of Evironmental Health for the State of Hawai`i, testified that the department "does not object in principle to a labeling policy to enhance public awareness of the absence or presence of genetiacally engineered food or food ingredients in Hawai`i markets. However, the Department is not in a position to enforce such legislation because practical and legally defensable anyalytical methods to detect any and all genetic modifications do not exist." The testimony from the state Department of Health also states that "Currently, there is no conclusive scientific evidence of negative health effects associatied with the consumption of genetically engineered food or food products as determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As such we do not believe such labeling is a health issue and thus do not support any such program being assigned to the Department to administer."

Hawai`i Farmers Union United wrote to the legislature "in strong support of SB 2521" requiring GMO food labeling. The Farmers Union testimony noted that many of its thousands of farmers across the country grow GMO foods but the organization supports labeling. "The public has come out in record numbers for local GMO bills on both Kaua`i and Big Island. This is just another sign that the public wants the lawmakers of our state to give us, at the very least, this tool so that we can make informed decisions as consumers," states Hawai`i Farmers Union testimony.

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DR. LINDA ROSEN is the new chief of the state Department of Health, appointed yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie, following the death of Director Loretta Fuddy in December. Fuddy died of a cardiac arrhythmia while awaiting an ocean rescue after an airplane accident in waters off Moloka`i. She was was well known for her advocacy for health care for the poor and her support for the Ka`u Local Consortium, which helps childbearing teens and women, under the guidance of Donna Kekoa and other volunteers.

Dr. Linda Rosen was named Director of Health yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Photo from governor.hawaii.gov

Fuddy’s replacement is a pediatrician and medical school professor, and serves as chief of the state Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch. Rosen is expected to be confirmed by the state Senate soon, according to Senate Health Committee chair and west Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green. Green spoke to the Honolulu Star Advertiser on Friday about Rosen. "We have a close working relationship, and I have a lot of respect for Dr. Rosen. Linda's done an exceptional job developing our trauma system and is a strong physician leader."
In Abercrombie’s statement, the governor noted that Rosen has more than 30 years in medicine, including administrative positions for more than a decade. “I have full confidence that Linda will continue the significant progress realized under late Director Loretta Fuddy for the remainder of her term."

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PIGS GROWN WITH THE NATURAL KOREAN method of managing waste with IMOs – indigenous micorganisms, and a deep waste litter system, “are less susceptible to disease and personal injury” and show higher daily average weight gain, according to a University of Hawai`i report covered in a recent Megan Moseley story in Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The story says that the “Korean-based method of managing animal waste is improving hog farming conditions and garnering support on Hawaii Island.” The story quotes Hawai`i County research and development deputy director Donn Mende saying, “There seems to be a growing interest in natural farming.”
There are more than 40 Korean Natural Farming piggeries in Hawai`i and some of them allow farm tours, such as Hubbles Hog Heaven in east Hawai`i. See http://hubbleshogheaven.blogspot.com

Lack of odor is a benefit of raising pigs with IMOs. Photo from Hubbles Hog Heaven

The Tribune Herald story quotes U.H. East Hawai`i agricultural extension agent Michael Duponte. After visiting Sim Mook Kang’s farm in Mountain View, Dupont told the reporter, “When I walked in – I couldn’t believe what I saw – no smell, no flies.” The reporter notes that Kang put IMOs into use for the first time in the U.S. in 2009.
The writer explains that the “lack of smell that’s typically associated with pig waste can be attributed to the use of the indigenous microorganisms or IMOs. Farmers who follow the Korean Natural Farming method incorporate IMOs into the soil that end up breaking down the animal waste naturally.”
In his report, DuPonte, explains that through the Korean Natural Farming method, the deep green waste litter system also uses “strategic solar positioning and natural ventilation for drying and cooling.”
The Moseley story also covers a U.S. Department of Agriculture document’s explanation of four types of IMOs. “IMO 1 are organisms that have been gathered by exposing sterile, fresh-cooked rice substrate to good fertile soil from the local garden, farm field and humus from under trees and bushes. Mature IMO 1 is bound together with fungal mycelia and also contains a variety of bacteria and other microorganisms. IMO 2 involves IMO 1 organisms along with the rice substrate, which has been mixed with an equal weight of brown sugar, mashed to a paste and allowed to ferment under a porous cover for at least a week. IMO 3 involves completed IMO 2 that has been diluted with water and optional nutrients and used to moisten rice or wheat bran, followed by fermentation to multiply the IMO 2 organisms. The fermentation lasts a week or more depending on conditions. IMO 4 is IMO 3 that has been mixed with an equal weight of good rock-free native topsoil and allowed to continue fermentation until activity subsides.”
The Tribune Herald story reports DuPonte saying that the Kang farm “has had no need to add additional IMO’s since it started that practice and that there is no runoff or need to clean the piggery.”
See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com and at hubbelshogheaven.blogspot.com. Also see https://www.facebook.com/CGNFHawaii.

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PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU is a a guided, 2.5 -mile hike at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's Kahuku Unit tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.. Call 985-6011.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK continues today through Monday in celebration of President's Day weekend.

PRESIDENTS DAY BUFFET will be offered Monday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe. 967-8371.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

The ukulele drew Trevor Taylor and Jamal Buyan to classes with Keoki Kahumoku in Ka`u and then to the Palace Theatre last fall
to perform with `ukulele recording artist Brittany Paiva, who also started her `ukulele career as a Kahumoku student.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE `UKULELE may have a new tag line – the official state musical instrument of Hawai`i. A bill making its way through the state legislature recognizes what people worldwide already know. The `ukulele is integral to Hawaiian multiethnic culture. Only a few other states have officially honored instruments. In Kentucky it’s the Appalachian dulcimer. In Louisiana, it’s the squeeze box – the Cajun or diatonic accordion, Texas the guitar and Wisconsin the accordion. Arkansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota name the fiddle as their state instrument.

`Ukulele could become the official state instrument, like the dulcimer
in Kentucky and the squeeze box in Louisiana. Photo by Julia Neal

The bill to honor the `ukulele notes cutbacks in music education funding and points to the `ukulele as an instrument to help save music in the schools. It also quotes the late Big Island famed musician Kindy Sproat who said, “One `ukulele and one soul can do a lot.”

East Ka`u Rep. Richard Onishi is on the House Veterans, Military & International Affairs & Culture & the Arts Committee that is recommending passage of HB 27853, the `ukulele bill. During a hearing on Feb. 12, testimony came from `ukulele players and enthusiasts, including one Neighbor Island school teacher who leads an `ukulele band of middle school students who are able to travel to the mainland annually to share music and culture “as Ambassadors of Aloha.” Another testifier, Chris Kamaka, wrote his support and noted that the `Ukulele Hall of Fame, located on the East Coast, has been wanting to move the organization home to Hawai`i.

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CHALLENGER FOR THE U.S. SENATE SEAT, Colleen Hanabusa, leads in February polls released today by the Honolulu Star Advertiser and Hawai`i News Now. Hanabusa, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, has better recognition than other candidates and leads among likely-to-vote seniors, those of Japanese ancestry and union members, according to the poll conducted by Ward Research, Inc. Hanabusa faces incumbent Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary. Schatz was appointed to represent Hawai`i in the U.S. Senate by Gov. Neil Abercombie in December of 2012 after the death of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

According to the Honolulu Advertiser story, the poll found that “a quarter of voters interviewed did not know enough about Schatz to form an opinion about the senator.
“Hanabusa was at 48 percent and Schatz was at 40 percent in the poll of Democratic primary voters. Eleven percent were undecided,” the Advertiser reported. The poll showed that “Hanabusa also had a 62 percent favorable rating, the second highest — behind U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — of all the politicians tested.
“Schatz's favorable rating was 51 percent. More importantly, 13 percent of voters had never heard of the senator, while 12 percent had heard of him but did not know enough to draw a conclusion.”
The story noted that Schatz “has a fundraising advantage over Hanabusa. Strategically, the young senator may have to use the campaign money soon to better define himself for voters before Hanabusa has the chance to write the narrative.”
The Schatz campaign conducted its own poll showing Schatz with a small edge over Hanabusa in late January. "Elections aren't decided in February, though, and we know this is going to be a hard campaign," Schatz said.
See more at www.staradvertiser.com and www.hawaiinewsnow.com
The primary election is Saturday, Aug. 9 and the General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Those wanting to run for local office from County Council to state legislature and congress, can pick up papers at the County Clerk’s office through June 3.

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HOPING TO FIND HER BELONGINGS, Trudi Grentz, victim of a robbery on South Point Road, is hoping that someone may have clues to their location. During an interview yesterday, Grentz reviewed the incident. She said she was working at Paradise Meadows farm on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. putting out the signs for the agrotourism establishment.

A man and woman, whom she says were unknown to her, drove by in a small white car, turned their car around and drove up to her when she was placing two signs on the South Point side of Paradise Meadows driveway. Grentz said the woman emerged from the car, raised a hatchet and warned Grentz to get away from her own car. Grentz said she asked her "What's wrong with you?" and that the woman “had the hatchet raised and was waiving it around and told me to get away from my car again. She started to swing at me with the hatchet and I blocked it and took it away from her, and threw it into the bushes on the other side of the road." Grentz said the woman jumped into the drivers seat of Grentz’s convertible. Grentz reached in and shut the car off, but unable to retrieve the keys. While she was struggling, the woman’s companion “grabbed my bag with my wallet, laptop, cell pone and jewelry making supplies” and “he drove away."
Grentz said she was assisted by a neighbor and the owners of Paradise Meadows, but the woman assailant “took off over the top of the wall, barefoot, and disappeared into the brush."

Grentz said she was helped by Paradise Farm owners and neighbors after being
attacked when putting up signs along South Point Road. Photo by Julia Neal

Police arrived and took statements from witnesses, including descriptions of the woman's many tatooos, Grentz said. Within a few hours police presented Grentz with a lineup of photos, from which she was able to pick out the woman, who was arrested the next day and remains in jail. Grentz said that her assailant told police that her accomplice "made her do it." He was also arrested after the police presented Grentz with a photo lineup. He too remains in jail and is suspected of robbing a fisherman on South Point Road the same day of the Grentz incident, she said. The two in custody are from Ocean View.
Grentz said that she hopes that anyone with any information on the possible location of her belongings that were stolen will call the Ka`u Police Department. Grents, who came from a small town in Washington state, said she has never before been a crime victim or been afraid. She is a property owner in Ka`u who hopes to someday build a house, but said, "Now I am leery and I hope that it passes." She said that until the incident she felt safe in Ka`u and had been welcomed to work and live here "by many nice people."
She said she is particularly interested in recovering her laptop and the feathers she uses to make jewelry, the feathers collected from the farm where she works and out in the wild. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is today and during tomorrow's holiday to honor Presidents Day Weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP offers a President's Day Buffet at Crater Rim Cafe from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 967-8371.

Free entry into Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park continues today in celebration of Presidents Day Weekend, with a special dinner at
Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe tonight. Photo by ranger Steve Geiger of HVNP

WHALE COUNTING could become more sophisticated if methods using high-resolution satellite cameras and new software are used for Hawaiian waters. According to an article in Plos One, which publishes scientific papers, southern right whales in the Gulf of Nuevo of Argentina were recently counted through an automated system that takes photos of the ocean there. The article states, "Currently, such work is done through counts conducted from a shore position, from the deck of a ship or from a plane. But these are necessarily narrow in scope. An automated satellite search could cover a much larger area of ocean at a fraction of the cost." The study is led by the British Antarctic Survey and "is a proof of principle," said Peter Fretwell, according to the Plos One report. Fretwell noted that "as the resolution of the satellites increases and our image analysis improves, we should be able to monitor many more species and in other types of location. It should be possible to do total population counts and in the future track the trajectory of those populations."

Humpbacks breed, calve and nurse in Hawaiian waters each winter. Photo from NOAA

The annual Hawai`i Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count was held along the shorelines throughout the state on Jan. 25 with participants tallying humpback whale sightings and documenting surface behavior during the survey at 60 sites statewide. The next count is this Saturday, Feb. 22. To volunteer, visit http:sanctuaryoceancount.org or call 808-268-3087.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai`i's Department of Land & Natural Resources, to protect humpbacks and their Hawaiian waters habitat where they migrate each winter to mate, calve and nurse their young. See more at www.plosone.org.
Also see http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

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CLIMATE CHANGE is the subject of a treaty signed last week by the U.S. and China which could help reduce emissions from Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and other Asian coal burning plants, the emissions carried toward Hawai`i where they enter the ocean and increase the toxicity of marine life. Secretary of State John Carry said yesterday during his visit to Indonesia that climate change is perhaps the world’s “most fearsome” destructive weapon. He criticized skeptics of climate change for using shoddy science in order to put off reduction of green house gas emissions.
According to an Associated Press story, "China and the United States are the biggest sources of emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause the atmosphere to trap solar heat and alter the climate. Scientists say such changes are leading to drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, melting polar ice, plant and animal extinctions and other extreme conditions."

Emissions from rapidly developing industry in Asia contribute to climate change and acidify
the ocean, affecting marine life.

The AP report quoted Kerry's speech in Jakarta, where he said, "everyone and every country must take responsibility for the problem and act immediately.We simply don’t have time to let a few loud interest groups hijack the climate conversation.”
“We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and science and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific facts. Nor should we allow any room for those who think that the costs associated with doing the right thing outweigh the benefits.”

MULTIPLE LANGUAGES for drivers license tests will be available in Hawaiian throughout the state starting at the end of March. Languages for testing will be English, Hawaiian, Spanish, Chuukese, and Marshallese. Tagalog, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Samoan and Tongan were previously offered but discontinued as exam questions changed. They will be reinstated, according to the state Department of Transportation, which was sued in federal court. Plaintiffs claim the State of Hawai`i discriminated against immigrants by only offering the test in English.

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KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL has rolled out its 2014 schedule to celebrate the award-winning Ka`u Coffee brew, May 2-11 with the Ka`u Coffee Ho‘olaule‘a and Ka`u Coffee College wrapping up ten days of activities. The festival is funded by the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research & Development, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and the Edmund C. Olson Trust and other private and non-profit donors and volunteers.

The organizing committee encourages visitors to come to Ka`u and stay, visit Ka‘u Coffee farms, and to enjoy Ka`u's scenic and historic beauty, including Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach, Honu‘apo fishponds, the cliffs of Ka Lae and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Accommodations and participating farms are listed at www.kaucoffeefest.com.

More than a week of visiting farms, tasting coffee, enjoying local food and celebrating the Ka`u Coffee industry begins May 2.
Photo from www.kaucoffeefest.com

The organizing committee and its chair Chris Manfredi have realeased the schedule:
Friday, May 2: 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Pa‘ina & Open House at historic Pahala Plantation House includes music, hula with Halau Hula O Leionalani, food and house tours. Donations accepted for Miss Ka‘u Coffee Scholarship Fund. Corner of Maile and Pikake in Pahala. Hosted by Pahala Plantation Cottages, Ka‘u Chamber of Commerce and The Ka‘u Calendar newspaper. www.kaucoffeefest.com, www.pahalaplantationcottages.com. 808-928-9811.
Saturday, May 3: Taste Success: 4th Annual Ka‘u Farmers’ Table at Kalaekilohana Inn and Retreat features locally sourced fine dining, premium live entertainment, and has been sold out three years running. Advance only tickets are $75 at www.kau-hawaii.com.
Sunday, May 4: Triple C Recipe offers competition in cookies, candies and crackers at 12:00 noon, all made with provided Ka‘u coffee. Attendance and coffee tasting are free; find contest entry info at kaucoffeemill.com.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya invites everyone
to become involved in Ka`u Coffee Festival 2014.
Photo by Julia Neal

Sunday, May 4: Doors open 6 p.m. for the annual Miss Ka‘u Coffee Pageant at Ka‘u Coffee Mill. For more information visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
Wednesday May 7: Explore flume systems of the sugarcane era and development of hydroelectric power on a Ka‘u Mountain Water System in the Wood Valley rainforest 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $40 includes lunch. Limited to 30. Visit www.kaucoffeemill.com or phonea. 928-0550.
Friday, May 9: Enjoy Coffee & Cattle Day at Aikane Plantation Coffee farm at 10 a.m., where descendants of the first coffee farmer in Ka‘u explain how coffee is integrated into other agriculture. $25 fee includes an all-you can eat buffet. Visit www.aikaneplantation.com or phone 808-927-2252.
Friday, May 9: Observe the heavens from the summit of Makanau at Ka‘u Star Gazing, 5:30-10 p.m. $35 with refreshments. To sign up, see www.kaucoffeemill.com or call 808-928-0550.
Saturday, May 10: Ka‘u Coffee Festival Ho‘olaule‘a offers a full day of music, hula, food, local crafts, coffee tastings and farm/mill tours at Pahala Community Center. Festival entry is free; Ka‘u Coffee Experience with guided coffee tasting $5; farm tours $20. Call 929-9550 or visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
Sunday, May 11: Learn about the coffee industry at the Ka‘u Coffee College at Pahala Community Center. Free, donations appreciated. Farm/ mill tours continue. Call 929-9550 or visit www.KauCoffeeFest.com.
Founded in coffee traditions hailing to the 1800s— the 21st century Ka‘u Coffee industry was founded by former sugar workers who found their own farms, developed their own brands and markets and entered the specialty coffee market where they have won many awards.
Ka‘u Coffee Festival vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and festival updates, visit kaucoffeefest.com, follow Ka‘u Coffee Festival on Facebook and @kaucoffeefest on Twitter, or call 929-9550.

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KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in this week’s County Council meetings via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center. Committees meet Tuesday: Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability at 8 a.m.; Public Safety & Mass Transit at 1 p.m.; Human Services & Social Services at 1:15 p.m.; Planning at 1:45 p.m.; Finance at 4 p.m.

County Council resolutions and petitions call for keeping home rule for
each county regarding GMO regulations.

The full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. A resolution on the agenda requests the state Legislature to pass a bill that would provide counties with greater authority over agricultural matters, including regulation of the cultivation and development of genetically engineered crops and plants and associated pesticides. Kohala Council member Margaret Wille introduced the resolution following Hawai`i County’s approval of her bill banning GMOs, with some exemptions, and introduction of bills at the state Legislature that would restrict counties’ ability to adopt laws that are possibly in conflict with state and federal laws.
Wille’s Resolution 272-14 reads, in part, “The Council is concerned that state Legislators have introduced legislation designed to eliminate county level authority (‘home rule’) over agricultural practices, even when certain practices may severely impact the health of neighboring residents and the unique and delicate ecosystems of each island."

The state legislation opposed by Wille is supported by the Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation and its president Chris Manfred, of Na`alehu, and was introduced by the Farm Bureau's legislator of the year, east Ka`u state Rep. Richard Onishi.

Agendas for all county council meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK continues today in celebration of Presidents Day weekend.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S CRATER RIM CAFE in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Presidents Day Buffet today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Menu includes pork pot roast, honey BBQ chicken and home-style meat loaf with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, steamed rice, ice cream station and beverage. $15.25 adults; $8 children 6 – 11 years old. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information.

SEE FEBRUARY’S ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.

SEE THE KA`U DIRECTORY 2014 For a page-turning version, seekaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Anyone seeing this Kamehameha butterfly is asked to log onto kamehamehabutterfly.com and upload reports and photos. This is a male.
Photo by Nathan Yuen from kamehamehabutterfly.com

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM LABELING IS FAVORED by the majority of those interviewed in a recent poll conducted by Ward Research Inc. for Hawai`i News Now and the Honolulu Star Advertiser. Derrick DePledge reported the polling this morning in the Advertiser, quoting Rep. Jessica Wooley, who chairs the state House of Representatives Agriculture Committee. She supports labeling and stated “I think it’s easy to see the importance of transparency, especially in the marketplace. It's easy. It's not a difficult choice. It's something we should have done a long time ago," the Advertiser reported her saying.
DePledge reported that “the poll found that only a quarter of voters consider themselves very familiar with GMOs. Yet those with the most knowledge about GMOs tend to be the most concerned about the issue.” The story pointed out that west Ka`u state Sen. Josh Green, who chairs the Senate Health Committee, “has moved two bills that would require GMO labeling by January. But the legislation now sits before the Senate Ways and Means and the Commerce and Consumer Protection committees and — for one of the bills — the Senate Agriculture Committee, where there is resistance among senators.”
DePledge wrote that “Hawai`i has been a flash point in the anti-GMO movement because several large biotechnology companies, including Monsanto, have experimental seed crops in the islands. Kaua`i County passed a law last year that regulates GMO and pesticide use which is being challenged by biotech companies in federal court. Hawai`i County approved a law that prohibits new GMO crops.”
He also pointed out that “Lauren Zirbel, executive director of the Hawai`i Food Industry Association, has warned state lawmakers that a GMO labeling requirement would likely drive up Hawai`i's already high food prices. Mainland and foreign manufacturers, if forced to label, may also choose not to ship products to Hawai`i given the state's relatively small consumer market.”
See more at www.staradvertiser.com
The Hawai`i County Council was expected to take up a proposed resolution today to give the counties home rule in regulating GMOs.
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Mayor Billy Kenoi
Photo by Julia Neal

AN ETHICS PROPOSAL BY MAYOR BILLY KENOI is another item on the County Council agenda today, this one at the Finance Committee meeting. Kenoi’s proposal would prevent county contracts from going to companies owned by those who work for the county or serve on its boards and commissions, and their spouses and dependent children. The restriction would kick in for contracts with a set value, the minimum value yet to be determined. Ka`u Rep. Brenda Ford voted for such ethics restrictions in the past. Hilo council man Dennis Onishi voted against a similar bill in the past.
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BETTER PUBLIC ACCESS TO A NEW $4.7 MILLION INFORMATION SYSTEM installed by the State of Hawai`i administration could come as early as next year, according to Sonny Bhagowala, Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s chief technology advisor. Bhagowala was quoted in Civil Beat this morning in a story by Sophie Cocke, who pointed out that “The state’s technology office is in the process of rolling out a half-million dollar system that allows the governor’s office to better manage thousands of communications from constituents and track bills that are moving through the Legislature.”

Sonny Bhagowala
Photo from hawaii.gov

She said the state Office of Information Management & Technology has paid Lockheed Martin $474,544 over the last year and a half for an Intranet Quorum system and training. “Even though the public is paying for the system, which is expected to be expanded to other state departments in the coming months, it’s strictly for internal government use,” Cocke wrote, quoting Bhagowala. She stated, however, that Bhagowala “who described himself as a ‘big open government advocate,’ said that in general the public should have much easier access to government records.” She said he noted the intense amount of work needed to overhaul the state's information technology system. Civil Beat pointed to the promise of the technology office’s website, which states the “need for greater government transparency and accountability.” See more at www.civilbeat.com. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE PULELEHUA PROJECT IS SEEKING help from Ka`u residents in tracking Kamehameha butterflies, vanessa tameamea. Although the butterfly is historically known from all the main Hawaiian Islands, it is no longer found in some areas where it used to be common, and it appears to be declining. Anyone who sees a Kamehameha butterfly, caterpillar, egg or chrysalis can submit photos and observations to kamehamehabutterfly.com. The data will be used to map the current distribution of Kamehameha butterflies and help determine how and why its population has declined.
The website has information about how to find and identify the different life stages and host plants of the Kamehameha butterfly.

Moist forests like those in the highlands of Ka`u where mamaki tea plants grow wild
are a perfect home for Kamehameha butterfly. Photo from kamehamehabutterfly.org

The Kamehameha butterfly is related to painted ladies and admirals, a group of butterflies that is found all over the world. However, the Kamehameha butterfly, found only in Hawai`i, evolved here after a species of butterfly somehow dispersed across the ocean and colonized the islands, according to the website. Over millions of years of isolation, it diverged from its ancestors enough to be considered a different species. It is one of only two native species of butterflies in Hawai`i; the other is Blackburn’s blue butterfly, Udara blackburni.
Hawai`i has several species of orange and black butterflies that might be mistaken for the Kamehameha butterfly. Before submitting photos, participants can visit the “common lookalikes” page on the website to confirm that an observation is really a Kamehameha butterfly.
The Kamehameha butterfly, like all native wildlife, is protected, and it is illegal to collect specimens without a permit, even on private land. Participants should use photographs to document observations of the butterfly and its immature stages (egg, caterpillar, and chrysalis).
Adult butterflies are the most conspicuous life stage to the casual observers, but they are fast flyers and notoriously difficult to photograph. The website suggests looking for them in places where their host plants are common.
The Kamehameha butterfly is highly specific to the plant family Urticaceae (nettle relatives), and its caterpillars are found only on the Hawaiian species in this family. The most common host plant is mamaki. Others are olona, opuhe and `akolea. These plants are typically found in areas with native vegetation and moderate to heavy rainfall, often in shady areas or gulches. Most of them are shrubs or small trees, with broad, papery leaves and prominent veins.
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THE MEDITATIVE DRAWING PRACTICE of Zentagle will be taught this Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nia`ulani Campus of Volcano Art Center on Old Volcano Road. “Zentangle is a method for creating beautiful images using structured patterns. It’s easy to do and enjoyed by a wide range of ages and skill levels.” It supports relaxation, focus, inspiration and a sense of well-being, says a statement from Volcano Art Center. Cost is $35, $30 for members, and $10 supply fee. Call 967-8222.

TOWN HALL MEETING with state SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN will be open to the public next Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Justin Kripps named the Canadian bobsleds in the 2014 Olympics for Pele and Poliahu in honor of his childhood home in Ka`u. He
competes for Canada in the four-man on Saturday, Feb. 22, after coming in sixth in the two-man. Photo from Justin Kripps

NA`ALEHU BORN BOBSLEDDER Justin Kripps is set to captain an Olympic four-man bobsled team this Saturday, Feb. 22 in Sochi. The son of Ka`u residents Libby and Robert Kripps, he is a member of Team Canada but attended first through seventh grade at Na`alehu School. Kripps earned a track and field scholarship at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and was asked to try bobsledding. He made the Olympics team in 2010 and, at age 27, became a bobsled captain and pilot for these Olympics. He drives the two-man sled named for Poliahu- Hawai`i's snow goddess and the four-man sled named for Pele - Hawai`i's fire goddess. Kripps' parents said they plan to watch the competition online from Ka`u. His team took sixth in the two-man. In related news, an online photo of his team in their underwear was blocked by Russian censors.
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Image from justinkripps.com

MONEY TO FIGHT COFFEE BERRY BORER is on the line at the state legislature. The state House Finance Committee will hear the bill tomorrow at 11 a.m. The bill would provide $3 million to the state Department of Agriculture. Its chair, Scott Enright, submitted testimony: “Invasive species are a primary threat to Hawai`i’s agriculture and economy. The coffee berry borer poses a significant problem for coffee farmers in Hawai`i, and the additional funds will help the Department in its effort to contain the infestation.”
UH Chancellor and Agriculture Dean at Manoa both weighed in, supporting the funding to include their partnership and work on the problem with the state ag department.
Department of Land & Natural Resources chair William Aila pointed out that management of feral coffee trees is part of the solution. He said the DLNR supports the spending of $3 million “provided that this appropriation does not replace or adversely impact appropriations for other priority invasive species projects across the State.”

Coffee berry borers live inside the coffee bean, wasting its value.

Hawai`i Farm Bureau Pres. Chris Manfredi testified that “Coffee is one of Hawai`i’s signature crops; one that helps bring fame and tourists to Hawai`i. Coffee Berry Borer threatens the entire Hawaiian coffee industry. While the full tally is yet to be made, farms on Hawai`i Island have experienced deep losses. Some have failed. Moreover, large quantities of coffee have been downgraded due to insect damage, reducing the value of the remaining crop. CBB is a serious threat to Hawai`i's agriculture industry and the state's economy. While CBB is battled worldwide, no other coffee growing origin shares Hawai`i's high labor costs and restrictions on pesticides that may be used elsewhere to fight this destructive pest. This places the industry at a competitive disadvantage when compared to the rest of the coffee-growing world.”
Hawai`i Coffee Association, Kona Coffee Farmers Association, Kona Coffee Council and Hawai`i Farmers Union United submitted supportive testimony. Jim Wayman, of the Coffee Association, called it “an emergency situation.” He wrote, “It is like putting out a forest fire in that it all most be contained or it will continue to spread.”
Testimony came not only from Big Island coffee growers who are plagued by the pest. It came from growers on Kaua`i, Maui, Moloka`i and O`ahu who are afraid it will reach their orchards.
East Ka`u member of the state House of Representatives, Dennis Onish was one of the authors of the bill.
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KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL & HAWAI`I TOURISM AUTHORITY. The annual report of the Hawai`i Tourism Authority has been sent to the state legislature and includes a section of the Ka`u Coffee Festival. The HTA reports that “Chris Manfredi has been organizing this festival since its inaugural event five years ago. He is in charge of everything from planning and budgeting to promotion, marketing and fundraising. Chris has helped to grow the festival from a weekend event to a week-long celebration, providing more opportunities for local businesses to participate and more visitors, including a Japanese tour group, to experience this unique festival.”

The report quotes Manfredi: “Our Ka`u Coffee Festival has grown over the past few years to incorporate one-of-a kind events including a mountain hike, stargazing, farmer’s table locavore events and other sustainability excursions to educate our attendee. We aspire to create an environment in which everyone can experience the people, place and coffee firsthand.”
Hawai`i Tourism Authority states in its report that the agency “is proud to support Chris and the entire team a the Ka`u Coffee Festival through the County Product Enrichment Program. Visitor experiences such as these, give Hawai`i the opportunity to share the story behind the various products, and the people who work hard to share Hawai`i’s unique culture with the rest of the world.”
The Ka`u Coffee Festival is scheduled for May 2 – 11. The next organizing meeting for volunteers is this coming Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. To donate or volunteer, call Manfredi at 929-9550.
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Mike Wilson was named to the state Supreme Court yesterday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie
Photo from Gov. Neil Abercrombie

UNMANNED DRONES may be in the future for monitoring drought, finding livestock, checking waterlines and the health of native forests. A bill in the state legislature, however, would prevent police from monitoring people with drones, without due process. One version would limit drones to police and has drawn a lot of testimony from hobbyists and those wanting to use small drones for agriculture, conservation and sports. The DLNR wants to use them to manage wildfires and to map coral reefs. Sen. Clayton Hee said he will amend Senate Bill 2606 SD1 to allow these uses, according to an Associated Press story by Sam Eifling.
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STATE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE is Mike Wilson. Gov. Neil Abercrombie made the announcement yesterday. Before working in state government as Consumer Advocate and director of DLNR, and becoming a judge, Wilson practiced civil rights and criminal law. He was a leader in the environmental groups Protect Sandy Beach and Hawai`i’s Thousand Friends.
Abercrombie quoted Wilson who told the governor, “The Supreme Court is our public conscience.” The appointment will require a vote by the state Senate. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EDUCATION THROUGH IMMERSION received a boost yesterday. The state Board of Education voted to create an Office of Hawaiian Education under the statewide school superintendent to administer Ka Papahana Kalpuni Hawai`i. The new written policy of the DOE is to “create and implement appropriate curricula, standards, performance assessment tools and professional development.”
Testimony supporting the new policy came from students who wrote in the Hawaiian language as well as parents and educators.
Cheryl Lupenui, sho chairs the student achievement committed for the BOE, told Nanea Kalane, a reporter for the Honolulu Star Advertiser, that the policy change “is really long overdue, to be able to take a look at truly the best public education system that we can have for our students … and the need to ensure that there is an ability to learn through our Hawaiian language, our Hawaiian content, our Hawaiian context in service to preparing all of our students for college, career and community success."
The school with the most Hawaiian language education closest to Ka`u is at Miloli`ihipu`u Virtual Academy. South Kona and Ka`u are considered to have high populations of Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians with families having been rooted in these lands for many generations. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Students at the Hawaiian immersion charter school in Miloli`i were joined by members
of the Hokule`a voyaging canoe who sailed in last summer.
Photo from Polynesian Voyaging Society

NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 2o0th anniversary celebration is Friday, Feb. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.]

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUNDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public next Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

Moa`ula Coffee lands are in the Lehman Bothers properties that are the subject of negotiations for sale. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

LEHMAN BROTHERS set a deadline of Feb. 14 for interested parties to begin negotiations for the purchase of its 5,800 acres in Ka`u that includes Moa`ula coffee lands, pasture and oceanfront property. Joel LaPinta, who works with Kennedy Wilson real estate management, investment and brokerage company, on behalf of Lehman, said this morning that there are several parties who signed agreements to begin negotiations. Ka`u Coffee farmers said they hope that any buyer will keep them on the land to grow their famous Ka`u Coffee. Mayor Billy Kenoi said that he has encouraged Lehman to make it known to any buyer that the county’s position is to help prevent displacement of the the coffee farmers and that he could cooperate in forming a hui to buy the land for an agricultural park if the coffee lands were to become available for sale as a separate parcel.
A water cooperative meeting regarding Moa`ula and other farm and ranch lands served by the old plantation water system will be held today at the Royal Hawaiian macadamia conference room at 4 p.m.
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REJECTION OF TWO `AINA KOA PONO contracts with the electric company to sell biofuel that would be manufactured in Ka`u is a key reason why Gov. Neil Abercrombie does not plan to reappoint Mina Morita to the Public Utilities Commission, according to Sen. Roz Baker who was quoted in a Civil Beat story this week.
Baker, who chairs the committee that oversees the PUC, told reporter Sophie Cocke that the PUC decision was sound. “It was the right decision,” she said. “It was an unproven technology that was going to cost the ratepayers a lot of money.” She also said that it was not the role of the PUC to “do the governor’s bidding.”

Mina Morita, Chair of the PUC

According to Baker, Abercrombie’s staff told her that Morita wouldn’t be reappointed.” Baker told Civil Beat that the governor “didn’t give me the courtesy of a meeting” regarding the decision.
Cocke said Abercrombie spokesman Justin Fujioka told her Morita’s reappointment is still “under review” and that Abercrombie “has not made a decision on this matter.”
Cocke also reported that Morita said she likely won’t be reappointed. “While I acknowledge the governor’s prerogative to appoint members of the commission, I am disappointed that I may not be considered for reappointment,” she said. “Since becoming the chair in March 2011, my mission has been to build a capable, knowledgeable, fair and independent PUC to serve the public interest. Hawai`i’s ratepayers and the utilities that the PUC regulates deserve no less.”
According to Cocke, Civil Beat also spoke with several energy industry representatives who said Morita won’t be reappointed when her term ends in June.
Cocke said people involved in energy policy “have said privately that the governor has been frustrated by the PUC’s slow pace in pushing forward his energy agenda. Some have also wondered whether Morita is qualified to tackle the increasingly complicated technical and financial issues associated with Hawai`i’s energy policy.”
Cocke also wrote that some of the PUC’s decisions “have angered energy developers, some of whom are close to the governor.” One of those she mentioned was William Kaneko, a former lobbyist for `Aina Koa Pono, who chairs Abercrombie’s re-election campaign. See civilbeat.com.
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VETERANS PURCHASING HOMES IN KA`U with rainwater catchment systems can once again gets loans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The move comes three years after the VA halted the practice of guaranteeing this type of home loan when it determined private rainwater catchment systems are not regulated by the Hawai`i Department of Health and therefore could not meet the VA’s minimum property requirements.
U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs who has been working on the issue since early 2012 when island veterans and the Hawai`i Realtors Association first contacted her, applauded the decision. She and her staff worked collaboratively with the VA’s Loan Guarantee Office and the DOH’s Environmental Health Division to help resolve the issue.
“This announcement is the culmination of hard work and cooperation by the VA and the Hawai`i Department of Health as they were able to come to a resolution that meets the needs of veterans seeking loan guarantees across the state,” said Hirono. “After raising this issue directly with Secretary Shinseki, I would like to thank him for his strong leadership in once again helping pave the way for veterans to buy a home, even in Hawai`i’s deep rural areas that don’t have access to county water lines.”

Veterans will be able to get loans for dwellings with
water catchment. Photo from Waterworks

After discussions with the VA, the DOH determined that rainwater catchment systems can be made safe for domestic use if certain guidelines are followed. This clarification led to the announcement regarding the VA guaranteed loan policy, which takes effect immediately.
Hirono’s staff will continue to work with the Veteran Benefits Administration's Honolulu regional office on outreach efforts to help veterans navigate the newly established procedures.
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OPPORTUNITY PLAN IS THE TITLE of legislation being introduced into the U.S. Senate by Hawai`i’s Sen. Brian Schatz, along with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. This five plank agenda “focuses on the biggest issues facing millions of families across the country who are struggling to succeed in an outdated system,” Schatz said in Civil Beat.
The plan would create paid family and medical leave insurance, raise the minimum wage, take action on income inequality, expand access to quality affordable child care and establish universal pre-kindergarten classes.
“As two of only a handful of U.S. senators with young children, we understand what it’s like to be working parents with family responsibilities. It’s not easy. And too many middle-class families around the country are struggling because the system is rigged against them,” Schatz said. Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act would create a self-sustaining paid family medical leave program for up to 12 weeks of paid leave.
Schatz and Gillibrand are also supporting the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour over the next three years. “If the minimum wage were more livable, millions of families could move into the middle class,” Schatz said.
The Paycheck Fairness Act would address the gender wage gap. According to Schatz, in 2012, women were, on average, making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. “If women earned the same amount as men, America’s gross domestic product could grow by as much as four percent,” Schatz said. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Na`alehu Library celebrates 20 year of service tomorrow.
Photo from State of Hawai`i Libraries

Regarding child care, the legislation would give families the option of deducting the cost of child care expenses as a business expense, in addition to expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit to allow low income families with little or no tax liability to have access to a fully refundable tax credit
The fifth plank of the Opportunity Plan supports Hawai`i Sen. Mazie Hirono’s PRE-K Act, which, calling for universal pre-kindergarten classes, would increase the number of early childhood educators and increase the hours per day a family would have access to education programs.
“The time is right for our government to change the work environment to accommodate the changes in the workforce. In fact, if we want our middle-class families to succeed, it’s imperative.” Schatz concluded. See civilbeat.com.
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NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 20th anniversary celebration is Friday, Feb. 21 from noon to 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.

VOLCANO ART CENTER OFFERS an introduction to Zentangle on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing and fun way to create images by drawing structured patterns. Julie Evans and Lois and Earl Stokes, the island’s only certified Zentangle teachers, share a new art form that has ancient connections to universal symbol and pattern making. “At first glance it looks like we are doodling, but, on another level we are manipulating symbols shared across cultures and times. It is a type of yoga for creative expression,” said Evans. Cost is $35 or $30 for VAC members with $10 supply fee. Call 967-8222 to register.

Learn Zentangle this Saturday.

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUNDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public next Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

GMO seed corn farmers looked at the slopes above Honu`apo several years ago as a possible site for a new farm but the land
has since been taken off the market with Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo hoping for it to be purchased for preservation.
Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers

A HOME RULE RESOLUTION passed the County Council this week in response to bills considered at the state Legislature. The resolution calls for the state to protect the counties’ authority to regulate the cultivation and development of genetically engineered crops and plants and associated pesticides.
The resolution states that “the Council is concerned that state Legislators have introduced legislation designed to eliminate county level authority (‘home rule’) over agricultural practices, even when certain practices may severely impact the health of neighboring residents and the unique and delicate ecosystems of each island.
“The counties’ foremost obligation is to protect the health and safety of its population and are aware that standard medical facilities in our outer-island counties are not equipped with toxicology laboratories for either sufficient or sophisticated testing of illnesses and harms that may result from genetically engineered organisms or their associated pesticides.
“The counties are also aware that in 2013 the multinational agrochemical corporations lead an effort to gut the jurisdiction of the counties, such that they would no longer have any authority over matters concerning the health and wellbeing of their residents. (See 2013 Senate Bill 727.) In addition, the multinational agrochemical corporations advocated to further erode the ability of either the state or the counties to regulate the cultivation of genetically modified crops by way of Senate Bill 590, a proposed amendment to the Right to Farm Act aimed at insulating these corporations from lawsuits and regulations that might in some manner curtail their cultivation, development, or testing of genetically engineered crops in the state of Hawai`i. The counties abhor these efforts to undermine local government protection of the people and the environment.”
Resolution 272, introduced by Kohala Council member Margaret Wille, is available on the County Council Feb. 19 meeting agenda at hawaiicounty.gov.
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Richard Ha writes about food security and GMOs.

RICHARD HA, OWNER OF HAMAKUA Springs Country Farms, discusses the future of Hawai`i Island farming on his blog, hahaha.hamakuasprings.com. Ha writes that, according to Hawai`i Rural Development Council surveys, food security is Hawai`i’s number one priority. “‘Difficulties faced by local farmers’ is number three, and ‘GMO agriculture’ is number five.”
Ha says that banning genetically modified organisms, a lower priority issue, “threatens our food security (our most important concern). I say this all the time because it’s so important to remember: If the farmers make money, the farmers will farm. We need our farmers farming in order to have food security here in Hawai`i. We need to work toward that end.”
Ha explains how agriculture and energy are tied together: “Working toward having low-cost energy here on the Big Island will strongly benefit both our farmers and the rest of our people — it lowers food cooling costs for both farmers and their customers. It will help the farmers to farm, which will increase our food security.
“We are lucky to have the option here of generating electricity with geothermal. Geothermal-generated electricity is similar to oil in its characteristics. It is steady. And very importantly, it costs only half as much as oil and will not run out anytime soon.
“It's all related. Geothermal energy means lower electric bills, for both farmers and consumers. Lower electric bills means farmers keep farming, and consumers have more food security out here in the Pacific where we import 80 percent of our food or more. Lower electric costs also mean consumers have more discretionary income, and that helps our local economy.
“Banning GMOs (a.k.a., biotech solutions to farming problems, which all our competitors will be able to use) moves us in exactly the wrong direction,” Ha concludes.
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Developers of biofuel farms have described the pastures between Pahala and Na`alehu as
abandoned sugar lands. A measure in the state legislature would study potential for
growing crops for ethanol on such lands. Photo by Julia Neal

“AN ABUNDANCE OF VACANT SUGAR CANE LAND” in Hawai`i could be used to produce ethanol, according to a bill making its way through the state Legislature. According to SB2198, Hawai`i requires that gasoline sold in the state contain ten per cent ethanol, and Hawai`i imports all of its ethanol, along with crude oil, from overseas. “Despite several planned ethanol plants and an abundance of vacant sugar cane land, no plants have been built,” the bill states.
The bill, which would establish a renewable fuels task force within the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, is up for a vote in the state Senate after being approved by the Ways & Means Committee.
Richard Lim, the director of DBEDT, was a founding partner and serves on the board of Sennet Captial, LLC., which lists `Aina Koa Pono one of its transactions. The Managing Director of Sennet Capital is Kenton Eldridge, who is also co-founder and chair of `Aina Koa Pono. See www.sennetcapital.com and www.ainakoapono.com.
The bill would require the task force to perform a feasibility study involving locally produced renewable fuels. The task force would submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to the 2016 Legislature.
This bill and others can be tracked at capitol.hawaii.gov.
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HAWAI`I HEALTH CONNECTOR is making a push in Ka`u this weekend for sign ups for Obamacare through the Ka`u Rural Health Community Asosciation, Inc. Ka`u Rural Health, which received $120,000 in grant money to help people sign up for health care in Ka`u, sent out an email yesterday, saying that it is “a Marketplace Assister Organization for the Hawai1i Health Connector. To make an appointment to enroll for health care coverage, residents in the Ka1u district are asked to cll the KRHCAI Kokua Assisters at 928-0101. A statement from the Health Connecter yesterday said the state’s online health insurance marketplace “is promoting a Weekend of action this weekend. Enrollment and outreach efforts will be happened statewide, with Kokua on hand to help residents with the enrollment process.”
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Work is available for a full-time college student at Pahala Library. Photo from Pahala Public & School Library

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY has opened up a position for a fulltime college student with computer skills. Those interested can inquire at the library or call 928-2015 and ask for Debbie Wong Yuen. Pahala Library is open Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Tuesdays it is open from noon to 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Fridays, it is open from noon to 5 p.m.

NA`ALEHU PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 20th anniversary celebration is toady until 3 p.m. with entertainment and free refreshments. 939-2442.

VOLCANO ART CENTER OFFERS an introduction to Zentangle on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. Cost is $35 or $30 for VAC members with $10 supply fee. Call 967-8222. t

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is tomorrow, Saturday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

SEN. RUSSELL RUNDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public on this coming Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pdf.

Managed honeybees and wild bees exchange diseases that weaken them all. Photo from www.artemissmiles.com

A NEW CELL TOWER IN VOLCANO is proposed by AT&T Mobility on the south side of Old Volcano Highway at around the 25 mile market on the Hawai`i Belt Road, HWY 11. The proposed use permit will be taken up by the Windward Planning Commission on Thursday, March 6 at its 9:30 a.m. meeting in the Hilo State Office Building, Conference Rooms A, B and C. at 75 Aupuni St. The permit is for a 10,000 square-foot portion of a 785-acre parcel in the state Agricultural District, zoned Ag by the county. Some other cell towers in the area have been designed to look like trees to match the surrounding vegetation. The property is TMK: 1-1-004:Por. of 010. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Norfolk pine style cell towers are used, in an attempt
to fit in with landscape.

THEDAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART will take up the GMO issue on the Big Island, with interviews of County Council member Margaret Wille, who introduced the bill banning most genetically modified organisms in Hawai`i County, and Greggor IIegan, who voted against her bill, according to a story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald.

Jon Stewart, whose Daily Show plans a
segment on local GMO debate.

The bill passed and was signed by Mayor Billy Kenoi, with a companion bill passed by the County Council on Kaua`i that focused more on use of pesticides associated with GMO crops. However, the local legislation faces opposition from those that want no restrictions on GMOs and related pesticides. The pro GMO camps are taking their cause to the legislature and courts.
The Tribune Herald story by John Burnett quotes Wille saying that a Daily Show team came here to check out the story that this county “closed the door on some multinational chemical companies.” According to the Tribune Herald, part of the Daily Show story could include pro and ant-GMO activists accusing each other of using empty or shoddy science in their debates.
The Tribune Herald story also quotes Hawaiian practitioner and singer, songwriter Hawane Rios, who also models on the calendar that raises money for Babes Against Biotech at www.babesagainstbiotech.org/#!calendarbab/gallery. Burnett quotes the Rios view on the Daily Show segment as, ““perfect timing, because we need to get this issue out on a global scale because we have so many other issues, as well. Just getting one onto mainstream television is a big win for us because this is where we are as a people and what we do is gonna affect generations to come.”
See more at http://hawaiitribune-herald.com. The restrictions on GMOs is also supported by Ka`u County Council member Brenda Ford.
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WILD BEES IN KA`U AND WORLDWIDE are facing stress and decline. These are not only the honeybees that live outside of commercial and backyard hives. These include bees that live in smaller colonies and help pollinate domestic and wild plants and trees. A new study shows that the wild bees “are contracting deadly diseases from their commercialized honeybee cousins,” reports an Associated Press story by Seth Borenstein.
Unmanaged bees aren’t "trucked from farm to farm like honeybees. They provide a significant chunk of the world’s pollination of flowers and food…,” the AP story reports.

Bee sanctuary manager Alison Yahna.
Photo from www.artemissmiles.com

Mark Brown of University of London told the AP that his studies confirm that the decline can be attributed to “the spillover of parasites and pathogens and disease” from managed beehives. University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum said that while the diseases of domestic and wild bees spill over from one population to another, “the spillover for bees is turning into a boilover.” She said that honeybee hives with tens of thousands or worker bees sending diseases to small colonies of wild bees is like “Wal-Mart versus a mom-and-pop store.”
Bumblebees alone support pollination for $3 billion in fruit and flower pollination in the Unite States, Berenbaum told the AP.
Alison Yahna, founder of Artemis Smiles Honeybee Sanctuary and Education Center in Ka`u, supports the caring for wild honeybees, saying that wild bees, left to evolve and strengthen their own resistance to disease, can survive. She says her sanctuary provides a place “where our bees are allowed to live a natural life cycle, free of the many practices and pollutants that have contributed to their global decline.” See www.artemissmiles.com for more on bee education and tours of the bee sanctuary in Ka`u.
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J MUZACZ, SON OF KA`U TUTU & ME manager Betty Clark, has written an illustrated a book entitled Life Is Sweet: The Story of a Sugarcane Field, based on his three-month experience cutting sugarcane by hand on Ishigaki, one of Okinawa’s southernmost isles. With its vivid colors and first-hand account of life during a traditional Japanese sugarcane harvest, the book is both a children’s narrative and cultural expose. Clark said the book has a local interest because “so many residents of Ka`u still remember life during the sugar cane days in Na`alehu and Pahala.”

Working in southern Japan in sugar
is a reminder of sugar days in Ka`u for
J Muzacz.

With ties to Ka`u, J Muzacz illustrates life in sugar on
an island in southern Japan.

Muzacz, who has an academic background in sociology, said that while the book is completely unique to the Yaeyama Islands of Ryukyu Okinawa, “many underlying themes and struggles on this small island represent much greater universal issues. For instance, that of modern farmers worldwide balancing environmental costs and benefits associated with growing crops we all love and can’t get enough of, the importance of cultivating teamwork and healthy community, respecting tradition while increasingly utilizing new technologies to maximize efficiency, and that unmatched contentment you feel after completing a long, hard day’s work.”
Muzacz also said he found out why the Japanese, especially Okinawans, live so long. “It is interesting that Okinawa is famous for enjoying the greatest longevity among the entire Japanese population, and the Japanese themselves have the longest life span in the world. The consumption of pure Kokuto black sugar along with plenty seaweed, tofu and pork (yes, pork!) is believed to contribute to the healthy long life of Okinawans.
“The secret to Okinawan longevity is no mystery,” said Muzacz. “It’s in the sugar!” Information about the book project is available at indiegogo.com/lifeissweet. This book, as well as Muzacz first book, Japan 365: A Drawing-A-Day, can be purchased at amazon.com. His first book is also available at Na`alehu Public Library.
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KA`U RURAL HEALTH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION is offering to help people sign up for the Hawai`i Health Connector, the Obambacare health plan. This weekend a statewide push aims to educate more people about taking advantage of the plan that allows coverage of those persons with preexisting conditions. Call Ka`u Rural Health Community Association's Kokua Assisters at 928-0101.

SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION to raise money for the Ka`u Hospital ER is today, Saturday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Ka`u Red Hat Ladies and Ka Lae Quilters are the sponsors. Tickets are $9.99 from Pahala Quilting and Ka`u Rural Health Clinic.

KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE will hold its next meeting at 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24 at Pahala Plantation House. Discussion will include distribution of The Directory and other Ka`u Chamber programs. Call Pres. Dallas Decker at 516-662-8789.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public on this coming Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pd

Five barrier lakes of Wudalianchi, a Chinese volcanic sister park to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo by Guo Bailin/ Wudalianchi National Park

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES AND A NATIONAL PARK IN CHINA have formed a sister relationship and the agreement is making headlines through an Associated Press story carried by the press in both countries. A statement from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park says that the relationship will “strengthen their shared volcanic heritage by promoting international cooperation and support for the mutual benefit of both parks.

Wudalianchi National Park in China is sister to Volcanoes in Hawai`i.
Photo from www.china.org

“Both Hawai‘i Volcanoes and Wudalianchi national parks feature active volcanoes and are celebrated throughout the world for their geological, biological, and cultural attributes. In Hawai‘i, Kīlauea volcano, which is currently erupting from two locations, and Mauna Loa, which last erupted in 1984, draw more than 1.5 million visitors a year to the park. Wudalianchi has 14 volcanoes, two of which are active but not erupting. The last significant eruptive period from Laoheishan and Huoshaoshan volcanoes occurred between 1719 and 1721, resulting in large quantities of lava that formed a plateau in the center of the park, and blocked the north-south flowing Shilong River in several places – forming a string of five lakes, which translates to ‘Wudalianchi,’” notes the HVNP statement.
“The Chinese park is also known for its mineral springs, giant boulders, and lava tubes. Approximately a million people a year visit Wudalianchi National Park, which is located in northeast China in the Heilongjiang province, near the Russian border,” the statement says.
In 2011, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando attended a conference in China with other representatives from volcano parks worldwide and visited Wudalianchi. Discussions on the sister relationship began and representatives of the Chinese park soon visited Volcano and Ka`u and were hosted for a dinner at Pahala Plantation House.
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park also has a sister park agreement with Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes of South Korea.

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SUPPORT FOR MINA MORITA to continue as chair of the Public Utilities Commission has come in a letter to the governor from eight members of the state Senate and 16 members of the state House of Representatives, including west Ka`u Rep. Richard Creagan. Morita is known in Ka`u for the PUC decision to twice turn down a contract between the electric utility and `Aina Koa Pono, which planned to build a refinery on the edge of Wood Valley. Mayor Billy Kenoi and County of Hawai`i also opposed the contract based on its projected increase in the price of electricity.
West Ka`u Senator Josh Green and East Ka`u Senator Russell Ruderman both said they support Morita's reappointment. “I served with Mina for four years in the legislature and found her to be one of the most informed legislators,” said Green. Ruderman said today, "I think she is really good. Some people say she is being punished for turning down AKP but that is ridiculous. She should be praised. She should be independent and she made the right decision in that case."

PUC Chair Mina Morita

Writers for Ililani Media, Civil Beat, the Honolulu Star Advertiser and this news service reported recently that Gov. Neil Abercrombie is thinking of appointing someone else and pointed to the rejection of the `Aina Koa Pono refinery plan as a possible reason.

The 24 legislators wrote the governor saying, “We are writing to express our displeasure at your recent decision to dismiss Public Utilities Chair Hermina Morita at the end of her current term June 30, 2014. This administration has done little to give the necessary support and assistance to the PUC and your department of Budget and Finance to which the PUC is an attached agency, has actively hindered their operations, including the hiring of staff. The shortcomings that you seemingly blame on Chair Morita represent shortcomings in the state system, complexity in PUC rules, and matters over which one Commissioner – even the Chair cannot fully control.
“When Chair Morita arrived at the PUC, it needed steady leadership to provide guidance, direction and restore public trust. That was no easy task, but Chair Morita led that effort with her quiet yet effective style. It also seems to us that Chair Morita is being blamed for collective impartial decisions by the PUC based on sound legal analysis, due diligence as required of the PUC by state law, and careful and considered attention to unnecessary negative impacts to the ratepaying public. The PUC, in our view, has an obligation to act in the public interest no matter who the petitioner may be or may have as its representative or consultant.
“We write this letter with heavy hearts because we expected more.” The letter urges the governor to “reconsider your action and announce your full support for Chair Morita by appointing her to a new term on the PUC and instructing your departments to assist the PUC in fulfilling its mission rather than throwing roadblocks in the way.”
Stories and opinion pieces during the past two weeks mentioned the PUC’s twice rejection of the Aina Koa Pono plan to build the $400 million microwave refinery and clear trees, brush and plants between Pahala and Na`alehu to feed the biofuel plant and truck the fuel to a Kona electric plant.

The PUC said it made its decision to reject the 20-year fixed price contract for the electric company to purchase biofuel from AKP largely on the basis of the AKP contract likely resulting in more expensive electric rates.

Abercrombie challenger David Ige said he would
reappoint Morita if her were governor.

Media reports point out that the governor’s campaign chairman William Kaneko was a registered lobbyist for `Aina Koa Pono. On the board of `Aina Koa Pono is the retired president of Hawaiian Electric Industries. A board member of Sennet Capital, which lists `Aina Koa Pono as a transaction, is current director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.
Governor’s spokesman Justin Fujioka, however, told Civil Beat reporter Sophie Cocke twice last week that Abercrombie is still reviewing the Morita appointment.
A piece in Friday’s Honolulu Star Advertiser by political columnist Richard Borreca reported that Morita chaired the state House committee on energy for years before giving up her elected position to serve the PUC when she received Abercrombie’s appointment. Borreca recalled the governor's promise to make the PUC an “Hawai`i Energy Authority that is independent from the utility and from political considerations," saying this "is what Hawai`i needs to move us quicker to a clean energy future."
Borreca’s story quotes the chair of the state Senate’s Consumer Protection Committee, Sen. Roz Baker, describing Morita: “She is collaborative, well grounded in policy and she has the respect of both the energy users and the energy producers; she clearly has the credentials. She was, and is, a good PUC chair and I think she should stay.” ”
Borreca also gave his opinion on the Morita issue in the context of the upcoming gubernatorial election. "Environmental issues and voters attuned to supporting politicians with strong pro-environment records are not a group to be offended. Abercrombie will have to consider all that, because when asked if he would reappoint Morita if he were governor today, state Den. David Ige, Abercrombie’s Democratic opponent, said, ‘I would reappoint her,’” wrote Borreca.

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NO PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE is the word from Mayor Billy Kenoi. A story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald by Nancy Cook Lauer says that “Increases in property values coupled with an improving economy should provide enough revenue to balance the county budget without having to raise property taxes this year, despite across-the-board salary hikes for county employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.”
She quotes the mayor saying, “We look forward to submitting a balanced budget while meeting our collective bargaining agreements and maintaining level funding for county departments.” Cook Lauer points out that “The union raises, negotiated at the state level, add about $15 million to the county budget this year." The mayor is expected to submit his annual budget for County Council consideration in the coming week. The council will provide feedback, the mayor will have a chance to change the budget and the council must approve an operating budget for the county by June 30 for the next fiscal year.
See more at http//hawaii-tribuneherald.com.

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KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE will hold its next meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 24 at Pahala Plantation House. Discussion will include distribution of The Directory and other Ka`u Chamber programs. Call Pres. Dallas Decker at 516-662-8789.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public on this coming Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pd

Sumner Fun will hold two fundraising dinners, one this Friday at Pahala Community Center and the other on March 21 at Na`alehu
Community Center. Photo by Julia Neal

ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES and utilty-terrain vehicles would be allowed on any street, under legislation being considered today by the state Senate's Committee on Judiciary and Labor. The requirement would be that the ATV is used as farm equipment, the operator holds a current category 3 license or a commercial driver's license and the operator and passengers wear safety helmets secured with chin straps.
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 2726 SD1 came from the Hawai`i Farm Bureau, Hawai`i Cattlemen's Council, Inc., Hamakua County Farm Bureau and Hawai`i Agricultural Parterships. The state Department of Transportation, Honolulu Police Department and Maui Police Department opposed the measure. A report from the Senate Committee on Transportation & International Affairs stated, "the regulation of ATVs is a matter of public safety. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety commisiom, an estimated 135,100 ATV-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide in 2008. In addition there were 9,633 reported deaths between 1982 and 2008, with 14 of those deaths occurring in Hawai`i. Your committee believes that the use of ATVs is partcularly dangerous for minors.

Farmers like the Hesters above Pahala use off road vehicles to go from one
section of their farm to another, but rarely on a public road. Photo by Julia Neal

The Hawai`i Cattlemen's Council suggested that ATVs be allowed on public streets only in counties with populations less than 500,000, which would exclude O`ahu. The Cattelmen also recommended that the ATVs must be traveling between ag zoned properties and that the drivers carry ID showing employment or ownership connected with Ag property and that no ATVs be allowed on public roads after dark.
Hawai`i Farm Bureau Presdident Chris Manfredi wrote to the legislature saying that the Farm Bureau "strongly supports SB 2726, SD1 expanding the use of ATVs and UTVs relating to certain agricultural operations.
"The ATV and UTV are important alternative vehices for farmers and ranchers who must traverse rough terrain. Farms and ranches are often separated by sections of highway. This measure seeks to address this situtaion while minimizing risk. Your strong suport of this measure is requested to suppor farmers and ranchers to raise crops to meet Hawai1i's goal of increased self sufficiency and sustainabilty," wrote Manfredi.

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HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE ARE SEARCHING for a 65-year-old Na`alehu woman who was reported missing. Maffriette Silk was last seen in Kona on Feb. 5 wearing a white leather jacket and a beige dress. She has a medical condition that requires medication.

Silk is described as a five-foot, four-inches tall African-American with a muscular build. She wears a blond wig. She also has the name “Jesus” tattooed on her left shoulder blade and the name “Maffriette” tattooed on her right bicep.
Police ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

Hot spots for geothermal are mapped across Ka`u.

“SOME PEOPLE SAY SOLAR ENERGY is the answer, but that’s not it,” writes Hamakua Springs Country Farm owner Richard Ha on his blog at hahaha.hamakuasprings.com. Ha supports using geothermal and hydroelectric energy on Hawai`i Island to produce electricity. According to Ha, Hawai`i had the highest number of solar installations ever last year, but “twenty years from now, when those people have to put on a new roof and redo the solar panels, what will the economy look like then? If oil spikes, they might not have the financing to pay for it. Will they be able to afford it?
“Solar is a temporary answer, and maybe it’s a bridge, but it’s not the solution.”
Ha says the skyrocketing price of oil has impacted all our costs. “Everything is, noticeably, much more expensive: electricity, plane tickets, gasoline, retail goods that have to be transported here, food that needs fertilizer and has to be cooled enroute here. Everything—and it’s only going up.”
Ha discusses Iceland as a place that is using its resources to solve these problems. He toured a geothermal plant there that he says could last 60 years. He also said the hydroelectric system on his farm will last 100 years.
“As in Iceland, what we have going for us here is our geothermal potential,” Ha says. “I’ve said this so many times now that it sounds like I have an agenda, but I don’t. I don’t gain anything from our increased use of geothermal energy except for what we all will gain: stable energy costs, stable food costs, stable everything costs. The ability to better afford living in Hawai`i. The pleasure of knowing our kids and grandkids will be able to afford to stay and establish their career and family here, instead of taking off for a cheaper location on the mainland. “An increased use of our geothermal resource will make a big difference in the quality of our lifestyle.
“We need a big picture solution. We have to come together to seek answers for all of us,” Ha says.
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JAPAN DURING SPRING BREAK is on the schedule for Seina Okimoto and Kamrie Koi. The study abroad program is sponsored by the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council. The duo is seeking sponsorship and donations to help offset high travel costs. From March 15-23 the girls will experience Fukuoka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, visiting cultural sites such as the Hiroshima Peach Memorial. They will also stay with a host family as they travel with 12 other students from across the state.

Seine Okimoto and Kamrie Koi are fundrasing for an educational
trip to Japan.

Koi and Okimoto are the only two Big Island students to be selected to the program, introduced to the opportunity through their participation in the Academic WorldQuest Competition, also sponsored by PAAC. The girls wrote essays and interviewed to gain a spot in the study abroad program.
Both Kaʻū natives hail from Japanese ancestry, so the country naturally holds a unique place in their hearts. “Going to Japan would be a great privilege because I’ve never been to the homeland of my ancestors, neither did my parents. So, I would be the first in my family to see this special place,” said Okimoto. Koi also stated that she would be the first of her 11 brothers and sisters to visit Japan.
The girls are fundraising with school bake sales, working part time and partnering with ʻO Kaʻū Kākou to sell shave ice. Presently, there is no program scholarship available and each girl needs to raise $3000 which includes international airfare, lodging, meals and other expenses. Both Koi and Okimoto are active at school, holding leadership positions in student government, participating in numerous clubs like National Honor Society and sports, while balancing the academic rigor of senior year. For any donations or questions, please email them directly at sie.okimoto@gmail.com or kamrie97@aol.com.
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BASIC GRANT WRITING, Board Development for Nonprofits, Farm Business Management and Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems are the titles of some of the many classes Ka`u residents may be interested in signing up for at half-price at University of Hawai`i – Hilo. The College of Continuing Education and Community Service received funding to help reduce tuition fees for the classes from the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Employment and Training Fund.
Other topics include communication skills, advancement techniques and tsunami preparation. Eligible participants must be currently employed outside of government. Funding maximum is $250; the employee or employer must cover any excess balance. Funds do not cover cost of books, tools, equipment or auxiliary and support services.
For more information on classes or to register, email ccecs@hawaii.edu, see hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/ccecs or call 808-974-7664.
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Pahala, or hats, made by Lehua Domingo, are on display at Kilauea
Visitor Center Lana`i on Wednesday. Photo from NPS

LEI HULU A ME ULANA PAPALE LAUHALA are topics Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Kilohana Domingo demonstrates the art of lei hulu, or feather lei making, and his mother, Lehua Domingo, shares the `anoni style of weaving pandanus leaves into a papale, or hat. Both lei hulu and papale will be on display. Free; park entrance fees apply.

FUNDRAISING DINNERS TO HELP KEIKI pay registration fees for Na`alehu and Pahala Summer Fun programs will take place on Fridays, Feb. 28 at Pahala Community Center and March 21 at Na`alehu Community Center. The county planned to disband the programs in both locations until Nona Makuakane, of Pahala Community Center, suggested fundraising awards to help families pay for high registration fees. She enlisted Kathy Hashimoto and Leonora Hu, of Na`alehu Summer Fun, and Leina`ala Enos, of Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center, to see how they could solve the problem.
Interested parents or anyone who would like to help with the fundraisers by making a donation, selling tickets or helping prepare or serve are urged to call Pahala Community Center at 928-3102. Parents who help with the fundraiser will be guaranteed an award for their child to attend Summer Fun. The amount awarded will depend on the total received from the fundraisers.
Dinner this Friday will feature kalua cabbage, rice, mac salad and cake, while the March dinner will feature teri-beef, rice, corn and bread. Tickets are $7. Pick-up at both sites is from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE will hold its next meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 24 at Pahala Plantation House. Discussion will include distribution of The Directoryand other Ka`u Chamber programs. Call Pres. Dallas Decker at 516-662-8789.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN’S TOWN HALL MEETING will be open to the public on this coming Monday, Feb. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House on the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets. Light refreshments will be served. Call 808-586-6890 or email senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEE THE DIRECTORY 2014 ONLINE. For a page-turning version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.swf. For a pdf version, see www.kaucalendar.com/Directory2014.pd

Four-wheel-drive vehicles carry volunteers to Kamilo Point for the first of five Ka`u Coast Cleanups scheduled by

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund this year. Photo from HWF

DESIGNATING THE `UKULELE as the official instrument of the state is the topic of a hearing at the state Legislature today at 1:15 p.m. SB3107 passed its first reading, and the Senate Committee on Technology & the Arts has approved it.
According to the bill, the first recorded sighting of a ukulele can be traced back to 1886, when Honolulu newspaper editor Augustus Marques discussed it in an article on music in Hawai`i. The `ukulele has roots in Portugal and "was popularized by Hawaiian royalty, plantation workers, and musicians. … The legislature finds that the popularity of ukulele music continues to grow throughout our islands, the mainland and beyond.”

`Ukulele building workshop sponsored by Keoki Kahumoku at Pahala
Plantation House. Photo by Julia Neal

The bill also reads, “The Legislature finds that the beautiful sound of the `ukulele has inspired generations of musicians and fans, and has often kindled camaraderie during impromptu jam sessions. In recognition of talented `ukulele instructors and musicians past, present and future throughout these islands and the world, the Legislature honors this truly amazing musical instrument and its history in Hawai`i.” More on this and other bills being considered is available at capitol.hawaii.gov.

SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN brought the state Senate to the community last night with a public gathering at Pahala Plantation House. The meeting attended by ranchers, educators, a scientist, farmers, a police commissioner and members of Ka`u Chamber of Commerce, drew discussion about many Ka`u issues.
Invasive species discussion brought up the examples of New Zealand and Australia, which attempt to keep out imported agricultural raw materials that could arrive full of invasives. Scientist Rick Warshauer, of Volcano, noted that importing cheap coffee from other countries to blend with Kona and now Ka`u coffee likely brought in the coffee berry borer that is devastating the industry. He gave examples of importing nursery plants that have brought in disease and insects that affect native species and damage farms. He said the state could look at considering whether a particular food could be grown here when considering whether to allow it to be imported unprocessed.
California, for example, denies entrance of certain fruits and vegetables grown in Hawai`i into its markets, fearing that pests from Hawai`i would destroy its citrus crops, for example.
Ruderman said he would study import restrictions in New Zealand, Australia and other locales to learn more about what is working to control invasives. To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HOW TO REACH LEGISLATORS with community opinion is important for Ka`u people, given the cost of going to the Capitol to testify in person, Ruderman said. He and his staff members who attended the meeting in Pahala said they the Neighbor Island Video

Sen. Russell Ruderman met with Ka`u constituents last night
at Pahala Plantation House. Photo by Julia Neal

Conferencing Pilot Project. It is similar to the one available for County Council and commission meetings from Ocean View Community Center. However, the Senate program allows citizens to testify from their own homes, offices or other locales. The pilot program is currently limited to the Senate Committee on Education and the senate Committee on Technology & the Arts. Those who participate must submit written testimony at least 24 hours before the hearing on the issue. An internet connection, webcam and email address are required. Ruderman’s staff urged Ka`u residents to use the system so the program will be approved legislature-wide.
Written testimony can also be emailed to various Senate committees through the capitol website. See http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/senate.aspx?testimonypanel=on#panel. Also see the Hawai`I Public Access Room at http://lrbhawaii.org/par
Ruderman said he staff will work with any Ka`u constituents on submitting testimony. He suggested faxing, mailing and calling are also important and that going to the capitol, with a specific important issue, does get the attention of the legislators. Ruderman’s staff can be reached through http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/memberpage.aspx?member=ruderman.
See more on the community talk story with the senator in tomorrow's Ka`u News Briefs.
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IMPROVEMENTS AT KA`U SCHOOLS are included in Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s release of more than $62.4 million for capital improvement projects at various Hawai`i Department of Education facilities across the state.
“These funds will help to create a better learning environment for our keiki and provide teachers with the tools they need to succeed,” Abercrombie said. “In the process, the funds will create work for hundreds in Hawai`i.”
Allotment of funds for the following projects, identified by state legislators, has been approved by the governor:
$36,365,000 – Improving and Maintaining Facilities and Infrastructure – Planning, design, construction and equipment to improve and maintain facilities and infrastructure for various schools statewide. DOE’s estimated backlog for repair and maintenance is at $265 million. These projects include general school building improvements, electrical upgrades and playground equipment repair, along with maintenance and other school repairs and renovations.

Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School is one of many state Department of Education

facilities scheduled for capital improvement projects. Photo from Office of the Governor

$7,554,000 – Program Support – Planning, land, design, construction and equipment for program support at various schools statewide, including new/temporary facilities, improvements to existing facilities, ground and site improvements, and for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and gender equity.
$7.5 million – Equity – Design and construction for equality projects to improve instructional spaces such as science labs, special education classroom renovations and classrooms on a statewide basis for classroom/learning environment parity. Equity projects also include energy improvements relating to heat abatement in classrooms.
$5.8 million – Capacity – Plans, land, design, construction and equipment for capacity projects at various schools statewide nearing their enrollment capacity or that are short of classroom space.
$5.2 million – Staff Costs and Project Positions – Fiscal Year 2014 costs related to wages and fringe benefits for 60 project-funded permanent staff.
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THANKS TO THE HARD WORK of 42 individuals, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund volunteers were able to remove 1,526 pounds of marine debris from the south end of Kamilo Point during their February cleanup. In total, they removed 27 bags of miscellaneous non-net debris weighing 1,101 pounds and approximately 425 pounds of smaller derelict fishing nets from along a three-quarter-mile stretch of shoreline.
Eleven of these bags were saved from the landfill, as they will be recycled by Method cleaning products and re-used for art projects by local artist Don Elwing and Georgia artist Pam Longobardi.
Coordinator Megan Lamson estimated that they collected at least 18,517 pieces. Of those, 92 percent were plastics, with the remainder being rubber, clothing, glass, metal and wood. Interesting finds include several possible Japanese tsunami debris items: a large, 10-foot boat fragment, a small refrigerator door and a toilet seat.
Four more Hawai`i Wildlife Fund Ka`u Coast Cleanups are scheduled this year: Saturday, May 24; Sunday, July 13; Saturday, Sept. 20; and Saturday, Nov. 15. For more information and to sign up, email kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.
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Stargazing is a Ka`u Coffee Festival
event. See www.kaucoffeefest.com.
Photo by Andrew Richard Hara

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL volunteers meet at 5:30 p.m. today at Pahala Community Center. Interested parties are welcome to join in the planning for the annual series of events from March 2 - 11.

KA`U COFFEE GROWERS COOPERATIVE meets this evening at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

A BAHA`I FAITH DEVOTIONAL takes place tonight and every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at 96-1164 Holei St. at the corner of Ohia in Pahala. The two story home is across from the Pahala senior housing. "The Bahai Faith is a world religion whose sole purpose is to promote unity of mankind in the world," said host Alan Moores who can be reached at artbyalan2011@gmail.com.

THE JAPANESE TRADITION OF GIRLS DAY will be celebrated tomorrow, Feb. 26 at Pahala Community Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call Nona at 928-3102.

HAT AND FEATHER LEI MAKING will be demonstrated by Kilohana and Lehua Domingo tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. will meet Thursday, feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

PANCAKE SUPPER is this Friday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at St. Jude's Church in Ocean View. 939-7000

Candidates for Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry learned about growing and picking coffee at Lorie Obra's farm in Moa`ula.
Photo by Nalani Parlin

HAVING RECENTLY MET WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA and other state governors on a variety of issues including climate change, Gov. Neil Abercrombie is asking for ideas from Hawai`i residents on how the federal government can better support state and other local efforts in climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
In Nov. 2013, Abercrombie was one of 26 members appointed to the President’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Members have been asked to develop recommendations in the areas of Disaster Management, Built Systems (water, transportation, energy, facilities and coastal infrastructure), Natural Resources & Agriculture, and Community Development & Health.

Gov. Abercrombie, right, in Washington as a member
of the President's climate change task force.

The public is invited to provide input through an online form at http://governor.hawaii.gov/climate-change-task-force-survey/. Since the Task Force is on an expedited timeline, the first round of input must be received by Monday, March 10. The form is also accessible from the governor’s homepage, http://governor.hawaii.gov, by clicking on “Your Input on Climate Change” under “Useful Links.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity to share Hawai`i’s unique needs, challenges and innovative solutions, while advising federal officials on what kind of support is needed and what would be most effective here in the islands,” Abercrombie said. “Members of the President’s task force from every part of the country agree this is the challenge of our time and we must work together to prepare for and mitigate impacts.”
Another opportunity to share recommendations and discuss next steps for addressing climate change in Hawai`i will be the governor’s second Resilient Hawai`i Forum, a free and open session being held during the Pacific Risk Management `Ohana conference on March 12 at 6 p.m. at Hawai`i Convention Center. The governor is convening the forums this year to engage stakeholders – Native Hawaiian organizations, natural resource managers, the military, tourism officials, agricultural representatives, researchers and government at all levels – to create a climate change roadmap for Hawai`i. For more information on the PRiMO conference, see http://collaborate.csc.noaa.gov/PRiMO/

Pages/index.aspx.
Navigating Change, Hawai`i’s Approach to Adaptation, a report presented by Abercrombie at the first meeting of the President’s Task Force for Climate Preparedness and Resilience in Dec. 2013, is available at http://governor.hawaii.gov/blog/navigating-climate-change/.
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Wiliwili tree decline and recovery will be studied by unmanned drones.
Photo from nativehawaiiangarden.org

RESEARCHERS AT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I-HILO plan to use of an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, to study wiliwili trees on Hawai`i Island.

Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reports that the Federal Aviation Administration has granted a Certificate of Authorization for the project, allowing researchers to assist the state Department of Land and Natural Resources collect and analyze data. Ray Bédard, specialist faculty at UH-Hilo, told reporter Megan Moseley the approval is “a step forward for the university that’s looking to expand UAV-related research for the purpose of data analysis.
Bédard said a COA is granted to a specific machine, for a specific time, airspace, and for specific people. According to the story, UH-Hilo is the first in the state to receive a COA.
Hawai`i was recently named to participate in testing of UAVs for the purpose of creating safety regulations for their use in airspace. See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN reviewed his efforts to pass bills this week at a Pahala meeting open to the public. The east Ka`u and Pahala state senator listed his legislative priorities for the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature involving food security and local foods.
Ruderman sponsored a bill that would allow people to make value added agricultural products at home. He also sponsored a bill to make it easier for people to buy raw milk. Another would increase agriculture education in the schools. A bill would support more ag innovation and another would encourage on-farm mentoring. See more on his meeting in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.
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Humpback whales breed, calve and nurse in Hawai`i.
Photo from NOAA

WHALE COUNT NUMBERS are in from last week’s volunteer event when approximately 900 people gathered data from Hawai`i’s shores from Ka`u to Hanalei. The annual Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count is a shore-based census that provides snapshot data on humpback whales. Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey.
Volunteers collected data from 58 sites statewide. A total of 297 whales were seen during the 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day.
In Ka`u, volunteers gathered at Ka Lae and Punalu`u. They also met at Ka`ena Point in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. At Ka Lae, volunteers saw 17 adults and two calves between 12 p.m. and 12:15 p.m.
Preliminary data detailing whale sightings by site location is available at sanctuaryoceancount.org/resources.
One more Sanctuary Ocean Count is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 29. For information on becoming a volunteer, see hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov or sanctuaryoceancount.org, or call 808-268-3087.
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Shyann Flores-Carvalho

MISS KA`U COFFEE & MISS KA`U PEABERRY Pageant princesses and their details have been announced. The Pageant takes place Sunday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Kaʻū Coffee Mill. A mahalo reception will be held at 6 p.m. for the service of reigning Miss Kaʻū Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya and Miss Kaʻū Peaberry Rebecca Kailiawa. The two queens will accept flowers, gifts and thanks before the show begins. Pageant candidates are selling pageant tickets for $10.
Four candidates will compete for the title of Miss Kaʻū Coffee.

Shyann “Makamae” Flores-Carvalho, age 16, is daughter of Helena Carvalho and Glen Hashimoto, and sister to Buddy Flores and Andre Carvalho. She lives in Pāhala and is a junior at Kaʻū High School. “I like playing basketball, riding horses and spending time with my family and friends,” said Flores-Carvalho. After she graduates from high school, she plans to study nursing. Her talent is Tahitian dance.
Gloria Ornelas, age 16, is daughter of Osamea Ornelas and granddaughter of Memmy and Mario Ornelas. She has one brother, Carlos. She lives in Waiʻōhinu and is a sophomore at Kaʻū High. “I play volleyball for Kaʻū High. I love coaching T-ball, and I love to spend time with family," she said. Ornelas aspires to be a nurse or lawyer. Her talent is hula.

Gloria Ornelas

Rachel Ornelas, age 20, is daughter of Osamea Ornelas and granddaughter to Memmy and Mario Ornelas and hails from Greensands in Waiʻōhinu. She works as a teacher with Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool in Kaʻū and attends University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in hopes of eventually becoming a registered nurse. “I want to represent my community and make a difference” by entering the pageant, she said.

Amery Silva, age 21, is daughter of Michael Silva and Wendylee Napoleon. She lives in Pāhala, is a member of Huala Halau ‘O Leionalani and works as retail associate at Kaʻū Coffee Mill. “I want to attend college to study business management,” Silva said. Her siblings are Kavelle, Kevey, Savannah, Cameron, Chisum, Shanialee and Wrangler. She said she is enjoying running in the pageant with her little sister Shania, who is a Miss Peaberry candidate. Her talent is hula and singing.
Each contestant is also competing for Miss Popularity. To support candidates, Kaʻū residents can buy donation tickets for one dollar and become a friend of the pageant. Donations go to support of candidates and toward scholarships and sustaining future pageants.
Anyone wanting to support the candidates can contact them directly to provide sponsorship or donations. Anyone wanting to donate flowers for decorations, other supplies, time or help is asked to contact Pageant Director Nālani Parlin at 217-6893 or Pageant Chair Gloria Camba at 928-8558. Anyone wanting to donate scholarship money can contact Scholarship Chair Julia Neal at 928-9811.

The candidates recently started practice, which aims to instill confidence while learning poise and presentation skills with future application to work and school settings. The program also seeks to align itself with Hawaiʻi Department of Education Common Core speaking and listening standards and help students to become resourceful and self-directed learners.

Amery Silva

Rachel Ornelas

The candidates also visited Lorie Obra’s coffee farm to experience picking coffee and learn more about the life cycle of the coffee tree, the life of a coffee farmer and the history of Kaʻū Coffee.

For descriptions and photos of the Miss Peaberry candidates, see tomorrow's Ka`u News Briefs.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK has announced the following upcoming flight operations.

Thursday, Feb. 27, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. over the Great Crack in the southwest rift zone of Kilauea to the coast near Keauhou within the national park. Park biologists will survey and control invasive fountain grass populations below the 2,000-foot elevation within a half-mile of Hilina Pali Road.
Mondays and Fridays in March, between 8 a.m. and noon, March 3, 7, 17, 21, 24 and 28. Park staff will transport fencing material from the summit of Kilauea to an area near the top of Mauna Loa Road.
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.
“The park regrets any noise impact to residents and park visitors. Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather,” says a statement from park officials.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

PANCAKE SUPPER is this Friday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at St. Jude's Church in Ocean View. Call 939-7000 for more information.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Peaberry candidates practice with current title holder (front) Rebecca Kailiawa at the Old Palhala Clubhouse. The
Peaberryand Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant are Sunday, May 4 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Photo by Nalani Parlin

Anne Lee, of Volcano, chairs the county
Environmental Management Commission.

WASTE TO ENERGY is the plan of the county, the County Council and its Environmental Management Commission. Volcano resident Anne Lee, who chairs the commission and has been serving on the commission since 2011, said this morning, “We definitely need a plan and we need to solve the problem.”
Lee said that the landfill problem on this island “is one of the most critical issues facing the County of Hawai`i. It’s one of the biggest projects the county and the council will have to take on and make a decision.”
Mayor Billy Kenoi presented his plan to the County Council on Feb. 4, explaining that with Hilo landfill expected to fill up within five years, he wants the waste-to energy plant operating in Hilo by the end of his four-year term in 2016. He also said that he wants the contractor to be an entity with experience and technology that has been operating successfully somewhere for at least three years. The mayor said that he hopes the waste to energy plant can be privately financed.
The process to find a contractor to build a waste-to-energy plant starts this coming Monday with the county expected to soon send out public queries in order to qualify applicants.
“It is a very bold timeline and I am glad that we have one,” Lee said. She said the advisory commission “is here to serve the county and County Council with whatever help they need.”
Lee said the commission has been visiting county landfills, sewage treatment operations and other sites dealing with waste. Lee’s position is to chair the commission and to represent District 6, which is the same geographical district served by County Council member Brenda Ford. Other local issues concerning the county Environmental Management department and commission are the proposed locations of two sewage treatment plants, one for Na`alehu and one for Pahala.
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EMERGENCY EVACUATION ROUTES in Volcano will be discussed this Sunday, March 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.. at Volcano Art Center. Interaction is planned with the Community Development Plan Subcommittee on Connectivity and Emergency Response and County Council member Brenda Ford. There will be an update on the status of community suggestions for Emergency Evacuation Routes, participating in mapping activity to provide the Volcano area community suggestions for Emergency routes. For more information, contact Ford at 961-8027.

Scott Eright is chief of the state Department of Agriculture
and will speak to the annual Ka`u Farm Bureau meeting March 14.

STATE AGRICULTURE CHIEF Scott Enright and county Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth will headline the annual meeting of the Ka`u Farm Bureau on Friday, May 14 at Pahala Community Center, 6 p.m. Farmers, ranchers, and the public with interest in Ka`u’s agricultural future are invited to attend. Membership in the Farm Bureau is not required. The meeting is a potluck event.
Enright, of Hilo, was recently named by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to chair the state Board of Agriculture and administer the state Department of Agriculture after the departure of Volcano resident and former state Senator Russell Kokubun. Enright was the subject of confirmation hearings in the state Senate today.
Enright has been one of the liaisons between Ka`u farmers and ranchers, landowners and the state in the effort to restore old sugar plantation water systems. The state Department of Agriculture is also involved in fighting the coffee berry borer and weighing in on proposed legislation at the state capitol and such issues as the distribution of agricultural water, labeling of coffee and ownership of the Ka`u Coffee name.
As the elected Hawai`i County Prosecuting Attorney, Mitch Roth is involved with attempting to reduce agricultural theft in Ka`u, which has affected both coffee and macadamia farmers with portions of harvests being stolen from both farms and homes. He has held neighborhood watch training and met with Ka`u Coffee farmers several times to talk about relations with the police department and prosecutors office.

County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth will talk
about ag theft at the annual Farm Bureau meeting.
Photo by Chuck Green

Chris Manfredi, Ka`u Farm Bureau President for 2012-2013, said that the meeting will also include election of officers for the rest of the 2014 term, which ends on Aug. 31. Other 2012-2013 officers are vice-president Phil Becker, Secretary Brenda Iokepa-Moses and Treasurer Lorie Obra. Manfredi said that those eligible to vote for Ka`u Farm Bureau officers and board members must have been in good standing as members of the Ka`u Farm Bureau as of Sept. 1, 2013.
According to Manfredi, those who want to join the Ka`u Farm Bureau in March can pay prorated dues of $50 to cover membership through August. Full membership for Sept. 1, 2014 through Aug. 31, 2015 is $95. A Friend of Farmers membership is available for an annual $65 rate. For more information, call Manfredi at 929-9550.
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COFFEE THEFT IN NA`ALEHU is the target of investigation by police who are asking for the public’s help in identifying suspects. On Feb. 11 at about 4:06 p.m., police received a call from a 53-year-old Na`alehu resident reporting that unknown suspects had removed ten 80-pound brown burlap bags of coffee parchment, a 10-foot-by-10-foot instant gazebo and an electric garage door opener from the property. The bags are marked with “14-2” in black ink. The value of the stolen items is $10,000, the theft victim told police.
Kaʻu patrol officers are continuing the investigation, which is classified as a second-degree theft. Police ask anyone with information on this incident or anyone who may know the identities of the suspects to call Officer Augustine Akiu at 939-2520.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President Gloria Camba said that coffee has been stolen recently at farms and at least two homes in Na`alehu. She said that in addition to coffee, thieves have made off with equipment and building supplies from farms. She said the macadamia nut industry has also been hit with bags of mac nuts stolen from the fields.
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SUPPORT FOR THE REAPPOINTMENT of Mina Morita to the Public Utilities Commission has come from the Big Island Coalition. Her term ends this summer and various media reports state that her rejection of the `Aina Koa Pono contract for Ka`u could be one reason the governor may not reappoint her.

PUC Chair Mina Morita Photo by Julia Neal

Writing for Big Island Coalition, which joined Hawai`i County in opposing the AKP plan to build a refinery on the edge of Wood Valley and to sign a 20-year contract with the electric company that would raise electric rates, Bill Walter wrote:
“The Big Island Community Coalition, an organization of Big Island Business and Community leaders cooperating to bring the cost of electricity on the island down, has reached out to the Governor to re-appoint Mina to the PUC. We know that the PUC has taken steps recently, under Ms. Mina's leadership, to resist actions that would have raised our electric rates for years to come.
“Specifically the Commission twice turned down `Aina Koa Pono's proposed contract with HELCO. This contract was presented with no small amount of political pressure to reduce dependence on foreign oils - but did so at an enormous cost to rate payers on this island and O`ahu.
“Politicians and the State Consumer Advocate backed the contract even though the cost to consumers was well out of line with alternatives. With strong leadership provided by Ms. Mina, the Commission studied the proposal and rejected it. This tough-minded attention to the interests of rate payers is often lacking. We need to keep it when we see it.”
During Sen. Russell Ruderman’s meeting in Pahala this week, several attendees urged the senator to garner support for Morita. Ruderman said he supports her reappointment and that she shouldn’t be punished for turning down AKP. Among those who asked Ruderman to support Morita was local police commissioner Bobby Gomes, who earlier testified against AKP at various community meetings.
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FIVE CANDIDATES are in preparations for the Miss Ka`u Peaberry Pageant to be held in tandem with the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant on Sunday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill.

Christina-Nicole Kawewehi

Calaysa Koi Photos by Nalani Parlin

Cristina-Nicole Kawewehi, age 9, is daughter of Angelica Kawewehi and Bill Lorenzo, of Pāhala. She is in third grade at Pāhala Elementary School. “When I grow up I want to be a teacher,” said Kawewehi. She enjoys dancing, singing and swimming. Her siblings are Keana and Zachary Kuluwaimaka. She plans to do a Zumba dance for her talent.
Calaysa Koi, age 9, is daughter of Cory and Connie Koi, of Pāhala. She is sister to Callen and Casey Koi. Her pet family includes a dog, cat, bird and guinea pig. She is a fourth-grader at Pāhala Elementary. She enjoys playing and videos. “When I grow up I want to be a star in Hollywood,” said Koi. Her talent is singing.

Chazlynn Pua-Queja

Madison Okimoto

Madison Okimoto, age 8, is daughter of Malcolm and Sheilah, of Waiʻōhinu. She has three sisters, Sydnie, Siena and Melia, a former Kaʻū Peaberry first princess, and three dogs. She is a third-grader at Nāʻālehu Elementary School. “I aspire to become a doctor or geologist,” said Okimoto. She enjoys baking with her Easy-Bake Oven, swimming, playing baseball, playing with her dog, riding her ripstick and barbecuing with her family. Her talent will be hip-hop dancing.
Chazlynn Marie Kapualokelaniokuʻuleinani Pua-Queja, age 7, is daughter of Jerilynn Pua and Chad Queja, of Pāhala. She is in second grade at Pāhala Elementary School. She has one brother, Preston, and two sisters, Zeishalynn and Jaymelynn. She is still considering the many possibilities of what she could be when she grows up. Her talent is hula.

Shania Silva

Shania Lee Napuamaeloʻiʻokewe Silva, age 8, is daughter of Wendylee Napoleon and Michael Silva, of Pāhala. She is in the third grade at Pāhala Elementary. She has seven brothers and sisters. “I want to apply for scholarships for becoming an E.R. doctor,” she said. She enjoys playing T-ball and Coach Pitch baseball. Her talent is hip-hop dancing.
Each contestant is also competing for Miss Popularity. To support candidates, Kaʻū residents can buy donation tickets for one dollar and become a friend of the pageant. Donations go to support of candidates and toward scholarships and sustaining future pageants.
Anyone wanting to support the candidates can contact them directly to provide sponsorship or donations. Anyone wanting to donate flowers for decorations, other supplies, time or help is asked to contact Pageant Director Nālani Parlin at 217-6893 or Pageant Chair Gloria Camba at 928-8558. Anyone wanting to donate scholarship money can contact Scholarship Chair Julia Neal at 928-9811.
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OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

PANCAKE SUPPER is this Friday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at St. Jude's Church in Ocean View. Call 939-7000 for more information.

Volcano Art Center Gallery hosts an exhibit of John Mydock's wood-turning art beginning tomorrow. Photo from VAC

FOLLOWING A HAWAI`I FISHING ASSOCIATION petition filed last year, the state of Alaska has filed one to remove North Pacific humpback whales that feed off Alaska’s Arctic Coast and breed in Hawaiian waters from protections granted under the federal Endangered Species Act. Petitioners say the whales are thriving and no longer need the protection, reports Zaz Hollander in Anchorage Daily News. Hollander describes the Alaskan waters where the whales feed as “a prospective oil-rich region.”
Hollander reports Alaska officials saying that, given the recovery of humpbacks, the law represents an unnecessary regulatory burden on industries like oil and gas and fishing.

Humpback whales feed in Alaska before migrating to Hawai`i and elsewhere to breed.
Photo from afsc.noaa.gov

“We’re just trying to say the threat of extinction for this subpopulation is gone,” said Doug Vincent-Lang, director of the state Division of Wildlife Conservation.
Alaska’s petition declares the whales a distinct population, which could lead to removal of protection for that population while others remain on the Endangered Species List.
Since being listed as endangered in 1970, the whale population in the North Pacific has rebounded from an estimated 1,400 in 1996 to an estimated 20,000 today.

If delisted, other protections, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects humpbacks from harassment and hunting, would remain in place.
Opponents of reduced federal protection say the North Pacific’s whales still face too many threats, including fatal boat collisions, fishing gear entanglement and changing ocean chemistry.
According to Hollander, Rebecca Noblin, Alaska director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the numbers of whales appear to be growing, which is a sign of success from the Endangered Species Act. “But we think that National Marine Fisheries Service should really take a careful look at the threats to these species before they jump to delisting,” Noblin said.
See adn.com.

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RATHER THAN GROWING SEED CROPS, “We want food grown,” Mayor Billy Kenoi said regarding his decision in December to sign into law the bill banning new crops containing genetically modified organisms in Hawai`i County. In a West Hawai`i Today story, Erin Miller says Kenoi told attendees at a Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon that he opposes having “big agribusiness” grow seed crops here, as they are on Kaua`i.

More important, he said, was calming down the discussion and respecting the island’s farmers and ranchers, who can continue to grow the GMO products they already are growing.
“If I had vetoed that legislation, we’d still be shouting and yelling about GMO today,” Kenoi said. “We needed to quiet the yelling and shouting. We need to talk about how we support our farmers and ranchers.”
See westhawaiitoday.com.
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Coffee berry borers lay eggs in cherries and destroy contents.
Image from Big Island Video News

LEGISLATION THAT WOULD BATTLE the coffee berry borer has cleared a major hurdle as it was unanimously passed out of the House Committee on Finance. HB 1514 would appropriate $3 million to create and fund a research program in the Department of Agriculture and provide funds for education and outreach to farmers through the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at University of Hawai`i. The bill now moves to the House floor, where it is expected to pass third reading and cross over to the Senate.

“Funding to combat the coffee berry borer infestation is clearly critical,” said Hawai`i Island Rep. Nicole Lowen, “but we need to do more than throw money at the issue. If this bill passes, we will finally be getting direct assistance through a Department of Agriculture subsidy program and dedicated full-time employees through CTAHR to reach out to farmers and educate them on what to do.”
Scott Enright, acting chair of Hawai`i Board of Agriculture, said, “Coordinated efforts between the industry and agricultural agencies are the only way that we will turn the tide against this devastating pest.”
In recent years the coffee berry borer beetle has become a major threat to Hawai`i’s coffee industry, which is responsible for $30 million in revenue annually. While past efforts have provided much-needed funds to help mitigate the infestation, this bill goes a step further. In the past, the responsibility for implementing a mitigation program has fallen to the CBB task force members, who have been granted funds from the state through the lengthy procurement process.
“The coffee berry borer task force has done their best, but, as a group of volunteers, they lack the time and expertise to implement a program on the scale needed to get the infestation under control. With the help of DOA and CTAHR, we can get a lot more done. With this bill, I think we have finally hit on a possible long-term solution,” Lowen said.
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Ka`u Chamber of Commerce raises scholarship
funds through The Directory.

SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE are open to students and adults through funding from the recently released Ka`u Directory 2014. The Ken Wicks Ka`u Chamber of Commerce Scholarship is available not only to high school seniors, but also to adults seeking to re-enter the educational system.
Applicants must write an essay about Ka`u and their future plans.
Preference will be given to those who intend to remain in or return to Ka`u and live here. Scholarship money can be used for all college and vocational training and will range from $250 to $1,000. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2014. For more information and to download the application, see kauchamber.org/?page_id=4 or call Lee McIntosh at 929-9872.
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LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE TRAINING prerequisites will be explained at a meeting sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. and the University of Hawai`i-Hilo & Hawai`i Community College Nursing and Allied Health Division. The LPN Program Pre-requisites Informational Meeting will be on Tuesday, Mar. 18 at 1 p.m. at Ka`u Resource and Distance Learning Center, 96-3126 Puahala Street in Pahala. Those interested in applying for the training must be at least 18 years of age. Call 928-0101 to reserve a spot at the meeting.
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A FAST TRACK CAREER and student workforce support program will be sponsored by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc. in partnership with Hawai`i Community College and DLIR Workforce Development Division. They will host an informational meeting about Individualized Career Achievement Network, called ICAN, which is designed to help students improve in reading, writing, math and computer skills in preparation for a new career in the areas of agriculture, energy and healthcare. This meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 18, at 9 a.m. at Ka`u Resource and Distance Learning Center, 96-3126 Puahala Street in Pahala. Call 928-0101 to register.
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MYDOCK: VISIONARY WOOD LATHE ART opens tomorrow at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Award-winning wood lathe artist John Mydock displays his newest body of work, which represents his creative passion for turning and embellishing Hawaiian tropical hardwoods, through Sunday, March 30.

Mydock moved to Hawai`i Island in 1998 from Florida, where he had been known primarily as an airbrush artist on motorcycles and antique automobiles. Seven years ago, Mydock began turning wooden vessels on a lathe. Since then, he has developed two signature styles of embellishing his vessels — pearlizing and pyrography. With pearlizing, Mydock has reinvented his automotive techniques of airbrushing transparent candy color, gold-leafing and pinstriping to create a glass-like finish on wooden vessels. With pyrography, or wood-burning, Mydock embeds many images within each individual piece.

Mydock said, “My artistic intent for this show is to offer respect for the `aina, for the majesty of our volcanoes and the many forms that Creation takes on our islands. My morphing pyrography depicts reef and ocean creatures, birds, petroglyphs, flowers and fauna. My pearlized pieces are representative of the many moods of the volcano and the ocean.”
Mydock also demonstrates his pyrography techniques from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 on the gallery porch. Volcano Art Center Gallery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has represented the artists of Hawai`i since 1974. Park entrance fees apply.
For more information, call at 967-7565 or volcanoartcenter.org.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets today at 5 p.m. at Hawaiian Ranchos office.

PANCAKE SUPPER is today at 6 p.m. at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Call 939-7000 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

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