The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Punalu`u Livestock Ranch between Makanau and Kawa raises ponies and horses for youth education.
It also raises domestic goats for meat and animal husbandry programs.
See more below. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, with about half its 323,421 acres located in Ka`u, marked 100 years of history in August in tandem with the centennial of the National Park Service on Aug. 25.

Superintendent Cindy Orlando spoke on the National Public Radio program Here and Now in a feature entitled Flowing Lava at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. She said the park was established in 1916 to protect and conserve the volcanic landscapes and the natural and cultural resources and historic sites. Orlando described Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park as encompassing two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa. “It’s the only park in the system that continuously creates new land,” she said.

Visitors survey for insects during BioBlitz. Photo from NPS

She pointed to the two eruptions ongoing on Kilauea, with one at 4,000 feet within Halema`uma`u Crater, with the dramatic glow at night, seen since 2008, and the lava lake, vibrant and visible from the overlook at Jaggar Museum. Kilauea has been continually erupting since 1983.
The newest eruption has sent lava, which can be seen 4,000 away, down on the coast. When traveling to the shore, she said, the view is inspired by dramatic lava fields that represent the birth of new land. On the way, the human story is evident at Pu`uloa Petroglyph Field where 23,000 carvings date back to between the 13th and 15th centuries.
Orlando provided some caution to visitors and urged them to be prepared and to check in with rangers before heading out on more than 150 miles of trails to hike. “Walking on hardened lava is not easy,” she said. She explained vog and the SO2 gases that sometimes require shutting down sections of the park. She noted that lava “is glass” carried in small particles in the air extending away from the volcano.

Two species of native carnivorous caterpillars that make their
home at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from NPS

Orlando reminded listeners that “the lava represents the birth of Pele. This is her sacred cultural landscape, and Pele is mesmerizing and beautiful, but she is also an active volcano, and there are associated hazards. You not only have seismic events. You have eruptions, the lava and volcanic gases. We can also have explosions.” She also talked about lava forming new land benches that can fall into the sea. Orlando said one of the challenges is visitor safety. “We are a model worldwide for providing safe access to lava viewing. Volcanoes are a natural wonder and many are drawn to them.”

Concerning plants and animal life, Orlando described the park as having an ecosystem that has evolved, adapted and flourishes on a volcanic landscape and that the park offers many educational and volunteer programs. “But let’s not forget that we also have a Hawaiian culture linked to Kilauea and Mauna Loa not only historically but today. Remember, this is the home of the volcano goddess Pele.”

Orlando said that three elements describe Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park: culture, biology and geology. Listen to the interview at http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/08/16/national-parks-hawaii.

Rick San Nicolas displays his featherwork through Aug. 31.

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE saw celebration by locals and visitors at the 36th annual Hawaiian Cultural Festival & BioBlitz. Held at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the festival featured Hawaiian performers, including musician Kenneth Makuakane, the band Ho`onanea, and Aunty Diana Aki. Halau o Akaunu, Halau Ulumamo o Hilo Paliku and Haunani’s Hula Expressions danced hula, and more than a dozen cultural practitioners shared traditional Hawaiian culture, games and food.

A dozen firefighters from the National Park of American Samoa, on their way home from fighting fires on the mainland, delighted the crowd with a spontaneous haka and other traditional dances.
Artist-in-residence Rick San Nicolas, a master Hawaiian feather worker, hosted an open house at the park’s `Ohi`a Wing and presented the park with a beautiful lei kamoe in honor of its own centennial, which was Aug. 1. He will display his work through Aug. 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For the second year in a row, scientists and cultural experts, or alaka`i, conducted field inventories at locations around the summit of Kilauea, from rainforest to old lava flows. Families and individuals, intent on discovering the biodiversity in the park, documented 91 different species that included native creatures like the endemic carnivorous caterpillar, and non-native species like the Japanese white-eye, or mejiro, a small bird.
Families and visitors discovered how science and culture combine and visited the BioBlitz science and cultural booths at the festival. Representatives at the forefront of Rapid `Ohi`a Death, the `Alala Project, Mokupapapa Discovery Center and others shared conservation efforts to protect Hawai`i’s native species.
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A tropical storm and a hurricane could impact Ka`u later this week.
Map from University of Hawai`i

TROPICAL STORM MADELINE is heading toward Ka`u. At 11a.m., the storm was 915 miles east of South Point. Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s latest forecast shows it reaching Ka`u Thursday evening. Madeline should curve toward the west, then slightly south of west with a slight increase in forward speed. Low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures are creating a small window for continued intensification into a hurricane during the next 24 to 36 hours. After than, guidance indicates that west to southwest vertical wind shear will increase, causing a return to tropical storm status.

“It is too early to determine what impacts Madeline could have on the Hawaiian Islands late in the forecast period,” according to CPHC. It is important to remind users that the average day four and five track forecast errors for central Pacific tropical cyclones is around 185 and 250 miles, respectively.” Not far behind Madeline is Hurricane Lester, also heading toward Hawai`i. According to National Hurricane Center, “given the well established steering flow, the track guidance continues to be tightly packed, and this increases the confidence in the future motion of the hurricane.”
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Nani Soares and helper groom a horse at Punalu`u Livestock Ranch.
Photo by Julia Neal

Youngsters make friends with a baby goat
at the ranch. Photo by Julia Neal

THE HERD OF GOATS above Hwy 11, below Makanau, photographed recently with concern from conservationists, belong to Punalu`u Livestock Ranch, according to its operators. Nani Soares and Kyle Soares have run the livestock operation for decades, and goats are part of their meat-producing business and also their youth programs. Children come to their ranch to interact with farm animals and take care of them. They also learn to ride ponies and horses.
Kyle Soares said this morning that the goats are managed, go out during the day and come home at night. He said they are like family and many have been bottle-fed. He said they are domestic, far from being wild goats that would run off into the rainforest and damage native habitat. “They are tame. We take care of them,” he said. “When it rains, they even take shelter in our garage.”

Soares said he has moved his cattle operation, to another location outside Ka`u, away from the ranch above Kawa, where he leases some 600 acres from Olson Trust and another 400 from the state. He said the lands just mauka of Kawa are a low-producing area for cattle, with lots of lava and often drought. It is appropriate land for goats, he said. “With several hundred, there is plenty of feed for them on the thousand acres.” Soares said that Ka`u is one of the top goat meat-producing areas on the island, with the biggest operator at Kapapala Ranch.

He said Punalu`u Livestock raises Boer goats, which are bred for meat. He said they originate in Africa and “are the most consumed red meat in the history of mankind.” He said goat meat is increasingly popular with chefs and is being sought by more people than ever before.
Conservationists stated that a wild herd of goats could make its way into native habitat, destroying endangered plants and habitat for endangered animals.
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MEET KA`U’S U.S. REP. Tulsi Gabbard tomorrow. Gabbard hosts a Tulsi in Your Town meeting at Ka`u Coffee Mill from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. She will meet Hawai`i Island constituents there to talk story, assist with federal casework and discuss legislative updates and priorities related to supporting local agriculture and farmers.

Gabbard will also discuss legislation she’s introduced to help control invasive species in Hawai`i and across the United States and her work to help secure green bean pricing valuation for Hawai`i-grown coffee, fight for truly transparent GMO-labeling, support the viability and success of local coffee farmers and producers, and more.

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

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u and Hawai`i County are under a Hurricane Watch as Madeline heads west, with arrival expected
late Wednesday. Map from University of Hawai`i

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT for Ka`u and Hawai`i County. Madeline has become a major hurricane as it tracks toward Ka`u. Strength is expected to lessen but still be hurricane-force upon its arrival Wednesday afternoon or evening. At 11 a.m., Madeline was 665 miles east of South Point.

Madeline is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 miles per hour, and this motion is expected to become westerly later today through early Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds are above 100 mph with higher gusts.

Madeline is a major hurricane headed toward Ka`u.
Map from NOAA

Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported at 12 p.m. that a flash flood watch is also in effect. Heavy rain associated with Madeline could begin Wednesday morning. Depending on the exact track of Madeline, there is the possibility of significant wind damage, including downed trees and power lines, and damage to roofs and weak structures.
According to Central Pacific Hurricane Center, “this would be a good time to remind users to consider the error cone associated with each forecast and not just the black line depicting the forecast track of the system center. Also, tropical systems can be quite large and may affect areas far from the system center.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED that Hwy 11 at the 85-mile marker north of Ocean View is now open. It had been closed since about 5:30 a.m. due to a traffic accident.

Ocean View Community Association president Sandi Alexander said many people were stranded, including kids trying to get to school and people going to work, doctors’ appointments, etc.
According to Ranchos resident Ann Bosted, traffic was diverted through the mac nut orchard dirt roads, so cars were able to get through. However, county Hele-On buses were not able to make it through. She said the accident involved a vehicle fire.
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Researchers exit their dome on Mauna Loa after 365 days
in isolation. Photos from University of Hawai`i

HI-SEAS MARS SIMULATION IN KA`U has finished its fourth and longest mission. After 365 days, six crew members exited from their habitat on the slopes of Mauna Loa in Ka`u.

The crew lived in isolation in a geodesic dome set in a Mars-like environment at approximately 8,200 feet above sea level as part of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa’s fourth Hawai`i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS, project.
“HI-SEAS is an example of international collaborative research hosted and run by the University of Hawai`i,” said UH Manoa Professor Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS’ principal investigator. “Its really exciting to be able to welcome the crew back to Earth and back to Hawai`i after a year on Mars.”
Like previous missions, research over the past year focused on crewmember cohesion and performance.
“The UH research going on up here is just super vital when it comes to picking crews, figuring out how people are going to actually work on different kinds of missions, and sort of the human factors element of space travel, colonization, whatever it is you are actually looking at,” said Tristan Bassingthwaighte, a doctor of architecture candidate at UH Manoa. Bassingthwaighte served as the crew’s architect.

“We’re proud to be helping NASA reduce or remove the barriers to long-duration space exploration,” said Binsted.

Smiles on researchers faces express accomplishment and joy.

Much of the media interest was generated by the foreign HI-SEAS crew members. “I can give you my personal impression which is that a mission to Mars in the close future is realistic. I think the technological and psychological obstacles can be overcome,” said Cyprien Verseux, a French HI-SEAS crewmember.
“Showing that it works, you can actually get water from the ground that is seemingly dry. It would work on Mars, and the implication is that you would be able to get water on Mars from this little greenhouse construct,” said Christiane Heinicke, a German HI-SEAS crewmember.
In 2015, NASA awarded HI-SEAS a third grant to keep the research project and its missions funded though 2019. These types of studies are essential for NASA to understand how teams of astronauts will perform on long-duration space exploration missions, such as those required for human travel to Mars. The studies will also allow researchers to recommend strategies for crew composition for such missions, and to determine how best to support such crews while they are working in space.
Binsted is already recruiting for the next two missions scheduled to begin in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

See hi-seas.org.
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Kristen J. Sarri

ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING to combat rapid `ohi`a death is coming from the federal government. In response to a request from Sen. Brian Schatz, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced today that $497,000 will be appropriated to combat the disease that threatens the state’s tropical forests and delicate ecosystems, which could jeopardize local water supplies and Hawai`i’s economic vitality. The funding comes on the eve of the World Conservation Congress that is convening for the first time in the United States this week in Honolulu.

Today’s funding announcement immediately activates an Early Detection Rapid Response Team and leverages another $673,000 of in-kind federal contributions to suppress or contain a disease that potentially could have enormous biological, economic, social and cultural repercussions for the Aloha State. The EDRR Team comprised of federal and state agencies and a consortium of scientists will immediately begin to conduct field surveys for the disease, support critical research to pioneer adaptive treatment protocols and complete assessments of those treatments.

“Rapid `ohi`a death is a biosecurity issue that warrants urgent action. Agencies must work together to generate the science needed to support decisive decisions,” said U.S. Department of the Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kristen J. Sarri. “Our funding will enable this to happen. What we learn from this interagency approach will be applicable to addressing other invasive species of priority concern, in Hawai`i and across the United States.”
“This is an ecological emergency, and it requires everyone working together to save Hawai`i Island’s native forests. I’m pleased to see our federal partners step up to help. The additional funding will make a big difference, and it will give us the tools to understand the disease, develop better management responses and protect our `ohi`a,” Schatz said.

Meet U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard this afternoon.

The fungus causing ROD, first identified in 2014, already claimed 38,000 acres of trees on Hawai`i Island, where nearly two-thirds of the tree species lives.

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U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD meets with her Ka`u constituents today. Gabbard hosts a Tulsi in Your Town meeting at Ka`u Coffee Mill from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. She will meet talk story, assist with federal casework and discuss legislative updates and priorities related to supporting local agriculture and farmers.
Gabbard also plans to discuss legislation to help control invasive species and her work to secure green bean pricing valuation for Hawai`i-grown coffee, fight for transparent GMO-labeling, support viability and success of local coffee farmers and producers, and more.

KA`U FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTES food tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed, beginning at 9 a.m.

Little fire ants are small even under magnification.
Photo from Hawai`i Department of Agriculture

The program is designed to provide one to three days worth of nutritious food to help people who run short of money, benefits and/or food by month’s end.

LEARN ABOUT HAWAI`I ANT LAB’S and partners’ efforts to control LFA in Ka`u tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The meeting will focus past and current local treatments and on the project’s next steps, including follow-up baiting treatments and surveys.
See littlefireants.com.

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

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Ka`u Coffee growers John AhSan, Gloria Camba, Efren Abelleras and Kili Matsui met with U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
at Ka`u Coffee Mill yesterday. Photo by Ron Johnson

“INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT is a non-partisan, bipartisan issue,” U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard told her constituents yesterday at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Discussions about agriculture on Hawai`i Island included control of coffee berry borer and macadamia felted coccid. Gabbard said she has supported funding to help control such pests, pointing to the federal Coffee Plant Health Initiative that helped researchers combat the invasive pests that threaten local farmers.

Representatives from Hawai`i Farmers Union United, Ka`u Farm Bureau, Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, Palehua `Ohana Coffee Cooperative, Hawai`i Coffee Association, Hawai`i University of Hawai`i and many farmers and ranchers attended.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard responds to a question from Wood Valley
resident Miles Mayne, in back. Photo by Ron Johnson

Ka`u Coffee Mill owner Ed Olson asked for more federal money to go directly to farmers to purchase the fungus application that fights the borer in coffee fields.
Greg Smith, president of Ka`u’s chapter of Hawai`i Farmers Union United, asked Gabbard about removing hemp from the federal Class I category so that Hawai`i can take advantage of its potential. He said Hawai`i farmers are afraid of the U.S. government curtailing any growing of the plant, which he said has many benefits. Several people talked about its use in making fabric.

Gabbard said there are “a lot of misinformed people” who put hemp in the same category as marijuana. “It speaks to the challenges and opportunities to educate people,” she said. She said she has co-sponsored legislation to allow hemp cultivation and declassify it and that each time the issue comes up, more legislators come on board. An Ocean View resident also mentioned Arundo donats rex, or King Cane, as an alternative to hemp.
When a resident asked what to do about money in politics, Gabbard said people need to keep their elected officials accountable. She also expressed concern about “the revolving door,” whereby former elected officials take jobs with donors and become lobbyists for their employers’ interests. She said she supports campaign spending regulations.
Another resident asked about the logic behind the county planning to build a wastewater treatment plant that he said would inject waste into the freshwater aquifer and ocean. Gabbard said she would look into the plan that, as described, “would violate federal laws.”
Regarding limited funding for agricultural inspections and programs to help Ka`u become more stable, Gabbard said that funds going to military actions overseas that she doesn’t support “limits funds for use here.” She has spoken out against using the military in regime change operations overseas. “There are a lot of decisions that have been made where people are using (weapons) against us that are supplied by us,” she said.

See more on Gabbard’s visit to Ka`u in tomorrow’s Ka`u Calendar News Briefs.

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Prepare now for Madeline's arrival in Ka`u.
Map from NOAA

A HURRICANE WARNING is in effect as Major Hurricane Madeline closes in on Ka`u. At 5 p.m., the hurricane was 350 miles east of Hilo, moving west at 10 mph, with sustained winds at 110 mph. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center stated, "This track will take the center of Madeline dangerously close to the Big Island of Hawai`i late Wednesday into Thursday," and urged, "Your preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."

Madeline reached peak intensity Monday evening as a Category 4 Hurricane but assumed what is expected to be a gradual weakening. However, Central Pacific Hurricane Center keeps the system at hurricane strength as it passes just south of the Big Island.
The chance for tropical storm conditions at South Point is almost 90 percent, hurricane conditions under 20 percent. Tropical storm force winds of 39 mph or higher are expected from Wednesday afternoon through late Thursday morning based on the latest forecast track, with hurricane force winds possible as early as Wednesday evening. Depending on the exact track of Madeline, there is the possibility of winds as high as 60 to 80 mph and significant wind damage, including downed trees and power lines, and damage to roofs and weak structures.
A flash flood watch is in effect. Deep tropical moisture associated with Madeline will begin to impact the Big Island by tomorrow morning, bringing the threat of heavy rainfall and flooding through late Thursday. Total rain accumulations of five to 10 inches are possible, with isolated maximum amounts near 15 inches. This rainfall may lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides.
CPHC reminded the public to not focus too closely on the forecast track and that hazards associated with hurricanes can extend well away from the center.
In preparation for Hurricane Madeline, Hawai`i County Civil Defense advised the public to be StormReady:
Build or restock your emergency preparedness kit. Include a flashlight with fresh batteries, cash, first aid supplies and any medication or supplies specific to you or your family members.
Plan how to communicate with family members. Create an evacuation plan for your household. Bring in or secure outdoor furniture and other items that could blow away. Keep vehicles fueled and cell phones charged.
To help preserve water availability through the storm, the Department of Water Supply asks customers to minimize non-essential use of water, such as irrigation, at this time.
Find more StormReady tips and sign up for notifications at hawaiicounty.gov. Civil Defense will maintain close communications with the National Weather Service. Continue to monitor your local radio broadcasts for up-to-date information.

NASA captured this image of Hurricanes Madeline and Lester yesterday.

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CLOSURES AT HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK have been scheduled, starting today, to ensure the safety of visitors and employees, as hurricanes Madeline and Lester approach Hawai‘i Island. By 5 p.m., Kulanaokuaiki Campground and Hilina Pali Road, as well as all backcountry sites and Mauna Loa Road from Kīpukapuaulu to the overlook, will be off limits.
Wednesday, Nāmakanipaio Campground and A-Frame Cabins will close by 9 a.m. The coastal lava viewing area and Chain of Craters Road will close by 9 a.m. Jaggar Museum & Kīlauea Visitor Center, and the entrance station will close, as determined.
Guests staying at Kīlauea Military Camp and Volcano House may shelter in place, or be directed by employees to the nearest shelter (if necessary). In addition, the Kahuku Unit will remain closed over the weekend, but may reopen if Hurricane Lester is not a threat. “Although we don’t intend at this time to close the entire park, visitors are advised to stay off the roads and plan to visit the park once the storms pass and damage is assessed,” said Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. Hurricane-force winds, dangerous surf, and very heavy rainfall are expected.
Closures will remain in effect until the storms have passed and conditions are safe. Additional closures may be warranted as the storm gets closer, and any damage is assessed. Updates will be posted to the park’s website www.nps.gov/havo, its official social media sites, and recorded to (808) 985-6000.
Popular visitor areas at the summit of Kīlauea will remain open at this time, including Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), Kīlauea Visitor Center and the Jaggar Museum and observation deck. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Nonie Soares responded to reports of a herd of goats
roaming land between Makanau and Kawa.
Photo by Julia Neal

NONIE SOARES, OF PUNALU`U Livestock Ranch, responded to reports of a goat herd roaming between Makanau and Kawa.

“The goats are a carefully bred and managed herd that have helped manage invasive plants and used as food by a large number of local clients for over 15 years,” Soares said. “Ranches all over the state value a well-bred goat herd as weed eaters. The alahe`e is in bloom; you can clearly see it proliferating all over the lava area, as well as other areas on the ranch. Simple observation shows that the goats clearly do not care for it. I have noticed after three years of unusually wet weather that the Christmas berry is growing very fast and is really competing with the alahe`e. The good news is my goats love Christmas berry. Unfortunately, the herd cannot begin to keep up with the rapid regrowth that happens in the lowlands of Ka`u.

“As for water pockets (reported to be mosquito breeding grounds), not sure about that. The Hilea river ran several times this year, and the standing water creates mosquitoes by the billions. l know l live there. Overall, my husband and l try our utmost to benefit the `aina, our community and pass our knowledge on to generations of kids.”

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Ananda Chang, of Ka`u, was reported missing.

HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE ARE SEARCHING for a 42-year-old Ka`u woman who was reported missing. Ananda S. Chang was last seen in Ocean View on Thursday, Aug. 25 in a red Chevrolet Cavalier four-door sedan.

She is described as Caucasian, 5-foot-5, 150 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
Police ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Officer Henry Ivy at 939-2520.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number 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. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
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A 61-YEAR-OLD NA`ALEHU MAN died when the tractor-trailer truck he was driving crashed early Monday morning in South Kona near the 85-mile marker Hwy 11 north of Ocean View. He has been identified as Brysson Lorenzo, Sr.
Officers responding to a 2:57 a.m. call determined Lorenzo ran off the right shoulder of the road in a northbound 1994 Kenworth tractor-trailer and collided with a rock embankment. The collision caused the tractor-trailer to overturn onto its left side and catch fire. Lorenzo was taken to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:40 a.m.
Police don’t believe speed was a factor in this crash, and it’s not immediately known if alcohol was a factor.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call Officer Kimo Keliipaakaua at 326-4646, ext. 229 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.

Hawai`i Ant Lab reports on little fire ants
this evening in Na`alehu.

This is the 17th traffic fatality this year compared with 15 at this time last year.

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LEARN ABOUT HAWAI`I ANT LAB’S and partners’ efforts to control LFA in Ka`u today at 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The meeting will focus past and current local treatments and on the project’s next steps, including follow-up baiting treatments and surveys.

See littlefireants.com.

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

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Wind and rain associated with Hurricane Madeline have reached East Hawai`i and parts of Ka`u.
See more below. Map from University of Hawai`i

OCEAN VIEW RANCHOS RESIDENTS Peter and Ann Bosted have filed a formal complaint with Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission. According to the Bosteds’ complaint, Hawaiian Electric Co. and Hawai`i Electric Light Co. are not holding SPI Solar, developers of a proposed 6.5-megawatt solar project in Ocean View, in compliance with the companies’ feed-in-tariff program. Through the program, utilities make payments to customers who generate renewable electricity and send it into the grid. SPI plans to build solar installations on more than two dozen lots in Ranchos neighborhood and send the power onto HELCO’s grid via a proposed overhead transmission line that would cross Hwy 11.

“The FIT program, launched in 2008, had noble goals of moving Hawai‘i toward being independent of fossil fuels for electric power,” the complaint states. “However, the FIT project intended for Ocean View has completely confounded and disrupted the good intentions of the program. Further, this project embodies everything that has gone wrong with the FIT program.”
The Bosteds say FIT permits should not have been issued to the solar developers for several reasons. “These FIT permits are proceeding through zoning laws that do not address non-conforming residential subdivisions, the misrepresentation of facts, and various changes of ownership of the FIT permits. In addition, there has been a concerted effort to circumvent the competitive bid process while failing to be ‘shovel ready.’ This project has deprived the people of Hawai`i of early benefits of the FIT program and renewable energy that could have been provided if the projects had been timely completed in 2012, per the developers’ stated project completion date. …

Ocean View Ranchos residents fear that their neighborhood could end up
looking like this area on Kaua`i. Photo from Peter & Ann Bosted

“The people and ratepayers of Hawai`i have not benefitted from the FIT program. If the permits had been given to a geographically diverse group of bone fide individual landowners, the installations would have been built in six to 12 months, and the island could have been enjoying eight megawatts of renewable energy since September 2012 (the project completion date according to the FIT program). If these projects had been, in fact, shovel-ready, it could have saved the consumers money, it would have reduced pollution, and it would have upheld the goals of the FIT program. On top of factoring the opportunity costs, the aggregation of these projects have caused a need for a complicated interconnection requirements study, requiring payments that were beyond the ability of the developer to make timely payments, and now the construction of a substation and transmission line, all of which demonstrate that the projects in Ocean View were not shovel-ready. Hawai`i’s ratepayers are paying for a rush job and will get very late delivery instead.

“We respectfully request that the Public Utilities Commission not perpetuate these ill-conceived FIT projects, which do not have any evidence of benefit to the public of Hawai`i. If this utility-scale solar project is allowed to move forward and be developed in Ocean View, it will adversely affect the value of homes and land; ruin the ocean views and ranch-like ambiance; present a severe fire hazard for which Hawai`i County is not prepared; necessitate herbicide spraying of about 60 acres that can contaminate groundwater; industrialize a residential neighborhood; produce unneeded power; qualify the developers to apply for federal tax credits (30 percent) and state tax credits (35 percent), which amounts to a subsidy by taxpayers; and give control over this project to off-shore companies and shell companies.
“We respectfully urge the commission to conclude that the goals of 2008 Energy Agreement are now out of date and that these FIT projects should be extinguished. We also respectfully request that the commission revoke the FIT permits, as they were issued under false pretenses and are of no public benefit at this time. …”
“We trust that this complaint will be taken seriously, as the future of a thriving town must be weighed against the quick profits for a few,” the complaint states.
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MADELINE IS VISITING KA`U. Although Central Pacific Hurricane Center has downgraded its Hurricane Warning to a Tropical Storm Warning and steading weakening is forecast over the next 48 hours, damaging winds and heavy rains are still a possibility.

GOE-West Satellite image of Madeline at 4 p.m,

At 5 p.m., the eye of Madeline was 75 miles south-southeast of South Point and moving west-southwest at 12 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds around the eye were near 65 mph, reducing Madeline to a Tropical Storm. However, there are higher gusts. The strongest tropical storm -force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center, and lighter tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles.
Tropical storm conditions could develop over portions of Hawai`i County today and continue into early Thursday.
This afternoon, Ka`u saw bands of wind and rain and some fallen branches. In Volcano, an electrical transformer exploded and caused a fire.
Madeline could produce total rain accumulations of five to 10 inches, with isolated maximum amounts near 15 inches across Hawai`i County.
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Grace Tabios

GRAHAM MILLDRUM, of West Hawai`i Today, spoke to Ka`u residents yesterday about their thoughts on Madeline.

Milldrum spoke with Harry Evangelista, of Pahala, who was closing up Na`alehu Theater.
“If it rains, it rains; if it blows, it blows,” he said. Evangelista told Milldrum about a storm in 2000, when he helped secure vehicles to trees in Wood Valley as a gulch became a 100-yard river. He said residents made sure everyone had what they needed.
“It is the way it is,” he said.
He said Ka`u residents are more self-reliant because of the lack of stores here.
Milldrum also spoke with Grace Tabios at her store in Na`alehu. Tabios said her major concern is losing electricity, which occurred in 2014 with Tropical Storm Iselle.
“We just pray,” Tabios told Milldrum. “We want to be open so people can buy food.”
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TO ENSURE THE SAFETY of visitors and employees, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will close at noon today until it is determined safe to reopen. Rangers will assess impacts from Hurricane Madeline at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Photo shows the calm before the storm this morning
at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from NPS

Park staff and volunteers not directly involved in storm efforts were directed to stay home. Guests at Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House will shelter in place, or, if necessary, be directed to the nearest shelter.

“The closure will continue until we have a chance to assess the impact to the park and mitigate any damage. With Hurricane Lester right on the heels of Madeline, and still a Category IV hurricane, we could end up continuing the closure for a few days until it’s safe to reopen,” said Chief Ranger John Broward.
Rangers will determine by Friday if the Kahuku Unit, open only on Saturdays and Sundays, will remain closed over the weekend.
Updates will be posted at www.nps.gov/havo and its official social media sites.

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Ka`u High Band Room is now open as an emergency shelter.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL BAND ROOM is serving as a shelter during Madeline’s approach.

Ka`u High and all other public schools on Hawai`i Island are closed. County and state facilities, offices and services are closed today including Hele-On Bus service, solid waste transfer stations and landfills. Residents are asked not to leave trash at the gates and wait until transfer stations reopen to dispose of trash and recycling.
All state and county park facilities including lava viewing areas are closed.
Hawai`i County Civil Defense urges residents and visitors to stay off roads if at all possible.

CU Hawai`i Credit Union's office in Na`alehu is closed. Manager Mako Okazaki said it is scheduled to reopen tomorrow, subject to weather conditions and damage assessments.

Bank of Hawai`i's branch in Pahala is also closed.
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KA`U’S U.S. REP. Tulsi Gabbard listened to challenges of the coffee industry Monday at a meeting at Ka`u Coffee Mill.

Ka`u Coffee growers Ann Fontes, Miles Mayne and Trini Marques
at U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's talk story. Photo by Ron Johnson

Researcher Dr. Nick Manukas said that while coffee berry borer is a worldwide pest, Hawai`i’s variable conditions and different practices and coffee culture necessitate study of the pest here. On six managed Ka`u Coffee farms, he is studying when, where and how much CBB affects crops, hoping to be able to predict infestations in order to help growers control CBB.

While many people think unmanaged coffee fields are habitats for CBB, Manukas said they are not, mainly because such areas produce fewer berries. “No coffee; no CBB,” he said.
Andrea Kawabata, extension agent at University of Hawai`i, said more farms are using methods of treating and preventing CBB. More growers are practicing field sanitation and stripping trees of berries to eliminate CBB habitat.
Ka`u Coffee grower Miles Mayne said a lot of CBB work is done reactively. He suggested that more funding is needed for educating field workers from other countries who could bring CBB with them when coming to Hawai`i farms.
Kawabata also expressed concern about coffee rust, which she said “is world’s worst coffee pathogen.
One speaker compared Colombia’s CBB infestation rate of two percent with Kona’s. Figures for Ka`u were not available, but Kona had a 40 percent infestation rate in 2011. In 2015, it dropped to 13.5, then to 8.79 percent in 2016. “Lots of work to do,” he said.
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See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_August_2016.pdf.

An unusual August into September snow blankets Mauna Loa this morning after the eye of Tropical Storm Madeline
passes to the south of Ka`u. NPS Photo by S. Geiger

“WE PRETTY MUCH DODGED a bullet,” Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman told ABC News during a televised phone interview on Hurricane Madeline that weakened to a tropical storm before its eye passed south of Ka`u yesterday. Ruderman said people were well

Lester, a Category Three Hurricane at 5:30 p.m. today, 635 miles
east of South Point. Image from www.wunderground.com

prepared after going through Tropical Storm Darby. He also said he expects that the public will be prepared as Hurricane Lester approaches the state. “We all need to take hurricane warnings seriously,” he said.

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A BIG ISLAND HURRICANE WATCH IS POSTED FOR LESTER, which intensified this morning and again this afternoon. At 5 p.m., Lester was 635 miles east of South Point, moving west at 14 mph, with sustained winds increasing to 125 mph, after traveling over warmer water. Lester is a Category Three Hurricane and is making a turn to the west-northwest.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center warned today, "It would take only asmall leftward shift in the track to directly and profoundly affect the state, and watches could be expanded to other islands later today or tonight. This possibility must be considered when making preparations over the next couple of days."
The forecast brings Lester very close to the main Hawaiian islands Saturday and Sunday. Depending on the exact track that Lester takes, strong damaging winds and heavy rainfall are possible. Large and damaging surf is expected for east-facing shores as well. It is still too early to determine which island is at most risk from Lester.

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A 3.7 EARTHQUAKE occurred this morning at 12.11 a.m., 4.7 miles northwest of Mauna Kea Summit at a depth of 15.3 miles. No damages reported.

ALL COUNTY AND STATE facilities, offices and services are restored, following the exit of Tropical Storm Madeline from Hawaiian waters. Solid waste transfer stations and landfills will open according to regular schedule.
County parks will open and programs will resume on a case-by-case basis pending damage assessments that will occur this morning.
UH Hilo and Hawai`i Community College have reopened.
Public schools remain closed day.
Private school families are encouraged to check with their schools for more information.
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Madeline was manageable. She knocked over this shrub and took down some
branches in yards and roadways in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is open this morning, as Madeline passes to the south and is downgraded to a tropical storm. Some partial closures remain as Hurricane Lester nears.

The following are open today or will open later this morning: Crater Rim Drive and Trail, Kilauea Visitor Center, Jaggar Museum and observation deck, Steam Vents, Nahuku (Thurston Lava Tube), Kilauea Iki and Devastation Trail.
The following closures remain in effect :
Chain of Craters Road, Mauna Loa Road beyond Kipukapuaulu, Namakanipaio Campground and Cabins, Kulanaokuaiki Campground, all backcountry sites and the coastal lava viewing area.
Kahuku Unit, normally open on weekends, will be closed Saturday, with Sunday to be determined.
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KILAUEA VOLCANO’S “OLD FAITHFUL” is a thing of the past, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports in Volcano Watch.

“In 1870, while exploring the American West, Nathaniel P. Langford encountered an ‘immense volume of clear, sparkling water projected into the air to a height of 125 feet,’ the article states. “He named this volcanic feature ‘Old Faithful.’ This magnificent geyser became the signature attraction of Yellowstone National Park and remains a popular visitor stop today.
“But another volcanic feature with the same name has been largely forgotten.

“The Island of Hawai`i once had its own ‘Old Faithful,’ composed of lava rather than boiling water, located in Halema`uma`u Crater at the summit of Kilauea. This lava fountain was first described in 1894 by Walter F. Frear, who wrote in the Volcano House Register that the fountain had played once or twice a minute in the same location since 1892. The name was apt, because this persistent lava fountain continued to splash to heights of 9 – 15 meters (30 – 50 feet) at the same location for decades.

This hand-tinted telephoto image of Kīlauea Volcano's "Old
Faithful" was taken by Frank A. Perret on July 23, 1911.
USGS-HVO photo archives

“At times, the fountain was the central feature in a lava lake within Halema`uma`u Crater. At other times, lava in Halema`uma`u drained away, leaving nothing but rubble on the floor of the crater. But when the lava lake returned, so did Kilauea Volcano’s Old Faithful.
“In 1911, Frank A. Perret, a volcanologist, and E.S. Shepherd, a gas chemist, began the first extended study of Kilauea for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They were determined to measure the temperature of an active lava lake and picked Old Faithful as their target.
“The scientists erected a cable system that was stretched across Halemaʻumaʻu Crater so that instruments to measure temperature could be lowered into the lava fountain. After several failed attempts, they succeeded in obtaining the first lava temperature ever recorded, 1010 degrees Celsius (1850 degrees Fahrenheit). Their measurement is remarkably close to temperatures recorded with modern instruments.
“Perret was fascinated by Old Faithful, and included detailed descriptions of the persistent fountain in his professional papers. The scientist also took many photographs of the lava fountain, such as the hand-tinted lantern slide that we recently found in the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory photo archives and included here.
“When Thomas A. Jaggar replaced Perret as the permanent volcanologist at Kīlauea in 1912, he continued the study of Old Faithful as part of a broader effort to understand surface motion in the lava lake at Halema`uma`u. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory record books show many dozens of sketches of circulation patterns in the lava lake with ‘OF’ (Old Faithful) labeled as the centerpiece.
“Most observers have concluded that, rather than being located over the source of a volcanic vent that feeds magma into the lava lake, features such as Old Faithful are the opposite—they are located where lava drains away. Jaggar suggested that the intermittent fountain lay over a ‘sink hole,’ meaning a site of lava draining or downwelling.
“Today, scientists studying the behavior of the Overlook crater lava lake, which has been present within Halema`uma`u Crater since 2008, have also found that sites of persistent spattering are commonly sites of lava downwelling, not upwelling.
“On June 5, 1916, the lava column at Halema`uma`u dropped and thousands of tons of rocky debris fell from the upper walls of the crater, covering Old Faithful. When lava returned to the crater, a new vent that opened at the Old Faithful location was described by Jaggar as ‘a cone with open top glowing and splashing at intervals.’ That cone later collapsed, and it soon became apparent that the basic geometry of the lava lake had changed in a significant way.
“While scattered references to ‘Old Faithful’ can be found after 1916, the persistent lava fountain, which played at Kilauea Volcano for a quarter of a century, was a thing of the past.”

See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
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KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL teams hosted Kealakehe Tuesday. Junior Varsity lost with scores of 19-25 and 12-25. Varsity also lost 18-25,19-25 and 18-25.

Big Island Interscholastic Federation has cancelled all events for the rest of the week and weekend.
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KA`U PLANTATION DAYS scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 3 has been postponed. Organizer Darlyne Vierra said that with Hurricane Lester possibly impacting the weather, it would be best to rescheduled, with the new date on Saturday, Sept. 24
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Ka`u's east-facing shores, including Punalu`u, are under a high surf warning until tomorrow at 6 p.m.
See more below. Photo by Peter Anderson

ACTIVITY AT KILAUEA’S summit lava lake was again visible this morning as the lake’s level rose to a depth of 72 feet beneath the adjacent floor. The rise in lava lake level has coincided with continuing, but slowing, inflationary tilt measured on summit tiltmeters. Tilt measures variations in ground levels that occur as lava below the surface increases and decreases.

Lava was visible at Kilauea's summit this morning.
Photo from USGS-HVO

The 61g lava flow continues to carry lava to the ocean near Kamokuna. Yesterday’s field crew reported that surface breakouts of lava were located primarily in the coastal area of the flow field. The lava entering the ocean is building two obvious deltas and generating noxious plumes.

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KA`U AND ALL OF HAWAI`I ISLAND are no longer under a Hurricane Watch. At 11 a.m., Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Lester was 390 miles east of South Point and moving west-northwest at 15 miles per hour. Lester is forecast to past north of the island tomorrow morning and afternoon.

Hurricane Lester is on a track north of Hawai`i Island.
Map from NOAA

After passing Hawai`i Island as a hurricane, Lester is expected to gradually weaken to a tropical storm.

A high surf warning is in effect for Ka`u’s east-facing shores, including Punalu`u, Kawa, Honu`apo and South Point. Residents and visitors should expect strong breaking waves, shore break, and strong longshore and rip currents, making swimming difficult and dangerous. National Weather Service urged beachgoers to heed all advice given by ocean safety officials and exercise caution. The current warning expires tomorrow at 6 p.m.
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High surf surges into Honu`apo. Photo by Peter Anderson

DUE TO UNCERTAINTY over the track of approaching Hurricane Lester, all Hawai`i Island state park camping and lodging areas will be closed to overnight use beginning today and will remain closed at minimum through Monday, Sept. 5, until conditions warrant allowing these activities.

On Hawai`i Island, Division of Forestry and Wildlife forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, natural area reserves, Na Ala Hele hiking trails, forest campgrounds and game management areas will remain closed until further notice. Camping permits for this weekend are cancelled until further notice.
People are advised to avoid forested and coastal areas due to potential for rising streams, flash flooding, falling trees or high surf as well as ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches and rocky coastal benches and lava flows. High surf may create the potential for impacts to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways.
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HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE are searching for a 36-year-old Ocean View man who is wanted for abuse and failure to appear.

Ranny Albious is described as 5-foot-4, 160 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
Police ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Officer Sheldon Nakamoto at 326-4646, extension 303.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number 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. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
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COMMUNITIES AND STEWARDSHIP GROUPS continue to actively restore or have expressed interest in reviving the integrity and productivity of fishpond locations still in existence. Loko i`a, traditional Hawaiian fishponds, are unique aquaculture systems that existed throughout ancient Hawai`i. Although a 1990 statewide survey identified 488 loko `a sites, many were in degraded condition and either completely beyond repair or unrecognizable.

Residents help restore a loko i`a. Photos from DLNR

Suzanne Case, Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair, said, “In 2012, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations came together to overcome difficulties in obtaining approvals from multiple agencies to maintain and restore Hawaiian fishponds.”
Fishpond practitioners formed Hui Malama Loko I`a to empower one another and leverage their skills, knowledge and resources, while working to feed and connect communities around the islands. This network currently includes over 38 fishponds and complexes, with over 100 fishpond owners, workers, supporters and stakeholders.
“Now the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands is releasing a new guidebook on fishpond restoration in time for the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 (taking place now on O`ahu),” Case said. “This guidebook marks the beginning of what we hope will be a new day in Hawaiian fishpond revitalization.”
The newly published, high-quality, full-color Ho`ala Loko I`a Permit Application Guidebook is intended to help cultural practitioners, landowners and community groups navigate a new streamlined application process for Hawaiian fishpond revitalization.
Historically, fishponds have been subject to an extensive permitting process that requires large amounts of resources and time to secure. In 2015 the state of Hawai`i completed streamlining the permitting process for the repair, restoration, maintenance and operation of traditional Hawaiian fishponds in Hawai`i.
DLNR’s Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands and collaborators have developed a master permit for traditional Hawaiian fishponds that encompasses the main permits currently required. This master permitting process and program is called Ho`ala Loko I`a. The program was designed to be in compliance with as many federal and state regulations as possible to make the permitting process easier for fishpond practitioners to navigate.

The state has worked to streamline permitting to restore fishponds.

Practitioners can now use a simplified conservation district use permit to apply for permits under this programmatic permit.

A programmatic environmental assessment was also completed to comply with Hawai`i’s Environmental Quality Act. The CDUP and programmatic EA were designed to cover all existing traditional fishponds in the state.
Another helpful step was the signing of Bill 230 by Gov. David Ige in July 2015, which waived the need to obtain a Department of Health 401 Water Quality Certification for fishpond restoration. This waiver is only available to projects that obtain permits through the OCCL program. While the program vastly reduces government red tape, projects are still required to have water quality monitoring, mitigation and best management practices in place to keep Hawai`i’s waters clean and reefs healthy.
The Ho`ala Loko I`a Permit Application Guidebook further provides clear guidance on how to meet state water quality standard.
Although this streamlined permitting program covers many of the authorizations for restoring a loko i`a, in some cases, additional permits or authorizations may still be required, such as a right of entry agreement from DLNR land division for a state-owned pond, stream channel alteration permit from the Commission on Water Resource Management and a special management area county permit for work mauka of the shoreline.
Applications submitted to OCCL are reviewed and subject to best management practices and monitoring standards that help to protect Hawai`i’s environmental and cultural resources while supporting the need for communities and practitioners to care for
loko i`a.
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KA`U PLANTATION DAYS scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. Organizer Darlyne Vierra said that with Hurricane Lester possibly impacting the weather, it would be best to reschedule, with the new date set for Saturday, Sept. 24.

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

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Ka`u rancher Michelle Galimba asked U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to support preservation of the Ka`u Coast.
See more below. Photo by Julia Neal

A HIGH-SURF WARNING continues through tomorrow afternoon as Hurricane Lester passes north of Hawai`i Island. The National Weather Service expects warning-level surf along all exposed east-facing shores to continue through tonight before quickly trending down on Sunday.

Expect ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches, creating potential for impacts to coastal properties and infrastructure, including roadways. Powerful longshore and rip currents will be present at most beaches. Large breaking waves and strong currents may impact harbor entrances and channels, causing challenging boat handling.

Hurricane Lester is passing Hawai`i Island to the north.
Map from NOAA

Large breaking surf, significant shorebreak and dangerous currents make entering the water very hazardous. Anyone entering the water could face significant injury or death, NWS said.
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HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF LAND & Natural Resources is responding to changing forecasts for Hurricane Lester.

All forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, natural area reserves and Na Ala Hele hiking trails are re-opened. Department of Forestry & Wildlife campgrounds will remain closed through the weekend.
All state parks will remain open for Labor Day weekend, unless any changes in storm behavior indicate a need for closure
Camping and overnight lodging facilities are now re-opened.
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Visitors drive down reopened Chain of Craters Road. NPS Photo

MOST AREAS PREVIOUSLY CLOSED within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park due to Hurricane Lester are now open.

Park rangers opened Chain of Craters Road, all backcountry campsites and trails, the coastal lava viewing area and Mauna Loa Road under sunny skies Friday afternoon, much to the delight of visitors eager to explore the park during the long Labor Day weekend.
“We urge all park visitors to maintain a safe distance from the shoreline, whether viewing lava at the Kamokuna ocean entry, hiking the Puna Coast Trail or camping at any of the coastal campsites,” said Chief Ranger John Broward. “We are anticipating surf up to 25 feet tonight and possibly through the weekend.”
The Kahuku Unit is open today and tomorrow, with no cancellations to any guided hikes or programs.
Backcountry campers are reminded that all overnight stays require a backcountry permit. Permits can be obtained up to 24 hours in advance from the backcountry office, located at the Visitor Emergency Operations Center, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
Photo by Ron Johnson

KA`U RANCHER MICHELLE GALIMBA asked U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to support preservation of the Ka`u Coast during the congresswoman’s visit to Ka`u this week.

“Some people have said that health of the marine environment here is comparable to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,” Galimba said. President Barack Obama recently expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument there, which is home to more than 7,000 species.
“The fact that we’re so remote and undeveloped is really a huge asset,” Galimba said. “What’s really important to me is preserving the coastline here. We’ve done a lot, but there’s still a lot more to do. There are still several parcels along that coast that need to get protected.”
Galimba mentioned efforts underway by Ala Kahakai Trail and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The National Park Service also is working to extend its holdings along the Ka`u Coast.
Gabbard said she would “absolutely” support such efforts. “I am a supporter of making sure we preserve our natural resources, our home, everything that is special to us.” she said.
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INTERNATIONAL UNION for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress continues on O`ahu. The congress is a special event attended by heads of state, policymakers and environmentalists from around the world.

U.S. Brian Schatz gave the keynote address
at the World Conservation Congress.

“I’m very proud that our state was chosen to host the event this year, and I was honored to be invited to give the keynote address,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.

“We live in a time of massive ecological disruption, one that cannot be accurately described without sounding downright apocalyptic,” Schatz said in his speech. “But over the last few years, there is growing reason for optimism. Global political will continues to grow. It’s not yet enough but for the first time, it looks like many of the world’s leaders get it. Leaders responsible for infrastructure, for public health, for safety and for prosperity see with their own eyes that economic progress relies on environmental stewardship. …
“The people who care about birds and butterflies and the people who care about the bottom line are finally in agreement – it just makes sense to take care of the earth. …
“Progress is being made, and I’m optimistic that this is only the beginning.”
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STATE AGENCIES ARE PARTNERING to help spread conservation messages.

As the Department of Land and Natural Resources was exploring ways to reach more visitors and kama`aina with information about conserving and protecting natural and cultural resources, Hawai`i Tourism Authority was engaged in developing a five-year strategic plan. “Coincidentally, the stars were in alignment, and what we were thinking turned out to be a perfect fit with HTA’s strategic plan,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case.

HTA President & CEO George Szigeti
Photo from HTA

DLNR is charged with management and administration of state parks, historical sites, forests, forest reserves, aquatic life, wildlife, wildlife sanctuaries, game management areas, public hunting areas and natural area reserves. HTA is responsible for strategically managing the state’s marketing initiatives to support tourism, the state’s largest industry.
HTA President & CEO George D. Szigeti said, “Instrumental to our strategic plan is supporting efforts to protect our environment and perpetuate it for generations to come. Travelers come here from around the world to explore the natural beauty of our islands, from the ocean to the mountains. HTA’s vision for preserving the quality of Hawai`i’s environment goes hand-in-hand with the sustainability programs DLNR oversees every day statewide.”
HTA’s strategic plan reflects the adoption of a goal to “improve the integrity of the destination,” achieved through an objective of being “a better steward of the destination and to increase support for programs that manage, improve and protect Hawai`i’s natural environment and areas frequented by visitors.
In a programmatic agreement signed between the agencies in June, HTA agreed to provide funding for certain DLNR public communications efforts. In this first year of the agreement, that funding has secured broadcast air time for three DLNR & YOU television specials: Renegades, Risks & Rewards of the Napali Coast; Kaua`i’s Endangered Sea Birds; and Hawai`i’s Endangered Forest Birds. The first special aired on Hawai`i station KFVE-TV (K5) in April and June. The second program on endangered sea birds is being broadcast during the IUCN World Conservation Congress, on K5, tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. and Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. The third documentary is currently in production and scheduled to air later this year.

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case
Photo by John DeMello

Additionally, HTA is funding the design, development and placement of 25 large outdoor signs promoting conservation messages at strategic locations. The signs will include a map, which depicts key natural and cultural resources, along with a series of messages about what visitors and local people alike can do to help protect resources. A sign vendor has been selected, and work on the signs will begin this fall.
The DLNR & YOU brand, according to Case, “is our effort to include everyone in the kuleana (responsibility) of helping really mālama (to care) for our limited and precious natural and cultural resources. When you think about the reasons so many people come to Hawai`i to experience and share those things that make this place one of the planet’s most diverse ecological and cultural landscapes, it really takes all of us.”
HTA funding to DLNR in 2016 amounts to $53,600. Szigeti noted, “We are proud to do our part in educating visitors and reinforcing to residents the significance of preserving Hawai`i’s natural and cultural resources. The DLNR & YOU initiatives are vital to reminding everyone that the quality of life we cherish requires a continual commitment to support conservation and protect the ecosystems that makes Hawai`i such a treasured destination for travelers worldwide.”
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LEARN ABOUT THE FORMATION and various uses of Pu`u o Lokuana over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka`u. Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s free program takes place tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

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Last week’s hurricanes had no impact on lava deltas that have formed, and continue to grow, at ocean entries,
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported. Photo from USGS-HVO

OCEAN USERS ARE URGED to use reef-safe sunscreens. A compound commonly found in sunscreens has been shown to cause serious harm to corals, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking people who enter the ocean to avoid using sunscreens that contain oxybenzone. Recent studies have shown that the chemical causes deformities in coral larvae (planulae), making them unable to swim, settle out and form new coral colonies. It also increases the rate at which coral bleaching occurs. This puts coral reef health at risk and reduces resiliency to climate change.

Dr. Bruce Anderson

“One of the most important things you can do if you plan to get in or near the ocean in Hawai`i is to use a sunscreen that does not contain oxybenzone,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, administrator of DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources. “Sunscreen chemicals wash off swimmers, surfers, paddlers, spearfishers, divers and other ocean users. Even if you’re just sunbathing on the beach, using beach showers will wash chemicals into the ocean. Researchers have found oxybenzone concentrations in some Hawaiian waters at more than 30 times the level considered safe for corals.”

Sunscreens are important in protecting human skin from the sun’s damaging radiation and are highly recommended for residents and visitors who spend time under the sun. This is especially important in Hawai`i, where tropical latitudes result in direct sunlight that has less atmosphere to travel through than places farther from the equator. As a result, less of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation is filtered out, and it’s easy to burn. Sunscreens contain either minerals or chemicals as active ingredients to filter out UV. Oxybenzone is a chemical filter found in many sunscreens.
Besides damaging coral, oxybenzone may have negative effects on human health. It and two other sunscreen chemicals, octinoxate and homosalate, have all been shown to cause disruptive reproductive system effects due to their hormone-like activity. Oxybenzone and octinoxate have also been associated with moderate to high rates of skin allergy.

DLNR urges ocean users to avoid sunscreens with chemicals
that damage reefs. Photo from DLNR

According to Anderson, “the only way you can know whether a sunscreen contains oxybenzone is to read the label. Some sunscreens may claim to be ‘reef safe,’ but there is no agency which regulates that kind of claim. You really have to look at the ingredients.”

Anderson also recommended using water resistant sunscreens, which are more likely to stay on your skin, and sunscreens that use mineral filters, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Also, rash guards or wet suits will reduce the area of exposed skin, and thus the amount of sunscreen needed for protection.
At Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve on Maui, NAR specialist Jeff Bagshaw has made sunscreen outreach a priority. He’s created cards to pass out to visitors who frequent snorkeling spots there. The cards list sunscreen chemicals in addition to oxybenzone that some scientists believe may have negative impacts on corals. He and his volunteers try to talk to everyone who pulls into the parking lot to encourage them to begin only using products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as active sunscreens.
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Fumes emanating from the flow field

delineate part of the active tube system.

Photo from USGS-HVO

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE that high surf from last week’s hurricanes had any impact on the lava deltas that have formed, and continue to grow, at the ocean entries, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.

The 61g lava flow, extending southeast of Pu`u `O`o on Kilauea’s south flank, continues to carry lava to the ocean near Kamokuna, building lava deltas that extend into the ocean. Deltas can collapse at any time and throw material into the air.
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CHIEF JUSTICE MARK E. RECKTENWALD has appointed Dakota K.M. Frenz to the District Family Court of the Third Circuit on Hawai`i Island. Frenz will fill the vacancy created by Judge Lloyd X. Van De Car’s retirement.
Frenz served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the County of Hawai`i from 2006-2012 handling cases in district, family and circuit courts and since 2012 has been in private practice, including criminal law, family law and civil litigation/collections.
Frenz is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuikahi Mediation Center and an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program. She also volunteers with Friends of Drug Court and the Self-Help Center in East Hawai`i.
Frenz is a graduate of Whittier Law School and was admitted to the Hawai`i State Bar in 2006.
The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not fewer than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. If confirmed by the state Senate, Frenz will serve a term of six years.
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HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION will be sending a U.S. Department of Education Federal Survey Card home with Hawai`i’s public school students for parents to complete beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7. Completed Impact Aid Program survey cards allow HIDOE to qualify for a partial reimbursement for educating federally connected students, such as children whose parents work or live on federal property such as low-income housing, military installations/housing, native American lands or national parks.

Impact Aid funds support public schools statewide.
Image from HIDOE

The program was created to assist school districts that lose tax revenues (e.g. income, sales and property taxes) due to a federal presence. Received funds go to all local school districts, just like local property taxes, and can be used to hire teachers, purchase textbooks and computers, pay for utilities and more. Parents are strongly urged to complete the surveys and return them to their schools as soon as possible.

“Impact Aid funds are extremely important to support all our public schools statewide and help to improve quality education for our students,” said Kathryn Matayoshi, HIDOE Superintendent. “During the 2015-16 school year, the state accounted for 27,660 federally connected students and received more than $40 million in Impact Aid funding. We ask all parents for their cooperation to complete these important surveys.”
Completed survey forms will benefit students at all public schools statewide. Federal reimbursements help to offset such costs as student transportation, school utilities, substitute teachers, portable classrooms and many others necessities.
Without these federal funds, the Hawai`i public school system would have $40 million to $50 million less per year to operate with and would need to reduce support for all schools to pay all its expenses.

Every public school has a 100-percent return rate goal and asks that parents complete and return the federal survey next week. See the Impact Aid Program webpage for more information and common questions.
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`Alala No. 2 by Reyn Ojiri. Image from VAC

VOLCANO ART CENTER PRESENTS Return of `Alala: Restoring the Voice of Hawai`i’s Native Forests, a statewide multimedia art competition featuring Hawai`i’s endemic crow. The exhibit is on display at VAC Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park through Oct. 9. Proceeds from the exhibition support reintroduction of this important species to Hawai`i’s native forests to take place this fall. The exhibit is open to the public and free of charge, although park entrance fees apply.

“The response to this collaborative conservation effort has been terrific,” gallery manager Emily Weiss said. “Hawai`i’s creative community has learned so much about this critically endangered species through outreach from the `Alala Project and the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program. To date, VAC has received 47 entries. The artwork submitted reflects the artist’s knowledge of and affinity for this special species.”

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Happy Labor Day! According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists, "charcoal is good
for more than the barbeque." See below. Photo from Wikipedia

SHOULD HAWAI`I ERADICATE MOSQUITOES? A group of stakeholders will ponder the question during meetings this week at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

“We are discussing sort of how we realize the potential for a mosquito-free environment here for public health, conservation and quality of life issues,” Durrell Kapan, co-organizer of the workshop and adjunct professor at the Center for Conservation and Research Training at UH-Manoa, told Max Dible, of West Hawai`i Today.

Dr. Kenneth Kaneshiro

“There are a number of near-term and potentially longer-term solutions. The important thing is to make sure all the people involved are thinking about these solutions, and to get all those people in the room to understand what those possibilities are.”

Dr. Kenneth Kaneshiro, program director at UH-Manoa’s Center for Conservation and Research Training, explained that mosquitoes could be controlled by interrupting the insects’ reproductive systems.
When Dible asked about consequences of eradication, such as reducing food supplies for species such as hoary bats, Kaneshiro said, “Eradication of mosquitoes wouldn’t cause any other problems because they’re not native to Hawai`i. They’re an invasive species that doesn’t belong in the native Hawaiian ecosystem.” He said the ecosystem worked fine before mosquitoes were introduced.
See westhawaiitoday.com.
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Sen. Brian Schatz

KA`U’S U.S. SENATORS send Labor Day greetings to their constituents.

“On Labor Day, we honor the work and sacrifice of the labor movement in our country,” Sen. Brian Schatz said. “We thank labor unions as champions for the minimum wage, Social Security, workplace health and safety standards, child labor protections and the 40-hour work week, but our thanks must be more than just words.

“As Congress returns to session this week, we must focus on the fact that millions of working families are struggling to make ends meet. We are the wealthiest country in the world and yet for far too many Americans, a full-time job still means a life below the poverty line. We must do better. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to make real progress toward improving the lives of working families in our country.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono

Sen. Mazie Hirono said, “When my mother brought our family to Hawai`i, we struggled. We lived in fear of mom getting sick and not being able to work – which meant no pay and no money for food or rent. She had no employment protection. But our family circumstances changed dramatically when mom’s workplace unionized. Better job security, better pay. We were finally able to buy our first home. As we celebrate LaborDay, we celebrate the men and women who fought and sacrificed for basic protections, like safe working conditions and fair wages, that American workers have today.”

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AS KA`U RESIDENTS ENJOY Labor Day barbeques, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists explain in the current issue of Volcano Watch how they use charcoal.
“One of the fundamental premises of geology is that the key to understanding the future is to look at the past,” the article states. “In order to understand how a volcano will behave, geologists map the deposits of past eruptions.

“An important element for characterizing volcanic deposits is to establish if the eruption was predominantly effusive (characterized by lava flows) or explosive. Furthermore, we want to know the spatial distribution of the deposits, and how frequently and where the different types of eruptions occur.
“To help determine the timing of eruptive activity, geologists use a radiocarbon age-dating technique. Collecting charcoal is the most common method used in Hawai`i, not only by geologists, but also by archaeologists, ecologists, and others.
“How does radiocarbon, or carbon-14, dating work?
“Carbon-14 is produced in the atmosphere and readily utilized by plants to build tissue, fiber, and wood. Carbon-14 is radioactive and has a half-life of 5,700 years. As long as a plant is alive, the amount of carbon-14 in its tissue remains approximately the same.
“Once the plant dies, however, the quantity of carbon-14 in the plant tissue decays, so that after 5,700 years the amount of carbon-14 is 50 percent of the amount present when the plant was alive. After another 5,700 years, the concentration is down to 25 percent of its initial concentration.
“Any high temperature volcanic product, such as a lava flow, spatter, and hot ash, can create charcoal when it burns or buries a plant. In Hawai`i, geologists dig under lava flows to recover charcoal left from plants.

Dark-colored charcoal, left of rock hammer, from a log buried by lava

was found at the base of an `a`a flow in Ka`u. Photo from USGS-HVO

“Scientists use the decay rate of carbon-14 to obtain age-dates from this charcoal. A relatively new accelerator mass spectrometer technique can now provide ages between 80 and 100,000 years.

“Geologists often make assumptions about the charcoal they collect. We assume that plants are alive at the time an eruption occurs. In addition, we assume that charcoal is created when a lava flow covers the vegetation.
“These assumptions can create problems if the charcoal is created from wood that was already dead when it burned. There are other potential sources for confounding a radiocarbon age, such as dating forest fire charcoal or ‘old’ living wood, for example, the core of a log one meter (three feet) in diameter that could be quite a bit older than the exterior of the log.
“To minimize these problems, geologists make sure that collection techniques are impeccable to reduce the chance that spurious charcoal is recovered. We also try to minimize infiltration of contaminant charcoal. Given the choice of age-dating a log or a twig, we choose the twig to avoid inadvertently dating old wood in the interior of the log.
“Once charcoal is recovered, we dry the sample and pick out small pieces of black shiny charcoal that has a distinctive ‘snap’ when broken. Soft pliable charcoal is discarded. The sample is then sent to a radiocarbon-processing lab, where it is chemically treated to remove modern carbon. The sample is converted to graphite, which is used to determine the radiocarbon age.
“Once we get the results from the lab, how do we then decide if the age is ‘good?’
“The radiocarbon age has to fit into the stratigraphic framework based on geologic mapping of the volcanic deposit. For example, if Flow B, dated at 550 years old, is bracketed by Flow A, dated at 1,000 years, and Flow C, dated at 1,500 years, it is highly likely that the radiocarbon age of Flow B is not good, because it should be between 1,000 and 1,500 years.
“Once we determine that the radiocarbon results are consistent with stratigraphy, we have to calibrate the age. Calibration is necessary because, using tree-ring data from around the world, we know that the concentration of atmospheric carbon-14 varied from time to time, and we must account for this variability.
“Most ages are reported in years before present, with zero being A.D. 1950, before atmospheric atomic bomb testing altered the amount of carbon-14 in the air. If the age control is good enough based on stratigraphy, radiocarbon ages can be presented in terms of calendar years to facilitate comparison with non-geologic historical events.
“So, in geology (and other fields), charcoal can be useful for more than just grilling on the barbeque.”
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HOLDS its regular and committee meetings Wednesday. Full council meets at 9 a.m. Public Safety & Mass Transit Committee meets at 1 p.m.; Finance, 1:15 p.m.; Planning, 1:30 p.m.; Public Works & Parks & Recreation, 2 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 2:45 p.m.
All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo. Agendas and live-streaming are available at hawaii.county.gov.
Ka`u residents can participate via teleconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.

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After rising steadily yesterday, Kilauea's summit lava lake offered visible volcanic activity this morning.
Photo from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

AN EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED underneath Moku`aweoweo, Mauna Loa’s summit caldera, this morning. U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded the magnitude-4.0 earthquake at a depth of 0.74 miles at 4:25 a.m.

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake struck at Mauna Loa's
summit this morning. Map from USGS-HVO

The USGS "Did you feel it?" website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/) received only one felt report within an hour of the earthquake. This report described light shaking (Intensity III). At that intensity, damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The lack of felt reports is consistent with the remote location and shallow depth of the earthquake.

The earthquake appears to be isolated. As of 6:30 a.m., no aftershocks had been observed. HVO’s deformation monitoring instruments registered the earthquake but show no significant change in deformation rates or patterns that would indicate increased volcanic hazard at this time.
Magnitude-4.0 or greater earthquakes occurred in the summit of Mauna Loa six to seven months prior to the volcano’s two most recent eruptions in 1975 and 1984. However, today’s isolated earthquake does not represent a significant departure from the seismic activity rate for the past year, so the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa remains at Advisory.
According to HVOs Scientist-in-Charge Christina Neal, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruptions. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center determined that no damaging tsunami was generated (http://ptwc.weather.gov/?region=2).

HVO reported this morning that Kilauea’s summit lava lake level has risen to 62 feet below the adjacent floor of Halema`uma`u crater, bringing volcanic activity into view once again.
For information on recent earthquakes in Hawai`i and eruption updates, see USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
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ELEVEN OF THE WORLD’S leading conservation organizations will partner to identify, map, monitor and conserve Key Biodiversity Areas – places that include vital habitats for threatened species – with more than $15 million committed over the next five years. The announcement was made at the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently taking place on O`ahu.

Through the KBA Partnership, resources and expertise will be mobilized to further identify and map Key Biodiversity Areas worldwide. Monitoring of these sites will enable detection of potential threats and identification of appropriate conservation actions. The Partnership will also advise national governments in expanding their protected areas network and will work with private companies to ensure they minimize and mitigate their impact on nature.

“This is a vitally important initiative for our planet’s biodiversity,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “This partnership will enhance global conservation efforts by highlighting internationally important sites in need of urgent conservation action. It will also help us reach the targets in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and allow national governments and conservation organizations to ensure that scarce resources are directed to the most important places for nature.”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has engaged with hundreds of experts and decision-makers to develop a Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas. The standard was launched during the World Conservation Congress, on Monday.

Porites pukoensis is a critically endangered coral found
in Molokai's marine area. Photo from Corals of the World

“Our planet is at the crossroads, and we need to take urgent action if we want to secure its ability to support us,” said Inger Andersen, Director General of IUCN. “Information about where and why a site is considered key for the survival of threatened species underpins all sustainable development and will be critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

In particular, knowledge about Key Biodiversity Areas will contribute to achievement of goals on conservation and sustainable use oceans and to manage forests, combat desertification and halt land degradation.
The KBA Partnership builds on the partners’ established track record in site identification, monitoring and conservation. Over the past four decades, BirdLife International has identified more than 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas on land and at sea in every region of the world through its 120 national partners and others, while the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund has supported identification of 6,000 Key Biodiversity Areas within global biodiversity hotspots.
To date, more than 18,000 global and regional Key Biodiversity Areas have been identified and mapped. These include Molokai Island marine area, home to the Critically Endangered coral Porites pukoensis, known only to occur in the shallow waters of this site.
The new Partnership will unite these efforts under a single KBA umbrella. It will expand the KBA network to cover other species and ecosystems using the global KBA standard. These data will guide decision-makers on areas that require safeguarding and will help a range of end users to define their conservation priorities, achieve their international commitments, and comply with their environmental policies.
KBA Partners are the Amphibian Survival Alliance, BirdLife International, Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Global Environment Facility, Global Wildlife Conservation, IUCN, NatureServe, RSPB, Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Wildlife Fund.

“Advancing and implementing successful conservation solutions depends on clearly identified global strategies,” said Naoko Ishii, Global Environment Facility CEO. “In this regard, we are proud to be one of the founding members of this exciting new partnership to help map and protect some of the planet's most valuable biodiversity.”

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Brennen Nishimura
Photo by Coach Erin Cole

Kyle Calumpit at HPA
Photo by Coach Erin Cole

KA`U HIGH CROSS COUNTRY team has started its season. Two runners participated in the race on Aug. 27 at HPA. It was warm and sunny in Waimea on the first race of the season, which makes the hill at HPA extra challenging, reports coach Erin Cole. The race changed this year from three miles to 5K (5K is 3.1 miles).

Brennen Nishimura came in with a time of 26:32 – #101 out of 177. Kyle Calumpit ran a time of 27:32 – #118 out of 177.

The Trojans have several more runners that have been training and will be running in future races this season. The race scheduled for Sept. 3 at Kealakehe was cancelled due to the storm. Next race is at Kamehameha School on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.

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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL HOLDS meetings this week. Tomorrow, the full council meets at 9 a.m. Public Safety & Mass Transit Committee meets at 1 p.m.; Finance, 1:15 p.m.; Planning, 1:30 p.m.; Public Works & Parks & Recreation, 2 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 2:45 p.m.
The Committee on Finance conducts a workshop to discuss the county’s Dedicated and Nondedicated Agricultural Real Property Tax Programs on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Testimony from the public will be taken at the beginning. “Healthy and structured interaction between stakeholders, committee members and members of the public” will be encouraged during the workshop, according to the announcement.
All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo. Agendas and live-streaming are available athawaii.county.gov.
Ka`u residents can participate via teleconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.

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Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility is proposed for the former Ka`u Sugar mill site.
Images from Hawai`i County Planning Department

A WATER BOTTLING PLANT with giant fountain and round-about, parking for buses, vans and cars and 10,000 square feet of retail space are planned makai of Maile Street in Pahala on old sugar mill land. Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility is up for plan approval, any day, by county Planning Director Duane Kanuha.

"Commercial facilities should be designed to fit into the locale

with minimal intrusion," according to Hawai`i County

General Plan.

Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility would be located on industrial-zoned land from the old metal sugar warehouse toward the former KAHU-FM radio station – the historic building and vault, once a branch of Bank of Hilo. Retail operations would be allowed for sale of water bottled on the industrial site, as well as related items. The land also has a macadamia orchard.

According to submissions to Hawai`i County Planning Department, PMK Capital Partners, LLC, led by Al Kam, is asking for approval of a natural water bottling facility to include accessory retail sales, warehouse buildings, offices, parking lots, landscaping and related structures designed by DRA Architecture, LLC, of Honolulu. One warehouse would be 81,250 square feet; the old warehouse is 12,000 square feet. Another processing building would be 33,000 square feet. For parking fronting Maile Street, there would be 104 stalls for passenger vehicles, five for buses and two for tour vans. A huge fountain would welcome the tour buses, vans and cars to the retail area near the bottling plant. Open space with trees and other landscaping would be preserved between the site and Pahala Plantation House, a buffer to the residential area along Maile Street.
Water for the bottling facility would apparently come from a well that Ka`u Sugar developed for its mill. The opening of the tunnel that leads to the well via a now defunct funicular railroad is located on the PMK property. The shaft extends some 1,500 feet going under Maile Street. The well hasn’t been used since the sugar company shut down 20 years ago.

New warehouse and processing buildings dwarf the existing
warehouse on sugar mill land.

According to Hawai`i County Department of Water Supply, the operation would be restricted from using county water for bottling and retail sales. The small scale of the county water system in Pahala, with its well above the town, also places limits on development of housing for the community.

For plan approvals for the new facilities, the planning director is allowed closer inspection of certain types of development in certain zones to ensure conformance with the General Plan, the Zoning Code and conditions of previous approvals related to the development.
General Plan policy 14.3.3(f) reads: “The development of commercial facilities should be designed to fit into the locale with minimal intrusion while providing the desired services. Appropriate infrastructure and design concerns shall be incorporated into the review of such developments.”
The Planning director may issue plan approval subject to conditions or changes in the proposal which, in the director’s opinion, are necessary to carry out and further the purposes of the Zoning Code.
The planning director considers the proposed structure, development or use in relation to the surrounding property, improvements, streets, traffic, community characteristics and natural features and may require conditions or changes to assure proper siting is provided for; proper landscaping is provided that is commensurate with the structure, development or use and its surroundings; unsightly areas are properly screened or eliminated; and within reasonable limits, any natural and man-made features of community value are preserved. The director shall require any conditions or changes in the proposal which, in the director’s opinion, are necessary to carry out these purposes.

Comments on the plan can be sent to planning@hawaiicounty.gov, susan.gagorik@hawaiicounty.gov and larry.nakayama@hawaiicounty.gov.
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Activity at Kilauea's lava lake last night included spattering
and upheaval of chunks of crust. Photo by Ron Johnson

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY AT KILAUEA’S summit continued to wow onlookers at Jaggar Museum Observation Deck in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park yesterday.

The lava lake within Halema`uma`u Overlook vent was active and at a relatively high level, with its surface easily visible. Lava spattering 40 feet or so high and chunks of the lake’s crust heaving upward mesmerized viewers last night. This morning, the lake surface was still visible at a height of 52 feet below the adjacent floor of Halema`uma`u crater.
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KTA PUAINAKO IN HILO IS BLUE ZONES Project’s first approved grocery store in East Hawai`i. The supermarket will host a celebration from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 10. The event is open to the public, and guests are welcome to enjoy free food samples and natural movement activities.
“We’ve partnered with Blue Zones Project to make healthy choices easier for our customers,” said Puainako Store Director, Sanford Toma. “That means highlighting healthy food items throughout the store and even creating a new Blue Zones Project checkout lane that makes healthy food easier to find for you and your `ohana. Together, we can live a longer, healthier and happier life.”

KTA Puainako is a Blue Zone Project-approved grocery store.
Photo from KTA

The Blue Zones Project checkout lane is one of several actions that KTA Puainako completed to become Blue Zones Project approved. Rather than candy bars and sugar-laden beverages typically seen in checkout lanes, the Blue Zones Project checkout lane displays healthy grab-and-go snacks like fresh fruit, nuts and granola bars, and healthier drink options.

The grocery store also added signage to highlight locally grown produce and foods that meet the Blue Zones Food Guidelines. They also now provide half sandwiches in the deli and label the number of serving sizes for fresh cut fruit and salads. The store also started a popular “Quick & Ono” lunch special every Wednesday with Blue Zones inspired recipes, and installed parking signs that encourage patrons to park farther from the store and walk, in order to incorporate more natural movement in their day.
Brought to Hawaii through a sponsorship by HMSA in collaboration with Healthways, Inc. and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.
To learn more, email BlueZonesProjectHawaii@healthways.com, or see bluezonesproject.com.

MEALANI’S 21ST TASTE of the Hawaiian Range Gala takes place Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hilton Waikoloa Village.

Participants meet the people who produce many local products from around Hawai`i Island. Kuahiwi Ranch, of Ka`u, will be on hand with their pork and beef products. Kahua Ranch, of South Kona, is providing mutton and lamb.
A cornucopia of fresh island fruit, veggies, honey, spices and beverages will also be available.

Tickets are available at tasteofthehawaiirange.com.
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Hidden Valley by Patrick Ching Image from VAC

VOLCANO ART CENTER presents Patrick Ching’s Inspirations of a Hawai`i Wildlife Artist on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Niaulani Campus’ Great Room in Volcano Village. Ching is a renowned Hawaiian conservationist and wildlife artist, author and ornithological illustrator who has garnered international recognition for his realistic renderings of nature. Hawai`i’s native birds, insects, plants and ferns come alive through his art.

Call 967-8222 for more information.

HAWAI`I COUNTY FINANCE COMMITTEE conducts a workshop to discuss the county’s Dedicated and Nondedicated Agricultural Real Property Tax Programs tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in Hilo. Ka`u residents can participate via teleconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building.
Testimony from the public will be taken at the beginning. “Healthy and structured interaction between stakeholders, committee members and members of the public” will be encouraged during the workshop, according to the announcement.
The workshop will be streamed live at hawaii.county.gov.

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

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Incoming Mayor Harry Kim, who begins his term on Dec. 1, yesterday in Pahala greeted students
and thanked constituents for voting for him. Above, he shakes hands
with Ka`u High teacher David Brooks. Photo by Julia Neal

AN INTERAGENCY BIOSECURITY PLAN has been formed to protect Hawai`i’s environment, agriculture, economy and health.

According to Hawai`i Departments of Agriculture and Land & Natural Resources, Hawai`i is at an invasive species crossroads: the islands are home to more endangered species than any other state. Between 80 to 90 percent of all food is imported, and there are more than eight million visitors annually, with hundreds of arriving flights and ships carrying cargo.
As invasive species continue to arrive in Hawai`i and spread through the islands, the environment, agriculture, economy and even human health are at risk. Coqui frogs, fire ants, albizia and mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue fever and Zika virus provide recent examples of impacts to Hawai`i.

Ag inspectors are at the front line of biosecurity.
Photo from state DOA & DLNR

The state of Hawai`i developed its first comprehensive, interagency approach to biosecurity through the 2017-2027 Hawai`i Interagency Biosecurity Plan. The intended scope of the plan is to address all three biosecurity areas (pre-border, border, and post-border) and to strategically coordinate actions across a wide range of agencies and partners. The planning process, led by HDOA, has joined the efforts of industry representatives and state, federal and county agencies to identify policy, process and infrastructure needs over the next decade. The plan is currently in draft form and awaits public review and input at a series of meetings across the state in early October.

“My administration has focused on doing the right thing the right way,” Gov. David Ige said. “Protecting Hawai`i from the impacts of invasive species will require agencies and industries to work together to build a better biosecurity system. Our actions now will result in a more robust agriculture industry, protect our natural resources, our economy and our unique way of life here in Hawai`i.”
“The state’s first line of defense against invasive species has always been the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, but in the 21st century, we need partners,” said Scott Enright, chair of the Hawai`i’s Board of Agriculture. “The threat of potential invasive species goes beyond HDOA’s mandate, and this new interagency biosecurity plan will help the state focus on important priorities that will protect the environment and agriculture in Hawai`i now and in the future.”
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INCOMING MAYOR HARRY KIM waved a big mahalo sign yesterday afternoon as students departed the Pahala school campus, meeting with constituents near the Pahala bus stop.
Kim said, “It’s good to be out with the people. I just love this town.”
Kim talked about economic development for the area and noted that the proposed water bottling plant on Maile Street could be good for jobs.
Residents and teachers stopped their vehicles to talk with Kim. Among them was Ka`u High teacher David Brooks.
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HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Injury Prevention Program, Prevent Suicide Hawai`i Task Force and Hawai`i Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention are holding community events in recognition of National Suicide Prevention Month. Each year, events are held to increase awareness about suicide prevention and resources available to support families. This year’s national theme is Strong Alone; Stronger Together.
Suicide is a significant public health problem in Hawai`i. It is estimated that one person dies by suicide in Hawai`i every two days. Suicide was the most common cause of fatal injuries among Hawai`i residents over the five-year period 2010-2015, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all fatal injuries. Suicide is the leading cause of death in Hawai`i for those ages 15-34, surpassing deaths from cancer, heart disease and other types of injuries.

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Image from
Hawai`i Department of Health

“The impact suicide has on the lives of family members, friends, co-workers and the community is devastating,” said Eric Tash, chair of the Hawai`i Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “The loss of human potential is enormous. Fortunately, there is hope; most suicides are preventable.”

Out of the Darkness walks honor loved ones who died by suicide. The public is encouraged to participate in Kona on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. Meet at West Hawai`i Today parking lot at 75-5580 Kuakini Hwy. Contact Nancy Sallee at 333-8988 or email orchid_isle_psychotherapy@yahoo.com. Sallee is also the contact for a Suicide Survivor Vigil at King Kamehameha Beach Hotel tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Another walk takes place on Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Lili`uokalani Gardens in Hilo. Contact Saydee Gabriel-Souza at 339-1794 or bigislandootdw@gmail.com.
On Sept. 14 at 5 p.m., a Survivors of Suicide Loss Memorial at Hospice of Hilo is scheduled. For information, email cathyh@hospiceofhilo.org.
Sign waving is being arranged by East Hawai`i Suicide Prevention Task Force. Contact Yolisa Duley at 932-7462 for schedule and details.
For more information or resources on suicide prevention, see http://health.hawaii.gov/injuryprevention/home/suicide-prevention/thinking-about-suicide/ or AFSP Hawaii website at https://afsp.org/chapter/afsp-hawaii/.

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USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory conducts flight operations
at Kilauea's summit to assess volcanic activity and
maintain instrumentation. Photo from USGS/HVO

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK this month uses 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.

On Sept. 15 and 16 between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m., helicopter training takes place in the Kahuku Unit between 2,500- and 6,000-ft. elevation.
On Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., aircraft will inspect and fly near the summit of Kilauea.

On Sept. 22, crews will haul out old fence material from Mauna Loa along the boundary of Kapapala and Ka`u Forest Reserve.
In addition, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory may conduct flight operations over Kilauea and Mauna Loa to assess volcanic activity and maintain instrumentation.
Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.
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An event next month celebrates Hawai`i Wildlife Fund's
20th anniversary.

KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED to help Hawai`i Wildlife Fund celebrate 20 years of conservation, research and education projects in Hawai`i. HWF holds a special fun-filled event at Mokupapapa Discovery Center, 76 Kamehameha Ave. in Hilo on Oct. 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The ho`olaule`a will include heavy pupus from various local caterers, live music by Adam Kay, Kona Brew Company beer, select wines, HI Kombucha tea, as well as a silent auction with numerous donations from local artists, eco-tourism vendors, bed & breakfasts and restaurants.
“HWF team members, volunteers and community partners have worked together for 20 years to conserve native wildlife in Hawai`i.” HWF President and Co-founder Bill Gilmartin said. “We are grateful to come together on Oct. 15 to recognize and to celebrate our collective accomplishments, and we look forward to the next 20 years.”
More information about HWF projects, partnerships and accomplishments over the past two decades can be found at wildhawaii.org or by searching on their Facebook and Instagram accounts (@wildhawaii.org).

Adult tickets are $30 each or two for $50 and can be purchased on the HWF website in advance. Tickets will be $35 at the door.

For more details regarding the celebration or to make a donation to the silent auction, contact Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or meg.HWF@gmail.com.

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Ka`u residents can attend Hawai`i Department of Agriculture's
workshop in Captain Cook today. Image from HDOA

HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE is holding an open house event for growers, stakeholders and the public today until 3 p.m. at the state office building in Captain Cook near to the police and fire station. Visit educational booths and talk story with folks from the plant quarantine department, the bee program, coffee berry borer subsidy program and more.

ARTISTS GAIN CONFIDENCE and learn new skills in Vicki Penney Rohner’s two-day oil painting workshop this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village.
Call 967-8222 for more information.

PARTICIPANTS DISCOVER THE HAWAIIAN goddesses Hi`iaka and Pele and the natural phenomena they represent on a free, moderate, one-mile walk Saturday. The program takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

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

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Ocean warming may be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation, according to a lead author
of a report on the subject. See more below. Photo by Deepak Apte from IUCN

PAHALA TOWN SQUARE & HAWAIIAN SPRINGS FACILITY’S proposed water bottling plant and retail visitor center on Maile Street on the old sugar mill site in Pahala will be subject to testing of its water source, according to the state Department of Health Clean Water Branch inspector Dale Nagata. Nagata, who works out of the Hilo Clean Water Branch, said that any company bottling water provides results of water testing that covers pathogens, heavy metals, pesticides and other risks before approvals are given. The testing is required at least yearly, he said.

The existing well shaft is near a proposed warehouse.
Map from Hawai`i County Planning Department

Diagrams submitted to Hawai`i County Planning Department show the existing well shaft at the old mill site.

Nagata said most bottling companies use filters and inject ozone into the water to help meet standards. He said he is unaware of the Pahala Town Square proposal. However, he said that if it’s related to the Hawaiian Springs company in Kea`au, there should be no problem since it has a good record for clean water.

County Planning Director Duane Kanuha is considering approval of the plan to build a retail center with tour bus and van parking, along with an 80,000 square foot warehouse and a 30,000 square foot bottling facility.

OCEAN WARMING MAY WELL TURN OUT to be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation, according to Dan Laffoley, Marine Vice Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas at International Union for Conservation of Nature and one of the lead authors of a new IUCN report on ocean warming. The report was launched at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, where delegates are emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change. “We should reflect that we are locking in a worrying warming trend in the ocean, the only ocean we have, on the only world we know, teeming with life,” a statement from the congress reads. “Now is the moment to be wise and act. Future generations will then no doubt thank us for the wisdom of our deeds.”

Dan Laffoley

The report, entitled Explaining Ocean Warming: Causes, Scale, Effects and Consequences, sets out the most recent and comprehensive review to date on the topic and shows a complex story of change in the ocean. According to the congress, this change has already begun to impact people’s lives. “This is no longer a single story of ocean warming challenges to coral reefs, but a rapidly growing list of alarming changes across species at ecosystem scales, and across geographies spanning the entire world,” the statement says. “It is pervasive change, driven by ocean warming and other stressors already operating in ways we are only beginning to understand, where essential gaps in marine data, systems and capabilities are leaving the world poorly prepared to cope in the future.”

Compiled for IUCN by 80 scientists in 12 countries, the report explores impacts of ocean warming on ecosystems and species, and on everyday benefits derived from the ocean – its “goods and services.”
Major changes caused by ocean warming and other stressors described in the report include impacts on entire ecosystems from polar to tropical regions, predicted to increase further in scale, stretching from accessible coasts to the deep ocean seabed; entire groups of species such as plankton, jellyfish, fish, turtles and seabirds being driven by up to 10 degrees of latitude towards the Earth’s poles to keep within reasonable environmental conditions; loss of breeding grounds for groups such as turtles and seabirds, and impacts on the breeding success of birds and sea mammals; and seasonality shifts by plankton, leading to potential mismatch between plankton species with fish and other marine wildlife.

Sen. Russell Ruderman at IUCN World Conservation Congress.
Photo from Sen. Ruderman

Changes in the ocean are happening between 1.5 and five times faster than those on land. Such range shifts are potentially irreversible, with great impacts on ecosystems. “What this will result in, decades down the line, is less clear,” the statement says. “It is an experiment where, rather than being a casual observer in the lab, we have unwittingly placed ourselves inside the test-tube.”

The report also describes inadequacy of current knowledge, capabilities and capacity to adequately study ocean warming and to advise and cope with associated challenges. “The global community is increasingly committing itself to a high-carbon future, which it is poorly equipped to understand, let alone cope with,” the statement says. “The impacts are already outstripping what is fully understood and the capacity of the global community to act.
“The world, perhaps distracted by the bustle of daily issues on land, has been ignoring the impact climate change has been having on the largest living space on the planet – the ocean. The ocean lies at the heart of the climate system, and it must now lie at the heart of climate discussions. Through the implementation of the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC, Parties should now consider ocean impacts in the so-called ‘nationally determined contributions’ outlining national best efforts towards a sustainable low carbon future. It is now critical to address atmospheric CO2 – the root cause of these and so many other problems – and achieve rapid and significant reductions of what we emit.”
Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman attended the IUCN World Conservation Congress this week. “I was so inspired to see dedicated people from all over the world working to protect our planet,” he said.
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HAWAI`I’S U.S. SENATORS Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono joined 25 colleagues in sending a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to bring the $1.1 billion Zika funding legislation passed by the Senate to the House floor for a vote. As of today, there are more than 18,000 cases of Zika reported in the United States and its territories.

“Zika is now well established in the United States with cases of local transmission by mosquitoes being reported in multiple areas of Florida, as well as the U.S. territories,” the senators wrote. “While babies die, pregnant women and communities suffer, adults worry about future long-term neurological risks from Zika, and U.S. service members and military bases are affected, Congress remains deadlocked in partisan politics. Now is the time to lead and to show the American people that Congress will act to protect them.”
In their letter, the senators noted the broad bipartisan support in the Senate to act on Zika funding. They cited passage of the Blunt-Murray compromise amendment to the Fiscal Year 2017 MilCon-VA appropriations bill, which included support of 23 Senate Republicans. The letter also reminds the House Speaker that more than 50 health, public health, provider and other organizations have urged Congress to pass a Zika funding bill that can be signed by the president immediately.
Current funds to address Zika have begun to expire, leaving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without resources to effectively combat the virus. Due to congressional inaction, the White House has supplemented funding to address Zika by reallocating funds from other public health threats like Ebola. This funding, however, will run out in September.
“It’s been nearly four months since the Senate overwhelmingly passed a compromise measure that would fund the fight against Zika,” Hirono said. “Since then, it has become clear that Congressional Republicans would rather limit access to family planning services - which puts millions more women at risk of contracting Zika and giving birth to a child with microcephaly - than ensure that we are fully prepared to combat this disease.”

Eleven travel-acquired cases of Zika have been reported in Hawai`i.

Trojan wahine traveled to Kamehameha this week.

Photo from KHPES by Chad Keone Farias

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KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL teams traveled to Kea`au Wednesday to play at Kamehameha Schools. Junior varsity lost in two straight sets, 10-25 and 12-25. Varsity also lost in the best three out of five sets, 8-25, 8-25 and 16-25.

The teams host Christian Liberty tomorrow at 10 a.m.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER holds its monthly pancake breakfast tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Help remove invasive faya trees next Friday. Photo from FHVNP

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED for Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s forest restoration project next Friday. Participants will remove invasive faya trees, providing hands-on learning about the importance of managing invasive plants and how this practice complements out-planting and other restoration practices.

“We appreciate the support,” FHVNP Executive Director Elizabeth Fien said. “Removing invasive species in the park is a critical job. We are making progress, and without your help, this would not be possible.”
Contact Patty Kupchak at forest@fhvnp.org or 352-1402 by Monday evening to register.

REGISTRATION FOR KA`U Coffee Trail Run is available through race morning, a week from tomorrow, at 6:30 a.m.
The event includes a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon through coffee and former sugar cane fields, macadamia nut groves, eucalyptus forests and grazing pastures.
All races begin and finish at Ka`u Coffee Mill.

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

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According to developers' plans, the historic building on Maile Street "is to be removed." The former, bank, credit union, dentistry,
training center, pool hall, store and radio station is shown here next to Pahala Theater before the theater fell down more than a
decade ago. Ka`u High art teacher Sandra Lei Johnson captured the theater on canvas before it collapsed in 2005.
See more below. Photo by Julia Neal

RAPID `OHI`A DEATH CONTINUES to march across Hawai`i Island’s native forests.
A series of aerial surveys of six Hawaiian Islands revealed that the fungal disease has impacted nearly 50,000 acres of native forest. That’s an increase of some 13,000 acres from surveys done earlier this year.
“It’s important to note that the aerial surveys still need verification by conducting ground-truthing and lab tests,” said Philipp Lahaela Walter, State Resource & Survey Forester for the Department of Land & Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife. While some of the increase is due to expanding the survey area, much of it is due to new tree mortality.

Rapid `Ohi`a Death continues to spread on Hawai`i Island.
Photo from DLNR

Walter and his team flew in helicopters over vast tracts of forest on Hawai`i Island, O`ahu, Maui, Moloka`i, Kaua`i and Lana`i, criss-crossing the landscape to look for tell-tale signs of the disease. Rapid `Ohi`a Death, first described by scientists as a previously unknown fungus in 2014, kills trees indiscriminately and often quite quickly. “While we believe, based on the aerial survey work, that the disease continues to destroy hundreds of thousands of native `ohi`a lehua on the Big Island, we saw scant evidence that the fungus is killing trees on the other islands. We did spot trees that could be dying of other causes, but so far none of the samples has been positive for the fungus (Cereatocystis) that causes Rapid `Ohi`a Death. Again, we need to conduct ground surveys and either confirm or discount the presence of the disease in laboratory tests,” Walter said. On the Big Island, just over 47,000 acres or nine percent of the forest surveyed showed symptoms of Rapid `Ohi`a Death; brown or no leaves.

Philipp Lahaela Water Photo from DLNR

“The quarantine measures put into place by the Hawa`‘i Dept. of Agriculture appear to be stopping its spread to other islands,” according to DOFAW’s Rob Hauff. “These rules require inspections of soil and plant materials and prohibit, except by permit, interisland movement of any part of a native `ohi`a tree,” Hauff said.
Highly valued for their beauty and significance in Hawaiian culture, native `ohi`a lehua forests cover approximately 865,000 acres of land across the state and are considered the primary species providing habitat for countless plants, animals and invertebrates. These forests protect watersheds that provide significant agriculture and drinking water across the state. Rapid `Ohi`a Death threatens the state’s tropical forests and delicate ecosystems and ultimately could jeopardize local water supplies and Hawai`i’s economic vitality.
The University of Hawai`i Cooperative Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service assisted with planning for the helicopter surveys using specialized equipment. A team of experts from DLNR/DOFAW, the USDA Forest Service, Hawai`i’s Invasive Species Committees and the National Park Service/Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park conducted the surveys.
Research into treatments for the particular fungus that causes Rapid `Ohi`a Death continues at the USDA Agricultural Research Service lab in Hilo. Investigation into how it spreads is also being conducted with potential culprits being insects, underground via roots, on small wood or dust particles, on shoes and equipment, and possibly on animals. Ultimately, scientists hope that by identifying what is spreading the fungus they’ll be able to mitigate its devastating impacts.
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Community groups held fundraisers at the building during
its time as a community radio station. Photo by Julia Neal

REMOVING THE HISTORIC BUILDING ON MAILE STREET, constructed near lower Mo`aula Road in the early 1900s, is proposed in plans for Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility. The proposal to remove the building comes from PMK Capital Partners, LLC, led by Albert Kam. It has been submitted to Duane Kanuha, director of the county Planning Department, as part of the development project for the old Ka`u Sugar mill site. The development would include more than 136,000 square feet in buildings to include a water bottling facility, storage and retail stores, along with parking for tour buses, vans and cars along Maile Street. The largest building currently on the property is 12,000 square feet.

Uses of the “to be removed” historic building, during its long life, have included Bank of Hilo and Bank of Hawai`i, a dentist office, pool hall and work training facility during the closing of the sugar plantation in 1996.
A mural about life in the sugar camps graces several interior walls. It was painted by former Punalu`u Bake Shop manager Patrick Edie.
After several years of being abandoned, the building’s roof, posts and many windows were replaced, its wooden floors refinished and porch rebuilt in 2000. It became a store, Ka`u Federal Credit Union (now CU Hawai`i Credit Union) and a community radio station with broadcasters including Uncle Bobby and Phoebe Gomes, Auntie Ba, Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a, Harry Evangelista, Demetrius Oliveira and the Diva, as well as Filipino and religious music deejays. Also broadcast was daily news from The Ka`u Calendar newspaper.

Deejay Bobby Gomes hosted local musicians on his program.
Photo by Julia Neal

It is now the location for broadcast equipment for Hawai`i Public Radio.
It has also been the site for numerous community fundraisers, including raising money for Ka`u High School students to travel to O`ahu, where they won the statewide Brown Bags to Stardom talent competition. Pig hunters used the site as a weigh-in station during tournaments.
The restoration inspired the renovation of historic buildings across the street – the Old Pahala Clubhouse and the former ILWU office and health clinic. They are now used for community events and housing. However, the neighboring Pahala Theater collapsed, and its remains were removed. Other historic buildings on Maile Street include the former sugar plantation offices, now Royal Hawaiian Orchards building, the Olson Trust Building, Pahala Plantation Manager's house and numerous supervisors homes from sugar days.
State law requires that, “prior to approval of any project involving a permit, license, certificate, land use change, subdivision, or other entitlement for use that may affect historic property, State Historic Preservation Division is to be advised by Hawai`i County of the project and allowed an opportunity for review and comment on the effect of the proposed project on historic properties. Moreover, SHPD is to inform the public of any project proposals submitted to it … that are not otherwise subject to the requirement of a public hearing or other public notification."
Comments on the plan can be sent to planning@hawaiicounty.gov, susan.gagorik@hawaiicounty.gov and larry.nakayama@hawaiicounty.gov.
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Federal funds will help HI-EMA's tsunami programs.

HAWAI`I WILL RECEIVE $625,477 in grant funding to support Hawai`i Emergency Management Agency in its mission to inform and prepare residents for tsunamis.

“In Hawai`i, being well prepared for natural disasters like tsunamis can mean the difference between life and death,” said Sen. Brian Schatz. “This critical funding will help improve our tsunami disaster planning so we can better protect Hawai`i’s coastal communities and save lives.”
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz has repeatedly championed funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s program that provides this grant funding in the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill.
NOAA’s Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program provides funding to coastal states for preparedness activities such as inundation mapping, disaster planning and tsunami education. Because of these funds, Hawai`i became one of the first states in the nation to be declared Tsunami Ready.
The grant will be used for projects that will support HI-EMA in its mission to inform the public of the risks posed by tsunami, how to prepare for these short-notice events and life-saving mitigating measures. Many of the proposed projects involve collaboration with partnering entities, such as NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the University of Hawai`i and a host of other federal, state and local stakeholders, including the general public. These collaborations will improve tsunami resilience for Hawai`i residents and visitors.

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KA`U COFFEE TRAIL RUN is a week from today. The event includes a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon through coffee and former sugar cane fields, macadamia nut groves, eucalyptus forests and grazing pastures.
All races begin and finish at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
Register at race360.com/21357.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS is two weeks from today. Originally scheduled for last Saturday, the event was postponed due to possible tropical storm conditions. Taking place at Na`alehu Park, the event includes a parade along Hwy 11.
For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740.

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

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Kilauea's summit lava lake continues to maintain high levels. The black rim visible on the crater wall
occurred when it rose to within 16 feet of the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. Photo from USGS/HVO

KILAUEA’S SUMMIT LAVA LAKE ROSE to within about 16 feet of the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater this morning before dropping back down slightly with the onset of spattering, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.

According to HVO, increased seismic activity at the summit is
related to high pressurization there. Map from USGS/HVO

Summit inflation switched to deflation late yesterday afternoon, which continued overnight and stopped this morning. The lake level, generally tracking the deflation, dropped to about 66 feet below the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater by this morning. However, it is likely that the summit will begin to inflate, and the lava lake will begin to rise again sometime today, according to HVO.

An increase in summit seismicity occurred during the day yesterday, probably in response to the relatively high summit pressurization, as illustrated by the high lava lake level. There was also a burst of seismicity, with one felt earthquake and several smaller events, early this morning along Kilauea’s upper East Rift Zone.
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TODAY MARKS THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY of attacks when terrorists commandeered planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Another plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers stormed the cockpit and kept terrorists from achieving their goal.

Sen. Josh Green

“As Americans, we remember the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001,” Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green said. “We remember the horror of being attacked at home. We remember the anger of an unprovoked act of terrible violence. We remember the crushing sadness of 2,977 lives lost.

“We also remember the bravery of the first responders who risked their own lives to save the lives of others. We remember the outpouring of compassion and generosity from all corners of this country and the world over to help the victims and their loved ones. We remember the courageous men and women who were inspired to join our armed services and protect the values that fell under attack that Tuesday morning 15 years ago.
“It was for these same values that we fought in World War II: That all people are deserving of certain, inalienable freedoms, and have the right to live their lives peacefully with dignity and respect. We believed this then, we believed this on Sept. 11th, 2001, and now, more than ever, despite any attempts to derail those beliefs or scare us away from them, we believe this today.

Sen. Mazie Hirono

“Today I want to extend a sincere ‘Thank you’ to everyone who has fought for and promoted these freedoms across the globe. Not only in an American way, but in a human way.

“I ask you today to consider a kind act in support of anyone who has suffered loss as a result of 9/11, be it a child who lost a parent, a firefighter, policeman or medic who rushed to the towers, or a young soldier who continues to stand up for us and fight for deserved human freedoms worldwide.”
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said, “Fifteen years ago, our nation stood stunned as we learned about attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Today, we again stand together, in memory of the thousands who were killed on Sept. 11, and gratitude for the heroism of first responders and ordinary Americans who showed extraordinary bravery and resilience in one of our darkest hours.
“In the wake of immense tragedy, our nation came together with unity and aloha to support the loved ones of those we lost, and resolved to rebuild and bring the perpetrators to justice. We owe a great debt to those who gave their lives fighting terrorism, those who continue to defend our communities today at home and abroad, and the families of those who served. In their honor, we must continue to fight for first responders, service members and veterans to ensure that they have timely access to the benefits and support they have earned.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard co-introduced a bipartisan House resolution on Friday marking the anniversary and honoring the innocent men, women, children and first responders killed on 9/11 and the more than one million men and women who have served in the U.S. military since 9/11, including more than 6,800 who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The resolution also honors the sacrifices made by military families and reaffirms the responsibility of the U.S. Congress to honor the generation of post-9/11 veterans.

Members of Congress also gathered on the House steps to remember the victims of 9/11 and hold a moment of silence in their memory.
“Fifteen years after our nation experienced one of the most horrific attacks in our history, we must remember the cost of war and those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country,” said Gabbard, a twice-deployed combat veteran of the Iraq War. “As we stand together to defend our nation against those who wish to do us harm, we must strengthen our commitment to those who continue to serve our nation at home and abroad, honor our veterans, and focus on the common values and principles that bind us together as we do the people’s work.”
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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists discuss a prediction by founder Thomas Jaggar that came true in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
“After working for 20 years building the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Thomas Jaggar had achieved almost everything he set out to do,” the article states. “He had directed continuous observations of Kilauea Volcano, installed seismic monitoring instruments at four locations around the Island of Hawai`i, and published these findings regularly. His budget for the fiscal year 1931–1932 from the U.S. Geological Survey was his largest ever—$35,000.
“But these were the years of the Great Depression. Over the next two years, HVO’s budget was slashed to $6,000, forcing a reduction in publishing and requiring supplemental funding from HVO’s private funding source, the Hawaiian Volcano Research Association, to pay salaries.
“While government funding was being cut, volcanic and seismic activity on Hawai`i did not diminish. In late 1933, a six-week-long swarm of earthquakes culminated in a 17-day-long eruption within Moku`aweoweo, the summit caldera of Mauna Loa. Almost a year later, Halema`uma`u Crater at the summit of Kilauea erupted for a month.

“On March 26, 1934, Jaggar gave a bold speech titled The Coming Lava Flow, in which he predicted – based on analyses of 60 years of Mauna Loa eruptions – that ‘a lava flow from Mauna Loa, or else another summit eruption, is expected within two years.’ He further predicted that, if it was a Mauna Loa lava flow, it would break out along the Northeast Rift Zone and flow in the ‘likely direction’ of Hilo.

“Jaggar also pointed out that, despite the coming lava flow, HVO had been reduced to two staff, including himself. He further campaigned for increased membership in HVRA to hopefully make up for the federal funding cuts.

“The HVRA funding did not come, and, as of July 1, 1935, HVO was transferred from the USGS to the National Park Service under what was then known as Hawai`i National Park. While this looked like defeat for Jaggar, it may have been a blessing.
“Edward G. Wingate, a USGS topographical engineer, had worked at HVO for two years before being selected as HNP Superintendent in November 1933. After HVO was transferred to the park, he was able to provide Jaggar with additional staff and funds when needed. So, when Mauna Loa erupted on Nov. 21, 1935, as Jaggar had predicted, Wingate directed park staff to the eruption site to make observations and relay information to HVO.
“The 1935 Mauna Loa eruption started from a four-mile-long fissure that extended from the summit caldera down the Northeast Rift Zone. Several lava flows moved northward down the flank of the volcano toward the Saddle area between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
“Contrary to Jaggar’s prediction, these flows would probably flow toward Kona if they continued, not toward Hilo. Still, Jaggar’s predicted time frame and location of the eruption source were spot-on.
“But then, on Nov. 27, smoke was observed from a patch of ground east of the 1935 lava flows, well away from the Northeast Rift Zone, at the 8,500 feet elevation. `A`a lava (later called the Humuula flow) soon issued from that location and flowed north into the Saddle area. It stalled, but was followed by a pahoehoe flow that ponded in a flat area between Mauna Loa’s 1843 `a`a flow and Pu`uhuluhulu, an ancient cinder cone.
“After ponding for two weeks, the Humuula flow began moving and advanced eastward past Pu`uhuluhulu. The increasingly steep slope resulted in a narrow flow advancing at an alarming rate of one mile per day.
“Fearing that the flow would reach the headwaters of the Wailuku River, which supplied water for the town of Hilo, Jaggar called on the Army Air Service on Dec. 22 to bomb the lava flow source. His hope was that the lava tubes or channels could be destroyed, robbing the advancing flow to feed another flow that would re-cover the same area. The flow was bombed on Dec. 27, and the flow stopped during the night or early morning of Dec. 30-31.
“Despite severely reduced funding and staffing, Jaggar made an important and successful prediction based on Mauna Loa’s past pattern of eruptions. Whether or not the bombing caused the 1935 lava flow to stop is still a controversial topic.”

See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.

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KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL teams hosted Christian Liberty yesterday. Junior varsity kept scores close but couldn’t overcome their opponents. Final scores were 20-25 and 22-25.
Varsity also made valiant efforts but lost, 24-26, 16-25 and 18-25.

TOMORROW IS FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT at Pahala Community Center. The show begins at 6 p.m. Call 928-3012 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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The state of conservation in Hawai`i and what it means to have hosted the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress
are topics at After Dark in the Park tomorrow. Image from IUCN

THE IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS closed Saturday in Honolulu, setting the global conservation agenda for the next four years and defining a roadmap for implementation of historic agreements adopted in 2015.

“Clearly Hawai`i’s commitments to conservation and sustainability are aligned with the world’s priorities and with the strategic issues of importance to the International Union for Conservation of Nature,” observed Gov. David Ige, on the last day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Hawai`i 2016. Thousands of delegates and members from 192 member countries spent ten days in Hawai`i at the planet’s most important and high-level conservation gathering. Ige deemed it a tremendous success and thanked state and federal agencies, elected officials, conservation organizations and volunteers who consistently spread the message: “What is clear now, more than ever before, is that we are in this together – one canoe navigating Island Earth.”

Photo from DLNR

The congress provided dozens of opportunities to share the message of aloha and malama honua and to show the world why Hawai’i is so special. At the opening ceremony, Ige emphasized this continuing theme by announcing the state’s Sustainable Hawai`i Initiative. It includes the governor’s commitment to protect 30 percent of priority watersheds and effectively manage 30 percent of our nearshore ocean waters by 2030.

“My Sustainable Hawai`i Initiative, and the efforts of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and all of our partners, are very much in line with the global agenda discussed during the IUCN Members’ Assembly,” Ige said. “Effective management of our lands and ocean and the importance of youth and indigenous culture to conservation efforts were focal points of discussion. By fulfilling our promises here in Hawai`i, we are directly contributing to the global agenda of achieving a more resilient and sustainable Island Earth.”
During the congress, Ige also announced that Hawai`i is joining the Global Island Partnership and will take the Aloha+ Challenge sustainability model to other island communities. These efforts were supported through one of the seven Hawai`i motions, drafted by students from the University of Hawai`i Richardson School of Law, that received international support and were passed unanimously at the Congress.
“The Congress created an unprecedented opportunity to build on the successes of DLNR and other state agencies, the Legislature and our many partners to show the world that we are committed to our core conservation programs and to maintaining our unique way of life,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. “In the days leading up to the congress and over the past ten days, Hawai`i’s conservation efforts received an unparalleled level of attention and awareness. Now the challenge is to continue the momentum created by this experience and engage every single person in Hawai`i and our millions of visitors in doing their part to help protect, preserve and restore the natural and cultural attributes that make our island home such a special place.”
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Ka`u Learning Academy seeks county approval
to increase enrollment. Photo from KLA

EXPANSION OF KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY in on the agenda of Hawai`i County Windward Planning Commission’s next meeting.

KLA founder Kathryn Tydlacka filed a request to amend a special permit to increase permitted enrollment at the public charter school from 65 students to 100 students and to allow for related facility improvements to accommodate the increase in enrollment. Special Permit No. 14-172 was originally approved to allow establishment of a public charter school and related uses with a maximum enrollment of 65 students within the former Discovery Harbour Golf Course clubhouse situated on 3.69 acres of land within the state Land Use Agricultural District. The property is located at 94-1581 Kaulua Circle.
The meeting takes place on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo.
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HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S Alcohol and Substance Abuse Division has received an $8.4 million federal grant to launch a large-scale, integrated substance abuse treatment program involving a number of community partners to reverse alarming trends in alcohol and substance abuse among adults, particularly Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
The announcement of the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment grant award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration coincides with National Recovery Month in September.

“This is great news for Hawai`i because we need to stem the tide,” said Edward Mersereau, chief of the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Division. “The federal funds will augment state funding to expand Hawai`i’s capacity to address the needs of individuals at risk for and those who are living with substance abuse and co-existing disorders.”
According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hawai`i ranks among the highest in the nation for excessive drinking rates. In 2015, Hawai`i’s rate increased to 21 percent of residents engaged in excessive drinking, while the national average declined to 17 percent.
The CDC data also showed there was a steady increase in the percentage of women in Hawai`i who drink alcohol during their last three months of pregnancy, climbing from 4.3 percent to 7.9 percent from 2000 to 2015.
According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among individuals who are 12 years and older, 11.3 percent of Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders abuse or are dependent upon substances.
In Hawai`i, there are gaps in service that make access to quality healthcare challenging for residents in geographically remote locations. This is often exacerbated by provider shortages and disconnected systems of care. This results in a small number of the state’s population consuming a proportionately higher percent of Hawai`i’s healthcare resources.
“It will take collaboration with various partners to usher in positive change,” Mersereau said. “The grant will greatly enhance the coordination between primary care and substance abuse treatment providers across the spectrum of care and begin to tear down the historical silos between these provider communities. These partnerships will create a stronger, more effective and sustainable continuum of care. We have to reinvent the current system to have a more integrated, prevention-oriented approach.”
The grant will cover a five-year period and involve screenings, brief interventions and referrals to specialty treatment services in primary care clinics. The plan is to initiate the project at a small number of Hawai`i’s 14 federally qualified health centers, which would be selected based on the diverse ethnic populations they serve and the high need for substance abuse treatment in their geographical area. The project also intends to expand to a minimum of 25 smaller primary care providers during the course of the grant. The goal is to partner with various health plans and providers in order to increase the capacity of SBIRT in primary care settings.
“We believe we are on the right path toward improving overall health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in communities across our state, and we will continue to work toward identifying systemic policy changes that increase access to treatment in primary care and behavioral health specialist settings,” Mersereau said.

Karen Masaki Photo from VAC

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KAREN MASAKI GETS PARTICIPANTS’ BODIES moving in a four-session workshop on for consecutive Tuesdays beginning tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village.
The Dance Imagined classes explore basic dance technique combined with the pure exhilaration of movement. “Smooth, spikey, graceful, flailing, focused, indirect – whatever can be imagined within provides the source for movement without,” Masaki said.

Classes start with a general warm up, moving through all body parts to get the blood flowing and joints loosened. Focus then shifts to basics of modern dance technique with emphasis on alignment, strengthening legs and feet, working from the core and increasing expressive potential through the torso and arms. A free dance segment follows, accompanied by music ranging from classical to rock to jazz to alternative. Classes end with a movement and breathing exercise.

Former HVNP Superintendent Bryan Harry
Photo from NPS

This workshop is appropriate for all who love to move. No dance experience is necessary, and the technique portion will be a basic introduction.
Register at 967-8222 or volcanoartcenter.org.

CONSERVATION IN HAWAI`I: A Living Legacy is the topic tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Bryan Harry, former superintendent of the park and founding member of Hawai`i Conservation Alliance, discusses the state of conservation in Hawai`i and what it means for Hawai`i to host the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

$2 donations support After Dark in the Park programs; park entrance fees apply.

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

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Aquatic biologists research sever coral bleaching events in Hawai`i's ocean waters.
Photo from Hawai`i Department of Land & Natural Resources

FOLLOWING SEVERE CORAL BLEACHING EVENTS in 2014 and 2015 within Hawai`i’s ocean waters, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources has been working to identify management actions that can be taken to promote post-coral bleaching recovery and resiliency in Hawai`i’s coral reefs.

“The state is currently on the cutting edge of applying climate resiliency-based management, and benefits from its close partnerships with coral science experts both here and around the world,” DAR administrator Bruce Anderson said. “DAR is committed to implementing effective management strategies within its abilities, including fisheries and habitat rules.”
Dr. Ruth Gates, Director and Researcher at the University of Hawai`i’s Institute of Marine Biology, said, “Coral bleaching is an increasing threat to the health of corals reefs both in Hawai`i and globally. The state of Hawai`i has taken a very proactive stance in convening the management, conservation and scientific communities and developing a coordinated response to protect Hawai`i’s critical coral reef assets in the face of this urgent problem.”
Coral bleaching is a stress response in which the coral animal expels algae-producing organisms called zooxanthellae that live within their tissue. Once the zooxanthellae are expelled, the coral is in a weakened state and is more vulnerable to stressors including disease. If high temperatures are sustained, a coral bleaching event can lead to coral mortality.

Dr. William Walsh

To address this, DAR aquatic biologists began by gathering information and surveying more than 80 coral experts and scientists. Additionally they reviewed all existing scientific literature – a synthesis of over 200 articles.

DAR biologist Dr. William Walsh said of his team’s findings from in-water surveys in West Hawai`i, “We observed an average coral mortality of 50 percent in the West Hawai`i region, which holds some of the state’s richest coral reefs. Unfortunately, this area also experienced the highest sustained ocean temperatures during the 2015 coral bleaching event.” On Maui, DAR biologist Russell Sparks reports, “coral mortality in the hardest hit areas on Maui were between 20-30 percent.”
Last month, a workshop involving 44 Hawai`i-based scientists and managers applied a Hawai`i lens to the information previously gathered as well as to identify management recommendations in four priority locations: West Hawai`i, West Maui, Kane`ohe Bay, and North Kaua`i. These areas were chosen because they were exposed to the most severe thermal stress during the 2014 and 2015 bleaching events.
One of the outputs of this workshop was a list of top statewide management recommendations to promote coral recovery. The top-rated action in this exercise was to “establish a network of permanent, fully protected, no-take Marine Protected Areas.” According to DAR, MPAs may help corals recover from a bleaching event by removing additional environmental and human-caused stressors, including overfishing.
Reduction of land-based pollution including sediment and nutrient runoff, which can smother corals or introduce toxic substances into the environment, was also a high priority.
Additionally, protection and efficient management of herbivorous, or algae-eating, fish and invertebrates was discussed as a critical action. Herbivores remove excess algae, which can quickly take over a coral reef affected by bleaching.
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Joshua Corbin

HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE ARE SEARCHING for a 30-year-old man who frequents Ocean View wanted for sexual assault.

Joshua Corbin has no permanent address. He also has been seen in Kona and Hilo.
In addition to the sexual assault on Hawai`i Island, Corbin is wanted in Texas for sexual assault and in Kona for traffic incidents.
He is described as six feet tall, 160 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He may have a mustache and goatee.

Two female campers at Manuka said they received advice from an official not to stay there because of possible danger.
Police caution the public not to approach Corbin, as he is considered a danger to the community.
Instead, anyone who sees him or knows his whereabouts is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number 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. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
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THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES passed the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act, bipartisan legislation co-introduced by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz that will enhance and integrate native tourism, empower native communities and expand unique cultural tourism opportunities in the United States. The bill, which passed in the Senate in April, now heads to President Obama for his signature.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz

“This bill will empower native communities to tell their own stories and build their own economic opportunities,” Schatz said. “For too long, tourism has focused on so-called major destinations, and while that’s important, we have the opportunity to support cultural revitalization and economic renewal through the passage of this bill. “Visitors are increasingly seeking out a more authentic and historically rich travel experience, and there is nothing more authentic and unique than the cultural tourism experience our native communities provide.”

The NATIVE Act would require federal agencies with tourism assets and responsibilities to include tribes and native organizations in national tourism efforts and strategic planning. It would also provide Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and American Indian communities with access to resources and technical assistance needed to build sustainable recreational and cultural travel and tourism infrastructure and capacity, spur economic development and create good jobs, Schatz said.
“The NATIVE Act is a strong piece of legislation that will drive economic growth not only in areas that house Native lands and cultural attractions, but also for communities in every corner of the country,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “We are pleased to see our lawmakers prioritize a measure that expands travel and tourism promotion opportunities for these lands – particularly allowing them to attract more international visitors, whose trips often have a tremendous positive ripple effect on the surrounding local economy.”
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Mauli Ola Festival takes place at Malian Lahey's
Wood Valley Farm.

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE for the Mauli Ola Festival later this month in Wood Valley. The event brings together a global tribe to celebrate, learn and generate new conversations about coffee, human rights and earth-friendly practices like permaculture and Leave No Trace. “Conversations like these are powerful force multipliers that can create real shifts in how the world works,” organizer Malian Lahey said. “Help us launch the first-ever Mauli Ola Festival.”

According to www.wehewehe.org, Mauli Ola is the Hawaiian term for sacred, healing energy. Similar to Qi, Prana, Mana and other terms, Mauli Ola is specifically the sacred light of healing.
The festival begins on Thursday, Sept. 22 with workshops and a bonfire and continues with music and workshops on Friday and
Saturday.
The Coffee And Human Rights Circle Sept. 21-23 is a community discussion about how to improve human rights in our industry in the spirit of open dialogue and partnership.
Barista Magazine, Ka`u Specialty LLC, Sunalini Menon, Sarah Allen, Sarah Grant and more are sponsors. Tickets include screenings of The Coffee Man, about Sasa Sestic’s WBC journey, and The Land Of Eb, about Marshallese coffee pickers in Hawai`i.
See mauliolafestival.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
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Kamehameha Schools offers One-Stop-Shops in Ka`u
today and next Tuesday. Photo from KS

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS OFFERS One-Stop-Shops today and next Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church Hall. Staff help with admissions, Ho`oulu Hawaiian Data Center, financial aid and scholarships.

For more information, call 982-0851, or see apps.ksbe.edu/admissions.

ORAL ABIHAI SHARES HIS PASSION for making `ukulele from discarded or naturally fallen pieces of wood tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

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A group of citizens is hoping to preserve a wall remaining at Pahala's Ka`u Sugar mill site in honor of past employees.
Since the mill closed, the wall has been used for graffiti. See more below. Photo by Julia Neal

THE PROPOSED SOLAR PROJECT IN OCEAN VIEW is on hold after Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission suspended an application for a utility line to serve it. The 12-page order means a temporary setback for the developers, who plan to install two-acre arrays of photovoltaic panels on each of 27 three-acre residential sites next to homes in Ranchos and neighboring subdivisions.

The order is the result of a formal complaint by Ranchos residents Peter and Ann Bosted, who allege that Hawai`i Electric Light Co. and Hawaiian Electric Co. allowed the solar developer, SPI Solar, to break and circumvent rules.
Residents are against what they consider to be the industrialization of their rural neighborhood, and, according to Ann Bosted, the high-cost power from this renewable source irks energy professionals who say rates from the utility-scale project should be negotiated.

Hawai`i PUC has suspended an application for a utility line
that would serve a large solar project in Ocean View.
Photo from Peter and Ann Bosted

The PUC’s order states that the Bosteds complaint will need to be resolved before HELCO’s transmission line application can be decided, as “the disposition of the complaint may have a substantial impact on the commission’s evaluation of the instant proceeding.”

The order’s conclusion is based on a strong position taken by the Consumer Advocate, who, in June, expressed concerns about administration of the Feed-In-Tariff program. The PUC noted that “the Bosteds have filed the complaint, which pertains to the underlying FIT projects, raising many of the same issues that were identified by the Consumer Advocate. If the commission were to grant the relief sought in the complaint, namely that the commission issue an order removing the FIT Projects from the FIT’s Active Queue, it could materially affect the commission’s evaluation of the instant proceeding.”
On June 29, the Consumer Advocate took the position that HELCO’s transmission line should be placed underground at the developer’s expense and that the developer should “pay for additional mitigation measures.” The CA also expressed concerns about the delay in getting the projects operational. The order quotes the CA as writing, “These projects may have originally been an attempt to take advantage of market conditions” and that “the FIT program was deemed necessary at the time to encourage renewable energy, … but the need for FIT projects at compensation rates that are no longer reasonable may not be consistent with the public interest at this time.”

Patricia Tummons Photo from Environment Hawai`i

This point of view is shared by other energy professionals. Writing in Environment Hawai`i, Patricia Tummons said, “Beset by a host of problems, the FIT program has stalled out, for the most part. As of last year, just over 20 megawatts of FIT renewable energy had been installed, out of the 80 MW allowed statewide.”

On the Big Island, the 1.25-megawatt installation in Miloli`i is the only project that is up and running. No work on the 6.5 megawatts of permits that SPI Solar holds for Ocean View has been done. According to Ann Bosted, the Big Island currently has a surplus of daytime energy.
Reporting on the PUC’s action in Pacific Business News, Duane Shimogawa said that “Hawaiian Ocean View Estates is one of the nation’s largest housing developments. It covers 18 square miles and 11,500 one-acre parcels.” Three-acre parcels are located in subdivisions makai of Hwy 11 in the area.
Today’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser carried a story by Kathryn Mykleseth on the order under the headline, State puts Kibosh on Big Island Solar Power Project. Mykleseth quoted PUC Chair Randy Iwase as saying that the FIT project is obsolete because the cost is too high.
“Nobody is going to move on the FIT project,” he said. “We have suspended any action on the application pending review or an investigation or resolution of the complaint filed by the Bosteds.”
According to Mykleseth, each of the FIT projects would have been paid 23.8 cents a kilowatt-hour, which is roughly 10 cents higher than four solar farms the PUC allowed to be waived from the competitive bidding process in 2014. The four projects the PUC accepted were selling energy to HECO for approximately 14 cents a kilowatt-hour for the duration of their 22-year lifespan.
“This is a boondoggle project through and through,” said Mats Fogelvik, President of the Ranchos’ road corporation. “It is too big, too expensive, too late, not needed and unwanted. The developers have no money. It is being built for the tax credits and so that it can be flipped. I hope the PUC will look behind the curtain and see it for what it really is.”

Iwase said the PUC will order HELCO to respond to information requests as to whether there was an attempt to circumvent competitive bidding laws.
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PAHALA RESIDENTS ARE SHARING their thoughts about a proposed development on Maile Street with Hawai`i County Planning Department Director Duane Kanuha. The project calls for buildings totaling more than 130,000 square feet, including a water bottling facility, warehouses and retail centers. Parking would be provided for cars, vans and tour buses.

The massive Pahala mill site wall has stood for more than 100 years.
Photo by Julia Neal

“We hope you will enter into the community discussion on the proposal for Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility,” Clyde Silva wrote. “It would be most desirable to recognize one of the most significant structures in Pahala town.

“On the site of the proposed project, there is a wall, a wall from the old Pahala sugar mill. This wall has been there for over 100 years and played a key role in the sugar cane production.
“Trucks full of cane drove up the ramp on one side of the wall, dropping their load over the wall as the first step in the processing. Truck after truck after truck went up beside the wall. It was important, and it is one of the few remaining structures from the sugar era.
“The wall is approximately 110 feet long, 12 feet in height, with the ramp about 20 feet wide.
“There has been a sense of sadness as the town has watched this memorable structure decay.
“This seems like the perfect time to plan for this symbol of the past, a symbol of our history to be a part of the plans. A part of the plans for the future.
“It is assumed that PMK Capital Partners LLC desires to develop this area because they recognize the historical richness of this small plantation town.
“The value of the town includes the old plantation homes, the safe streets where people can walk, the appreciation people have for one another, and our history. The wall’s preservation should be considered in the planning.”
Dorothy Kalua expressed concern traffic that would be created by the project.
“The plan allows for 104 parking stalls, four bus slots and two van slots,” Kalua wrote. “These numbers do not include all the service vehicles needed.

“A direct entrance to the proposed project would be desirable to eliminate the concern of compromising community safety and high usage on our town roads.
“Hopefully, this can be addressed in the planning stages.”
Comments on the plan can be sent to planning@hawaiicounty.gov, susan.gagorik@hawaiicounty.gov and larry.nakayama@hawaiicounty.gov.
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HAWAI`I ISLAND POLICE HAVE LOCATED Joshua Corbin, a 30-year-old man known to frequent Ocean View, who was wanted for sexual assault and traffic incidents.
He was arrested in Hilo at 10:45 a.m. yesterday. He is being held at the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Juvenile Aid Section, which is responsible for investigating sexual assaults, continue the investigation.
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KA`U HIGH GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAMS traveled to Hilo Tuesday. Both teams lost, with varsity scores of 17-25, 11-25 and 17-25 and junior varsity scores of 9-25 and 8-25.
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Time is running out to register for Saturday's
Ka`u Coffee Trail Run.

REGISTER NOW FOR THIRD ANNUAL Ka`u Coffee Trail Run held at Ka`u Coffee Mill this Saturday. All proceeds of the southernmost trail run in the USA, which is sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou, County of Hawai`i, Ka`u Coffee Mill, Edmund C. Olson Trust II, Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center of Ka`u and Jeff Gomes of Hawai`i Bookmark, remain in Ka`u to benefit Ka`u’s kupuna and keiki, as well as local schools and community groups.

Race Director Candy Casper called on area residents to participate. “Invite your family and friends to join you or cheer you on as you set out to meet your goal in the family-friendly 5K run/walk, take the challenge of the 10K or test your endurance in the 13.1-mile climb up to 3,100 feet. Set your stride as you run through fields of coffee and macadamia nuts and forests of eucalyptus and `ohi`a trees, and cherish the breathtaking views of the Ka`u coastline.
Staggered starts begin at 7 a.m.
Register at race360.org/21357.
For more information about the race, course maps or volunteering opportunities, contact Casper at candy.casper@gmail.com, or see okaukakou.org.

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

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Unstable atmosphere puts Ka`u in a flash flood watch through tomorrow afternoon.
Map from NOAA

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT in Ka`u through tomorrow afternoon. Abundant tropical moisture and an upper level trough will continue the threat of heavy rainfall and flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

A very moist and unstable air mass interacting with an upper level trough will result in unsettled weather with the potential for flash flooding.
A flash flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to dangerous flash flooding. Residents should monitor forecasts and be prepared to take action should flash flood warnings be issued.
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MAYOR-ELECT HARRY KIM HAS NAMED several members to his Cabinet in advance of taking office in December, Nancy Cook Lauer reported in West Hawai`i Today. Joe Kamelamela will be corporation counsel, the legal advisor and legal representative of all county agencies, council, and all officers and employees in matters related to their official powers and duties.

Mayor-elect Harry Kim is busy selected people to fill
posts in his Cabinet. Photo by Ron Johnson

Collins Tomei, manager of Territorial Savings Bank’s Hilo branch, will head Kim’s Department of Finance. The department’s significant functions are financial planning and administration, and its primary responsibilities are in the eight areas of control - Accounts, Budget, Property Management, Purchasing, Real Property Tax, Risk Management, Treasury, and Vehicle Registration and Licensing.

Roy Takemoto returns as Kim’s executive assistant. Takemoto also previously served as the county’s deputy planning director. Kim’s former deputy managing director Barbara Kossow also returns. Irma Sumera, who currently serves on the Pension Board, will serve as Kim’s private secretary.
“I’m trying to fill the Cabinet with people the community will feel are really qualified and trusted to do the job,” Kim told Cook Lauer.
See westhawaiitoday.com.
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK rangers share tips for an optimal lava viewing experience. Visitors and local residents gather nightly at the Jaggar Museum observation deck to watch the lava lake spatter and glow within the summit crater of Kilauea volcano, vying for the best parking spot and vantage point.

The lava within Halema`uma`u Crater recently became visible for the first time since May 2015, and rangers have been busy directing vehicles at Jaggar Museum from 5 p.m. until well after dark, often sending people to park at Kilauea Overlook, about one third of a mile away.

At 9:55 a.m., Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the lake surface was about 69 feet below the floor of Halema`uma`u.

The lava lake at Kilauea's summit continues at high levels.
Photo from USGS/HVO

Rangers suggest avoiding busy times and visiting the lava lake during the day or after 9 p.m. The park is open 24 hours a day.

Be mindful of air quality. Hazardous volcanic gas and particulates can drift over the summit area in light or southerly winds. These gases are a danger to all, especially people with heart or respiratory problems, young children and pregnant women. Kilauea Visitor Center offers updates on air quality 24 hours a day, and visitors can monitor the Hawai`i SO2 network website.
Be prepared to hike a third of a mile each way between Kilauea Overlook and Jaggar Museum on Crater Rim Trail. Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, and bring rain gear, water, binoculars, a flashlight and extra batteries.
Carpool if possible to reduce the number of vehicles in the parking areas.
Monitor USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcams. The KI camera provides a panoramic view of Halema`uma`u Crater from HVO, near Jaggar Museum.

At Kamokuna, air quality is poor at the coast, where another eruption from Kilauea enters the ocean. Park rangers have roped off sections downwind of the ocean entry and have placed signs warning about toxic fume clouds that contain sulfur dioxide, volcanic particulates and hydrochloric acid near the coast.
To stay upwind of the fumes, it is currently best to hike in from Hawai`i County’s lava viewing area on the Kalapana side to access the ocean entry in the park. The Kalapana access is open daily from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s about a 4.2-mile hike from the Kalapana boundary to the ocean entry viewing point, one way, along the gravel emergency access road.
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Friends of the Ka`u Libraries held its annual meeting yesterday. Photo by Julia Neal

FRIENDS OF KA`U LIBRARIES LAST NIGHT FUNDED another year of oral history filming for its Ka`u History Collection. The annual meeting at Pahala Plantation House featured a display on the project with filmmaker Joe Demoruelle. Those interviewed include long-time Ka`u residents Robert Barba, Ernest Breithaupt, Homer Hashimoto, Jeanette Howard, Dorothy Kalua, Yvonne Ke, Emily Keohuloa and Manuel Marques. Demoruelle volunteers his time, and FKL purchases supplies for the project, which is on display at Pahala Public & School Library.

FKL helps produce the Ka`u History Collection. Photo by Julia Neal

New officers for 2017 are President Sandra Demoruelle, Vice President Debbie Wong Yuen, who takes the position with her retirement as library manager Oct. 1, Secretary Linda Morgan and Treasurer Ann Fontes.

Directors are Doris “Didi” Davis, Deborah Lynn Dickerson and Kirsi Klein.
The Friends sells books, T-shirts and tote bags at many Ka`u functions throughout the year.
Pahala Library is searching for a replacement for Wong Yuen, with an employee from O`ahu filling in.
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IT’S TIME AGAIN FOR KA`U FIFTH-GRADE GIRLS to register for GEMS, Girls Exploring Math and Science, an annual day of discovery that features hands-on workshops and exhibits led by community women volunteers who show girls how they use math, science and technology in their careers.

Ka`u fifth-grade girls, like these in 2010, can sign up
to explore math and science. Photo from GEMS

This always popular event will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Courtyard King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel and is attended by over 300 West Hawai`i fifth-graders in public, private or home schools. It is sponsored by the American Association of University Women, Kona Branch, whose mission is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. Registration forms have been sent to all West Hawai`i schools, and registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7. Registration is on a first come, first served basis, and space is limited, so it is important to register early to get a spot and choice of workshops. Registration fee is $20, and scholarships are available. No girl will be turned away because of financial need.

The girls attending will get a GEMS T-shirt, learn about nutrition at breakfast, view various exhibits, attend three workshops and have lunch at the resort. A special lunchtime Zumba activity gets the girls moving and is always a big hit.
Workshop topics this year include marine science, veterinary medicine, astronomy, chemistry, robotics, engineering, archaeology, culinary , financial planning, computer programming, surveying and more. Workshops are designed to stimulate interest and bolster confidence of girls in traditionally male-dominated fields and also introduce girls to positive female role models who can make a big difference to a young girl and may stimulate interest in a new career goal.

Call Cindy Armer at 808-896-7180, or email cbarmer@hotmail.com, with questions or to sponsor a girl.

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Runners again hit the trails at Ka`u Coffee Mill Saturday.
Image from video by Vernon Harvey

`O KA`U KAKOU'S THE THIRD ANNUAL Ka`u Coffee Trail Run begins at 7 a.m. Saturday. The event includes a 5K, a 10K and Half Marathon.

All proceeds of the southernmost trail run in the USA, remain in Ka`u to benefit Ka`u’s kupuna and keiki, as well as local schools and community groups.
Register at race360.org/21357.

For more information about the race, course maps or volunteering opportunities, email candy.casper@gmail.com, or see okaukakou.org.

Halau E Hulali Mai I Ka La performs
Saturday. Photo from VAC

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Hula Kahiko series continues Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with a performance by Na Kumu hula Chrissy Kama Henriques and Leilani Taka-Keana`aina, with Halau E Hulali Mai I Ka La.

This young halau from Honaunau recently placed third in the E Malama Mau I Ka Hula Festival, and their soloist, Tacie Kuikahi, won the coveted Miss Keiki Hula title. This will be their second time performing on the kahua hula near VAC Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

The public is invited to join Native Hawaiian cultural specialist Loke Kamanu and her `ohana as they set up shop on the gallery lanai. Presenting a display of “Na Mea Hula” (all things hula), Loke shares a variety of instruments, implements and lei styles that play an integral role in the life of the hula practitioner. The demonstration is hands-on and family friendly.
Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

Click on document to enlarge.

See kaucalendar.com.

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html
and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf.

Bay Clinic's Na`alehu facility is a model for others the nonprofit plans to build. Image from Bay Clinic

KA`U FAMILY HEALTH & DENTAL CENTER in Na`alehu is the first of several that Bay Clinic is planning. CEO Harold Wallace told Jeff Hansel, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, that the organization wants to move from leasing space to building facilities based on patient need.
The Na`alehu facility is the first to be built and owned by the nonprofit, which, according to Hansel, is the “sole (health care) provider for 55 percent of Hawai`i Island’s total population.” It offers services regardless of health insurance status.

Bay Clinic CEO Harold Wallace

The community raised funds to help with construction of the new medical building. `O Ka`u Kakou sponsored a Ka`u Family Fun Fest in 2011, and up to $30,000 was committed to Bay Clinic from the event and a fundraising challenge by the Edmund C. Olson Trust. The building opened in December 2013.

According to Hansel, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics says online that such clinics serve “as a safety net for those who have fallen through the cracks of America’s health care system – and studies have shown that they have also decreased the burden on the nation’s emergency rooms.”
Bay Clinic recently established a call center to ensure patients can make appointments in a timely manner and decrease wait times on the phone. It also procured a new mobile van that was deployed in July to provide medical and dental services throughout East Hawai’i.
“We are clearly on the way to improving the organization,” Wallace told Hansel. “We want folks to know this is a new Bay Clinic – and we really are paying attention.”
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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Pisces IV sampling coral that is thought to be

new to science. Conservation International

photo by Michael Garland

RESEARCHERS EXPLORED SEAMOUNTS off the Ka`u Coast earlier this month. Scientists from University of Hawai`i and Conservation International descended in the submarine Pisces IV to Cook seamount, an extinct volcano, and became the first humans to view the area, which is over 100 miles southwest of Hawai`i Island.

According to an Associated Press story, seamounts are hotspots for marine life because they carry nutrient-rich water upward from the sea floor.
Geologist Seamounts, which include Cook, McCall, Lo`ihi and others, are about 80 million years old and could hold many new animal species, as well as elements such as nickel and cobalt that mining companies could extract.
“My goal today is to … find out what’s living on them, find out how they support ocean life, what their effect is from ocean currents and essentially what drives the ocean, what makes the ocean what it is,” marine biologist Greg Stone told AP. “Seamounts are a key part of that, and something which humanity knows very little about.”
According to the AP story, the researchers at Lo`ihi viewed gases escaping from vents on the active volcano, which scientists say will someday be the newest Hawai`i island when it breaks through the ocean surface.
See bigstory.ap.org.
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Hawaiian hoary bat Photo from Wikipedia

HAWAI`I’S HOARY BATS WILL BENEFIT from U.S. Fish & Wildlife funds to protect threatened and endangered species. Using $395,000, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, in cooperation with members of the Hawai`i Forest Industry Association and biomass industry, will develop a Habitat Conservation Plan to conserve the bat during biomass and timber harvest activities in the Hawaiian Islands. The HCP will result in a better understanding of the bat’s status and distribution in commercial forest stands, reduce and mitigate impacts from biomass and timber harvest operations, and conserve the bat while allowing sustainable forest management practices, which will allow public and private landowners to meet economic, ecological and social goals.

The funding is part of a $3.8 million investment to protect Hawai`i’s wildlife.
“This new funding will help ensure that threatened and endangered species in our state will be protected for years to come,” said Sen. Brian Schatz. “These funds are a strategic investment that will help strike a better balance between human use and wildlife habitats. By accounting for threatened and endangered species in our land use planning, we can reduce our impact on the environment and allow our state’s unique wildlife to thrive.”

Joshua Corbin Photo from
Hawai`i Police Department

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JOSHUA CORBIN, WHO POLICE ARRESTED Tuesday on suspicion of sexual assault and traffic offenses, has been released after posting $4,500 bail. Yesterday, Corbin, who has no permanent address but frequents the Ocean View area, was charged with reckless driving, failure to obey a police officer, fraudulent use of a license plate, resisting an order to stop, driving without no-fault insurance and driving without a license. His initial court appearance has been scheduled for Oct. 20 in Kona District Court.

Detectives from the Juvenile Aid Section, which is responsible for investigating sexual assaults, are continuing the sexual assault investigation.
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HAWAI`I STATE SENATE UNANIMOUSLY confirmed Dakota K.M. Frenz to the District Family Court of the Third Circuit on Hawai`i Island this week.

Hawai`i's state senators join Judge Frenz after her confirmation.
Photo from Hawai`i State Senate

Frenz was most recently a sole proprietor of her own private law practice in Hilo specializing in criminal law, family law and civil litigation/collections. Prior to opening her own law practice, Frenz was a partner at Laubach & Frenz, AAL, LLC, where she focused her legal practice in the same areas of law. Prior to entering private practice, Frenz served as deputy prosecuting attorney in the County of Hawai`i where she handled cases in the District, Family and Circuit Courts. In addition to her legal experience, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ku`ikahi Mediation Center, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hawai`i County Bar Association, an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program, a member of the County of Hawai`i Bench Bar Committee and Hawai‘i State Bench Bar Committee. She also volunteers with the Friends of Drug Court and the Self-Help Center in East Hawai`i. Frenz is a graduate of Whittier Law School and was admitted to the Hawai`i State Bar in 2006.

Frenz fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lloyd X. Van De Car.
“Ms. Frenz bring to the bench a reputation as an intelligent, hard-working and prepared advocate with substantial trial experience as a former county prosecutor and more recently as a private attorney,” said Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor. “Her background and what people say about her makes it likely that she will be a very good addition to the District Family Court, one of the most challenging assignments for a Hawai`i jurist.”
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Register for Ka`u Coffee Trail Run today online or tomorrow in person
before 6:30 a.m. Photo by Taylor's Treasures Photography

RACE DIRECTOR CANDY CASPER expects tomorrow’s third annual Ka`u Coffee Trail Run to be as successful as last year’s. She reported that, as of yesterday, 175 participants had registered for the 5K, 10K and Half Marathon. Sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou, the event begins at 7 a.m.

All proceeds remain in Ka`u to benefit Ka`u’s kupuna and keiki, as well as local schools and community groups.
Register at race360.org/21357.
For more information about the race, course maps or volunteering opportunities, email candy.casper@gmail.com, or see okaukakou.org.

HOLY ROSARY CHURCH IN PAHALA holds a thrift sale tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will also be a silent auction until 11 a.m., with many items available.

MONGOLIAN BBQ IS SERVED tomorrow from 5 p.m. 8 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more information, call 967-8356.

Learn about the People & Lands of Kahuku tomorrow.
NPS Photo by Julia Espaniola

LEARN ABOUT THE PEOPLE & LANDS OF KAHUKU Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit. This free, guided, 2.5-mile, moderately difficult hike over rugged terrain focuses on the area’s human history.

See nps.gov/havo.

GRAND OPENING OF NIAULANI SCULPTURE GARDEN at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village is Sunday at 4 p.m. The event includes dedication of Guardian, a sculpture by Randy Takaki on permanent loan from the Takaki family.
There will be music by Larry Broido and Loren Brownlea on the new performance deck, which will have four carved poles and a roof when finished, and refreshments.
The sculpture garden was designed by landscape architect David Tamura and features works by Glenn Yamanoha, Randy Shiroma, Henry Bianchini, Ethan Froney, Lonnie Tomono and a collaboration by Jonathan Sudler and Elizabeth Miller.
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FREE INFORMATION ABOUT S.N.A.P., USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is offered Monday from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Attendees learn about the program and how to apply during Tutu & Me.
Call 929-8571 for more information.

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