The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Plastics and polystyrene containers cleaned up from the Ka`u Coast are not just drifting into the shore from far away.
They come from local sources too, says Megan Lamson, who provided testimony to ban county use of foam containers.
Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

BANNING FOAM PACKAGING use by county government and its vendors is the purpose of recent testimony from Megan Lamson, local marine biologist and Vice President of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund. After backing a bill to ban all polystyrene containers on the island – the County Council killed the measure in June despite support from Ka`u council member Maile David – Lamson is campaigning for new Bill 248. It's a a pared down initiative. She wrote to all council members, saying that “the best way to prevent marine debris in the first place is to stop it at the source” with reduction bans, regulations and changes in consumer and commercial behavior.
Lamson's testimony to the council pointed to the recent Get the Drift and Bag It cleanup along coastlines around the state. She said data show that plastic and foam packaging as well as foam pieces rank within the top ten items collected. “A portion of the debris littering our shores is indeed coming from local sources, and we need to acknowledge this fact, to take responsibility for some for our behavior, and to make adjustments,” said Lamson.

Megan Lamson, interviewed on ocean pollution by CNN
correspondent Kyung Lah. Photo from CNN

Banning foam “is nothing novel or groundbreaking. There are over 90 cities across the country that have already opted out of polystyrene food containers.” Among them is County of Kaua‘i, which passed its ordinance in 2014. “Bill 248 is merely the County of Hawai`i stepping up and moving forward along the pathway towards zero waste that we have previously established,” said Lamson.
She noted Hawai`i Wildlife Fund’s 20-year background in Marine Debris removal, how "thousands of volunteers have collectively removed over 180 metric tons of debris from the shores of this island alone,” an effort documented by CNN correspondent Kyung Lah.
Lamson said a 2013 published study conducted by University of Hawai`i Hilo scientists “proved outright that some of the sources of marine debris along our shores are locally sourced. If we are truly interested in protecting the health and welfare of our cultural and natural resources and our community members on this island, it would be irresponsible to not move forward on this proposal,” testified Lamson.

The marine biologist predicted that transitioning container use away from foam will bring some opponents to cite hardships for the county-sponsored Meals on Wheels Program. She suggested turning this concern into an opportunity to support one of three local on-island vendors who sell compostable to-go ware. She suggested applying for “funds outside the county to help subsidize this transition,” including grants to the county for marine debris and solid waste prevention projects from federal government agencies NOAA and EPA, and mini-grants for local teachers through Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation, for bringing such programs into the schools.

Lamson wants the county to join school students in

protecting natural resources by changing from

foam to compostable containers.

Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

Lamson praised council member Margaret Wille for including an education component in the Bill 248. Wille said this morning that the County Council referred the measure to the county Department of Environmental Management and the Environmental Management Commission for review. The commission meets on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m, at the West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona.

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AN OCEAN VIEW WOMAN DIED after her 2006 Nissan pickup truck struck a tree south of the 102 mile marker on Mamalaoha highway late Tuesday night. She was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m. yesterday at Kona Community Hospital.
Denise Scott grew up on this island and longed to return from the mainland. She bought a fixer-upper Ocean View cabin and moved here this summer. She was renovating and preparing for a house warming party, said friend Elaine Meier. Scott was returning from shopping and visiting her aunt in Kona when her truck ran off the road and hit the large tree.

Meier described Scott as, “so happy to be home. She couldn’t wait to get her hair in the ocean. She was beautiful, really funny and a very good person.” Meier recalled that Scott adopted two puppies from Kohala Animal Rescue Society. They will now be taken care of by her aunties, Meier said.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call Officer Kimo Keliipaakaua at 326-4646, ext. 229. Anonymous calls may be made to Crime Stoppers at 961-8300. This is the twenty-fifth traffic fatality in 2016. There were 16 by this time in 2015.

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St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View offers free showers and free food on Saturdays, a Thanksgiving
Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 19. Photo from St. Jude's

POLICE REACTED QUICKLY when another break-in was reported at St. Judes Episcopal Church in Ocean View on Monday night. Member Elaine Meier said that nothing was taken and the police "are fantastic. They are on it."

She theorized that theives may have refrained from taking St. Jude's hot water heater – they have already stolen two water heaters there – "because now we have our name all over it.”

Meier said that St. Jude's "water heater is used for one thing and one thing only – free Saturday showers. Stealing the hot water heater only hurts those who need it the most.”
Free showers and free food are offered every Saturday at St. Jude’s from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 19 will be offered until food runs out.
Any leads on theft or attempted theft at St. Judes can be called anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.

Ka`u's representative in the U.S. Congress, Tulsi Gabbard,

met with the agricultural community recently at Ka`u Coffee

Mill, including Vince Mina, President of Hawai`i Farmers

Union United and Brenda Iokepa Moses, President of

Ka`u Farm Bureau. Photo by Ron Johnson

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IMPROVING FOOD POLICY earned Tulsi Gabbard a perfect score on the recent National Food Policy Scorecard . The award goes to Gabbard, a member of the U.S. House of Reprsentative, for leadership in advancing good food policy in the 114th Congress.
“Fighting for sensible, transparent food policies and supporting local and domestic agriculture has been among my key priorities," said Gabbard. In this Congress, "we’ve unfortunately seen numerous attempts to roll back progress on good food policy, like undermining common sense food labeling standards across the country, fast-tracking the destructive Trans-Pacific Partnership, and lifting restrictions on the use of harmful pesticides near our vital water resources.”

Gabbard, who represents Ka`u and other rural Hawaiian communities, said, “Food security is a critical issue for people in Hawaiʻi and across the U.S. and I will continue to work hard toward creating a more secure, safe, and healthy future for our people and our environment.”

Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson made a Ring of Fire

film on the active lava at Volcano.

Tom Colicchio, Food Policy Action co-founder, chef and food advocate, said that “Tulsi Gabbard is a strong food champion who has been a steadfast advocate for measures to fix our food system, voting to protect clean water, transparency in food labeling, workers' rights, and the long-term viability of our food supply.”

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RING OF FIRE is the song that Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson posted along with his recent minute movie of the dancing lava in Halema`uma`u Crater. Anderson is drawing much positive commentary, see https://www.facebook.com/kaupete/posts/10205553788922898?comment_id=10205593706680817

NA`ALEHU HALLOWEEN PARTY THIS FRIDAY, Oct. 28, will be celebrated at Na`alehu Pulblic Library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Spooky games, snacks and prizes. Free for all ages. 939-2444.

VOLCANO HALLOWEEN PARTY THIS FRIDAY, Oct. 28 will be celebrated at Kilauea Military Camp's Ohia Room in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Cover charge $3 with costume; $5 without costume. Lava Lounge closed. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets this Friday, Oct. 28, 5 p.m. at Hawaiian Ranchos Office.

EARLY VOTING WITH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LATE REGISTRATION is available at Pahala Community Center. Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

Voting locations for the Tuesday, Nov. 8 General Election, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka`u High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli`i Halau.

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ARTWORK TO BE CHOSEN FOR THE COVER of The Directory, the annual Ka`u Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide, will be accepted at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, Monday, Nov. 14, between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual show entitled The Beauty of Ka`u opens with free entry to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Na`alehu Hongwanji Breezeway. Popular vote picks the artwork to grace cover.

In addition, businesses can pay for hosting a work of art. after the show ends, at their location through making a donation to the Chamber and sponsoring the artist entry fee. During the show, works of art for sale will be on a price list available from art show volunteers.

Registration to enter art is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories.

Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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

Ka`u Trojan Cross Country Team Daryl Moreira, Kyle Calumpit, Sheena Marie Flores, Brennen Nishimura,
and Rowlie Flores at the BIIF Championship Race at HPA on October 21. Photo by Erin Cole

KA`U HIGH’S CROSS COUNTRY team finished a terrific season at the end of October, reports coach Erin Cole and assistant coach Kevin Sun. Trojans trained Monday through Friday and raced 5K (3.1 miles) on Saturdays. State finals are tomorrow at Hawai`i Preparatory Academy in Waimea.
The Trojan team raced on a bright sunny day at Kamehameha School in Kea`au on Sept. 10. According to Cole, the athletes enjoy this course and came in with good times: Brennan Nishimura 23:07, Kyle Calumpit 23:49, Rowlie Flores 27:12, Daryl Moreira 29:38, Sheena Flores 28:29 and Chloe Gan 29:24. In a community wide event, the whole team, with both coaches, ran in the Ka`u Coffee Trail Run and found the trail to be challenging and fun. Runners of all ages and abilities participated in the family and neighbor friendly event "with a bit of competition to spice it up," Cole said.

Ka`u High's cross country team members, with coaches

Erin Coleand Kevin Sun.

The Trojans traveled to HPA Sept. 24. Teams from other islands and the mainland participated. The weather was typical for Waimea, with a light mist, hot sun, cool shade and a breeze. The infamous HPA hill was daunting as always, Cole reported, and the Trojan team ran hard. Brennen Nishimura finished at 25:10, Kyle Calumpit 26:00, Rowlie Flores 26:47, and Daryl Moreira 28:19. After the race, the team enjoyed a Yoga for Runners class with Stacy Lanterman at Hawaiian Healing Yoga.
At Waiakea on Oct. 1, some of the runners ran quite fast and broke their own personal records. The course winds around the Waiakea campus and ends at their field. Times were: Sheena Marie Flores 27:08, Rowlie Flores 22:10, Kyle Calumpit 22:17, Brennen Nishimura 22:26, Daryl Moreira 24:23.
The next race was in Kea'au."The sun was hot and the big puffy clouds did not come around often enough to cool off the runners but that did not stop them from competing hard and coming in with some great times," reported the coach. Trojans turned in times: Sheena Marie Flores 26:58, Rowlie Flores 22:47, Brennen Nishimura 22:56, Daryl Moreira 26:29.
BIIF Championships at HPA on Oct. 21 hosted four races, two Open and two, Varsity. All Ka'u runners ran in the Varsity, a stiff competition, with the fastest seven boys and fastest seven girls on each team. Girls ran first race, all season (this alternates each year). The athletes achieved a good warm-up before the races. “Excitement was high and runners from all over the island were wishing each other good luck,” said Cole. “It was very windy but otherwise a good day to run." Times: Sheena Marie Flores 28:25 came in #45 in the race which was just two spots away from qualifying in the State Championships, Brennen Nishimura 25:04, Rowlie Flores 25:08, Kyle Calumpit 26:10, Daryl Moriera 26:40. Sophia Cash from Honoka`a came in first for girls at 22:18 and Cody Ranfranz came in first for boys at 18:59.

Don Nitsche, far right, passed away last night. He was one of many
community leaders, including (front row) former County Council
member Brittany Smart, Mayor Billy Kenoi, the late Rep. Bob Herkes,
Martie Nitshce, and Dr. Rell Woodward, who worked long to finally
bless the Ocean View potable water well. Photo by Charles Tobias

The qualifying runners will move on to the State Championships, held at HPA this year, tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8:30am.

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OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY LEADER DON NITSCHE passed away peacefully last night at home in Hawaiian Ranchos. The entrepreneur, builder and advocate for potable water and much more for the community, operated Bougainvillea Bed & Breakfast with his wife Martie. He was often seen in his tanker truck, hauling water for his enterprise. Nitsche served on numerous community boards throughout his three decades living in the Ocean View community. He was 86. Services pending.

GPS IS TRULY INDESPENSABLE FOR UNDERSTANDING OUR DYNAMIC ISLAND," writes Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists in this week’s Volcano Watch. Entitiled New Techniques Cement GPS as a Critical Tool for Volcano Monitoring, the article notes that “Using the Global Positioning System in your cell phone or car has become an everyday occurrence that many of us take for granted and now consider indispensable. GPS-enabled gadgets are, in fact, everywhere; watches, cameras, luggage, and dog tags can all tell us exactly where on the planet they are. “

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist puts the finishing touches on a

new permanent GPS station on the slopes on Mauna Loa. The GPS antenna,

protected from the elements by the grey radome, is solidly attached to the ground

via a cement-reinforced steel rod. USGS photo.

To monitor volcanic activity, scientists at HVO manage a network of more than 60 scientific-grade GPS stations. “It is one of the primary tools we use to monitor ground motion and detect what’s happening inside and around Hawaiian volcanoes. “As magma (molten rock) accumulates in a volcano’s underground plumbing system, it increases the pressure in the magma reservoir, or storage chamber, which pushes the ground outward. When magma leaves the storage chamber (to erupt, for example), the ground is drawn back inward. By measuring the motion of GPS instruments toward and away from the magma reservoir, we can estimate how much magma is moving in and out of the system. With a dense network of sensors and continuous data, we can also detect changes that might indicate magma movement toward the surface.

“GPS data are also crucial for measuring other phenomena on the volcano. For example, GPS data are used to monitor the movement of Kīlauea’s south flank toward the ocean, a process that creates stresses that can lead to earthquakes. Large earthquakes also produce permanent ground displacements that can be measured with scientific-grade GPS.

“The instrumentation in a scientific GPS station utilizes the same signals as a cell phone or car navigation system. However, there are two key differences. First, we don’t move scientific GPS instruments around. Instead, our GPS antennas are tightly fixed to the ground, because what we want to measure is the motion of the ground itself.

"The second difference is in how we analyze signals from GPS satellites. Our continuously recording instruments send data via wireless links to HVO, where we use a method called “carrier-phase tracking” to calculate positions far more accurate than a hand-held device can provide. Crunching an entire day’s worth of GPS signals collected in this way can yield positions precise to several millimeters (1/8 inch). This means we can track very small and slow changes in the shape of the ground.

Aerial image of the east Kamokuna lava delta yesterday shows lava entering the

ocean at the front of the delta. Photo by Rick Hazlett, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

“Scientific GPS also provides accurate measurements of large, fast motions, like those that occur before and during an eruption or intrusion. For example, during the buildup to Kīlauea’s 2007 Father’s Day eruption, a nearby GPS station recorded nearly 70 cm (2.3 ft) of movement within two days. Even larger and faster motions are possible when bigger volumes of magma are involved.
“Recent developments in data processing techniques have extended the use of scientific GPS data to provide second-by-second updates in ground position and to calculate these in 'real-time,”'or within seconds of data collection. This will further improve our ability to quickly detect and measure large, fast motions.
“This may not sound impressive, given that cell phones provide nearly instantaneous position updates as we drive down the road. However, the key difference is in the precision of the positions that HVO is able to obtain.
“While “real-time” GPS has lower accuracy than GPS positions calculated over an entire day, we can now reliably detect motions of about 5 cm (2 in), and improvements are in progress to increase this accuracy. This is equivalent to accurately tracking the position of your cell phone as you pass it from one hand to the other.

HAVO's volcano mapping shows swarms of earthquakes
from Pahala to Halema`uma`u, to the coast.

“Monitoring the changing shape of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes provides valuable information about the movement of magma. In the days, hours, and minutes leading up to an eruption, the speed at which we determine where magma might be headed becomes critical. The more accurately and quickly we can get this information, the faster we can provide guidance to emergency managers and the public about possible eruption locations and impacts.
“With this in mind, HVO continually strives to improve the accuracy and timeliness of real-time GPS measurements on Hawaiian volcanoes,” the scientists report. See (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/)

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AN EARTHQUAKE STRUCK YESTERDAY, Oct. 27, at 12:08 p.m., registering at magnitude 3.7. It occurred 3.4 miles west of Kīlauea’s summit at a depth of 4.9 miles. A 3.6 earthquake registered within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday. Swarms of smaller quakes have been recorded

during the last two weeks around Pahala and in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Upside down car seen yesterday between Volcano and Pahala.
Photo by Richard Taylor

A FLIPPED CAR on Hwy 11, Pahala side of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, was photographed yesterday by a Ka`u resident. According to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, which manages the stretch of highway, the accident occurred just before 8:30 a.m. by Mile Marker 32. The vehicle was Kona bound when it traveled into the Hilo-bound traffic lane and unto a dirt embankment along the shoulder causing the vehicle to go airborne and flip. Only one individual was in the car and no other vehicles were involved. She was transported by Medic 19 for injuries to Ka`u Hospital. The accident is still under investigation.

NA`ALEHU HALLOWEEN PARTY IS THIS AFTERNOON, Oct. 28, at Na`alehu Pulblic Library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Spooky games, snacks and prizes. Free for all ages. 939-2444.

VOLCANO HALLOWEEN PARTY IS TONIGHT, Oct. 28 at Kilauea Military Camp's Ohia Room in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Cover charge $3 with costume; $5 without costume. Lava Lounge closed. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. meets this Friday, Oct. 28, 5 p.m. at Hawaiian Ranchos Office.

EARLY VOTING WITH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LATE REGISTRATION is available at Pahala Community Center today and starting again on Monday. Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

ARTWORK TO BE CHOSEN FOR THE COVER of The Directory, the annual Ka`u Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide, will be accepted at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, Monday, Nov. 14, between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual show entitled The Beauty of Ka`u opens with free entry to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Na`alehu Hongwanji Breezeway.

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

A camper enjoys the shade at Halapē in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Jacob W. Frank

FEES FOR CAMPING IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park will be charged beginning Tuesday, Nov. 1, as part of a plan to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities. A $10 fee will be charged per trip, in addition to the park entrance fee for all eight backcountry campsites: Ka‘aha, Halapē, Keauhou, ‘Āpua Point, Nāpau, Pepeiao Cabin, Red Hill Cabin and Mauna Loa Cabin.

Tent camping at ‘Āpua Point along the

coast at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Photo by Jacob W. Frank

All require a permit, with a stay limit of three consecutive nights at one site. Campers can move to another backcountry site for the fourth night, but no more than seven consecutive nights per trip will be allowed. Permits must be obtained no more than 24 hours in advance from the Backcountry Office, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fees for backcountry camping can be paid in person at the Backcountry Office, or online through pay.gov. Call 985-6178 for more information.

Kīlauea aglow from its summit crater is visible

from Kulanaokuaiki Campground.

Photo by Jacob W. Frank

Kulanaokuaiki Campground, a drive-in, front-country campsite off Hilina Pali Road, will cost $10 a night per site, with a stay limit of seven consecutive nights, and a maximum of six people per site. The nine designated campsites at Kulanaokuaiki have picnic tables and tent pads, and are available on a first-come basis. Fees for Kulanaokuaiki can be paid at the campground’s self-registration station. Checkout time is 11 a.m.

The new camping permit fees are similar to other public camping fees statewide. At Kulanaokuaiki, campers who hold the Interagency Senior (Golden Age) and Golden Access passes pay $5 per site.
Nāmakanipaio Campground off Highway 11 is managed by Hawai‘i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC and is under its own fee structure.
Pets are not permitted in any of the campgrounds, except for leashed pets in Nāmakanipaio Campground. Leashed service animals are allowed.

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THE FOAM CONTAINER ISSUE on the island with a proposed ban for county and county vendor use has drawn a group of organizations together to study it. The Fall edition of Recycle Hawai`i newsletter reports a task force of sustainability organizations, businesses, the state Hawai`i Dept. of Health and county Research & Development and Environmental Management departments meeting and conducting research. The task force is called the Hawai`i Island Packaging Sustainability Initiative Stakeholders who came up with proposed solutions: Source reduction, education, best practices for littler control and state and local government support for action initiative. The group advocates for the proposed polystyrene ban for county agencies and county vendors, proposed by County Council member Margaret Wille and supported by Ka`u council member Maile David.

See more at www.recyclehawaii.org. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Get the Drift wraps up at the end of October, scouring coast and
waterways part of the International Coastal Cleanup.
Photo from Recycle Hawai`i

GET THE DRIFT AND BAG IT wraps up six weeks of beach cleanups in conjunction with the annual International Coastal Cleanup at the end of October. Hundreds of Hawai`i Island volunteers helped to clean beaches and waterways. This year's events are coordinated by Keep Hawai`i Beautiful and Recycle Hawai`i, under leadership of Terry Miura for the past 15 years. She recently retired as a County of Hawai`i' Parks & Recreation Aquatics Recreation Specialist. About the cleanups, she said, “Marine debris is everyone’s problem and we are the cause, but we are also the only solution."
See more from Recycle Hawai`i Executive Director Paul Buklarewicz at www.recyclehawaii.org.
To volunteer to help clean up a Ka`u beach, contact the local participating organization, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

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Stan Troller and Kaida Houvener, as South Point U-Cart receives
and Keeping It Green Award. Photo by Paul Buklarewicz

SOUTH POINT U-CART in Ocean View recently received a Keeping It Green Hawai`i Award for serving on a voluntary basis as a permanent collection site for resident do-it-yourself users to bring in used motor oil for proper disposal. The cooperative project was managed by Recycle Hawai`i and the county Department of Environmental Management. South Point U-Cart owner Stan Troeller and Kaida Hoevener received the award. See more at www.recyclehawaii.org and on Facebook.

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THE EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL 2016 TITLE for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation is on the line today. If Ka`u High School beats Pahoa, Trojans win the island championship. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Pahala school field under coaches Keala Ke and Greg Rush. Eight-man football offers higher scores and faster play than traditional football. Entry is $6.

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New technology helps with understanding of ancient
footprints on Ka`u Desert Trail.

Keiki celebrated a safe
Halloween at Shaka's in
Na`alehu last night.

CENTENNIAL HIKE: LiDar Sheds New Light on Hidden Gems. Meet at Ka`u Desert Trailhead at 1 p.m. today along Hwy 11 in between Volcano and Pahala. Park rangers lead a 2.5 mile round trip walk within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and show how Light Detection and Ranging technology helped rescript the history surrounding the ancient footprints embedded in the landscape.

REALMS & DIVISIONS OF KAHUKU on Sunday, Oct. 30, explores the ancient Hawaiian classifications of the land areas in Kahuku as seen from the Pu`u Kahuku Trail. Free, see NPS.gov.HAVO. Entrance mauka from HwY 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View.

DUI CHECKPOINTS AND ROVING PATROLS are increased for Halloween weekend, according to the Hawai`i Police Department. “Drive sober or get pulled over,” is the mission statement.

Police offer tips on how to keep
Halloween safe for kids.
Photos by Julia Neal

Traffic Services Section director, Sgt. Robert Pauole, noted that many pedestrians will be out on the streets for Halloween festivities.

“Be especially careful in residential areas by slowing down and looking for children on roadways and shoulders,” Pauole said. “If you plan to drink, please don’t drive. Make arrangements to ride with a designated, sober and licensed driver before you start drinking. If you can’t find one, don’t take a chance — take a taxi.”
Police offer the following tips for pedestrian safety: Make sure children are supervised as they cross the street. Have children get out of cars on the curb side, not on the traffic side. Drive below the posted speed limit during trick-or-treating hours. Watch for children on roadways and on medians. Slowly exit driveways and alleyways.
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SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Ka`u High quarterback Jacob Flores, No. 25, scores the last touchdown to win the islandwide
Eight-Man Football Championship. Photo by Pam Taylor

Jacob Flores, left. and John Kalahiki, both seniors,
celebrate a touchdown in the end zone.
Photo by Pam Taylor

KA`U TROJANS WON THE EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP yesterday at home in Pahala under coaches Kainoa Ke and Greg Rush.
To topple last year's champion Kohala Cowboys on the Ka`u High football field, the Trojans came back from a two point deficit to win 36 to 26.
It was Senior Night for the team's six graduating Trojans who celebrated with a ceremony of appreciation on the field, receiving lei, balloons and applause. They displayed large photographs and posters, remembering their historic participation on the inaugural eight-man team that keeps high school football alive in Ka`u.
During the game, however, underclassmen contributed much to winning play. With quarterback Jacob Flores benched the first half for missing classes, junior Brandon Ecalas ran the ball 110 yards in 19 plays from scrimmage, scoring two touchdowns. Back on the field in the second half, Flores ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. At game's end, Ka`u posted 330 yards in rushing, three two-point conversions and had blocked two of Kohala's attempted extra points.

Ka`u Trojans win their second Eight-Man Football title in three years. Photo by Pam Taylor

Six Trojans seniors celebrated Senior Night on the field and won the island
championship title. They are: Jamal Buyuan, Daniel Garo, Kainalu
Medeiros-Dancel, John Kalahikiand Jacob Flores. Photo by Pam Taylor

The win marks Ka`u earning two out of three island titles since eight-man was launched. Trojans and their athletic director Kalei Namohala were the impetus in establishing the fast running, high scoring, low injuries version of high school football in Big Island Interscholastic Federation competition.
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THE PROPOSED HAWAIIAN SPRINGS WATER BOTTLING PLANT, planned for the old sugar mill site on Maile Street in Pahala, is drawing questions to the county from Sierra Club Moku Loa Group. The Hawai`i Island chapter wrote to county planner Larry Nakayama, asking how “will you address our concerns about the proposed Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility?” Planning director Duane Kanuha gave permission for the project plan in early October, with conditions of approvals and reviews by various government agencies.
Cory Harden of Sierra Club wrote that the “operation would extract a public trust resource and ship it out-of-state, contribute to the worldwide privatization of water, use fossil fuel, and generate harmful waste. It is unclear how it would benefit the local community.” Her letter, copied to Albert Kam, the bottling plant project manager for Pahala, asserted that “It appears the facility has the burden to justify its water use and show the water source will not be compromised.”

Sierra Club pointed to its legal arm, Earthjustice, referencing a 2014 Hawai`i Supreme Court decision in a Kaua`i Springs versus Kaua`i Planning Commission case. The decision, which upheld rejection of the bottling plant permit, "strongly reinforced principles that water is a public trust, and that private companies profiting off these resources bear the burden of justifying their diversions and showing the resources will not be unduly compromised...." The Sierra Club quoted the Hawai`i Supreme Court: “No person or entity has automatic vested rights to water."
Regarding the Hawai`i County Planning Department’s obligation to protect Hawai`i’s natural resources, Sierra Club further quoted the state Supreme Court decision: "Private commercial users of water bear the burden of affirmatively justifying their uses…lack of information from the applicant is exactly the reason an agency is empowered to deny a proposed use of a public trust resource.”
Sierra Club wrote to the Hawai`i County planner: “This burden includes showing the use is reasonable and beneficial and consistent with trust purposes, has no practicable alternative water source, and implements mitigation of the cumulative impact of diversions." Government agencies have “duties under the public trust independent of the permit requirements,” including a duty to hold private commercial users to their burden under the public trust, Sierra Club wrote.

Pahala Town Center & Hawaiian Springs Facility, a water bottling
plant planned for the old industrial sugar mill site.

In addition to asserting that the Hawaiian Springs water bottling facility would contribute to the “worldwide privatization of water,” Sierra Club stated: “The rich can afford to live where there is clean municipal water, but the poor must buy bottled water or travel to spigots—a scenario found not only in third world countries, but also in Hawai'i Island communities with catchment water.”
Sierra Club also brought up plastics: “Single-use plastic water bottles have significant environmental impacts.” Sierra Club pointed to National Geographic statistics for the U.S.: “In 2015, we bought the equivalent of 1.7 billion half-liter bottles of water every week...A typical family of four is going through one of those shrink-wrapped 24-packs of bottled water each week." Sierra Club referenced The Huffington Post reporting for the U.S.: “It takes three bottlefuls of water to produce one finished bottle of water. Most of the waste water from production is contaminated and cannot be reused.” Bottling water also takes energy. “Fifty million barrels of oil a year--enough to run three million cars for a year--are used to pump, process, transport and refrigerate our bottled water."
Sierra Club pointed out that "80 percent of water bottles—38 billion a year—end up in landfills, not recycle bins, costing taxpayers money. Often caps can't be recycled. The PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from bottles doesn't biodegrade, but breaks down into tiny fragments. These absorb pollutants, which can contaminate water and the food chain," stated the Sierra Club.

Cory Harden wrote the Sierra Club's letter to the county, questioning
the water bottling plant planned for Pahala.
Photo from Big Island Video News

The environmental organization also pointed to potential health risks, quoting Worldwatch Institute, which reported: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water at the federal level, permits the product to contain certain levels of fecal matter, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency does not allow any human waste in city tap water. Bottled water violations are not always reported to the public, and in most cases the products may be recalled up to 15 months after the problematic water was produced, distributed, and sold."
“Plastic can leach into the water, and bacteria can grow in the porous plastic if the bottle is reused,” stated the letter to the Planning Department. The letter also pointed out that “Concerns over bottled water have led to bans by six cities, 22 national parks, and over a dozen colleges and universities.
Sierra Club stated that local benefits from the proposed water bottling facility are unclear. “Hawaiian Springs owner Albert Kam said, ‘We're here to provide jobs...’ but declined to estimate how many." Sierra Club reported that in 2014, Hawaiian Springs was shipping water out of Hawai'i to over 4,000 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Canada, and Asia. It has a water bottling facility in Kea`au.
Hawaiian Springs water bottled in Pahala could come from a tunnel on the property that leads to an old sugar plantation source, 750 feet underground near the old sugar mill site.
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"Now I'm pushing 80 and still wearing jeans," sings
Foggy at Punalu`u Bake Shop with a visitor who
asked for a photo with him.

MAILE DAVID RESPONDED TO WATER BOTTLING PLANT QUESTIONS from the Sierra Club. In a letter to Cory Harden of the Big Island chapter, David, Ka`u's representative on the County Council, stated that before he gave his plan approval she informed county planning director Duane Kanuha of "serious concerns regarding impacts to this very significant cultural and public trust resource."
David noted that the planning director is requiring reviews and approvals by state agencies, including Department of Health, Water Quality and Department of Land & Natural Resources before allowing the project to move forward. She wrote that an opportunity for public input may be available at the state level. "I share the club's concerns and I plan to schedule a community meeting in Pahala," David wrote, stating that "public input would be critical."
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FOGGY, THE SINGER and guitar player at Punalu`u Bakeshop in Na`alehu, quoted a Waylon Jennings' recording last week, appreciating the opportunity to entertain visitors and residents. From the song Amanda, he sang, "It's a measure of people who don't understand, the pleasures of life in a hillbilly band." Changing the Waylon Jennings song to reflect his own life here in Ka`u, Foggy continued, "I got my first guitar when I was 15. Now I'm pushing 80 and still wearing jeans."

Foggy, also known as Gary Cole, said, "This young lady approached me at the bakery yesterday and asked me if she could have her photo taken with me. What was I supposed to say? Playing at the bakery is better than going to the beach."

Punalu`u Bake Shop features live, local music from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily in an outdoor setting in front of an original mural about Ka`u by artist and former Punalu`u Bake Shop manager Patrick Edie.
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LATE VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING continues tomorrow, Monday, at Pahala Community Center, the only Ka`u polling place before General Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.
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Volcano School of Arts & Sciences is looking for community volunteers to help students with its food gardens.
Call food services manager Amalie Dorn at 808-896-1912 or email her at adorn@volcanoschool.net.
Photo from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences

FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH ends today with numerous government agencies and community groups supporting the effort to connect farmers with cafeterias in public educational institutions. With Hawai`i importing about 85 percent of its food, the Farm to School Initiative is one way the State of Hawai`i, schools and community attempt to work toward becoming food sustainable.
The state school system services 256 public schools. Its School Food Services Branch feeds approximately 100,000 students and staff each day. The Farm to School Initiative also seeks to address the supply and demand issues surrounding the purchasing of local food for school cafeterias.

Grow food, learn science in the Plant Systems class at Ka`u High School, the
lettuce grown by students. Photo from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences

One initiative at Ka`u High School brings production of food into a science class called Plant Systems, taught by Sonja Caldwell. In addition to understanding the biology of plants, the students grow such edibles as lettuce. At Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences, Amalie Dorn is the food services manager and sources food from farmers in the Volcano community. She said the school is looking for community volunteers to help students with the food garden. Call 808-896-1912 or email adorn@volcanoschool.net. Ka`u Learning Academy students grow food under the leadership of teacher Audra Zook. At Na`alehu School, school gardens were in place for many years but the coordinator was lost for this school year.

Volcano School sources from local
farmers. Photo from Volcano
School of Arts & Sciences

Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui signed the Farm to School proclamation with representatives of the Ulupono Initiative, The Kohala Center, state Department of Education and state Department of Agriculture, all convening at the State Capitol in Honolulu.
Farm to School Month in Hawai'i coincides with National Farm to School Month, designated by Congress in 2010 to showcase growing importance of farm to school programs as a means to improve child nutrition, encourage diverse careers in agriculture, support local economies, and educate children about the origins of food.
Tsutsui said it is important to “raise awareness about the movement and school gardening programs, which empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and connecting keiki to the aina.” Tsutsui spearheads the Farm to School Initiative, in collaboration with the state Department of Education and state Department of Agriculture.
Scott Enright, chair of the Department of Agriculture, said, “The Hawai`i Farm to School program provides an important connection between local farms and Hawai`i’s keiki. This program not only helps to strengthen the local agricultural community, but also creates an opportunity to educate our youth about agriculture, nutrition and food sustainability.”
Statewide school superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said, “The Department is excited in finding new ways to increase the amount of local produce on the menus of our schools. While the schools as a whole currently purchase a higher percentage of local food than the average home, we would like to deliver more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats to our students’ plates.”

Tomato plantings at Volcano School of
Arts & Sciences

In April, the Farm to School Initiative gathered information from farmers and ranchers as well as hosted a gathering to share information on how to become a qualified vendor with the State. Those events, including an invitation for bids, culminate with the Farm to School Initiative Pilot Project, which is expected to begin in 2017.
Chief Operating Officer of The Kohala Center, Anna-Lisa Okoye, said the non-profit “has been involved in Farm to School for about a decade and we’re so thrilled that this pilot project is at this place of being ready to launch because of the potential of Farm to School to not only impact our agricultural community, but also the positive impact it can have on our school children from a nutritious standpoint and education standpoint as well. We’re so excited for this next step that we’re going to get into the schools and make some changes on how schools cook and source food and teach kids about nutrition.”

See more at www.farmstoschool.org/our-network/Hawaii, http://kohalacenter.org/hisgn/farm-to-school and https://kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina.

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PROTECTING LONGLINE FISHING CREWS FROM EXPLOITATION is the goal of a bill Sen. Mazie K. Hirono plans to introduce into the new U.S. Congress. In addition to helping these foreign fishermen, she said in a statement this morning, the bill aims at preserving Hawai`i’s longline fishing industry.

The Associated Press illustrated conditions on longline
fishing boats with story and photography.
Photo from AP

She said she is also working with non-legislative fixes to the problems that include fishermen needing temporary work visas, with wage protections, safe workplaces and contract enforcement, similar to those provided to other foreigners employed here.

The visas that Hirono proposes would allow fishermen to go ashore in Honolulu and travel to and from Honolulu International Airport, solving the problem of the fishermen being picked up by boats in foreign harbors to carry them here. Fishermen need U. S. permission to fly to this state to work for the longline fishing fleet based in Hawai`i, she said.

An Associated Press investigation recently reported that among many examples of poor working conditions, is the fact that some foreign fishermen were confined to vessels for years. A federal loophole allows them to work on the longline fishing boats, exempting the business owners from common labor law and migrant worker protections.
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Ka`u Learning Academy held its Fall Fundraiser in October with a Mystery Theater and dinner at the campus.
Photo form Ka`u Learning Academy

KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY'S fall fundraiser was held in late October featuring a mystery theatre directed by teacher Catherine Williams. The tuition free, public charter school is planning to expand to additional grades. It currently teaches grades three, four, five, six and seven. It is located in the former Discovery Harbour Clubhouse. According to its website, sponsors include Chamberlin Family Foundation, American Savings Bank, Olson Trust and CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union. Founding Executive Director is Kathryn Tydlacka, who has a Masters Degree in Education Administration and an undergraduate degree in Elementary and Secondary Education. See more at www.kauclearning.com

HALLOWEEN DRAWS CHILDREN this evening to walking through neighborhoods and the Hawai`i Police Department promises extra patrols and DUI checks throughout Ka`u. HPD asks that drivers let off children only from the street side of vehicles and be particularly cautious of pedestrians tonight.

OBSERVE AND PARTICIPATE IN COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2 through videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building on Hwy 11. See http://www.hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING are available through this Friday at Pahala Community Center, the only Ka`u polling place before General Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 8. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.

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More radio for Volcano and Ka`u shown in this computer generated signal map for KAHU and KANO, HPR1 at 89.1 and HPR 2
at 91.3, transmitting from Kulani Cone, marked by the triangle. Dark red is very strong, softer red is strong, and gray is better
in a car radio. Hawai`i Public Radio turned on the transmitters last Wednesday and plans to further its reach into Ka`u with
additional repeaters in Pahala and near South Point Road. Map from HPR engineer Don Mussell

TWO NEW HAWAI’I PUBLIC RADIO 89.1 and 91.3 frequencies, transmitted from Kulani Cone north of Volcano, provide expanded reception into Ka`u. HPR1 coverage extends farther into Ka`u and, for the first time, Ka`u receives station HPR2. The improved areas in Ka`u are down South Point Road and to Na`alehu School. HPR’s plan is to reach farther into Ka`u to include Ocean View. HPR will apply to the FCC for permission to build additional repeaters, according to HPR engineer Don Mussell.

View from Kulani Cone tower, which transmits HPR1 and HPR2.
Photo by Don Mussell

Mussell told The Ka`u Calendar newspaper yesterday that two repeaters, one for HPR1 and one for HPR2, will be purchased for Pahala. Another two repeaters will be placed on a tower just off South Point Road to expand coverage to Ocean View. These, plus the signals from Kulani will cover the half of Ka`u that remains unable to receive HPR1 And HPR2, he said.

Tower climber attaching equipment
at Kulani Cone. Photo by Don Mussell

Mussell explained how radio reaches Ka`u. HPR picks up the Maui signals from Haleakala via microwave at 8,000 feet on Mauna Loa, sends them to Hala`i Hill in Hilo and back up Mauna Loa to Kulani Cone.
HPR turned on its new transmitters at Kulani last Wednesday and found that Pahala wasn’t as strong as it could be, while South Point Road area reception improved significantly. As expected, the signals from Kulani could not reach Ocean View, parts of Na`alehu and Waiohinu. In the near future, to improve reception in Ka`u, the signals will be sent from Kulani by microwave to a place in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and then by microwave to Pahala and separately to a tower along South Point Road where they will be rebroadcast at the 89.1 and 91.3 frequencies. HPR will apply for all permissions and permits, Mussell said.
Where transmission is improved in Ka`u, Mussell also explained, reception for HPR1 and HPR 2 is good in most vehicles, which have antennas. However, home and business reception may require external antennas for the best sound.
HPR purchased the KAHU community radio license and promised to work on complete coverage in Ka`u, particularly since KAHU was partially funded with money from state and county Civil Defense to provide the remote neighborhoods with emergency broadcasting. “You can think of it as a work in progress,” said the HPR engineer.
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Mayor Billy Kenoi on General Election eve 2012 at Mo`oheau
Bandstand in Hilo, just before winning his second term, the limit
for Hawai'i County mayor. Photo by Julia Neal

A JURY FOUND MAYOR BILLY KENOI NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES TODAY, regarding his use of his county credit card. Closing arguments yesterday, according to reports in West Hawai`i Today, included the prosecution stating that he misused the county card for entertainment, including alcohol. The defense argued that the county allows spending on alcohol for county purposes.
Some expenses were connected to such meetings as entertainment at Volcano House for the CEO of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and entertaining Hawai`i's congressional delegation. Others were further removed, such as entertaining relatives of those with whom the county was doing business. The prosecution also pointed out that the mayor used the card for personal expenses, such as his nephew's wedding hotel stay, and paid back the county after the Hawai`i Tribune Herald questioned his county credit card expenditures.
The defense argued that the mayor went beyond what was necessary by reimbursing expenses allowed by the county in addition to those that were personal. The prosecution pointed to expenses reimbursed only after the newspaper stories by reporter Nancy Cook Lauer brought attention to his spending.
The twice-elected Kenoi faced two counts of felony theft. If found guilty, the felonies would have led to his disbarment and would have made it impossible for him to return to law practice after leaving office in December. Term limits prevented him from running again this year and the new mayor will be former Mayor Harry Kim, who hired Kenoi years ago to work for the county. Kenoi also faced and was found innocent of two counts of third-degree theft and one count of false swearing, all in connection with the use of the county credit card.
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Roques de los Muchachos observatory campus in the Canary Islands in Spain is second choice for the TMT. Photo by Skatebiker

CANARY ISLANDS COULD REPLACE HAWAI`I ISLAND as the site of the new Thirty Meter Telescope. TMT International Observatory Board of Governors last week chose La Palama island's Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos as a backup for the $1.4 billion project and said this week they plan to apply to Spain for permitting. Board chair Harry Yang said in a statement that Hawai`i Island's Mauna Kea, remains the preferred site. Its high elevation, 13,802 feet, with clear skies and distance from brightly lit human population centers on the planet make it one of the best observatory sites worldwide. However, Native Hawaiian groups have protested the construction of the huge telescope, contending it would desecrate sacred ground. Protests have delayed construction on the ground and in court.
Other possible backup locations are in Chile , India, China and Mexico. La Palma, a volcanic island, is the most northwesternly Canary Island, located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of northwest Africa. Its highest point is 7,874 feet. Like Hawai`i Island, Palama has its own Great Crack and its observatories are sometimes blanketed in snow.
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LIVE VIEWING OF COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS today, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2 is available through videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building on Hwy 11. Citizens can give testimony from the Na`alehu location. For timing and agendas, See http://www.hawaiicounty.govfor agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS OF VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING take place in Ka`u through this Friday at Pahala Community Center. General Election Day is next Tuesday, Nov. 8. Hours for early voting are daily through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.

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FALL CRAFTS FOR KEIKI in grades K-8 takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Pahala Community Center from 3:30 p .m. to 5 p.m. To register, call 928-3102.

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

Kaunāmano coastal lands extend south from Honu`apo Lookout and include ancient Hawaiian fishing sites and
the Ala Kahakai Trail. Photo from Trust for Public Land

MONEY TOWARD ACQUIRING 1,363 ACRES at Kaunāmano, adjacent to Honuʻapo Lookout, may become available through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund, created by Congress in 1964, provides money to federal, state and local governments to purchase land, water and wetlands. It receives much of its money through royalty payments from offshore oil and gas revenues to mitigate the environmental impacts of those activities. Kaunāmano is part of an ahupuaʻa known to be an important watershed in Kaʻū, and for its native Hawaiian historical and cultural significance.

Kuahiwi Ranch runs cattle in the mauka portions of Kaunāmano and
supports protection of the coastline. Photo from Hawai`i Pacific Brokers

The funding for Kaunāmano would go to the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, a unit of the National Park Service with its own superintendent, Aric Arakaki, and chief archaeologist Rick Gmirkin. They manage the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail that crosses through Kaunāmano.
The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Association, which advises the Ala Kahakai Trail staff and supports acquisition of Kaunāmano, held a retreat at Pahala Plantation House this summer and studied the land. They talked about the possible funding through the federal oil and gas income. With assistance from the non-profit Trust for Public Land, an application for Kaunāmano was sent to the federal government for funding as early as 2017.
If successful, the purchase in Kaʻū would become the second acquisition of land for the Ala Kahakai Trail. In August, Trust for Public Land conveyed 59 acres makai of and including Ala Kahakai Trail at Kauleoli in South Kona.
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail was established in 2000, running 175 miles from the east side of the island from a point near Wahaʻula Heiau within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, around Ka Lae, South Point, and up the west side to Upolu Point, at the north end of the island. The corridor and trail network is “of historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and over 200 ahupuaʻa,” says the Ala Kahakai Trail website at nps.gov/alka/index.htm.

Four miles of Ala Kahakai Trail skirt the Kaunāmano coast.

Photo from Lands of America

Trust for Public Land also helped the community to purchase for preservation a thousand acres on the Kaʻū Coast at Honuʻapo, Kawa and toward Punaluʻu.
At TPL, Laura Kaʻakua is the Native Lands Project Manager working on Kaunāmano. Partners include the Ala Kahakai Trail staff, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, the Keanu ʻOhana, Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo and Michelle Galimba and Kuahiwi Ranch, who run cattle on the mauka lands and support the aquisition.
Keoni Fox, a member of the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, and representative of the Keanu ʻOhana, said the family is committed to the vision to preserve the Kaʻū coastline, including Kaunāmano. “This is a very realistic goal as there have been many successful efforts in preserving the coastal lands here in Kaʻū, and there are only a handful of privately held properties remaining, which are under threat of development. Kaʻū is one of the few places in Hawaiʻi that remains unspoiled by urban sprawl. We have the unique opportunity to protect our lands,” said Fox.

Kaunāmano is in red stretches south from
Honu`apo Bay

The TPL website says the purpose of the acquisition is to “protect Kaunāmano as a living legacy of the storied district of Kaʻū.” At www.tpl.org/our-work/kaunamano, TPL describes the land:
“Kaunāmano means ‘multitudes are placed here,’ reflecting the thriving Hawaiian fishing community that once lived and trained in lua (a traditional Hawaiian martial art) on the southeastern coast of Hawaiʻi Island. These 1,363-acres of Kaʻū shoreline and pasture include four miles of the ancient Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, and traditional trails leading to the hundreds of ancient Hawaiian cultural sites throughout the property. Kaunāmano boasts more than 400 ancient Hawaiian cultural sites with over 3,900 features, including Paʻula Fishing Village, Puhiʻula Cave, heiau (place of worship), burial sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs.
“Preserving the land will honor the stately, resilient people who once lived at Kaunāmano and whose descendants continue to make Ka‘ū their home,” writes TPL.
Several attempts have been made to raise money to preserve Kaunāmano. E.W. Moody, who owns the land, has taken it off the market in the past to give the community a chance to raise the funds to buy it. The county put the property on an acquisition list, but later gave higher priority to acquiring 3,000 acres along the coast at Ocean View.
In 2015, Alexandra Kelepolo, of Hawaiʻi County Finance Department’s Property Management Division, said she sent a letter to Charlie Anderson, who represents the Kaunāmano owner, saying the county is no longer pursuing its purchase. She said, however, that the property remains on the county’s acquisition list and could be purchased in the future either in its entirety, or a portion of it.

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund volunteers helped clean the shoreline

at Kaunāmano in 2015. Photo from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund

The 1,363 acres went back on the market for $11.5 million. Anderson said he was hopeful that the community could still make the purchase. A real estate listing for Kaunāmano describes the land: “Located between Whittington Beach Park and Naʻalehu Village, the Kaunāmano Ranch offers approximately four miles of ocean frontage including a small rocky beach. Incredible ocean sunrise and coastal views all the way to Volcano National Park. Property currently provides excellent pasture for livestock. The ranch consists of nine separate Lots of Record, has subdivision potential and County Water commitments.”

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUB on the Big Island will
be gifted a Smart electric car from Hawaiian
Electric Industries Charitable Foundation. HEI is the parent company of Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co. Pahala Community Center is one of the Boys & Girls Club campuses on this island, serving many Kaʻū children. The car is expected to arrive this month.

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The late Yisrael Gorali and
his wife Alma

YISRAEL GORALI, 80, a longtime community volunteer in Kaʻū and former President of the Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association, died on Oct. 30 at Hilo Medical Center. Gorali was a leading member of the Kaʻū community dating from his retirement from computer company Triad Systems and moving to Ocean View in 1993. In 1996 he served as Vice President of the HRCA, and then became President in about 1999 – a position he held until a year ago, when he resigned due to ill health.
As President of the HRCA, he wrote regular newsletters, each missive having the feel of a personal letter from Gorali to his neighbors.

“Yisrael gave unselfishly of his time, energy and talent,” said HRCA Secretary Sandy Shelton. “He was on the board for over 20 years, a time of growth and change in Ocean View, especially Ranchos. He will be missed by us all.”

Yisrael Gorali was active in community associations throughout his life in

Kaʻū, including (at right) volunteering for Ka`u Hospital. Photo by Julia Neal

As a long-serving member of the Board of the Hawaiʻi Ranchos Road maintenance Corp., Gorali helped oversea the maintenance of 55 miles of private road in the subdivision. He was also a member of the Kaʻū Hospital Charitable Foundation, and worked as a volunteer at Kaʻū Hospital.

Gorali was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1935. He studied at the University of California, San Francisco, and also UC Berkeley, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. As a member of the U.S. armed forces, he served in Vietnam. He lived in Israel for ten years, learning Hebrew and fighting with the armed forces there. His interests included woodworking and research.

Gorali is survived by his wife, Alma Gorali, his two sons, Riegel Gorali of California, and John Gilbert Gorali of Oʻahu, and a granddaughter. A memorial service and burial will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 4, at West Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery.
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FARMWORKS HAWAI`I sponsors an informational meeting on Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs available to farmers on Monday, Nov. 14 at the Cooperative Extension Service office in Kainaliu, across from the Aloha Theater. With the deadlines on Friday, Nov. 18 to submit applications for several of the programs, this is an opportunity to find out how soil and water conservation programs can help with irrigation, fencing, mulching, weed control, plant protection and other improvements and practices. Easy to fill out application forms will be available at the meeting and help with filing the paperwork and developing a farm plan will also be offered. Jessica Schmeltz, NRCS District Conservationist will lead the discussion.

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VOICES: RISING FROM THE PAGE, will take place this Thursday, Nov 3, 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Big Island poets gather for an evening of poetry. $5 donations appreciated. 967-8222

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING, this Thursday, Nov. 3 at Ocean View Community Center, 7 p.m. Call 939-2442 or 928-2015.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5.

Election Day Nov. 8 General Election, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu.

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See the sample ballot here:

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The classic Moʻoheau Bandstand in Hilo (above), where U.S, Rep, Tulsi Gabbard campaigned during a past election season.
See below for her message on voting. Photo by Julia Neal

KAʻŪ BOOSTERS LAURENCE J. CAPELLAS AND ROBERT HERKES are being honored with the placing of Capellas’ name on the Pahala Ballfield, and Herkes’ name on the Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter. The recognition was established by Bill 251, passed by the County Council yesterday. Many Kaʻū High School alumni lobbied the county and state to recognize the two citizens who did much to support athletics, education and good health in Kaʻū.
Capellas, who served as a coach and principal at Kaʻū High, was famouse for starting up the football program, organizing the building of the Pahala swimming pool and inspiring students to seek higher education.

Rep. Robert Herkes and Laurence Capellas are honored with their
names chosen for the new Ka`u District Gym & Shelter
and Pahala Ballpark. Photo by Ron Johnson

The late Bob Herkes was a member of the state House of Representatives, representing Kaʻū. He fought for the funding to build the new gym as a regional disaster shelter. He helped save the Pahala Library and assisted in securing mobile medical services for the region, including a medical van and staff that provided free physicals for athletes.
A statement this morning from Kaʻū High alumni leaders who lobbied to honor Capellas said, “For us, it was long time coming and we are very satisfied. Mr. Capellas finally receives a special place of honor in Kaʻū. He made a huge impact in our community and left a legacy for generations to come. The Pahala Ballfield with his name and the display case at the entrance of the district gym containing his portrait, list of Kaʻū accomplishments and a County proclamation citing his outstanding public service record will serve as a reminder of his contributions to the people of Hawaiʻi.”
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URGING EVERYONE TO VOTE, KAʻŪ’S REPRESENTATIVE IN THE U.S. CONGRESS sent out a message yesterday. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a progressive Democrat, wrote: “We are all connected in an incredible chain of cause and effect in this great web of life. Our votes as progressives in this election can affect the lives of millions of people in this country.
“If we fail to turnout and vote on Tuesday, it will mean virtually no progress on many of the issues we care about–like reining in greed on Wall Street, breaking up the big banks, advancing common-sense gun safety reforms, protecting our environment from disastrous and unsafe pipelines, and stopping bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
She acknowledged that, “This has been a bitter and contentious election across this country–there‘s no sense in denying that. But we must choose to focus on what we believe in as progressives, not what we oppose or are offended by. We must stand up for our values. That means a vision of this country where the ultra rich can’t game our political and economic systems for their own benefit.

Mo`oheau Bandstand has been the election eve Grand Rally site for more than
60 years. On Monday, the rally moves to Auntie Sally's Lu`au Hale.
Photo by Julia Neal

“It means protecting our civil liberties and reining in the NSA’s mass collection of Americans’ data. An agenda that advances criminal justice reform to end needless mass incarceration, raising the minimum wage so working people don‘t have to decide between putting food on the table or paying their rent, and fighting so that our friends in the LGBT community have the same rights and freedoms to live as the rest of us.
“It’s about net neutrality, equal pay for equal work, protecting our environment, and ending the counterproductive, regime-change war in Syria which has caused tremendous suffering, devastation, and which has strengthened groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
“There is not one part of our agenda that can become a reality if we fail to vote on Tuesday. So I urge you: no regrets–that’s what we should wake up on November 9th and say, both individually, and as a movement of progressives,” the Congresswoman concluded.
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THE GRAND RALLY FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY has been changed from Mo‘oheau Bandstand on the Hilo waterfront to Auntie Sally‘s Luʻau Hale at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6. Moving from the Bandstand breaks a more-than 60-year tradition of candidates in the Democratic Party from all over the state hosting their election eve rally there.

Aedes aegypti is one of two mosquitoes that
can transmit dengue fever and Zika.
Photo from state Department of Health

ENCOURAGING DISPOSAL OF TIRES, which collect standing water where mosquitoes breed, is one tactic taken by the Fight the Bite campaign, which is off to a head start this Fall to protect residents against dengue fever, and the possibility of the introduction of Zika fever onto the island.
This year’s wet season probabilities favor near to above average rainfall through next Spring, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recently reported. The county Civil Defense announced Wednesday that, “Because rainwater can collect in spare tires and create mosquito breeding environments, the County of Hawaiʻi is encouraging tire clean up in our communities.”
In Kaʻū, the county Department of Environmental Management has decided to accept tires through November at Wai‘ōhinu Transfer Station, open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and other full-service transfer stations around the island that are open seven days a week. Hawaiʻi Island households may bring in up to four passenger vehicle, motorcycle or ATV tires per vehicle per day. Tires should be empty of any liquids, dirt or any other foreign material before bringing them in for disposal.

Tires are standing-water breeding containers for mosquitoes. The
county is accepting them at no charge at Wai`ohinu Transfer
Station through November.

Tires are breeding containers for mosquitoes. The county is accepting them at no charge in Waiʻohinu through November.
Anyone bringing in tires should locate the Solid Waste Facility Attendant wearing a fluorescent safety vest. The attendant will provide guidance for properly placing the tires.
Tires dropped off before or after normal operating hours will be considered illegal dumping. Tires from businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms; including industrial tires for such large machines as backhoes, tractors and forklift are not accepted. Businesses, commercial haulers, non-profits or farms can contact Hawai‘i County Civil Defense program is in addition to mosquito control efforts by the recently-staffed County Vector Control team that sprays and conducts surveys at county facilities.
For directions to locations accepting tires, see Map and Directions to County of Hawaii Solid Waste FacilitiesThe Fight the Bite Temporary Residential Tire Amnesty Collection Program may be extended if conditions warrant. For more information on ways to Fight the Bite, see the state Department of Health information website: fightthebitehawaii.com
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BANNING SUNSCREENS WITH REEF-BLEACHING CHEMICALS and educating the public about them is the aim of a County Council resolution that passed Wednesday and goes up to the 2017 Hawaiʻi Legislature to support a proposed law.
Kaʻū’s concilwoman Maile David voted for Resolution 672, which supports the efforts of state Sen. Will Espero of Oʻahu to ban the sunscreen chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. The two chemicals are named in numerous scientific papers, linking them to bleaching and death of coral reefs, along with global warming of the oceans. The sunscreen chemicals wash off into the ocean from the bodies of people According to research by National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists, the chemicals are also found in some fragrances, soaps and cosmetics. In some places around the planet they are dumped, along with other sewage, directly into the ocean.

Sunscreen ingredients are believed to be one of the causes of
coral bleaching and coral death. Photo from NOAA

C.A. Downs, lead author of the NOAA study, suggests a range of options to reduce impact on reefs: “…from working with manufacturers and innovating more environmentally sustainable products to educating consumers regarding product selection and product disposal.”
West Hawaiʻi Today newspaper reported this morning that Espero, the author of the Hawaiʻi legislation, said banning the chemicals in the sunscreens “will automatically provide a huge reduction in use in Hawaiʻi. This will help the coral and other marine life.”
Reporter Nancy Cook Lauer wrote that “Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille, sponsor of the resolution, noted that more than 50 percent of coral off the West Hawaiʻi coastline had bleached and possibly died this summer. While the warming ocean was likely the cause, oxybenzone has been shown to cause coral to bleach at lower temperatures.”
Council members Dennis Fresh Onishi and Greggor IIagan were hesitant to support the measure. Cook Lauer reported that Onishi “pointed to the problem of urine in the water when swimmers let loose.” She also quoted IIagan: “There’s a lot of things happening in our oceans just because we exist as humans.” Read more at westhawaiitoday.com.

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EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED, continues in Ka‘ū until Friday, Nov. 4 at Pāhala Community Center. Hours through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote the same day at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5 and Waimea Community Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, through Nov. 5.
Election Day voting locations on Tusday, Nov. 8 are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu.

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See the sample ballot here:

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See this month's print version at www.kaucalendar.com

David Okita pilots one of his Volcano Helicopters over eruption at Kilauea. Helicopter transport is the only way HVO scientists and
technicians can install and maintain many monitoring instruments on the Island of Hawaiʻi, conduct field experiments or map new
volcanic deposits ininaccessible areas, and make direct observations of eruptions. Pilots that fly the helicopters and mechanics
that maintain them to thehighest standards are crucial in performing work safely and to report reliably on the status and
eruptions of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes See story below. USGS Photo

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY IN KA`U FOR EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED. Voting is available until noon and again from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

Ka‘ū and Volcano residents can also register and vote today and tomorrow at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and through noon tomorrow.
Election Day voting locations on Tuesday, Nov. 8 are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Mamalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See the ballots below.

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New bypass extends Ali`i Drive all the way to Napo`opo`o.
Photo from County of Hawai`i

BEGINNING TODAY, KAʻŪ MOTORISTS can travel north on a makai, scenic route, a 7.5- mile bypass road all the way from Napoʻopʻo to Keauhou. The new 2.2 mile segment cost $28 million. It begins at the intersection of Hwy 11 and Nāpoʻopoʻo Road. It hooks up to the bypass at the bottom of Halekiʻi Street below Kealakekua’s Kona Scenic Subdivision that runs approximately 3.5 miles to Aliʻi Drive in Keauhou. The entire bypass is now called Ali`i Drive.
Many Kaʻū residents work and shop in Kona and commute daily along Māmalahoa, Hwy 11. The two-lane bypass gives motorists an alternate, uncrowded and scenic coastal route.

Ground breaking for the southern segment
of the new bypass.
Photo from Big Island Video News

This bypass was originally envisioned in 1960, and dubbed the Māmalahoa Relief Highway and incorporated into a document known as A Plan For Kona.
The state began planning for the road in 1979 to relieve traffic resulting from commuters driving to Kailua-Kona from residential areas in Kainaliu and further south. In 1999 an Environmental Impact Statement for the Māmalahoa Highway Bypass was completed.
The County proposed a number of improvements in 2008 prior to opening the northern segment of the bypass. These improvements allowed residents to use the northern stretch before the southern segment was completed. In March 2009 the northern segment opened for afternoon rush-hour traffic, and in June of 2010, it opened 12 hours a day, all week.
Beginning in January 2013 the bypass opened for traffic 24 hours a day.
In July 2014, public officials broke ground for the 2.2 mile southern segment of the bypass that opens today.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

A satellite GPS station transported by helicopter.
USGS photo

A MOST DANGEROUS AND IMPORTANT WORK is covered in this week’s Volcano Watch, written by scientists of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: “Ask almost any volcanologist and field technician what they consider to be the most important and yet potentially dangerous aspect of their work on active volcanoes and they will probably say, ‘Flying in a helicopter to remote areas to make observations or install and maintain monitoring instruments and radio systems.’

The scientists ask readers to “Consider what it takes to land in the middle of a jagged lava flow or near the edge of a deep crater to service the monitoring network many dozens of times in a year. Or, landing at more than 30 sites on many different lava flows at least twice in the span of a week to complete an annual GPS survey to determine the way in which a volcano deforms from year to year.”

The USGS scientists point out that “Lava flows are highly irregular with surface relief measured in meters (yards), and almost never level even over the narrow width of a small helicopter's skids. A pilot has to pick a landing spot to place the skids so they're level side-to-side and front-to-back, and with plenty of room between the tail rotor and ground. On any single flight day, the pilot might have to repeat this maneuver a few dozen times.

On land and in the air scientists take risks to study volcanoes.
USGS photo

“One of the most challenging environments for a small helicopter‘s capability and a pilot's skill is flying at high elevation (considered above 2,440 m or 8,000 ft above sea level). The helicopter's rapidly turning rotors create lift to keep the aircraft aloft, but lift efficiency is strongly affected by air density. At high elevations, lower air density decreases lift, reducing maneuverability and the payload that a helicopter can carry.
“The top of Mauna Loa Volcano is at 4,170 m (13,680 ft) above sea level. Since the 1984 eruption, we have installed dozens of instruments and radio hubs at high elevation, many of which have solar power and radio systems that need regular maintenance and upgrades. Just a few months ago, HVO installed new web cams on the volcano’s Southwest Rift Zone and south rim of the summit caldera as high as 4,046 m (13,275 ft).

“These and many other monitoring stations on Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Mauna Kea volcanoes were installed, and subsequently maintained, with helicopter support. The skill and keen observational ability of pilots, and the resolve of mechanics working behind the scenes to maintain the helicopters, make it possible for us to work at remote sites again and again, and return home safely at the end of the day, every day.

USGS scientists reach remote heights of Mauna Loa
by helicopter to document volcanic activity. USGS photo

“Pilot skill is also critical to position the helicopter at just the right distance from and height above an active lava flow so that we can take a series of photographs (hundreds!) and thermal video that allow us to create accurate maps of the flow that we routinely share with Civil Defense, post on the HVO Web site, and use for research. You can find recent examples of these on our web site: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maps/
“A helicopter flight may appear as routine as driving to the grocery store, but thinking so invites misfortune. The professionalism shown by pilots and mechanics and their commitment to safe flight–witnessed every time we board their aircraft–means that we can perform our mission with confidence.
The scientists offer a “Mahalo nui loa to current and past companies, most of all to their pilots and mechanics, who, over the years, have made it possible to build and sustain one of the best volcano-monitoring networks in the world here on the Island of Hawai‘i.” To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Runners traveling to Bhutan will visit and
stay in remote locations.

VOLCANO RUNS DIRECTOR Sharron Faff, who lives in Volcano and also owns the Kona Marathon, is leading a group of runners to the Himalayas for the Bhutan International Marathon and Half Marathon. The running retreat and marathon is scheduled for March 1-7, 2017 in the Kingdom of Bhutan, often called the Land of Happiness. Faff describes the adventure as a “lifetime chance to run above the clouds in the world’s happiest country.” The event features meeting a diverse group of Bhutanese officials and spiritual leaders, and international runners, guest speakers and coaches. See more at https://sistermarathons.org/destination-marathon/bhutan-international-marathon.

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FIRST FRIDAY FLOWERS offers flower arranging techniques today from Kaipo Ah Chong, from 2 p.m. to 4 p..m. at Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. $45. Call 967-8222.

EXPORE MAUNA LOA SOUTHWEST RIFT ZONE on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, 10:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m.. Hike Upper Palm Trail to an overlook and learn the geology and history from park rangers. Pack a lunch. Free. Entrance off mauka side of Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View.

HERE ARE THE BALLOTS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION:

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Humpback whales are back to give birth and raise calves for the winter. Photo by Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures
Photo from NOAA

HUMPBACK WHALE SEASON is here. Members of the Northern Pacific stock of humpback whales have already been seen off Hawai`i Island, as early as late October. The humpbacks winter in southern waters from western Mexico to Hawai`i and southern Japan islands. They give birth and raise their calves until they leave in Spring, swimming to northern waters to feed all Summer. According to a Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary statement: "Scientists estimate that approximately 12,000 humpback whales migrate from their high-latitude feeding grounds off Alaska to breed, calve and nurse their young each year in Hawai`i’s warm waters. While some have already begun to arrive, the majority will be here between January and March – the peak of the whale season."

Humpback whales are headed here and to Japan and Mexico to winter.
Image from NOAA

The Sanctuary reports that the humpbacks "have increased in numbers since the days they were hunted. While Hawai`i’s iconic humpback whales are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act, threats and concerns still exist and protections are still afforded by different state and federal agencies, including Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary."
Staff at the Sanctuary warn that "Collisions between whales and vessels occur annually and these events present serious risks to boaters as well as the whales. Whale calves are vulnerable to vessel strikes because they are difficult to see as they rest just under the surface. Young whales also must surface more frequently."
Ocean users are required to keep a safe distance and refrain from approaching humpback whales within 100 yards by any means – in a vessel, on a surf board or swimming. While these annual visitors attract wildlife enthusiasts, they also pose safety hazards to ocean users "when these 45-ton marine mammals surface, breach or slap their massive tails or flippers."
Entanglement is another major threat to humpback whales, cautions the Marine Sanctuary, which receives dozens of reports of whales entangled in gear each whale season. "While large whales are not in immediate risk of drowning, entanglement may result in starvation, physical trauma, infections, and may contribute to ship strikes since the animals are less mobile."

Humpback whales are identified by markings on their tails.
Photo from NOAA

Hawaiian Islands Large Whale Entanglement Response Network formed in 2002 to support response efforts and to learn more about sources and impacts of entanglements to humpback whales and other marine animals. The network partners with state and federal agencies, including the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, private non-governmental organizations, fishermen, researchers, and other individuals.

While public help is appreciated, "People who haven't been authorized should not try to help an entangled or otherwise injured whales," warns sanctuary staff. Instead, maintain the required safe distance and call the NOAA Marine Mammal Hotline at 1-888-256-9840, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately. "Ocean users can play an important role, by reporting and providing information and images of the animal and threat. Prompt reporting is the best way to help a distressed humpback whale."
If reporting a suspected approach violation, call NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964. Additional guidelines and safety tips can be found at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

A person of Native Hawaiian heritage and knowledge sought to become
an advisor to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine
Sanctuary. Photo by Nicklin/Minden Pictures
Photo from NOAA

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY seeks to fill a primary seat on its advisory council with a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry and knowledge of the Kohola. The sanctuary is also accepting applications for a Maui County alternate and Molokaʻi Island primary and alternate. The council ensures public participation in sanctuary matters and provides advice to sanctuary management.

“The members of our advisory council represent an extremely important element of our community,” said Malia Chow, sanctuary superintendent. “Their input, experience and expertise assist sanctuary managers in making informed and timely decisions on how best to protect and conserve our important cultural and natural resources.”

Candidates are selected based on expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding protection and management of marine resources. Applicants chosen as primaries or alternates expect to serve a two-year term.

Applications are due by Wednesday, Nov. 30. To receive an application kit or for further information, contact Kate Spidalieri via email at Kate.Spidalieri@noaa.gov; by phone at (240) 533-0679; or visit the sanctuary website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html

Completed applications should be submitted to: NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/HIHWNMS/Kate Spidalieri, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship. See facebook.

EARLY VOTING, EVEN FOR THOSE STILL NOT REGISTERED is pau in Kaʻū but still available only today, Saturday, at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai‘i Civic Center Community Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through noon tomorrow.

Election Day voting locations this coming Tuesday, Nov. 8, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below

HAM RADIO OPERATORS POTLUCK picnic is this Sunday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. at Manuka Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate ham radio and their families are invited. Call Dennis Smith, 989-3028.

PUʻU O LOKUANA hike this Sunday, Nov. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free. Entrance mauka off Hwy 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View. See nps.gov/havo.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM FROM U.H. HILO will provide a volleyball clinic at the new Kaʻū Gym on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 p.m. to 7 p..m. The volleyball workshop is open to men and women and boys and girls of all ages. With no fee for participants, it is sponsored by the county Department of Parks and Recreation and Hawaiʻi Police Activities League and Kaʻū community policing officers. Marley Strand-Nicolaisen is a Kaʻū High alumni and Trojan volleyball champion who is a member of the Vulcan team, expected to assist with the workshop. For more information, call Nona Makuakane, Pahala Recreation Director at 854-7316 or officer Blaine Morishita at 936-7192.

Here are the General Election Ballots, with registration and early voting at places outside Ka`u and for General Election Day on Tuesday. See locations above.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM

See www.kaucalendar.com

See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html.

Kaʻū High students will go to the state Capitol in December for Youth and Government, which provides experience in
writing legislation, debating, taking positions of state Senators and House of Representatives members and joining
the press corps. Above is the delegation form Kaʻū last year, when the Trojans were the first Neighbor Island school
representatives to attend in five years. See story below. Photo from Rowlie John Flores

EARLY VOTING ISLANDWIDE IS PAU and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law is this Tuesday, Nov. 8, a holiday in Hawaiʻi.

Nearby Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: are: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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Rowlie John Flores represents Kaʻū High at
the Youth and Government Conference
at the Capitol. Photo by J-R Abalos

YOUTH & GOVERNMENT AT THE HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE: The annual program will welcome Kaʻū High School students to the state Capitol on O`ahu in December. Last school year, the Trojan team represented the first Neighbor Islands school to participate in five years. Ka`u High Junior Rowlie John Flores submitted a story to The Ka`u Calendar and explained:
Youth and Government allows students to speak freely and openly on political and debate topics that some would not dare put their noses under. The YMCA of Honolulu program has been around for nearly 66 years, longer than Hawaiʻi has been a state.
Some 100 students each year from grades 6-12 learn how to be more involved in the democratic practices of the state government. The students experience taking the place of real government officials.
In preparation for the legislative conference, students first research topics in class that range from abortion to euthanasia, composing bills in advance they later debate to determine whether that specific bill is something Hawaiʻi needs for the betterment of its people.
Before the 65th legislative conference held in January, the Youth and Government program in Hawaiʻi did not receive any Neighbor Island delegations for years. However, thanks to Kaʻū High teacher Kevin Sun, the school sent the first delegation in five years from outside Oʻahu. Kaʻū High sent 11 student delegates: ten took part in the state House and state Senate, and one participated in the Press Corps.
Kaʻū experienced a good first-year. Out of seven bills proposed by Kaʻū students–ranging from gun control to the distribution of contraceptives in public schools–two were passed.

Chloe Gan, a senior at Kaʻū High, inpired by Youth and Government, attended the Conference on National Affairs at the
Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina this Summer after attending youth and Government at the Hawaiʻi Capitol.
Photo from YMCA

Kaʻū High alumni Kaiminani Rapoza wrote the first bill passed, proposed legislation focused on ending rape culture by requiring that students attend a class that teaches the negative effects of rape culture.
The second bill passed was written by current Kaʻū High junior, Rowlie John Flores. The bill proposed an increase in the state’s minimum wage by amending the current minimum wage law. Flores also claimed one of the two awards Kaʻū High received by being named the Rookie Legislator Award for the Senate.
Aislinn Carroll, a former Kaʻū delegate, was given a Rookie Legislator Award for the House of Representatives. Aislinn is now a member of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s delegation.

Chloe Gan is the first Kaʻū High student
to attend the Conference on National Affairs.
Photo by J-R Abalos

Kaʻū students inspired by the Youth and Government program are now attending similar conferences outside Hawaiʻi. This summer Chloe Gan, a current Kaʻū High senior, joined six other Hawaiʻi students at the Conference on National Affairs held at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina. Gan is the first Kaʻū High student to represent the school at the national level. At Blue Ridge students discussed and debated national and international issues. Gan proposed a four-day school week.
With the successes of Kaʻū High during its first year in the Youth and Government program, Kaʻū students are working hard to continue to represent the school and Hawai‘i Island. The students are hard at work composing drafts of their bills, and learning how to properly debate and present their bills. Experienced members are helping new members draft bills and finding sources to support their bills.
Kaʻū High plans to represent the community well this December, whether it is to claim more awards, pass more bills, or simply display the aloha and true spirit of the Kaʻū community at the State Capitol.
The students are selling shave ice to raise money for this year'r trip and have seed funding form O Ka`u Kakou.

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The 1011 Japan Tsunami reached this Okoa Bay house
in South Kona. Photo by Kaiali`i Kahele

WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY was observed for the first time ever, yesterday, Nov. 5 with arrival of a Japanese government delegation to the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Command Center and the Hilo Airport Incident Command Center. Jointly proposed by 142 nations including the U.S. and Japan, the United Nations General Assembly voted in December 2015 to designate Nov. 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all nations and communities to observe the day to raise tsunami awareness and share approaches to risk reduction. The visit by the Japan delegation followed their participation in an evacuation drill in Valparaiso, Chile, involving 100,000 people. In Hilo, the group toured the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
Ryota Takeda, Secretary General for the House of Representatives, Japan Diet, led the visiting delegation. “We human beings cannot escape from natural disasters, but we can minimize the damage. Preparedness makes a big difference in the outcome of a disaster,” Takeda said. “I trust that our cooperation and collaboration with Hawaiʻi will boost preparedness in years to come.” He also noted that a million people worldwide participated in inaugural World Tsunami Day programs.
Takeda was accompanied by Takeshi Ogino, a deputy director in the Japan Ministry of Defense, Kimihito Aguin, also of the Ministry of Defense, and Satomi Okagaki, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were joined in Hilo by Yasushi Misawa, Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, and Rumi Ariyoshi of the Consul General’s office.

World Tsunami Awareness Day participatnts (clockwise from top left):

Marlene Murray, Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohawa,

Secretary General Ryota Takeda, Ed Teixeira, Ilihia Gionson, Tiffinie Smith,

Rumi Ariyoshi, Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Satomi Okaga

and Honorary Consul General of Hilo Art Taniguchi.

The Japan delegation was hosted by Hawaiʻi County Managing Director Randy Kurohara, Civil Defense Director Ed Teixeira, Hawaiʻi Island District Airports Manager Chauncey Wong Yuen, members of Hawaiʻi County’s emergency management team, and Marlene Murray, Director of the Pacific Tsunami Museum.
One briefing covered the annual tsunami evacuation drill conducted by schools in Keaukaha,and the the Nov. 1 statewide test of the emergency warning system. Another covered tsunami evacuation drills in Japan and Chile. The group participated in a communications exercise with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and amateur HAM radio operators.
The Hawaiʻi County Managing Director said, “We hope that all we have been through will go far in making our community stronger and more prepared for disasters.” Kurohara referenced the multitude of natural disasters challenging the Hawaiʻi Island community in recent years, including tsunami threats like the one generated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan that caused damage in West Hawaiʻi, multiple hurricane warnings, wildfires, flooding, the dengue outbreak, Tropical Storm Iselle, and the Puna Lava Flow.

The debut World Tsunami Awareness Day also focused on education. Exchange students from Hawaiʻi Island will go to Japan to participate in a disaster risk reduction summit for high school students, Nov. 25-26 in Kuroshio. The summit will host 350 students from 30 countries. For more World Tsunami Awareness Day info, visit World Tsunami Awareness VideoWorld Tsunami Awareness Video. For tsunami preparedness tips, visit http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/tsunami_safety.php. Sign up for Civil Defense alerts athttps://countyofhawaii.bbcportal.com/.

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THIS IS ARBOR DAY WEEKEND and Arbor Day organizers across the country encourage people to plant trees. On this island participants, including Hawai`i Electric Light Co., Kua O Ka La Public Charter School and others are giving away one native tree per family: milo, niu, kou, kokiʻo ke‘oke‘o, kukui, koʻokoʻolau, and māmaki. Each tree comes with information on planting a tree and siting it properly to avoid safety hazards and to provide cooling shade for homes. The giveaway continues today at Makua`u Farmers; Market in Pāhoa.

HELCO, a charter school and others are giving away native trees this
weekend, wrapping up at Maku`u Farmers' Market in Pahoa today.
Photo frrom HELCO

AN UPCYCLE FASHION SHOW is drawing artists, clothes designers and models to create outfits out of found and reused things. To enter the competition: Upcycle Fashions must be made of recycled or reused materials that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled. Vintage clothes will not be accepted. Complete outfits are recommended. Upcycle Fashion creators write a detailed and entertaining description in a few sentences on what the outfit is made from and why sustainability is important to the community. Categories are for adults, businesses, teens and children. Entrants must sign up by Nov. 18. The Upcycle16 Fashion show will be at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center in Hilo on Saturday, Dec. 3. A $100 prize goes to the People’s Choice. See www.ehcc.org.
Upcycle16 Art Show opens on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. and runs Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays form 10 a.m. through Dec. 2 at East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center. Recycle Hawaiʻi will be on hand for the Tutu Hana Hou Award presentation with a display and information on Hawai`iRecycles Day, BeRecycled Pledge and Be Recycled Sweepstakes.

Ballots for the General Election this Tuesday, Nov. 8:

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Preserving historic sites and responsible stewardship of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawaiʻi are “rooted in Hawaiian traditions
that make caring for the land a cultural value,” states OHA which asks everyone to vote for its trustees on Nov. 8.
Photo from OHA

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS CANDIDATES are vying for everyone’s vote on Tuesday. Any registered voter, no mater the race or cultural background, can vote for the OHA Board of Trustee members. OHA, a state agency created at the 1978 Hawaiʻi Constitutional Convention, controls many thousands of acres entrusted for the benefit of Hawaiians. Income from real estate, investments and funding goes to grants and loans for health care, charter schools, scholarships, agriculture, economic development, historic preservation, culture, arts, environmental advocacy and many other programs. OHA’s annual budget is about $40 million and its portfolio value is about $630 million in cash, real estate and investments.

Wao Kele O Puna is a 25,856 acre forest preserve owned by OHA.
Photo from Big Island Video News

Writing in Civil Beat recently, OHA trustee Peter Apo encourages all citizens to learn about OHA and to consider voting for OHA trustees, stating they “routinely make decisions that affect everyone in Hawaiʻi.” OHA recently supported the successful expansion of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands to make it the largest marine protected conservation district on the planet. Apo noted that OHA financially supported the recent global convention of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, held in Hawaiʻi.
Regarding OHA’s land use mission, OHA’s website states: “Our focus on protecting the ‘āina is part of a larger effort to honor the past while preparing for the future. This particular emphasis for us is rooted in Hawaiian traditions that make caring for the land a cultural value. As a result, a top priority for us is to ensure that Native Hawaiians participate in and benefit from responsible stewardship of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawai’i.”
Near Kaʻu, OHA has title to the 25,856-acre Wao Kele O Puna forest makai of Volcano. It is one of the few remaining tracts of lowland rainforest in the State of Hawaiʻi, a watershed, native plant seed bank for Kīlauea Volcano, endangered species habitat and provides forest resources for native Hawaiian cultural practices.

Teaching the use of native plants for landscaping is a program
of OHA. Photo from OHA

OHA points to its advocacy for “laws that provide transparency safeguards in the sale, gift or exchange of public lands as well as ensure that at least one member of the (state) Board of Land and Natural Resources has expertise in Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.” OHA's protection of water resources includes becoming a “co-petitioner in the historic Nā Wai ʻEhā stream flow contested case, which helped to reaffirm the state’s responsibility to ensure that water benefits everyone and not just corporate interests.”
On this island, OHA is attempting to work closely with the U.S. Army at Pōhakuloa Training Area to address community concerns about “destruction of land with significant cultural site and exposure to health hazards caused by residue from depleted uranium used during military exercises.” It is also involved in the analysis and community response to the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea.
OHA pledges on its website to support sustainability by “Increasing the percent of Ka Pae ‘Āina O Hawai‘i managed to create economic value, preserve cultural and natural resources and historic properties, and/or provide cultural and social opportunities for Native Hawaiians in a sustainable and balanced manner. One OHA goal is “increasing from 12% to 15% - the percent of ahupuaʻa that are managed sustainably,” states OHA at www.oha.org
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ROBERT LINDSEY is running to keep his position as an OHA trustee. The Kamuela resident served as a trustee for 14 years and chairs the OHA board. He has also represented other organizations, sitting on the boards for Habitat for Humanity in West Hawaiʻi and West Hawaiʻi Mediation Center. In his professional life, Lindsey is retired from Kamehameha Schools, where he was the director of the Land Assets Division on Hawaiʻi Island. He also worked as a National Park Service ranger and served one term in the Hawaiʻi Legislature.
Lindsey is endorsed by United Public Workers, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Hawaiʻi Construction Alliance, Laborers International Union, and Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons.

Robert Lindsey is running to hold his seat as the OHA trustee for Hawai`i Island
Photo from bob4oha.com

Lindsey said he lives by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” He expressed other core principles and values: “I do things always with Aloha and live by the teachings of Pilahi Paki, but always with the caution of Queen Liliʻuokalani. I will always choose being kind, thoughtful and considerate of others and their views. I prefer listening to talking. I believe in ethics, transparency and accountability. I mean what I say and say what I mean.”
Lindsey is a writer, authoring three books of fiction: Latitude 20.4 N Longitude 151.71; The 5th of July, God is Aloha. His most recent work is Sonny Kaniho, A Profile in Hawaiian Courage.
Former four-time trustee Oswald Stender described Lindsey in a recent Civil Beat editorial as “commiteed to the mission of OHA, hard working, and a servant to the Hawaiian people as well as the broader Hawaiʻi community.” Stender wrote: “It is important to Bob that the community works together to resolve disagreements and come up with solutions that will help the Hawaiian people and the communities in which they live to growand prosper while finding ways to live and work together harmoniousely. As a servant leader, Bob searches out common ground for projects, programs and funding.”
Lindsey’s community positions include: Chair of Mellon-Hawaiʻi Scholars Committee; President of Kohala Ditch Foundation; Trustee of North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital; Director of Kahua Paʻa Mua; Director of Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests; Director, Kanu O Ka ‘Aina Learning Ohana, a Charter School; Lifetime Member of Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association; Founder & Director of the Kohala Center; member of Waimea Outdoor Circle; member of Waimea Hawaiian Homesteader’s Association; and member of Hawai`i Island Legislative Delegation. See more at bob4oha.com.
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MILILANI TRASK challenges Bob Lindsey for his OHA position. The Kurtistown resident is an attorney with a law degree from Santa Clara University. She graduated with a degree in political science from University of California at San Jose and she is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools.
Trask is an international expert on indigenous rights and a grassroots organizer in Hawaiʻi. Her campaign website says, “Mililani Trask is driven by the abiding conviction that in defending native peoples one should be mindful to do right by the entire community at large as well. One cannot prosper at the expense of the other.”
Concerning land use, Trask said, I think OHA is uniquely placed to ensure that we don’t just pay lip service to our Hawaiian sense of place. But we must recognize the realities of our times and be open to change to ensure that Hawaiians do not remain on the periphery, but instead have a meaningful stake in the main economy and access to all the opportunities from which they are now too often excluded. That includes being proactive and engaged in addressing the homelessness that afflicts too many Native Hawaiians.”

Mililani Trask is running for the Hawai`i Island tustee post for OHA
Photo from trask4oha.com

Trask has been appointed to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She is a founding member of the Indigenous Women’s Network, a collation of Native American Women whose work includes community-based economic development, social justice, human rights, housing and health. She has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate on Hawaiian Homelands. In recent years, she has advocated for the development of sustainable energy, working with the Maori of New Zealand and Native Hawaiians. She states that OHA should be involved in Hawaiʻi becoming independent from oil and other imported sources of energy.
Her website says that she has worked with many prominient figures in international communities on human rights, including spending six years with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.
Trask’s endorsements include Hawaiʻi Government Employee’s Union, Local 368 Laborers’ International Union, Hawaiʻi Building Construction Trades Council, Hawaiʻi Carpenters Union, Hawaiian Mason’s Union and Iron Workers Union. Personal endorsements include those form Colleen Hanabusa,who is running to go back to the U.S. Congress, Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa, Robert Uluwehi Cazimero, Brother Noland, the late Kumu Leinaʻala Kalama Heini, and more. See www.trask4oha.com.
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THE GRAND RALLY, when Democratic candidates from around the state gather in Hilo on election night eve begins at 5 p.m. at Aunty Sally’s Luʻau Hale. Everyone is invited to hear the speeches.

ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, NOV. 8, and the last chance for registered voters to make a choice for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law.

Election Day voting locations, open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. include: Cooper Center in Volcano at 19-4030 Wright Rd; Ka‘ū High School Cafeteria at 96-3150 Pikake St. - turn into the school grounds; Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria at 95-5545 Hwy 11; Ocean View Community Center at 92-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Miloli‘i Halāu. See ballots below.

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VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT MEETING will be held today, Monday, Nov. 7 at Ocean View Community Center, 4 p.m. 939-7033.

EARTHQUAKE: DID YOU FEEL THAT? is the topic on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at After Dark in the Park at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Seismic Network Manager Brian Shiro makes the presentation. Free; park fees apply.

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Ka‘ū Learning Academy fourth grade students learn about Kīlauea volcano and the lava lake within
Halema‘uma‘u Crater. NPS Photo by Janice Wei

FOURTH GRADERS ON A FIELD TRIP TO THE ERUPTING SUMMIT of Kīlauea received their free Every Kid in a Park pass yesterday from Sen. Mazie K. Hirono. The Senator, Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando, and park rangers greeted Kaʻū Learning Academy students at Kīlauea Overlook. The students traveled 41 miles from their charter school campus in Discovery Harbour to hike with the Senator along Crater Rim Trail to the observation deck at Jaggar Museum. Each student learned about the volcano and earned an Every Kid in a Park pass.

Every Kid in a Park Pass is good for entry to 2,000

public lands and waters nationwide.

NPS Photo by Janice Wei

The Every in Kid in a Park program is part of President Barack Obama’s program to protect iconic outdoor spaces and ensure that every American has the opportunity to visit them. In its second year, it gives fourth graders and those accompanying them, a free pass for a year to visit 2,000 public lands and waters nationwide – including Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
“Senator Hirono is a dedicated advocate of education for Hawai'i youth, and fully embraces Every Kid in a Park,” said Orlando. “The Kaʻū students who hiked with her today not only met one of Hawai‘i’s senators, but were able to spend quality time outdoors with someone who truly advocates for our keiki and national parks,” Orlando said.
The students took photos with Hirono, and witnessed surges of lava spattering from a vent within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, one mile away. “My favorite thing was seeing the volcano,” said nine-year-old T'rael Pesnell, who took photos of his classmate posing with the eruption behind him.

Fourth graders from Ka‘ū Learning Academy display

their free Every Kid in a Park pass at Jaggar Museum.

NPS Photo by Janice Wei

Hirono also presented the national park with Senate Resolution 541, proclaiming Aug. 1, 2016 as Hawaiʻi Volcanoes and Haleakalā National Parks Day, to honor the parks’ centennial anniversaries.
“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the Every Kid in a Park program promotes a lifelong appreciation for our environment and natural resources,” said Hirono.
Educators for all grades can learn more about the park's educational opportunities and curriculum on the park website: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/education/index.htm, and by calling the Education Center at 985-6019.

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Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. all day today.
Photo by Julia Neal

IT’S ELECTION DAY, and a holiday to make time to vote for U.S. President, members of the U.S. Congress and Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and amendments to law.

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CANDIDATES IN TODAY'S ELECTIONS include those for U.S. Senator. Candidates: Constitution Party member Joy Allison; Republican John Carroll; American Shopping Party member John M. Giuffre; Libertarian Michael A. Kokoski; and incumbent Democrat Brian Schatz.
Ka‘ū's member in congress is also up for reelection. Democrat Tulsi Gabbard is challenged by Republican Angela Kaaihue.

On the East Ka‘ū ballots, Sen. Russell Ruderman is challenged by Libertarian Fredrick Fogel. East Ka‘ū state Rep. Richard Onishi is challenged by Libertarian Gregory Arianoff and Green Party Candidate Kealoha Pisciotta. On the West Ka‘ū ballots, West Ka‘ū state Rep. Richard Creagan, a Democrat, is challenged by Libertarian Michael Last. West Ka‘ū state Sen. Josh Green is not up for reelection this year.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs voting is open to people of all races and cultural backgrounds. On the ballot, incumbent Robert Lindsey is challenged by Millilani Trask. The At-Large Trustee contest is between Keli‘i Akina and Haunani Apoliona.

Listed in alphabetical order, for United States Presidency, are the following candidates: Constitution Party member Daniel L. Castle (who withdrew but still on ballot) with vice presidential running mate Scott Bradley; Democrat Hillary Clinton with Tim Kaine; Libertarian Gary Johnson with Bill Weld; Green Party candidate Jill Stein with Ajamu Baraka; and Republican Donald Trump, with Michael Pence.

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THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS on the ballot for today’s General Election include one for the Hawaiʻi County General Plan, which would add considerations for health into its language. A state Constitution Amendment would hike up the minimum value of an expected outcome in each civil case from $5,000 to $10,000 in order for the case to be heard by a jury.

Another proposed state Constitutional Amendment would allow the state to distribute excess funds in its coffers when they reach more than 5 percent of revenues for two consecutive years – to be used for debt service for state bonds or pensions and other post-employment benefit liabilities for state employees.

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KAʻŪ HOSPITAL REPORTS that its newly upgraded electronic medical record system has produced some errors. “During a recent upgrade of our system some bills for services received at our hospital may have gone out with incorrect information,” reports Kaʻū Hospital Administrator Merilyn Harris. She asks that anyone receiving any bills in question, please contact the hospital. “Please let us know if you have received one of these. Our staff members are working hard to fix the problem and we apologize for the inconvenience,” she said.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will be keynote speaker
at KMC Veteran's Day ceremony.
Photo from Office of Tulsi Gabbard

CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED YESTERDAY at 12:30 p.m. that Hawaiian Telcom was experiencing technical problems affecting telephone, internet, and cell phone services, including 911. Problems were reported from Pahala though Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. Bank of Hawaiʻi, Longs Drugs and other businesses were unable to make transactions. The outage was as far north as Kailua-Kona and lasted until approximately 4:30 p.m. Civil Defense advises that anyone affected by these problems requiring immediate medical attention, go to the nearest fire station, police station, or medical facility.

LEARN THE SKILL OF WEAVING lau hala with practitioners from ʻAha Pūhala o Puna this Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. For centuries, Hawaiians have used the hala (pandanus) tree to create many useful and beautiful items.

FREE ENTRANCE TO HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be this Friday, Nov. 11, National parks across the country will waive entrance fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. The park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe this Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

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Sen. Russell Ruderman won the vote yesterday to return to his state Senate seat, after a hard fought victory over
County Council member Greggor Ilagan in the primary. Above, Ruderman campaigns with his baby at Volcano this summer.
Photo by Ron Johnson

Rep. Richard Creagan (l) won last night and will return for west Kaʻū to the
state Legislature. Kealiʻi Kahele won his late father's state Senate seat and
Maile David represents Kaʻū again on the County Council.

INCUMBENTS WON all the races for state and county seats representing Kaʻū in yesterday's General Election.
Sen. Russell Ruderman, representing east Kaʻū returns to his post winning 76.5 percent of the vote. The Democrat defeated Libertarian Fredrick Fogel in the General Election after defeating County Council member Greggor Ilagan in the primary. Sen. Josh Green, state Senator for west Kaʻū, a Democrat, was not on the ballot. He serves two more years until his term is up,
Rep. Richard Creagan goes back to his state House of Representatives seat for west Kaʻū, the Democrat defeating Libertarian Michael Last with 68.2 percent of the vote.
Rep. Richard Onishi goes back to his state House of Representatives seat for east Kaʻū winning 68 percent of the vote, beating Green Party candidate Kealoha Pisciotta.
County Council member Maile David, representing all of Kaʻū, won the primary election over Bernnie Sanders supporter Raina Whiting by a large enough margin to avoid a General Election runoff.

State Rep. Richard Onishi was reelected last night. Photo by Ron Johnson

Kaiʻaliʻi Kahele, son of the Gil Kahele who was a Kaʻū senator until redistricting, won his late father’s state Senate seat in Hilo and promised to continue to help Kaʻū and particularly Miloliʻi where he does community work and has a second family home.
County Prosecutor Mitch Roth won his post again in the primary. He has worked with Kaʻū farmers and extensively on community Neighborhood Watch and drug and crime prevention programs. Mayor Harry Kim also won in the primary, taking back leadership of the county after serving two terms and resting for two terms. He replaces Mayor Billy Kenoi who has reached term limits.

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS TRUSTEE for Hawaiʻi Island will be Robert Lindsey, returning to his post with 44.4 percent of the vote, defeating Mililani Trask with 32.5 percent of the vote. The winner of the OHA at-larrge trustee race is Keliʻi Akina with 37 percent of the vote over Haunani Apiliona with 36 percent of the vote.

Mayor Harry Kim says “Thank You” to Kaʻū. Photo by Julia Neal

FOR CONGRESS, REPRESENTING KAʻŪ and rural Hawaiʻi, Sen. Brian Schatz returns to Washington, winning more than 70 percent of the vote and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard returns to Washington with more than 75 percent of the vote.

THE NEW U.S. PRESIDENT, announced this morning after General Election voting yesterday, will be Republican Donald Trump. He lost Hawaiʻi, earning about half the number of votes here as the Democrat, Hillary Clinton. However, nationwide the close race ended in a Clinton concession with Trump winning the electoral votes and Clinton winning the popular vote. The electoral college vote prevails.
In his acceptance speech, Trump, the New York developer and hotelier, said, “Now it’s time for America to bind together as one united people.” He also said the nation owes Clinton “a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.” Trump promised to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, create more jobs and allow fewer jobs to be shipped offshore. He has also promised a better health care system than Obamacare.
In speeches this morning, outgoing President Barack Obama and Clinton both urged a peaceful transition to the Trump presidency. They and Trump urged everyone to work together as citizens of the United States to better the country.
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HAWAIʻI COUNTY'S GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT to take the public's health into consideration when planning for the island was approved yesterday with a yes vote with 65.4 percent of the vote.

Reelected last night, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard visited leaders of
two Kaʻū Coffee cooperatives this Summer. She will give the
Kilauea Military address this Friday at 3 p.m. Photo by Julia Neal

THE STATE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT setting a higher value in civil cases to qualify them for jury trials, was passed yesterday by the Hawaiʻi electorate with 46.3 percent of the vote. Another amendment which directs the state to use excess funds to pay debt and other costs also passed with 50.4 percent of the vote.
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A GATHERING WILL BE HELD TO HONOR the life of Ocean View Community leader Don Nitsche this Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. at Bougainvillea Bed and Breakfast in Ranchos. A military funeral will be at noon today at the West Hawaiʻi Veterans’ Cemetery.

Don Nitsche

Nitsche, a well-known Kaʻū personality, died peacefully on Oct. 27 in his Ocean View home at age 86, bringing a full and active life to a sudden and unexpected end.
Nitsche was a builder, paver, fisherman, pilot, skier, sailor, war vet, host, water hauler and entrepreneur. His legacy is advocating for many Ocean View community services and facilities including the new well for potable water for the community, which, without his perseverance, may never have been built. He was born in Seattle, WA and graduated from Garfield High School. He served in the Navy for two years and was a Korean war veteran. After marrying his wife, Martie, in 1952, he joined an Alaskan fishing fleet to earn capital for land and to build a home on Mercer Island. Entrepreneurship came early to Don – he was able to build a mountain cabin while simultaneously managing a ski chalet and selling commercial ski equipment and also building his home.
In 1976 he and Martie moved to Maui with their two children to run an Orange Julius concession and sell Buck Alum steel-frame home kits to home builders who wanted strong, durable, termite-proof materials. In 1989 the family moved to Ocean View and Don took over the gas station. Today it is Spirit gas, but at the time it was Texaco. It was a full-service facility, that offered repairs, tires and batteries. Don also built the Bougainvillea Bed and Breakfast in Hawaiian Ranchos, which he and Martie ran for 25 years.

Seeking funding for drilling an Ocean View well was one of
Don Nitsche’s long-term community projects.

At one time, the roads in Ranchos were inadequately maintained. Exeter Equity Inc. held about $400,000 in trust, as required by the county, for road maintenance, but were not doing the work. In 1991, Nitsche, as President of the Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association, threatened to sue Exeter for non-performance, unless that company gave the funds to the community. They finally agreed, and in 1992 the Hawaiian Ranchos Road Maintenance Corp. was formed with Nitsche as its first President. Nitsche acquired equipment, and the cindered roads were chipsealed over time – about six miles per year.
Long time Ocean View resident Richard Rogers affectionately described Nitsche as the “Crusty Old Buzzard who gets things done.” He recalled a time, circa 1996, when the Legislature voted to give Ocean View a water well and storage tank, but, according to Rogers, the Governor refused to release the funds as retribution for Ocean View residents refusing to allow the development of both a prison and a rocket launching site in Kaʻū.
“Gov. Ben Cayetano told us straight,” recalled Rogers. He said: ‘You are not getting any money while I’m in office.’
“We in Ocean View, led by Don and Martie, were not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” recalled Rogers. “Martie arranged flights to Oʻahu for about 20 of us, and a bus to take us to the capitol. We called ourselves ‘The Well-Wishers.’ We picketed all day, shouting ‘Give us our money!’ Cayetano arranged to be absent that day, so we flew back a second time. That time we picketed a huge hotel where they were holding the Pacific Business Economic Summit – Bill Gates was there – and we hoped that picketing Cayetano in front of these VIPs would embarrass him into releasing the funds, but it only made him madder.
“I still remember Don standing on a median picketing, when a hotel guard ordered him to move, which Don refused to do. The big, beefy guard asked, threateningly, ‘You want trouble?’ to which Don replied, ‘Yes, what do you think we came here for?’ The guard stomped off. We later heard that Cayetano had a paddy wagon around the corner, ready to haul us off if we got out of hand.”

The Nitsche home in Ranchos was the site of many community
planning and strategy meetings.

Unfortunately for Nitsche and Ocean View, said Rogers, the oft-criticized Cayetano was elected to a second term by a single percentage point, so they had to wait until 2002 for Linda Lingle to take office. “We had to start all over again, getting the Legislature to again approve the project,” explained Rogers.

“Even then we had to wait for her second term. She wanted to give us a smaller well, with a single pump and a smaller tank. Don argued vehemently that it was not adequate. Gov. Lingle got frustrated and said ‘What’s the matter with you – won’t you accept what we are giving you?’ to which Don replied, ‘No, we are not accepting it.’ The Crusty Old Buzzard got his way and now Ocean View has two pumps, a deeper well and a larger storage tank.”
Martie recalled that it was State Rep. Bob Herkes who pushed the proposal through the Legislature, winning $6.4 million for the project. “It took Don 14 years, but Ocean View now has a well, so it was worth it,” added Martie. “I think of it as Don’s legacy to our town.”
While the saga of the water well played out, Nitsche was hauling water from Waiohinu in his truck with a 2,000-gallon water tank. On Easter eve in 2008, he turned into Ranchos at the Kohala gate and was driving makai when the truck’s brakes failed. He turned the rig towards a ditch to slow it down, but the truck jack-knifed and then somersaulted and rolled before coming to rest on the lava as a mangled wreck. Luckily Nitsche was not wearing a seat belt. He was thrown out and landed on the lava, where he lay, concussed, until a police officer stopped, expecting to find a fatality. Miraculously, the Crusty Old Buzzard survived with a brain concussion, a broken rib and a punctured lung.
When not working hard, which was most of the time, Don enjoyed skiing, flying small aircraft and sailing. He is survived by Martie, his son Karl, daughter Jahna Brown, five grandchildren and one great grandson.

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A RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS MEETING will be held tomorrow, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office for those interested in becoming volunteers. Call Hannah Uribes at 929-9953.

OPEN HOUSE IS THIS FRIDAY AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Hawaiian music, informational displays, children't activities. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

Free admission, hike, music and displays this Friday in
Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo from NPS

KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP VETERAN'S DAY CEREMONY will be this Friday, Nov. 11. KMC celebrates a century of service with keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The ceremony is on the front lawn at 3 p.m.

VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kilauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe this Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

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

See www.kaucalendar.com

Gov. David Ige at a coffee hour in Pahala when he was running for Hawaiʻi governor in 2014. He released a statement yesterday regarding the future after the Nov. 8 national General Election. Photo by Julia Neal

IN RESPONSE TO GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS NATIONWIDE, including Republican Donald Trump winning the post of U.S. President, Hawaiʻi’s Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, released the following statement yesterday:
“The people of Hawai‘i are resilient and innovative. We have weathered the storm of the 2016 campaign and emerged stronger as we continue to embrace the values, culture and ethnic diversity that define us. We must respect the democratic process and continue setting the example by moving forward with individual and collective actions that contribute to the greater good of our children and their children, for Hawai‘i and the United States of America. Please join me as we make this happen.”
Hawaiʻi voted for Hillary Clinton in the General Election. However, its own delegation to Washington, D.C., comprised of Democrats, has long worked with both parties.

Federal funding supported construction of the new Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter.
Photo by Ron Johnson

Hawaiʻi’s economy depends heavily on the federal funding for such military bases as Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi, Schofield Barracks, Tripler Medical Center, Wheeler Army Airfleld, Hickam Air Force Base, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and on Hawaiʻi Island, the Pohakuloa Training Area and Kīlauea Military Camp.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the most visited destination in the state, though largely self funded, is administered through the Department of Interior as are other federal lands on this island.
In social services, Kaʻū’s Marshallese community depends on federal funding. Rural health clinics and Ka‘ū Hospital receive federal assistance, as do many Native Hawaiian programs, the public schools and low-income housing assistance. Federal money was made available for construction of the new Kaʻū District Gym& Shelter. Twenty years ago, start-up federal money helped launch the Kaʻū Coffee industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to support the farmers with education and training.
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A VOLCANO FOOD AND FARM fund-raising tour will be launched on Jan. 14, sponsored by the non-profit Volcano Community Foundation. The tour visits three working farms:
A family-run farm with greenhouses raises leafy greens, herbs and berries for market.

Farner Jeff McCall at his vegetable stall in Volcano.

A husband-and-wife flower farm raises orchids shipped all over the world and will provide a tour with a lesson on separating and repotting grown plants.
A farm with over 300 five-year-old tea plants demonstrates how the processing determines whether the tea is green, white, oolong or black, followed by a tea tasting. olong or black, followed by a tea tasting.
Funds raised support a scholarship awarded each year to an outstanding high school senior from Volcano.

Picking tea at Hawaiʻi Tart Co.’s tea
farm in Volcano.

Marilyn Nicholoson of the Volcano Community Foundation describes the Volcano area working farm enviornment: “Volcano’s cool, wet climate and deep volcanic soils have long made it a popular place for small scale and niche agricultural products. Fruit trees, many vegetable crops, flowers, goats and cattle are still a way of life for many in this small upland community. Newer crops like grapes and tea are finding their place as well as developing a strong and expanding market.”
The tour begins with a 9:15 a.m. check-in at Kīlauea Lodge, with car-pools to the farms. Comfortable walking shoes (it could be a bit muddy) and a rain jacket are recommended. The cost is $45 per person which includes lunch, and advance registration is required.

Last year's winner for the 2016
Directory cover was Peter Anderson

To reserve a place on the tour send an email to volcanocommunity@gmail.com or call 967-7366.

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ARTWORK TO BE CHOSEN FOR THE COVER of The Directory, the annual Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide, will be accepted at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, Monday, Nov. 14, between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual show entitled The Beauty of Kaʻū opens with free entry to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 15 through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.
During the week of the show, business owners have the opportunity to sponsor a work of art by making a donation to the Chamber and sponsoring the artist entry fee. Sponsors will be allowed to show the sponsored art at their places of business for up to three weeks.
During the showing all week at Naʻalehu Honwanji, those works of art that are for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers.
The results of judging of all categories and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, when artists are invited to a reception and awards ceremony.
All entries are eligible to win popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki, with the exception of all previous cover winners. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories.
Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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A RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS MEETING is being held today, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. at the HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office for those interested in becoming volunteers. Call Hannah Uribes at 929-9953.

OPEN HOUSE IS THIS FRIDAY AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Hawaiian music, informational displays, children't activities. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK FREE ENTRANCE is this Friday, Nov. 11, when national parks across the country waive fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. Volcanoes Park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP VETERANS DAY CEREMONY will be this Friday, Nov. 11. KMC celebrates a century of service with keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The ceremony is on the front lawn at 3 p.m.

VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe this Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

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

Lorilee Lorenzo, of Pahala, rides in the Veterans Day Parade last Sunday in Hilo. Lorenzo is 2016 Panaewa Stampede Rodeo Queen and joined Hawaiʻi Horse Owners Association riders to honor veterans in the 9th Annual Hawaiʻi Island Veterans Day Parade. With the only horses in the parade, riders were welcomed by many children along the parade route, said Lorenzo, at left, with 2014 Panaʻewa Stampede Queen Jensten Andrade and Panaʻewa Stampede Secretary Nancy Cabral.

IT’S VETERANS DAY AND TULSI GABBARD, who represents Kaʻū, Volcano and the rest of rural Hawaiʻi in the U.S. Congress, is keynote speaker at Kīlauea Military Camp's ceremony at 3 p.m. this afternoon in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Gabbard, of Samoan birth, grew up in Hawaiʻi. She is the first member of Congress of Hindu religion and a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is a graduate of Hawaiʻi Pacific University, with a business administration degree, and U.S. Army Officers Candidate School.

Gabbard is a Major in the Hawaiʻi National Guard. She joined the Guard in 2004 and received several distinguished honor graduate titles and awards at Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training.

Congresswoman and Hawaiʻi National Guard officer Tulsi Gabbard
receiving her promotion to Major. She is the keynote speaker at Kīlauea
Military Camp’s Veterans Day ceremony at 3 p.m.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

In July 2004, at the age of 21, the youngest person to be elected to the Hawaiʻi Legislature, Gabbard asked to deploy with her Hawaiʻi National Guard unit. She volunteered for a 12-month combat tour in Iraq, where she would serve in a field medical unit as a specialist with a 29th Support Battalion medical company. When she learned she would no longer be able to simultaneously perform her duties as a legislator and deployed member of the National Guard, she chose deployment over running for a second term in office. In Iraq, Gabbard served with the Guard at Logistical Support Area Anaconda.

While in England on rest-and-relaxation in August 2005, she presented Hawaiʻi’s condolences to the government of London in the wake of the 7/7 terrorist attacks. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the end of her Iraq tour.

Upon her return from Iraq in 2006, Gabbard served as legislative aide for U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka in Washington, DC., responsible for issues involving veteran affairs, energy and natural resources, judiciary, and homeland security. She served as a surrogate speaker for Akaka on many occasions, and built a grassroots network with the veteran community in Hawaiʻi.

While working for the Senator, Gabbard graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy in March 2007. She was the first woman to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy’s 50-year history. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and assigned again to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard, this time to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader.

Tulsi Gabbard has served in the Hawaiʻi National Guard almost all
of her adult life, along with serving in elective office.
Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard continued to work for Akaka until 2009, when she again voluntarily deployed with her unit to the Middle East. During her second deployment, in addition to leading her platoon on a wide variety of security missions, she conducted non-military host-nation visits and served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard. She was one of the first women to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility and became the first woman awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for teaching soldiers training and readines.

In June 2011, Gabbard visited Indonesia as part of a peacekeeping training with the Indonesian Army. In the same year, she was elected to the Honolulu City Council, while continuing her work in the Hawaiʻi National Guard.
Since becoming a member of Congress in 2012, Gabbard has been frequently interviewed on CNN and other networks for her commentary on veteran, military and foreign affairs. She and was reelected last Tuesday. She is a frequent visitor to Kaʻū.
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VETERANS DAY BUFFET is offered by Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Cafe today, Friday, Nov. 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. following Veterans Day ceremonies. Adults $27.95. Children 6-11 years old $14.50

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK FREE ENTRANCE is today, Nov. 11, when national parks across the country waive fees for Veterans Day in honor of the men and women who have served the nation. Volcanoes Park has dozens of veterans among its employees and volunteers. Active duty U.S. military can obtain a free annual Military Pass at the park’s entrance station all year. For more information on the free Military Pass, visit the park website http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/fees.htm.

A VETERANS DAY OPEN HOUSE IS AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. The Welina Mai Nei Kaikou I Kahuku celebrates Kahuku being open on Fridays, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy Hawaiian music, cultural displays, ranching days exhibit and talk story with Kahuku alumni. Kid's activities include Makahiki games, coloring contest and ʻukulele lessons. Hawaiʻi’s 442nd World War II veteran Iwao Yonemitsu will be honored during this Veterans Day event. Free entry. Sign up for a guided hike at 929-8075.

LIVING WITH VOG, particularly in winter when trade winds blow on and off, is the subject of this week’s Volcano Watch from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists working for the USGS. “Volcanic air pollution from Kīlauea, known as vog, is distributed across the island, and sometimes the state,” write the scientists.
“As winter approaches, many Island of Hawai‘i residents eagerly await the appearance of sub-tropical snow atop Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Another common occurrence on Hawai‘i Island during winter months is the frequent interruption of the steady northeasterly trade winds. These winds, or the lack of them, play a leading role in determining where volcanic air pollution from Kīlauea, known as vog, is distributed across the island, and sometimes the state.

Vog hangs over the island when trade winds are quiet. Photo form NASA

“Vog, caused by sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) emitted from Kīlauea, has been a frequent problem on the Island of Hawai‘i for the past 30 years. Since the onset of the summit eruption in 2008, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of SO2 and other gases released from the volcano and in the damaging effects of vog on the island.
“From May to September, trade winds blow 80-95 percent of the time, but from October to April, the frequency drops to 50-80 percent. On Hawaiʻi Island, the districts of Ka‘ū and Kona bear the brunt of vog during northeasterly trade winds. But when trade winds are absent, areas impacted by vog can include East Hawai‘i, the whole Island of Hawai‘i, and, at times, the entire State of Hawai`i.
“For this winter’s vog season, new resources are available to help people become familiar with, and minimize their exposure to, vog.
“A new internet-based ‘Hawaiʻi Interagency Vog Information Dashboard’ ivhhn.org/vog provides a user-friendly starting point to search for information about vog. Topics on this dashboard include vog forecasts, real-time vog concentrations, health effects and environmental impacts of vog, and how people can protect themselves from vog, as well as links to published scientific literature.
“The dashboard also leads users to a new suite of concise vog information products. These products, which include a booklet of frequently asked questions and a brochure and poster on protecting yourself from vog, are available online ivhhn.org/vog/vog-fact-sheets, where they can be viewed or downloaded. Print copies of these vog information products are available through the Hawai‘i Department of Health District offices. They are also in the process of being distributed to public libraries and schools around the Island of Hawai‘i.

“If you’re interested in how your neighbors cope with vog, check out these new products, as they incorporate information and protection strategies gathered through community surveys in 2015. The surveys, which were conducted by an international researcher in cooperation with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, examined the strategies used by Hawai‘i Island residents who live with vog, and how those people would like to receive information and guidance about vog.

Frequently Asked Questions on Vogfrom Kīlauea Volcano is one of new

information products online at http://ivhhn.org/vog/vog-fact-sheets

and in print. Also see the Hawaiʻi Interagency Vog Information Dashboard

at http://ivhhn.org/vog/

“If you’d like to know when vog might be in your area, a dashboard link takes you to vog and wind forecasts, which include the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Vog Measurement and Prediction Project weather.hawaii.edu/vmap/. This vog model provides an animated two-day forecast of SO2 gas and sulfate particle concentrations for the State of Hawaii. Many people find this forecast useful for planning outdoor activities to minimize their exposure to vog.
“As SO2 travels away from Kīlauea Volcano’s eruptive vents, it is gradually converted (through chemical reactions in the atmosphere) from a gas to solid particles and liquid droplets. So, in areas close to the vent, SO2 gas is a component of the vog. But in areas distant from Kīlauea, like West Hawai‘i, or on other Hawaiian islands, vog is composed of particles, with virtually no SO2 gas in the mix.
“The Hawaii Department of Health ‘Hawaiʻi ShortTerm SO2 Advisory’ http://hiso2index.info/, which provides data on current SO2 gas levels, is extremely helpful for areas close to Kīlauea. But for West Hawaiʻi (Kona) residents, the more relevant particle information is available through the vog dashboard link to ‘AirNow particle data’ ivhhn.org/vog/current-air-quality.
“Gas emissions from Kīlauea have decreased somewhat since the summit eruption began in 2008, but vog continues to challenge Hawaiʻi communities, causing impacts to health, agriculture, and infrastructure. Learning how to identify when vog is in your area, and how to protect yourself and your family when necessary, are adaptations to living with the remarkable volcano in our backyard.
“Hopefully, the new information products and online dashboard will help Hawaiʻi residents to understand and adopt strategies for living more comfortably with vog,” the scientists conclude.
Visit the HVO website http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes info, and more; call for summary updates at 808-967-8862 (Kīlauea) or 808-967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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All entries are eligible to win popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki, with the exception of all previous cover winners. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving. There are separate youth and keiki categories.
Entry forms are available at local schools and merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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

See www.kaucalendar.com

Tulsi Gabbard gave the keynote address at KMC’s Veterans Day ceremony yesterday.
Photo from Big Island Video News

A VETERANS DAY MESSAGE came from Tulsi Gabbard yesterday as she put on her Army Service Uniform and made her way to Kīlauea Military Camp for ceremonies. The congresswoman who represents Kaʻū, Volcano and the rest of rural Hawaiʻi, wrote about, “Remembering the brave men and women I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside. In all of the political chaos that we have witnessed and experienced this year, it’s important that we pause today to honor the service of our veterans and remember the values that they sacrificed for.”

Flags and program ready for Veterans Day at Kīlauea Miltary Camp.
Photo from KMC

She also reflected on the political landscape: “Nationally, we’ve just closed what has been a bitter, divisive campaign season that has left deep, open wounds for millions of Americans. There’s much that remains unknown about what we can expect in the months to come, but what I do know is that now more than ever our progressive movement requires focus and an ‘all hands on deck’ approach."

Gabbard continued: “Beyond the results of one election, however, the deeper tragedy is that as Americans we have become alienated from each other. Beneath the anger, distrust and divisiveness is a pervasive anxiety that we are becoming unglued instead of coming together as a nation.
“If we want to preserve the foundation of our democracy, it’s vital that we find common ground that allows us to work for the greater good of this nation. This does not mean giving up our values. This does not mean swallowing a bitter compromise. Finding common ground means reaching out with respect and aloha, despite the issues that divide us, despite the hurt, despite the fear, and recognize what unites us as human beings.

Iwao Yonemitsu, honored at Kahuku’s Veterans Day celebration, with
Area Manager for Kahuku, Keola Awong, meditating on his words
about the 442nd and military service.

Photo by Ron Johnson

“If you believe the angry box in your living room, you might conclude that America is so deeply divided that finding common ground is impossible. But I don’t believe that for a second. When I walk around my neighborhood, the grocery store, or the farmers market, I don’t see Democrats or Republicans, Progressives or Conservatives. I see my brothers and sisters – living, breathing human beings, with diverse and complicated stories, views and desires that can’t be packaged neatly in a box. I see their fear and anxiety. I see their frustration with a government they don’t feel is listening to them. And I see that there are vast tracts of unexplored, common ground between us. With virtually no exceptions, we want our children to thrive and to feel safe in their home and in their neighborhood. We want peace, justice and the natural prosperity that results from hard work and innovation.
“As I look at the way forward, I acknowledge there are challenges, and I choose to see opportunity. We have an opportunity to articulate a vision for peace by ending counterproductive regime-change wars. We have an opportunity to stand firm in our resolve to stop destructive trade deals. We must continue to illustrate the impacts that climate change is already having on communities around the world –especially our islands – and move forward on the issues that matter to us.
“I hope you will join me as we start down this path toward real reform and progress. And as always, continue to fight for equality and respect for all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other external difference.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to represent the people of Hawai‘i and will continue to do my best to bring the spirit of aloha to our nation’s capital.”
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THE CELEBRATION OF KAHUKU OPENING ON FRIDAYS drew people to this unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Veterans Day to learn about history, culture and wildlife. There were opportunities to educate keiki and listen to music by Demetrius Oliviera and Gene Beck. Honored during the day was Iwao Yonemitsu, Naʻalehu resident and veteran of the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a fighting unit in World War II composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry.

Keiki learned to paint images of Kahuku wildlife.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

Musicians Gene Beck and Demetrius Oliveira
celebrate Kauhku Unit opening to the public
on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Photo by Ron Johnson

The Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is now open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saving the ‘ōhiʻa forest was featured at the celebration yesterday
at Kahuku. Photo by Ron Johnson

This Sunday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 26, visitors will learn to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku, the ʻōhiʻa lehua. Learn about the vital role of ʻōhiʻa lehua in Native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the tree and the lehua flower. The program is offered free from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

On Sunday, Nov. 20, a hike called People and Land of Kahuku will loop two miles over three hours, guided through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forests, pastures, lava fields, and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Native Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Learn about the powerful natural forces at work and how people have adapted to, shaped, and restored the Kahuku land. Enter the Kahuku Unit on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5, between South Point Road and Ocean View.

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Dr. Jaggar (Dick Hershberger), Lorrin Thurston

(Steve Peyton) and Gov.Walter Frear (Joel Kelley)

meet to discuss the forming of Kīlauea and Hawaiʻi

Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Stacy Halemano

THE DRAMATIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is depicted tonight, Saturday, and tomorrow, Sunday afternoon, in Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network’s performance of Kīlauea 1916...and Beyond: A Centennial Celebration. To be performed at Kīlauea Military Camp Theater, the vignettes for Kīlauea 1916 look back at the people who were a part of the beginnings of Kīlauea Military Camp and the unique partnership between KMC and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, both of which opened in 1916.
Kīlauea 1916 features many characters including a reporter talking with Isabel Jaggar as she prepares to board a ship in Honolulu to sail to Hilo and her Volcano home. On the dock, musicians play music of the era. Other characters include: Volcanologist Dr. Thomas Jaggar, publisher Lorrin Thurston, Territorial Gov. Walter Frear, Cpl. Ovid Smith, George Lycurgus, Mitsue Tanaka, Shizuka Yasunaka and Hidechi Yasunaka.
The performance’s and Beyond section continues the history of KMC with stories of veterans, some stationed, some vacationing, at KMC – the most famous being Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in 1946. Other characters include: Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps workers, WWII internees and a fighter pilot, a Navy chaplain in Korea, a Marine in Vietnam and a medic in Iraq. The common thread is the postmaster who weaves the history of KMC through his personal stories of interacting with the people who come there.
Ka‘ū resident Dick Hershberger, who portrays Jaggar in KDEN’s Living History program A Walk Into the Past, wrote the dialogue.
Members of the cast include Arlene Araki, Stephen Bond, Bill Chikasuye, Teresa Christian, Asia Helfrich, Dick Hershberger, Joel Kelley, Steve Peyton and Ray Ryan. Karl Halemano coordinates the music, with Hal Tredinnick, Jade Malia Tredinnick, Olivia Halemano and more performing.
The performance tonight is at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
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BEAUTY OF KAʻŪ ARTWORK IS DUE ON MONDAY, Nov. 14 at Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual Chamber of Commerce art show opens on Tuesday with free entry to the public through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.

A popular vote will choose the cover of The Directory, the 2017 Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide.

During the showing all week at Naʻalehu Honwanji, those works of art that are for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers.
The results of judging of all categories and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, when artists are invited to a reception and awards ceremony.
Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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

See www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com

Tiapala, friend to many Kaʻū people, has gone home to the Nechung Temple in India after more than 30 years living in Kaʻū.
Photo by Julia Neal

WOOD VALLEY’S RESIDENT TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONK HAS DEPARTED. Lobzang Toldan, best known as “Tiapala,” recently moved home to Nechung Monastery in India after living for more than 30 years in Kaʻū.
Tiapala moved to the Nechung Temple in Wood Valley in 1984. The temple opened in 1973 and is closely associated with the Dalai Lama who visited in 1980 and 1994.
Tiapala is known to be very friendly. He led public Buddhist services at the temple, and participated in interfaith services and blessings throughout the Kaʻū community. He rang the gong for prayers and greeted guests. He helped with a coffee farm on the temple grounds and enjoyed picking coffee while listening to Dalai Lama teachings. Most local residents knew him.
Nechung Temple is today a retreat and active Tibetan Buddhist temple located on 25 acres. The temple has hosted over 50 programs led by Tibetan Buddhist lamas.

Tiapala welcomed people for prayers and lessons. Photo by Julia Neal

The temple is located in Wood Valley on the former site of a Nichiren Shu sect Buddhist temple dedicated by Japanese residents of the area in 1902. A flood destroyed the temple in the early 1920s. After rebuilding, the temple reopened but was closed during World War II when its Japanese language teacher and priest were sent to holding camps for internment. In the 1950s the temple again reopened, but shut its doors in 1963, as most of the Japanese sugar workers had moved from camps in the area to houses in Pahala.
In the early 1970s Tibetan Buddhist students invited Nechung Rinpoche, the head lama from Nechung Monestery in India, to come to Hawaiʻi. The students found the Wood Valley temple site and thought it would be a perfect place for a temple and retreat center for Rinpoche. Rinpoche came to Hawaiʻi and stayed at the Wood Valley temple for eight years.
Tiapala served as Rinpoche’s assistant in Tibet and India. After Rinpoche passed away in 1983, the temple in Wood Valley invited Tiapala to be the resident monk. With his departure, a new resident monk is expected to arrive in the future, coming from from Nichung Monastery in India.
Today, “Just outside Pahala, this century-old, colorful Tibetan Buddhist temple is wonderfully juxtaposed against a lush 25-acre retreat center where peacocks roam free,” is how the Lonely Planet guidebook for Hawai‘i Island describes the center.
Visitors are welcome to join in chanting and meditation sessions (held daily at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.), or to just visit the temple and its gift shop. Rooms in a meditative guesthouse are available for stays of a few nights for individuals and groups. See www.nechung.org

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Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder, on drums, accompanies

dancers from Hālau Hula O Leonalani of Pahala, as

they celebrate Kahuku with the forest behind them.

Photo by Ann Bosted

Iwao Yonemitsu
Photo by Ron Johnson

THE WESTERN SIDE OF HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK experienced a double celebration on Friday, Nov. 11. The Kahuku Unit celebrated Veterans’ Day and Fridays becoming permanently open to the public.

The 116,000-acre Kahuku unit was added to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes Naitonal Park in 2003, doubling its size. Since about 2010, this vast area has been open to the public only on weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., often with some Saturdays closed. The extra visitation day each week means more time for Kaʻū residents and visitors to enjoy the unit’s five trails, and will be a small step in closing the gap between the highly visited and publicized eastern side, and the far less visited and essentially undeveloped western side, with its history of ranching, native forests and wildlife.
Hundreds of people, mostly Kaʻū residents, joined the double celebration, which included a special ranger-led hike, keiki activities, a Hawaiian game like horseshoes, Hawaiian music, hula, educational and activity booths and three food trucks.
Debbie Ryder and her Hālau Hula Leonalani performed with musicians Gene Beck and Demetrius Oliveira.
Keola Awong, the Area Manager for Kahuku, welcomed the crowd to the historic celebration. Kaʻū s State Representative, Dr. Richard Creagan, introduced the well-known WWII veteran and Kaʻū personality, Iwao Yonemitsu, who was honored for his military service.
Yonemitsu, 93, said he was a “buck sergeant” in the army, who, at the age of 20, chose to serve his country instead of being interned with other members of his generation who were of Japanese ancestry.
“We were trained in Mississippi for 14 months, before being sent to combat. We were on board a ship for 28 days without knowing which part of Europe we were travelling to.
“We were landed in Italy. I was in charge of four guys, and we had the responsibility of carrying and firing 60mm mortar shells, to support riflemen. We fought from 1943 to 1945. We worked our way from Rome to Florence in Italy, where at least the weather was warm. We were shocked to encounter Italian families begging us for left-over food.
“France was colder and wetter, but we never pitched a tent.”

SusZan Warner, National Park ranger based in Kahuku Unit, shows keiki how

to make attractive bookmarks honoring Hawai'i Volcanoes
National Park by pressing inked molds onto the paper. Clockwise from
bottom left are JerenaVierra-Mukini, Suszan, Sean Self-Ahyee,
Dreana Vierra-Mukini and La'akea Kaawaloa-Okita. Photo by Ann Bosted

Yonemitsu was in New York City when V Day was declared, and in San Francisco for VJ day. Back in civilian life, Yonemitsu settled in Naʻalehu, where he became the cost control superintendent for the sugar plantation and an agronomist. He is well known for his history lectures and photo shows on sugar plantation life and its economy. He and his wife Alice have four children.

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NATIVE HAWAIIAN FORESTS and the ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, Nov 13, 9:30 a.m., is the program at Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, its many forms and flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo

Dick Hershberger wrote the dialogue and plays Jaggar in the
vignettes about the 1916 founding of Kilauea Miltary Camp and
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the their ongoing history.
KMC Theater today. Photo from KDEN

VIGNETTES ON KĪLAUEA MILITARY CAMP'S HISTORY and its partnership with Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park are on tap for 2 p.m. at Kīlauea Military Camp Theater. The Sunday afternoon event is hosted by Kīlauea Drama & Entertainment Network and entitled Kīlauea 1916...and Beyond: A Centennial Celebration. The vignettes, with dialogue written by Dick Hershberger, look back at the people involved with the beginning of KMC and the park, which both opened in 1916. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.

SUPERMOON RISING, A supermoon is rising in the Kaʻū sky. This will be the closest full moon to Earth since 1948, according to NASA. The supermoon rises from the ENE at 5:38 p.m. today, and sets on Monday morning in the WNW at 6:50 a.m. The oversize moon, though it will be visually slightly smaller, rises again on Monday at 6:32 p.m. and sets on Tuesday at 7:56 a.m., and rises again on Tuesday at 7:29 p.m.
The visual effect of a supermoon is due to the eliptical orbit of the moon, a NASA report states. One side of the moon (the perigee) is about 30,000 miles closer than the other side (the apogee). When the perigee faces the earth the moon looks larger. The moon rising tonight will look about 14 percent larger than usual, and will shine about 30 percent more moonlight on Kaʻū. Watch for another supermoon on Dec. 14. A supermoon already appeared on Oct. 16.

MEDICINE FOR THE MIND, Sunday, Nov 13, 4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Buddhist healing meditation for beginners through advanced. Free. Patty, 985-7470.

VAC COMMUNITY OUTREACH, Sunday, Nov 13, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. At the first semi-annual potluck event, members, board of directors and staff share and discuss plans for future programs and events. All are encouraged to attend. 967-8222.

Annual Makahiki Run passed through Kaʻū on Friday.
Photo by Ann Bosted

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI RUN AROUND THE ISLAND passed through Kaʻū on Friday. Runners said the circling of the island marks the season for connection and rejuvenation. They described it as a prayer run. It began on Nov. 9, and is scheduled to end today.
Physical feats are very much a part of Hawaiian culture, and this one is no exception. In four days the runners cover 175 miles, while carrying the staff of the ancient Hawaiian god Lono. Any runner along the way is welcome to join in, for whatever distance. Supporters are available to drive cars for those who spontaneously join the run.
The first run was held in 2014, and was the brainchild of Lanakila Mangauil, a cultural practitioner from Hāmākua. Originally the Makahiki was the traditional practice of the circuit of the high chiefs and the kahuna. In early times the procession would go clockwise around the island, beginning in Kealakekua, said participants.

BEAUTY OF KAʻŪ ARTWORK IS DUE TOMORROW, Monday, Nov. 14 at Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The annual Chamber of Commerce art show opens to the public Tuesday with free entry through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.
A popular vote will determine the cover of The Directory, the 2017 Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce community resource and business guide. All entries are eligible to win the popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki art, with the exception of previous cover winners for The Directory. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving.
During the show, works of art for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers. The results of judging and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, with artists invited to a reception and awards ceremony. Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

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PAINTING WITH PEGGY, Monday, Nov 14, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center acrylic workshop returns. $20/$15 VAC members. Students bring supplies. 967-8222

JUMP ROPE CHALLENGE, Monday and Wednesday, Nov 14 ans 16, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Ages 6 – 12 . 929-9113

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

Supermoon sets, as seen from Ka Lae in Kaʻū yesterday morning. Photo by Richard Taylor

A SUPER FULL MOON SHONE OVER KAʻŪ YESTERDAY, the closest the moon has passed planet Earth in more than 68 years - since Jan. 26, 1948.
Scientists call the supermoon a perigree moon which occurs when the moon becomes full at the same time it passes nearest Earth during its monthly elliptical orbit, making it look exceptionally large. That path is some 31,000 miles closer to Earth than when the moon passes on the other side of Earth, a path called the apogee.

Supermoon over Kaʻū
Photo by Peter Anderson

Supermoon over Punaluʻu.
Photo by Peter Anderson

A supermoon passes less than 223,694 miles from Earth and appears particularly big when seen near the horizon. The next super full moon will be Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 and again, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. The next supermoon to be closer to Earth than the recent event will be on Nov. 25, 2034. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

THE FIRST OFFICIAL COMPETITION AT THE NEW KAʻŪ HIGH GYM is this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19, drawing high schools from Keaʻau, Pahoa and Kealakehe. It’s the Trojan Girls Annual Food Drive Basketball Tournament.

The first three games are Friday, Nov. 18, starting at 5:15 p.m. The tournament resumes all day Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

The ticket required to watch the action is the offering of canned food, at least one can per person, to be distributed to needy families.
Coach Cy Lopez said he and the team are excited to inaugurate the gym with girls basketball and for the tournament to be for such a good cause. It will also show off the new $18 million, 43,300- square-foot Kaʻū District Gym & Shelter, which opened in October. The gym is expected to also host volleyball tournaments and a camp this summer, organized by Kamehameha School Volleyball Coach Guy Enriques.
Lopez said that Trojan girls are “looking forward to a great season because most of these players have been on our Hokulele Club basketball team. They’ve been working hard off season throughout the year. They are also very excited to be the first high school team to play in our brand new gym.”
The new certified kitchen at the gym will be employed for this weekend’s tournament and the food on sale will include kalua pork bowl, laulau bowl, chili, hot dog, nacho salad, Pahala pops and laulau kalua combo.

Kaʻū High Trojans Girls Basketball Team invites the public to be the first to see a high school sports competition in the new Kaʻū District Gym this Friday and Saturday. The team asks the public to donate to their food drive in exchange for free entrance to the Annual Food Drive Basketball Tournament, beginning at 5:15 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. Saturday.
Photo by Jen Makuakane

The coaching staff for the Trojans is comprised of Lopez, Jen Makuakane and Bridgette Pasion. Trojan team members are listed by grade. Seniors are: Alysha Gustafson-Savella, Zaylee Pascubillo, Charisma Felipe and Tristan Davis. Juniors are: Analei Emmsley, Junially Manantan and Dacy Andrade-Davis. Sophomores are Reisha Kekoa-Jara, Mei Lin Galban-Kinin, Kianie Medeiros-Dancel, and Malia Corpuz. The Freshman is Marilou Manantan.
Teams competing in the weekend tournament are Kaʻū Varsity and JV, Keaʻau Varsity and JV, and Pahoa and Kealakehe JV teams.

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A new species of butterfly fish can be seen in Hilo at Mokupāpapa

Discovery Center. The photo was taken at a depth of 180 feet off

Pearl and Hermes Atoll, in the northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Photo by Craig McFall/NOAA

A NEWLY IDENTIFIED FISH SPECIES found in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands was unveiled for the public on this island last week after being discovered in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
The presentation was made at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo by Randall Kosaki, Ph.D., NOAA’s deputy superintendent for field and research at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; Tim Brown, aquarist, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center and Virginia Branco, educator and interim manager, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center.
The new species on display is a butterflyfish called Prognothodes basabei, which can be seen in the Mokupāpapa aquariums.
The scientists explained that the butterflyfish was found living in some of the most unexplored ocean environments, a mesophotic coral ecosystem called “the coral-reef twilight zone.” These are deep coral reefs living at depths of 150 to 600 feet.
“Discoveries such as this underscore how poorly explored and how little we know about our deep coral reefs,” said Kosaki. “Virtually every deep dive we do takes place on a reef that no human being has ever seen.”

A 200-foot dive to study ocean life came up with
a new deep water butterflyfish species.
Photo by Greg McFall/NOAA

This butterfly fish was first seen from a deepwater manned submersible more than 20 years ago at a depth as great as 600 feet. It was only in recent years that divers with advanced electronic closed-cirecuit rebreathers were able to dive to 330 feet and collect and preserve specimens of the fish to identify it as a new species.
The new butterflyfish was named after Pete Basabe, a veteran Kona deep diver who has provided support for deep dives for many years for scientific studies on reef fishes.
“This new discovery illustrates the conservation value of very large marine protected areas,” said Kosaki. “Not only do they protect the biodiversity that we already know about, they also protect the diversity we’ve yet to discover. And there’s a lot left to discover.”
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest marine preserve in the world.
Mokupāpapa Discovery Center is at 76 Kamehameha Ave. in the historic Koehnen Building in Hilo and is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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TODAY IS ART CONTEST SUBMISSION DAY for every kind of art and for the competition for the annual Kaʻū Chamber of Commerce cover for The Directory, the business and community resource guide for 2017. Bring in art illustrating The Beauty of Kaʻū to Naʻalehu Hongwanji between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today, Nov. 14. The show opens to the public Tuesday with free entry through Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji Breezeway.

A popular vote will determine the cover of The Directory. All entries are eligible to win the popular vote (the cover) including youth and keiki art, with the exception of previous cover winners for The Directory. Registration is $5 per adult entry, $2.50 per youth entry and $1 per keiki entry. Prizes will be given for: photography, sculpture, woodworking, quilting, jewelry, lei, graphics, painting and weaving.

During the show, works of art for sale will be priced on a list available from art show volunteers. The results of judging and the selection for The Directory cover will be announced Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. at Naʻalehu Hongwanji, with artists invited to a reception and awards ceremony. Entry forms are available at local schools and from merchants, on the Chamber website and at the door during art drop-off hours. The Directory is published in January.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

PAINTING WITH PEGGY, Monday, Nov. 14, 12 – 3 p.m., Volcano Art Center acrylic workshop returns. $20/$15 VAC members. Students bring supplies. 967-8222

JUMP ROPE CHALLENGE, Monday and Wednesday, Nov. 14 and 16, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Ages 6 – 12. 929-9113

Halau O Akaunu shares hula at Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium

this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ʻŌHIʻA WING: OUR NEW MUSEUM is the topic of After Dark in the Park, tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The new museum will house items from the park’s vast museum collection of more than 1.5 million objects. The park’s Chief of Cultural Resources, Laura Carter Schuster, reveals the history and highlights of the collection and plans for exhibiting the objects in the original 1932 park Administration Building, formally a lodging facility called the ‘Ōhi‘a Wing. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HULA BY HALAU O AKAUNU is this Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 6:30 – 8 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Experience the ancient traditions of Hawai‘i come to life through the chant and dance of Hālau o Akaunu. Hailing from Hilo, Hawai‘i, and under the instruction of Mānaiakalani Kalua, Akaunu strives to perpetuate the ‘aiha‘a style of hula borne of this volcanic landscape. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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

The newly acquired Kahuku makai lands, totaling 3,128 acres, preserves a mile of Kaʻū Coast.

ANOTHER MILE OF KAʻŪ COAST AND 3,128 ACRES are preserved. On Nov. 4, the County of Hawaiʻi closed on the Kahuku makai, Kanohina lava flow land below the Hawaiian Ranchos subdivision in Ocean View, with public access through Road to the Sea. Ocean View residents have long waited for easier legal access from their homes to the Kaʻū Coast. This property’s shoreline includes critical Hawksbill sea turtle breneding beaches while the land hosts one of the largest fields of Hawaiian archeology in the state. It borders on the makai boundaries of the Kona Gardens and Kula Kai subdivisions, as well as most of Hawaiian Ranchos.
Acquisition by the County of the Kahuku makai lands follows purchase of more than 1,000 acres between Punaluʻu and Honuʻapo, which were also placed under County and community stewardship.

Hikers (left) walk along a canyon in the newly acquired 3,128 acres of
pristine Kahuku makai land. Photo by Ann Bosted

The $2.6 million cost for Kahuku makai was shared among three government entities. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service contributed $1,214,000 through a Recovery Land Acquisition Grant. The County added $764,745 through its Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund, derived from 2 percent of countywide property tax income. The state Legacy Land Conservaiton Program provided $621,245.
In a 2012 letter to the state Board of Land & Natural Resources, which controls Legacy Land funding, Megan Lamson, of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, wrote: “The parcel exists in the middle of an 80-mile stretch of coastline that has been limited to no development. This claim is unheard of elsewhere in the state. Protecting this parcel is a step toward preserving the invaluable natural and cultural resources and history that are represented in this region.”
In its testimony, Sierra Club stated that a low price ($831 per acre) made it “by far the most cost effective purchase the Legacy Land Conservation could make, and would secure a prized recreational and natural resource for the residents of the Big Island, where recreational resources are generally access-restricted by private land owners.
“The site contains many high-quality natural and cultural resources, including anchialine ponds, nesting sites for the endangered Hawksbill turtle, prominent geologic features, one of the state’s largest petroglyph fields, a highly complex cave system with endemic organisms and unique archaeological features. Over 3,127 acres of land, including miles of coastline, are relatively unchanged since pre-western contact in the late 1700s,” said Sierra Club testimony.

Road to the Sea runs along the western edge of the the property and to the ocean.

Numerous individuals supported the measure, including Native Hawaiian sites preservation advocate Jamie Kawauchi and then County Council member Brittany Smart. The BLNR approved the Legacy Land funding without opposition.
The overall effort, required six long years of planning, negotiating, reports, inspections, presentations and agreements. Mayor Billy Kenoi and his administration threw in their support. At the County, Alexandra Kelepolo, Property Management Technician for the County’s Department of Finance in Hilo, coordinated the work.

The land with yellow boundary line is the Kahuku makai property just purchased
by the County of Hawai`i below Ocean View with a mile of Ka`u Coast.
Map from County of Hawai`i

Kelepolo recently explained that the public will have easier access to the coast since the County “has an easement along the Road to the Sea.” She said the County has “a budget for maintenance, but we won’t be able to improve the road to where regular cars can drive on it. It will still be a four-wheel-drive road, but hopefully better maintained.” The County’s acquisition will preserve many undisturbed coastal views for many Ocean View residents.
Regarding the Hawksbills, Kelepolo said, “I am thrilled that we can preserve the two small beaches on the property as nesting grounds for the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle.” She praised the Hawaiʻi Island Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project volunteers and their coordinator Lauren Kurpita. She said they hike miles along this coastline, checking for turtles and nests.
“Every year groups of volunteers from the Hawksbill project camp at Pohoe Bay and guard the nests from predators (like feral cats and mongooses), and each day they hike to these beaches to check on nests there.”

The new county owned-land
features many petroglyphs.

Kelepolo was personally involved in a rescue when a turtle was saved by the volunteers: “In September, a large female turtle was stuck in one of the anchialine cracks. She was wedged in about 12-feet down. Lauren contacted me and several others to help rescue the turtle. We think that perhaps a vehicle spooked her and she fell in while trying to evade it. Although she weighed about 200 pounds, we were able to rescue her. We put a net under her and a group of about five volunteers and myself, pulling hard, were able to get her out. If we had not seen her, she would have died. Now that we own this land, we can protect it more actively.”
The new County property does not include Pohue Bay, which is about two miles to the east. It is, however, traversed by the treasured, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail along the shore, in use for nearly 2,000 years. This trail is about 175 miles long and runs from ‘Upolu Point on the north end of the island, along the western coast through Kohala, Kona and Kaʻū then east and north along Kaʻū’s coast to Puna and ends at the Wahaʻula Heiau site near Kalapana.
The Kahuku makai land also contains a rock quarry and many geological features. The Kanohina flow, which is estimated to be about 750 to 1500 years old, covers most of the property, but on the eastern side, makai of Ranchos, the lava is estimated to be 2,400 to 3,000 years old. A very prominent lava trench lies makai of the Kula Kai subdivision. The trench, which obviously funneled vast amounts of lava towars the ocean, is about 2.5 miles long and about 30 to 50 feet deep. It has an abundance of undisturbed lava features, such as lava falls, and lava balls.
Aside from the two lava flows, the property has cinder cones, a green sand beach and lava tubes, all of which will need to be investigated and documented as a resource worthy of closer study. The County will work with those who have done field work in the area while it was privately owned, and develop a management plan to balance recreational needs with preservation responsibilities, said Kelepolo.

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ALOHA GROWN’S MALAMA HONUA FUND is offering $500 awards to local non-profits, schools, organizations and initiatives on Hawaiʻi Island that embody the Aloha Grown philosophy: “Support Local. Sustain the ʻAina. Share the Aloha.” The deadline to submit an entry is Dec. 31. Five awards will be provided by Jan. 31.

Kalu Oyama (r) received an award for
Naʻalehu School from Aloha Grown's
Tyler Owens. Photo from alohagrown.com

A sample Aloha Grown project, winning the $500 award in 2014, was Naʻalehu School’s Aquaponics Garden Unit.
Aloha Grown is a retail entity and division of Creative Arts, the custom T-shirt, banner, and screenprinting company based in Hilo and a regular sponsor of the Kaʻū Coffee Festival. Online, Aloha Grown sells local logo-theme items including T-shirts and water bottles. It operates two local retail stores, one in downtown Hilo, one at Parker Ranch Center. Two-percent of every Aloha Grown sale is set aside for the Malama Honua Fund.

Lorie Obra is featured on Aloha Grown for sustainability efforts.
Photo from alohagrown.com

Featured on alohagrown.com, is internationally award-winning Kaʻū Coffee grower Lorie Obra, the co-founder of Rusty’s Hawaiian coffee farm in Pahala. She has helped bring success to Kaʻū Farmer and has been featured in media, including Sunset and numerous other magazine and newspapers.

Aloha Grown describes the Obras as a family who embodies the Aloha Grown philosophy. It presents their history: “Like coffee itself, the story of the success of Rusty’s Hawaiian coffee is bittersweet. When Rusty and Lorie Obra moved from New Jersey to Ka‘ū with a dream to coax a coffee farm out of old sugarcane land, they had no idea that seven years later, after Rusty’s untimely death, Lorie would be left on her own with a big farm and a big dream. For months after Rusty’s death Lorie worked and grieved, watering the soil with her tears, channeling her grief into the hard work of running the farm.
“Lorie and Rusty both had scientific backgrounds, and it was this skill that gave Rusty’s Hawaiian its competitive edge. Applying herself single-mindedly to her task of making some of the best coffee in the world.” Aloha Grown reviews many of Rusty’s Hawaiian awards, including those from Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Roaster’s Guild.
For more information on Aloha Grown, an application, to apply for an award, and to see previous Malama Honua Fund award winners, visit http://alohagrown.com/malama-honua-fund.html.

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TODAY IS HAWAI‘I RECYCLES DAY and many people are taking the “I Recycle pledge” at http://americarecyclesday.org/pledge/. For more information on where to recycle on this island,
morre information, go to www.hawaiizerowaste.org and www.recyclehawaii.org.
The County of Hawaiʻi declares every Nov. 15 a Hawaiʻi Recycles Day and suggests the following tips to residents:Visit the Hawai‘i Zero Waste Tip webpage (Tips). Find simple & easy to do things to increase recycling in the community.
Use the easy 2-Bin recycling system at the nearest Recycling & Transfer Station. Sort household recyclables into the recycling containers at home. Sort non-HI-5 glass in one bin and mixed recyclables such as most types of paper; cardboard; #1, #2 and #5 plastics; and non-HI-5 aluminum and tin cans (rinse clean) into another bin. Take recyclables to the 2-Bin recycling roll-offs at Recycling & Transfer Stations.
Compost household greenwaste or take it to the collection sites at the Recycling & Transfer Stations in Hilo, Kea‘au, Pāhoa, Kealakehe (Kailua-Kona) or the West Hawai‘i Organics Facility in Pu‘uanahulu. Backyard composting is easy and there are year-round workshops to help you get started. The greenwaste at the East and West Hawai‘i Organics Facilities is ground into mulch and is free for the public to pick up.
Take Household Hazardous Waste to the next collection event in the area. Collection days happen twice a year in Hilo and Kona and once a year in Pāhoa and Waimea. The collected waste is packed and shipped to a processing facility for safe and environmentally friendly treatment or disposal. The next HHW events are scheduled for the first Saturday in December in Hilo at the Hilo Recycling & Transfer Station and the second Saturday in December at the Kealakehe (Kailua-Kona) Recycling & Transfer Station.
Purchase products made from recycled materials. Close the loop.
Reduce waste by buying products with less packaging or recyclable packaging.
Reuse items and donate gently used items that still have life to a charity thrift shop or a Reuse Center.

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JUMP ROPE CHALLENGE is today, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Kids ages 6 – 12 are invited to join in fun jump rope exercise. 929-9113

Embracing the new museum. Park staff gather at the entrance to the 1932

Administration Building, formerly a lodging facility called the ‘Ōhi‘a Wing,

soon to be a new park museum. Photo from NPS

ʻŌHIʻA WING: OUR NEW MUSEUM is the topic of After Dark in the Park, tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Visitors to the new museum will view documents and other items from the park’s vast museum collection of more than 1.5 million objects. At After Dark in the Park, park’s Chief of Cultural Resources, Laura Carter Schuster, will reveal the history and highlights of the collection, and tell of plans for exhibiting the objects in the original 1932 park Administration Building, formally a lodging facility called the ‘Ōhi‘a Wing. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HULA BY HALAU O AKAUNU is this Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 6:30 – 8 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Experience the ancient traditions of Hawai‘i come to life through the chant and dance of Hālau o Akaunu. Hailing from Hilo, Hawai‘i, and under the instruction of Mānaiakalani Kalua, Akaunu strives to perpetuate the ‘aiha‘a style of hula borne of this volcanic landscape. Free; park entrance fees apply.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY begins this Friday, Nov. 18 – Jan 1, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The holiday event kicks off with a members-only reception, 5:30 p.m., opening day. Featured at Christmas in the Country is the 17th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, with prizes awarded for the best wreaths. To participate, contact Emily Weiss at 967-8222 or gallery@volcanoartcenter.org. Free; park entrance fees apply.

HORN OF PLENTY, Friday, Nov. 18, 1 – 2 p.m., Kahuku County Park. Ages 6 – 12 register Nov. 14 – 17. 929-9113.

HIʻIAKA & PELE, Saturday, Nov. 19, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The famous myth of the volcano goddess Pele and her companion Hiʻiaka is the focus of this free, moderate, one-mile walk. Participants discover the Hawaiian goddesses and the natural phenomena that reveal their story on this free, moderate, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo

CENTENNIAL WALK: ‘Ōhi‘a Wing – Our New Museum, Saturday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Following up on her After Dark in the Park talk on Tuesday, Nov. 15, Chief of Cultural Resources Laura Carter Schuster is leading an easy walk from Kīlauea Visitor Center to the park’s new museum site. She’ll reveal the history and highlights of the park’s original 1932 park Administration Building and share exhibit plans that will highlight the park’s museum collection.

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

Ka`u Calendar News Briefs, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Oct. 28, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016

Kaʻu News Briefs, Monday, Nov. 7, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Nov. 11, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016

Ka`u Calendar Monday, Nov. 14, 2016

Kaʻū News Briefs, Tuesday, Nov. 15