Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Friday, April 22, 2016

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KA`U RANCHERS AND FARMERS will be covered under legislation designed to preserve use of state water sources. The question remaining in the state House and Senate, however, is whether to include former sugar plantation and land developer Alexander & Baldwin regarding water for its land on Maui. On Maui, there is a court order to require A&B to put water, which it formerly piped off for the now defunct sugar company, back into streams for wildlife and such agricultural and cultural pursuits as taro farming.

      A&B, for whom the bill was originally written, according to environmental and Native Hawaiian concerns, has asked to be included in the bill and promised this week to restore water to eight streams for taro farming. At the request of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau, several Ka`u ranchers and farmers flew to Honolulu to testify in favor of protecting their state water licenses, fearing they could lose theirs if A&B’s was cancelled.
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MEMBERS OF KA`U’S U.S. CONGRESSIONAL delegation are recognizing Earth Day.

      “One of my first jobs more than 25 years ago, when I was a very young man, was as the Volunteer Coordinator for the 25th anniversary of Earth Day,” Sen. Brian Schatz said. “For me it was incredible – I grew up with a passion for Hawai`i’s environment, in the ocean and the mountains, but I hadn’t figured out how exactly I was going to positively contribute. On a personal level, I got to work among people who were my environmental idols – Gary Gill, Mike Wilson, Steve Montgomery – the people who fought inappropriate development at Sandy Beach, who worked to preserve Hawai`i’s biodiversity.

      “So when Earth Day comes around, I think about the start of my environmental career, which continues as I fight climate change in the Senate. But for a whole country, Earth Day was the awakening of an environmental movement which resulted in the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the bedrock of our environmental laws.

      “You know the fight continues, in the Congress and locally. But it will always depend on you. It was citizens that made the first Earth Day happen. It was a movement that resulted in better environmental protections in federal law.
      “And it’s still that way today. I need you in the fight, pushing our public leaders to take seriously their obligation to take care of our one and only home, our Earth.”

      Hawai`i’s state motto, Ua Mau ke Ea o ka `Aina i ka Pono: The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness, “perfectly encapsulates the meaning of Earth Day and reminds us that we need to take action to protect our land and water,” Rep Tulsi Gabbard said. “To preserve and protect the `aina, we must conserve our precious, limited natural resources and promote sustainable practices, not just today, but every day.”

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SEN. MAZIE HIRONO CO-INTRODUCED legislation to fully fund President Obama’s $1.9 billion funding request to fight the Zika virus.
      “In Hawai`i, the threat of the Zika virus remains a major public health concern, especially as we approach the summer months,” Hirono said. “Five cases of the Zika virus have already been reported in our state, and given what we know about Zika, we must face this head on instead of taking a piecemeal approach to preparing our families, health care workers and providers, and communities. When I last spoke to Secretary (of Health and Human Services Sylvia) Burwell, she agreed that we need to act swiftly to fight the Zika virus. Our legislation would do just that by robustly funding vaccine development, including the work of Hawai`i Biotech, education, health care and vector control programs.”
      The legislation would fund essential programs that expand diagnostic testing and treatment capacity; increase education, especially for pregnant women and healthcare providers; improve health services and support for pregnant women; and enhance vector programs in affected areas. To date, more than 800 Americans and residents of American territories have been infected with the Zika virus.
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THE OUTLOOK FOR THE CURRENT dengue fever outbreak continues to be favorable, Hawai`i County Civil Defense reported. The end of the infectious period or time that the last confirmed case may have been in a state of illness and able to transmit the virus to mosquitoes was March 27.

      Although there have not been any reports of infected cases over the past nearly four weeks, community vigilance and continued support of Fight the Bite efforts are encouraged. “With everyone’s help and participation, this outbreak can be brought to an end,” Civil Defense said.
      To prevent mosquito bites, wear clothing that minimizes exposed skin, use mosquito repellent on skin that cannot be covered and avoid areas of high mosquito concentration during early morning and late afternoon periods when mosquito activity is greatest.
      To support home and business owners in cleaning and removing potential breeding areas, the county is extending weekend transfer station hours through April. All transfer stations islandwide will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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KA`U RESIDENTS CAN CELEBRATE Earth Day in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, which waives entry fees today through Sunday.

MALOLO RETURNS TO MILOLI`I tomorrow. Pa`a Pono Miloli`i invites Ka`u residents to Miloli`i Fishing Village for the arrival and return home of the koa racing canoe, which has been restored under the direction of Bill Rosehill, who is training the next generation of apprentice canoe builders in South Kona.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park offers Mongolian BBQ tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests.

LEARN ABOUT THE VITAL ROLE of `ohi`a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the `ohi`a tree and the lehua flower on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Visitors will be able to identify the many differences of the most prominent native tree in Kahuku during this one-hour program, which is an easy, one-mile or less walk. Sturdy footwear, water, rain gear, sun protection, and a snack are recommended. See nps.gov/havo.

ON SUNDAY, THE LAST DAY of National Park Week, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park will host National Park Rx Day, a community health initiative to “prescribe” time in parks to promote wellness. Park rangers and Dr. Craig Kadooka lead an easy, one-mile roundtrip hike of upper `Iliahi Trail. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai. The first 200 walkers receive a reusable water bottle and fresh fruit. Hawaiian practitioners Edna and Sam Baldado demonstrate the heath benefits of kalo, and Ka`ohu Monfort shares how Hawaiians use plants to heal and cure. HMSA will also provide a table with health information.

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