Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, May 19, 2016

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK entrance fees increase on June 1 as part of a three-year incremental plan to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities.

      The 2016 per-vehicle fee will change from $15 to $20, and the pass will remain valid for seven days. The per-person fee for rate bicyclists and pedestrians pay will increase from $8 to $10, and the motorcycle fee will increase from $10 to $15.

      One significant modification to the new fee structure was based on public input. The annual Tri-Park Pass, considered by many as the kama`aina or residents pass will remain at the current rate of $25 for 2016 and will increase to $30 in 2017. Based on public input, the park proposed a $30 fee for the Tri-Park Pass, instead of the national standard of $50. The annual Tri-Park Pass is available to all visitors and allows unlimited entry for one year to three national parks: Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park and Haleakalā National Park.

      New fees of $10 per site per night are also slated for all backcountry and front-country campsites, including Kulanaokuaiki Campground. Backcountry campsites will have a stay limit of three consecutive nights, while the front-country campsites will have a stay limit of seven consecutive nights. Currently, camping is free except at Namakanipaio Campground, which is managed by Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC. The new camping permit fees are similar to other public camping fees statewide.

      The current National Park Service fee program began in 1997 and allows parks to retain 80 percent of monies collected. Projects funded by entrance fees at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park include ongoing trail maintenance, cabin repairs, hike pamphlets, restrooms, picnic tables and more. The transformation of the 1932 Administration Building (`Ohi`a Wing) into a cultural museum that visitors will soon enjoy is also a fee-funded project. Entrance fees also protect the Hawaiian ecosystem by funding fencing projects that prevent non-native ungulates like pigs and goats from devouring rare native plants.

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I OLA NA `AINA MOMONA, led by Malian Lahey, who is raising funds to work toward Ka`u farmer land security, hosted a Locavore Benefit Dinner Tuesday at Pahala Plantation House. The meal included seared ahi and locally grown grass-fed beef and vegetables. Chefs from `Ohelo Café and Café Pesto prepared the feast. Big Island Brewhaus provided award-winning craft beer along with a variety of wine. Singer/songwriter/activist Hawane Rios & Band performed. Rios said she has roots in Ka`u but hadn’t been her since a previous life. Her Poli`ahu i ke Kapu was nominated at the 2012 Big Island Music Awards as best Hawaiian language single.

HAWAI`I STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION on Tuesday approved recommendations to revise its policy on Teacher Performance Evaluation. Joint committee members of the Hawai`i State Teachers Association and Hawai`i State Department of Education presented the recommended changes, which were subsequently recommended by superintendent to BOE.

      BOE members praised the collaborative work of the committee over the past three years. Joint committee members, the superintendent, and the BOE confirmed that the evaluation system should continue to include multiple measures of teacher practice and student learning and growth.
      Significant changes to Teacher Performance Evaluation are removal of student test scores as a required measure of student learning and growth and providing additional flexibility in weighting of components of the evaluation.
      “These changes allow for flexibility and are the result of continuous improvement, analysis and collaboration over years,” ​Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said. “We will continue to focus on supporting the development of our teachers and advancing student learning.”
      “Discarding standardized testing in teacher evaluations will restore responsibility ​for learning to dedicated teachers and begin to reinstate respect as the core value around which educator assessment rotates,” said HSTA president Corey Rosenlee. “We can now focus on the student-centered purpose of evaluation systems and create pathways for better communicating and implementing that shared goal.”

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MEMBERS OF KA`U’S U.S. CONGRESSIONAL delegation welcomed the Hokule`a voyaging canoe to Washington, DC last Sunday.

      The canoe was greeted in the Potomac River by a fireboat from the Alexandria, VA Fire Department. Following the arrival, a Celebration of Friendship with Native Americans from the region and local officials took place at the Waterfront Park. The ceremony included cultural performances by the Native American tribes, DC-area hula halau and students from Kamehameha Schools. Following the Celebration of Friendship, hundreds of people from the community boarded the Hokule`a and met with crew members.

      “When the Hokule`a left Hawai`i, I had the special opportunity to bring a lei and see her and her crew off on their incredible voyage,” Sen. Brian Schatz said. “I was honored to be there today, again with a maile lei, this time to welcome her to Washington and to recognize the transformational impact this voyage has already had. Through sharing the Hawaiian culture, science and aloha with people of different lifestyles and backgrounds, we are moving people to care for our planet and emphasizing our global responsibility to do our part. This voyage not only highlights these critical issues, it unites us around them. It manifests the underlying values of stewardship in a way that is both Hawaiian and universal. It is unique and extraordinary.”

      “The mission of Hokule`a extends far beyond sharing the aloha spirit and native Hawaiian culture with people around the world,” Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said. “The mission of Malama Honua is something that each of us can take and apply in our hearts and our work everyday.”
      The arrival marked the first of many community engagements that the Hokule`a crew is participating in throughout the canoe’s two-week visit to the Washington, DC area.

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KA`U MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS brought home the trophy on Saturday, May 7, when the basketball team defeated Pahoa at their championship game. The match was close, with the score of 14-12. Throughout the season, the girls had multiple games against Kea`au and Pahoa Middle School teams.

      The girls learned many fundamentals and skills from their coach, Bridget Pasion. This is the first time the girls have accomplished such a milestone and the first time that Pasion coached her own team. “The future looks bright for both these basketball players and their coach,” said Director Sandy Tran. “Special thanks to Uplink All-Stars After-School Program, Ka`u Middle School Athletics, Coach Cy Lopez and Coach Jennifer Makuakane for their continued support.”

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TOMORROW IS COFFEE & CATTLE DAY. Beginning at 10 a.m., the Ka`u Coffee Festival event at Aikane Plantation features a ranch lunch and an opportunity to learn about how coffee growing is integrated into cattle ranching and other agriculture.

      Contact Phil and Merle Becker at aikaneplantation@hawaii.rr.com or 808-927-2252.

STARGAZE FROM MAKANAU tomorrow during the ongoing Ka`u Coffee Festival. Guests are welcome to take a moment and enjoy the view before settling into the temporary campsite to watch the sunset and discover the night sky with laser beams and a brief astronomy lesson.
      Participants may catch a glimpse of the bright blue star Vega. According to astronomer Lew Cook, who writes a column for The Ka`u Calendar, “This is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, slightly outshown by Arcturus, or Hokule`a, as it is known here.”

      Meet at Ka`u Coffee Mill at 5:30 p.m. $35 includes refreshments and shuttle rides to the mountain.
      Email lisa@kaucoffeemill.com, or call 928-0550.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL HO`OLAULE`A on Saturday features a full day of entertainment, displays, Ka`u Coffee tasting, farm tours, the Ka`u Coffee Experience and food at Pahala Community Center from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Guam's War in the Pacific National Historical Park. Photo from Wikipedia

      Win $1,000 in prizes and cash at Buy Local; It Matters. Bring receipts, business cards or product labels from local business participants to the Ho`olaule`a for a chance to win. See kaucoffeefest.com for a list of participants.

LEARN THE SIGNIFICANCE of Guam’s War in the Pacific National Historical Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The park was established as a tribute to those who fought and died during the Pacific Theater of World War II.

      Due to the graphic nature of a film to be shown, the program may not be suitable for younger audiences.

      Free; park entrance fees apply.

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