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| Last week’s hurricanes had no impact on lava deltas that have formed, and continue to grow, at ocean entries, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported. Photo from USGS-HVO |
OCEAN USERS ARE URGED to use reef-safe sunscreens. A compound commonly found in sunscreens has been shown to cause serious harm to corals, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking people who enter the ocean to avoid using sunscreens that contain oxybenzone. Recent studies have shown that the chemical causes deformities in coral larvae (planulae), making them unable to swim, settle out and form new coral colonies. It also increases the rate at which coral bleaching occurs. This puts coral reef health at risk and reduces resiliency to climate change.
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| Dr. Bruce Anderson |
“One of the most important things you can do if you plan to get in or near the ocean in Hawai`i is to use a sunscreen that does not contain oxybenzone,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, administrator of DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources. “Sunscreen chemicals wash off swimmers, surfers, paddlers, spearfishers, divers and other ocean users. Even if you’re just sunbathing on the beach, using beach showers will wash chemicals into the ocean. Researchers have found oxybenzone concentrations in some Hawaiian waters at more than 30 times the level considered safe for corals.”
Sunscreens are important in protecting human skin from the sun’s damaging radiation and are highly recommended for residents and visitors who spend time under the sun. This is especially important in Hawai`i, where tropical latitudes result in direct sunlight that has less atmosphere to travel through than places farther from the equator. As a result, less of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation is filtered out, and it’s easy to burn. Sunscreens contain either minerals or chemicals as active ingredients to filter out UV. Oxybenzone is a chemical filter found in many sunscreens.
Besides damaging coral, oxybenzone may have negative effects on human health. It and two other sunscreen chemicals, octinoxate and homosalate, have all been shown to cause disruptive reproductive system effects due to their hormone-like activity. Oxybenzone and octinoxate have also been associated with moderate to high rates of skin allergy.
Besides damaging coral, oxybenzone may have negative effects on human health. It and two other sunscreen chemicals, octinoxate and homosalate, have all been shown to cause disruptive reproductive system effects due to their hormone-like activity. Oxybenzone and octinoxate have also been associated with moderate to high rates of skin allergy.
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| DLNR urges ocean users to avoid sunscreens with chemicals that damage reefs. Photo from DLNR |
According to Anderson, “the only way you can know whether a sunscreen contains oxybenzone is to read the label. Some sunscreens may claim to be ‘reef safe,’ but there is no agency which regulates that kind of claim. You really have to look at the ingredients.”
Anderson also recommended using water resistant sunscreens, which are more likely to stay on your skin, and sunscreens that use mineral filters, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Also, rash guards or wet suits will reduce the area of exposed skin, and thus the amount of sunscreen needed for protection.
At Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve on Maui, NAR specialist Jeff Bagshaw has made sunscreen outreach a priority. He’s created cards to pass out to visitors who frequent snorkeling spots there. The cards list sunscreen chemicals in addition to oxybenzone that some scientists believe may have negative impacts on corals. He and his volunteers try to talk to everyone who pulls into the parking lot to encourage them to begin only using products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as active sunscreens.
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At Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve on Maui, NAR specialist Jeff Bagshaw has made sunscreen outreach a priority. He’s created cards to pass out to visitors who frequent snorkeling spots there. The cards list sunscreen chemicals in addition to oxybenzone that some scientists believe may have negative impacts on corals. He and his volunteers try to talk to everyone who pulls into the parking lot to encourage them to begin only using products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as active sunscreens.
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Fumes emanating from the flow field delineate part of the active tube system. Photo from USGS-HVO |
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE that high surf from last week’s hurricanes had any impact on the lava deltas that have formed, and continue to grow, at the ocean entries, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.
The 61g lava flow, extending southeast of Pu`u `O`o on Kilauea’s south flank, continues to carry lava to the ocean near Kamokuna, building lava deltas that extend into the ocean. Deltas can collapse at any time and throw material into the air.
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CHIEF JUSTICE MARK E. RECKTENWALD has appointed Dakota K.M. Frenz to the District Family Court of the Third Circuit on Hawai`i Island. Frenz will fill the vacancy created by Judge Lloyd X. Van De Car’s retirement.
Frenz served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the County of Hawai`i from 2006-2012 handling cases in district, family and circuit courts and since 2012 has been in private practice, including criminal law, family law and civil litigation/collections.
Frenz is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuikahi Mediation Center and an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program. She also volunteers with Friends of Drug Court and the Self-Help Center in East Hawai`i.
Frenz is a graduate of Whittier Law School and was admitted to the Hawai`i State Bar in 2006.
The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not fewer than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. If confirmed by the state Senate, Frenz will serve a term of six years.
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Frenz served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the County of Hawai`i from 2006-2012 handling cases in district, family and circuit courts and since 2012 has been in private practice, including criminal law, family law and civil litigation/collections.
Frenz is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuikahi Mediation Center and an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program. She also volunteers with Friends of Drug Court and the Self-Help Center in East Hawai`i.
Frenz is a graduate of Whittier Law School and was admitted to the Hawai`i State Bar in 2006.
The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not fewer than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. If confirmed by the state Senate, Frenz will serve a term of six years.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION will be sending a U.S. Department of Education Federal Survey Card home with Hawai`i’s public school students for parents to complete beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7. Completed Impact Aid Program survey cards allow HIDOE to qualify for a partial reimbursement for educating federally connected students, such as children whose parents work or live on federal property such as low-income housing, military installations/housing, native American lands or national parks.
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| Impact Aid funds support public schools statewide. Image from HIDOE |
The program was created to assist school districts that lose tax revenues (e.g. income, sales and property taxes) due to a federal presence. Received funds go to all local school districts, just like local property taxes, and can be used to hire teachers, purchase textbooks and computers, pay for utilities and more. Parents are strongly urged to complete the surveys and return them to their schools as soon as possible.
“Impact Aid funds are extremely important to support all our public schools statewide and help to improve quality education for our students,” said Kathryn Matayoshi, HIDOE Superintendent. “During the 2015-16 school year, the state accounted for 27,660 federally connected students and received more than $40 million in Impact Aid funding. We ask all parents for their cooperation to complete these important surveys.”
Completed survey forms will benefit students at all public schools statewide. Federal reimbursements help to offset such costs as student transportation, school utilities, substitute teachers, portable classrooms and many others necessities.
Without these federal funds, the Hawai`i public school system would have $40 million to $50 million less per year to operate with and would need to reduce support for all schools to pay all its expenses.
Completed survey forms will benefit students at all public schools statewide. Federal reimbursements help to offset such costs as student transportation, school utilities, substitute teachers, portable classrooms and many others necessities.
Without these federal funds, the Hawai`i public school system would have $40 million to $50 million less per year to operate with and would need to reduce support for all schools to pay all its expenses.
Every public school has a 100-percent return rate goal and asks that parents complete and return the federal survey next week. See the Impact Aid Program webpage for more information and common questions.
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To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| `Alala No. 2 by Reyn Ojiri. Image from VAC |
VOLCANO ART CENTER PRESENTS Return of `Alala: Restoring the Voice of Hawai`i’s Native Forests, a statewide multimedia art competition featuring Hawai`i’s endemic crow. The exhibit is on display at VAC Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park through Oct. 9. Proceeds from the exhibition support reintroduction of this important species to Hawai`i’s native forests to take place this fall. The exhibit is open to the public and free of charge, although park entrance fees apply.
“The response to this collaborative conservation effort has been terrific,” gallery manager Emily Weiss said. “Hawai`i’s creative community has learned so much about this critically endangered species through outreach from the `Alala Project and the Hawai`i Endangered Bird Conservation Program. To date, VAC has received 47 entries. The artwork submitted reflects the artist’s knowledge of and affinity for this special species.”
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| See kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.html and kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory2016.pdf. |
