Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016

BAY CLINIC IS ONE OF 14 HAWAI`I HEALTH CENTERS that will receive a total of $753,064 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support health information technology enhancements. The clinic’s allocation of $66,682 is part of more than $87 million provided by HHS to 1,310 health centers in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. The funding will support health IT enhancements to accelerate health centers' transition to value-based models of care, improve efforts to share and use information to support better decisions and increase engagement in delivery system transformation. This is the first significant investment directly awarded to health centers to support the purchase of health IT since 2009.

      “Health centers across Hawai`i provide high-quality health and wellness services that our communities depend upon,” Gabbard said. “Yet, in Hawai`i and in states across the country, remote locations, lack of funding and staff shortages make it difficult to keep up with rapidly changing healthcare technology. Investing in our local health centers will increase information sharing, improve electronic healthcare record systems and expand access to comprehensive, quality care for people in every county across the state.”

THE PROPOSED PAHALA WATER BOTTLING PLANT has drawn more discussion. Ken Sugai, who owns the house at Honu`apo, pointed to a 2014 Hawai`i Supreme Court decision regarding a Kaua`i water bottling company. The decision drew upon Hawai`i’s Public Trust Doctrine in Article 11 of the Constitution. It states, “For the benefit of present and future generations, the state and its political subdivisions shall conserve and protect Hawai`i’s natural beauty and all natural resources, including land, water, air, minerals and energy sources, and shall promote the development and utilization of these resources in a manner consistent with their conservation and in furtherance of the self-sufficiency of the state.

      “All public natural resources are held in trust by the state for the benefit of the people.”

      The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Kaua`i Planning Commission after a lower court ruled that the commission “exceeded its jurisdiction” when it denied Kaua`i Springs, Inc. its permit to operate.
      In a story in The Garden Island newspaper, attorney David Minkin told reporter Chris D’Angelo that the Supreme Court decision “means that, especially when water’s at issue, that every agency that has some duty or responsibility has to take a look at it from the constitutional perspective of the Public Trust Doctrine.
      “You just can’t punt it and say, ‘Not my kuleana.’ You have to look at it. You have to evaluate it. You have to get information. And if you’re left with a question in the back of your mind that you don’t have enough information, it’s not the department, in this case the Planning Commission, it’s not their duty to go out and track down and get information.
     “ Instead, the applicant — in this case, Kaua`i Springs — must present the appropriate information.”
      The court’s ruling “basically shifts the burden,” Minkin said.
      On The Ka`u Calendar Facebook page, Mariah Penelope Aguilar posted about the use of spring from Ka`u for a bottling plant. “I would be worried that if they create a company, they might close out wells that are free,” she said.
      Jimbeaux Black, of Na`alehu, posted, “To come onto the edge of a desert, tap into the watershed for bottled profit packaged in plastic is not sustainable on so many levels. Water is being bought and stolen, in all parts of the world. This is not good for Ka`u’s future. Very shortsighted. Water is life.”
      Hawai`i County Planning Department is currently reviewing the Pahala water bottling plant proposal and accepting public comments. Emails can be sent to planning@hawaiicounty.gov, susan.gagorik@hawaiicounty.gov and larry.nakayama@hawaiicounty.gov.
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Help David Benitez remove fountain grass in Ocean View. Photo from NPS

VOLUNTEERS ARE INVITED TO WORK with Ocean View Community Association and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park staff to remove invasive fountain grass from roadsides in Ocean View on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

      Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) is a highly flammable bunch grass native to North Africa. This fire-promoting plant spreads quickly and is one of the few invasive species that can colonize young lava flows that would otherwise serve as natural firebreaks. In August 2005, this noxious weed contributed to the spread of a 25,000-acre wildfire that forced evacuation of Waikoloa Village. Fountain grass aggressively chokes out native plants and increases fire potential in natural areas. It is a problem for all districts around the island, especially leeward areas.
      Volunteers will meet Ocean View Community Center at 9 a.m. Bring lunch, water, a hat and sunscreen.
      For more information, call Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ecologist David Benitez at 985-6085, or email david_benitez@nps.gov.
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK invites everyone to lend a helping hand on National Public Lands Day this Saturday as it celebrates 100 years of protecting native ecosystems. It’s a fee-free day, and while all park visitors can enjoy the park at no charge, NPLD volunteers will receive a free pass to use on another day of their choosing.

      Join volunteers for Stewardship at the Summit from 8:45 a.m. to noon. Meet NPLD coordinator Jane Field at Kilauea Visitor Center, then head into the rainforest to remove invasive Himalayan ginger from the summit of Kilauea. Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, sunscreen, raingear, snacks, and water. Loppers/gloves provided. No advance registration required.
      While pretty and fragrant, Himalayan ginger (also called kahili) is one of the most invasive plants in the park and on Earth. It is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the 100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species. The park strives to protect the rainforest habitat of native birds and plants, but Himalayan ginger takes over the native rainforest understory and makes it impossible for the next generation of forest to grow. This inedible ginger species crowds out many native plants, including pa`iniu (a Hawaiian lily), `ama`u fern, and others.
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ACTIVITIES AT MAULI OLA FESTIVAL at Wood Valley Farm tomorrow include morning and afternoon yoga sessions, Gilberto Baraona’s introduction of a new coffee variety and a Korean Natural Farming Workshop with Drake Weinert.

      An evening concert begins with music by El Leo, featuring Ka`u’s state Sen. Russell Ruderman, followed by Kalapana Awa Band, Jeff Peterson and Liko Martin.
      See mauliolafestival.com for more information and tickets.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND’S annual “Get the Drift & Bag it Ka`u Coast Cleanup is Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Email kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or text 808-769-7629 for more information.
      To date, HWF and volunteers have removed over 192 tons of marine debris from the shores of Hawai`i Island.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS is Saturday at Na`alehu Park. A parade, with horses and riders representing the Hawaiian islands, begins at 9 a.m. along Hwy 11. 

      For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740.