Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Feb. 3, 2017

PROTECTING THE NATION FROM FOREIGN TERRORIST ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES, the recent Pres. Donald Trump Executive Order, is target of a lawsuit filed today by Hawai`i's Attorney General Doug Chin. The Hawai`i AG is one of a growing number of state Attorney Generals filing suit to protect refugees and other legal travelers and foreign residents who come to the U.S. for sanctuary, business, family, work, school and recreation.

      A federal judge, responding to the Washington state Attorney General's similar suit, today issued a restraining order halting the Trump order nationwide, forcing federal immigration officials to let the targeted people into the country, provided they have legal documents to come here.

      The Hawai`i suit notes that Hawai`i is the nation's most ethnically diverse state, home to more than 250,000 foreign-born residents, with more than 100,000 of them being non-citizens. The Hawai`i V. Trump suit says that thousands of people living in Hawai`i obtain lawful permanent resident status each year, including individuals from the seven designated countries from which the Trump order is denying access: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen. It says that Hawai`i is home to 12,000 foreign students, including individuals from the designated countries, among them 27 graduate students at University of Hawai`i. It states that in 2016, foreign students contributed $400 million to Hawai`i's economy in tuition, fees, living expenses and other activities, supporting 7,590 jobs here. There are also numerous faculty members in Hawai`i's educational system who come from the targeted countries.

    The Hawai`i AG filed Hawai`i V. Trump - the State of Hawai`i against President Donald Trump - in Hawai`i federal court opposing Trump's Executive Order that restricts immigration from the seven Muslim-majority countries. Trump’s order also

Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin files lawsuit against Donald Trump.

suspends all refugee admission for 120 days and bars all Syrian refugees indefinitely. It grants entry preferences to minority religions. Chin said the order is the beginning of the fulfillment of President Trump’s campaign pledge to implement a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

    The Hawai`i AG said,  “What makes our country special and a beacon across the world is its inclusive democracy and the rule of law. Everyone in the United States, including the President, must follow the law and follow the Constitution.”
     Hawai`i today asked for a hearing on its motion for a temporary restraining order in no more than 14 days. Chin noted that “Hawai`i is an island state. This illegal order affects our state in a unique way. Under this order, an Iraqi permanent resident on the mainland U.S. cannot leave the country without the risk of never being allowed to return, but he still can travel throughout the continental United States. That same person here cannot so much as visit another island within our state for fear of being detained by federal agents at the airport. In the past, the people of this state experienced discrimination by the federal government based on national origin. We must speak up and not let this happen again.”
     The complaint alleges several causes of action: 

     "The Executive Order is unconstitutional because it favors one religion over another in violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment;
     "The Executive Order is unconstitutional because it denies equal protection of the law on the basis of national origin;
     "The Executive Order is unconstitutional because it curtails the right to travel without any legal justification;
     "The Executive Order is unconstitutional because it deprives individuals of their liberty interests without due process of law; and
     "The Executive Order is illegal because it violates the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedures Act." 

     Assisting the state of Hawai`i is Neal Kumar Katyal, a law professor at Georgetown University and former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. Like the Washington state AG, the Hawai`i AG is asking the court to block Trump's order across the entire country. 

Thomas Jaggar (second from left) prepares to measure the temperature of  Halema`uma`u lava lake in 1917. Pictured, left to right, Norton Twigg-Smith,  Jaggar, Lorrin Thurston, Joe Monez, and Alex Lancaster. Photo from USGS

VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH IN JANUARY celebrated the partnerships between Hawai`i Volcano Observatory and the other four observatories operated by the U.S. Geological Service. The series of Volcano Watch stories from Hawai`i Volcano Observatory reminded everyone that Kīlauea is home to America's first volcano observatory. Its establishment was followed by Cascades (CVO), Alaska (AVO), California (CalVO), and Yellowstone (YVO).
      HVO scientists write that "The story of HVO goes back to 1909, when a geologist named Thomas A. Jaggar visited Kīlauea for the first time. Noting the volcano's frequent and relatively benign eruptions, fairly easy access, and frequent earthquakes, Jaggar concluded that Kīlauea was the ideal site to study volcanic and seismic activity. He soon began raising funds to build a volcano observatory at the summit of Kīlauea on the Island of Hawaiʻi.    
     "Jaggar, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was unable to move to Hawai'i right away. But by late 1910, he had secured MIT funds to purchase specialized equipment and shipped it to Hawaiʻi in anticipation of his work on Kīlauea. He also arranged for an American volcanologist, Frank Perret, to travel to the island and begin observing and recording Kīlauea's volcanic activity. Perret was in Hawai'i from July to October 1911.

Volcano Observatory started up with one geologist, Thomas Jaggar, but now can host a team of as many as 26 with various specialtiies, from geophysics to seismology, volcanic gases and electronics. USGS photo

   "Several prominent Hawai`i businessmen had pledged money in 1909 to build an observatory at Kīlauea, but Jaggar's delay in getting it started had cooled their enthusiasm. Perret, however, demonstrated the value of scientific observation and documentation at Kīlauea, and these businessmen, who had formed the Hawaiian Volcano Research Association (HVRA), again pledged funding to cover the daily operating expenses not covered by MIT funds. Continued HVRA support kept HVO going for many years.
     "Jaggar finally arrived at Kīlauea and took over the continuous study of Hawai'i Island's active volcanoes in January 1912. Although Perret began monitoring Kīlauea the year before, 1912 is generally noted as the year HVO was founded and the beginning of the first century of volcano watching in Hawai'i.
      "Jaggar was the Director of HVO until he retired in 1940. Since then, 19 other scientists have served as HVO's Director or "Scientist-in-Charge."
      "From 1912 to 1947, HVO was located near the present-day Volcano House Hotel in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. In 1948, HVO was moved into a building that is now the National Park's Thomas A. Jaggar Museum, where it remained for almost 40 years.
      "In 1986, HVO moved to its current location—a building constructed next to Jaggar Museum—perched on the rim of Kīlauea's summit caldera.
      "In the years since HVO was funded by the Hawaiian Volcano Research Association (1912–1919), other agencies have funded the observatory. These agencies include the U.S. Weather Bureau (1919–1924), the U.S. Geological Survey (1924–1935), and the National Park Service (1935–1947). In 1947, the U.S. Geological Survey became the permanent administrator of HVO.
      "Today, HVO is part of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. Its mission is to monitor active and potentially active Hawaiian volcanoes and associated seismicity, assess volcanic and earthquake hazards, respond to volcanic crises, and conduct research on Hawaiian eruptions and earthquakes. HVO also provides volcanic and seismic hazards information to the emergency managers and affected populace who must make decisions about public safety. HVO differs from other USGS volcano observatories in that it is also the authoritative source of earthquake information in Hawaii.
      "HVO's staff has grown from one geologist in 1912 (Jaggar) to a team of as many as 26 people in recent years, including specialists in geology, geophysics, seismology, volcanic gases, computer technology, electronics, library/photo archives, administration, and public information. Hundreds of volunteers and academic collaborators from around the world have also provided valuable assistance to HVO through the years.
     "HVO's work today is as exciting and relevant as it was in the days of Thomas Jaggar, who felt a profound responsibility to use scientific inquiry to serve communities. We are proud to carry on his legacy—serving the people of Hawai'i and beyond—into HVO's second century."
    For more, see The Story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory—A Remarkable First 100 Years of Tracking Eruptions and Earthquakes. This USGS booklet, published to commemorate HVO's centennial in 2012, is available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/135/. For more on HVO, see http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov

Ethnobotany of Hawaiian feather artifacts involves native Hawaiian, endangered birds during an After Dark in the Park talk on Tuesday. Photo form NPS

ETHNOBIOLOGY OF HAWAIIAN FEATHER ARTIFACTS is the subject of After Dark in the Park on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. "Feather artifacts made by a variety of Pacific Island cultures are among the most beautiful of human creations, and it is often said that feather objects made by the Hawaiian people are the most stunning in existence," says a release from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
     Sheila Conant, Professor Emerita of the Department of Biology at the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa, will discuss various types of feather artifacts, the animals and plants from which they were made and how different types of artifacts were constructed. She will also consider the possible impact of feather collection on native birds. Free at Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
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