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| Office of Hawaiian Affairs has released a major study on the health of Hawaiian men. See story below. Image from OHA |
A 4.5 EARTHQUAKE SHOOK KA`U TODAY. The epicenter was northeast of South Point, 23 miles beneath the sea between Loihi Seamount and Ka Lae, southwest of Pahala. The quake was a fit and start, sending some people scurrying to safe places as it started small, stopped for a second and started again, which sometimes means the bigger one is arriving. However, there were few aftershocks and no damage reported.
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THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND, which has helped conserve tens of thousands of acres across the U.S. since 1964, some of it locally, would receive an 84 percent cut in the Trump Administration budget, as proposed by the new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, in place since 1964, receives $900 million annually from energy companies drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf of the U.S. The purpose is to support National Parks and other federal, state and local conservation efforts with the non-taxpayer funding.
Such funding has helped double the size of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park through the purchase of the Kahuku Unit. It has also funded Ala Kahakai Trail purchases and requests gave been made to dedicate part of the funding toward acquisitions of thousands of acres around the Great Crack, Pohue Bay and Waikapuna in Ka`u.
THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND, which has helped conserve tens of thousands of acres across the U.S. since 1964, some of it locally, would receive an 84 percent cut in the Trump Administration budget, as proposed by the new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, in place since 1964, receives $900 million annually from energy companies drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf of the U.S. The purpose is to support National Parks and other federal, state and local conservation efforts with the non-taxpayer funding.
Such funding has helped double the size of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park through the purchase of the Kahuku Unit. It has also funded Ala Kahakai Trail purchases and requests gave been made to dedicate part of the funding toward acquisitions of thousands of acres around the Great Crack, Pohue Bay and Waikapuna in Ka`u.
At Tuesday's Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Sen. Mazie Hirono questioned the Secretary of the Interior, reminding Zinke:
“You said a number of times in response to our questions that this budget is what a balanced budget looks like. Does this budget balance resource extraction with conservation?”
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| The Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park was added with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which faces an 83 percent cut in the proposed federal budget. Janice Wei/NPS Photo |
“When you were here for confirmation hearings you were a big supporter…of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That fund is supposed to be a conservation program that is funded by oil drilling revenues and yet this fund is cut by 84 percent,” said Hirono.
“The reason that I’m particularly interested in the strength of the Land and Water Conservation Fund is that it is a very bipartisan-supported fund. Hawai`i has submitted a proposal that obtains funding from the LWCF and our proposal is called Island Forests at Risk. It protects water resources, improves ecosystems, etc. So has your commitment to the LWCF changed? Because this fund is cut by 84 percent in the President’s budget, which you support.”
Since her service began in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hirono has been working to secure federal support for land acquisitions in Hawai`i and has been a strong supporter of federal resources for conservation.For the first time in FY 2016 the Obama Administration’s budget ranked Island Forests at Risk high enough for the National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to acquire lands that protect native forests and watersheds that are essential to the recovery of threatened and endangered species and cultural resource protection. Additional funding for purchasing these parcels was provided in FY 2017. "However, zeroing out funding for land acquisitions in the FY 2018 budget proposal could halt these important conservation efforts," said Hirono.
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| This non-tax payer funding from oil and gas companies to support conservation would be cut by 83 percent in the new Trump budget. Image from Land & Water Conservation Fund Coalition |
The Trump Administration’s FY 2018 proposed budget for the Department of the Interior is $11.8 billion, a 12 percent overall cut below funding provided in FY 2017, and the LWCF is not the only conservation program that will take a major hit if the FY 2018 funding levels are approved by Congress. The budget also includes a 13 percent reduction in National Park Service’s budget, a 15 percent reduction in the U.S. Geological Survey’s budget, a 14 percent reduction in U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s budget, and a 22 percent reduction in the Office of Insular Affairs’ budget from FY 2017 levels.
The National Park Service and USGS are important employers in Ka`u.
`O KA`U KAKOU SCHOLARSHIPS total $4,000 this year, provided to students in higher education. The local volunteer organization has awarded scholarships based on academic achievement, community service, honors and awards and a written essay.
The following are the recipients: Emmett Enriques, who will be attending California Baptist University; Tiare-Lee Shibuya, attending the University of Hawai`i; Evan Enriques, attending Stanford University; Rochelle Koi, attending the University of Hawai`i; Addison Enriques, attending Concordia University Irvine; Kamrie Koi, attending the University of Hawaii; Avery Enriques, attending Grand Canyon University; and Chloe Gan, attending California State Polytechnic University.
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A 137-FOOT TALL STEEL LATTICE RADIO TOWER WITH A MICROWAVE DISH and two, two-way radio antennas and related structures, are proposed for 2,178 square feet of land in Ocean View, also the location of the fire station. The address is 92-6091 Orchid Circle Mauka at the intersection with Ocean View Parkway. The County's Department of Public Works is asking for the permit from the Windward Planning Commission. The request is on the agenda for 9 a.m. at the commission meeting on Thursday, July 6 at the Aupuni Center Conference room on Pauahi Street in Hilo. Testimony can be given and the meeting accessed locally from the interactive video communication site at the Old Na`alehu Courthouse.
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TRANSFORMING THE HEALTH OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN MEN - Kānehōʻālani is a new publication by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The 45-page report on the well-being of Hawaiian kāne builds upon the E Ola Mau study, developed by a group of scholars in the mid-1980s, which led to the passage of the federal Native Hawaiian Health Act.To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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| The well-being of Hawaiian kāne is a new 45-page report. See http://www.oha.org/kanehealth. |
Kānehōʻālani is grounded in data gleaned from various state departments, federal survey systems, among other sources. However, what sets Kānehōʻālani’s apart from previous research is its wide-ranging scope and cultural emphasis. The report tracks health across an individual’s lifespan from, keiki to kupuna, while also examining how many different factors impact health, such as education, occupation, incarceration and housing – collectively referred to as the social determinants of health. The report also underscores the important role of males in traditional Hawaiian customs, which may
offer a cultural road map to improve health outcomes. OHA is developing a similar report on the health of Native Hawaiian women, slated for release in May 2018, which coincides with Women’s Health Month.
To view Kānehōʻālani: Transforming the Health of Native Hawaiian Men, visit http://www.oha.org/kanehealth.
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| Of the 1,360,301 State population, 289,970 (21.3%) were Native Hawaiians, with nearly one-fifth, 18.9% lived in Hawai‘i County,Of the 289,970 Native Hawaiians in Hawai‘i, 145,849 or 50.3% were kāne, with a median age 26.3 years. The median age for the 681,243 State males was 37.2 years. ∫ In 2010, there were 527,077 Native Hawaiians in the United States: 45% living in the Continental U.S. and 55% in Hawai‘i. |
Kamana‘opono Crabbe, OHA Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer, said that "The Kanehoalani Native Hawaiian Men’s Health Report is the first ever focus on Hawaiian men’s health that looks at compiling medical, health, chronic diseases, behavioral health, some of the more socio-economic challenges, but also taking a look from a cultural lens to paint a clearer picture of Native Hawaiian men’s health issues among our kāne."
He said that "OHA’s role was really to accumulate the data from Department of Health. They release the results to the public but they don’t disaggregate it, they don’t break it down by ethnic group or gender so we had to do that. It was a multiyear process to get that information and once we were able to obtain the data files we were able to distill it down into our own analysis. So the reason why that’s important is so we can provide it back to the community for those who want to pursue grants, projects or programs focusing on Native Hawaiian men’s health."
Michael Broderick, former family court judge and current President and Chief Executive Officer of YMCA of Honolulu said, "I think there are a lot of people in Hawaiʻi who are in denial about the numbers, and about the data, and about the disproportionate impact that the justice system has on Native Hawaiians. This report verifies what a number of people thought for many years, but now we know for sure, for example, that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented in prison.
"I think from a judge perspective… Judges, I think, often have unconscious biases. And it’s unconscious so that means they’re not aware of it, which I think contributes to the disproportionate number of Hawaiians in prison and I think a report like this will get the attention of the criminal justice system so they can then be introspective about changes they might make personally and systematically to address the issue."
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Weave a Small Decorative Fish, Fri, June 23, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants use nui (coconut fronds). Free.
Stained Glass II: Panel Lamp, Sat – Sun, June 24 – July 8, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Claudia McCall teaches students how to create their own stained glass table lamp. $150/$135 VAC members; $15 supply fee. 967-8222
Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship (He Pilina Wehena ‘Ole), Sat, June 24, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Palm Trail hikers visit a place where catastrophic change & subsequent restoration can be observed. Free. nps.gov/havo
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| Kamana`opono Crab, OHA Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer. Photo from OHA |
Michael Broderick, former family court judge and current President and Chief Executive Officer of YMCA of Honolulu said, "I think there are a lot of people in Hawaiʻi who are in denial about the numbers, and about the data, and about the disproportionate impact that the justice system has on Native Hawaiians. This report verifies what a number of people thought for many years, but now we know for sure, for example, that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented in prison.
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| The study analyzes state Department of Health statistics about the health of Hawaiian Men. Graph from OHA |
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Weave a Small Decorative Fish, Fri, June 23, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants use nui (coconut fronds). Free.
Stained Glass II: Panel Lamp, Sat – Sun, June 24 – July 8, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Claudia McCall teaches students how to create their own stained glass table lamp. $150/$135 VAC members; $15 supply fee. 967-8222
Nature & Culture: An Unseverable Relationship (He Pilina Wehena ‘Ole), Sat, June 24, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Palm Trail hikers visit a place where catastrophic change & subsequent restoration can be observed. Free. nps.gov/havo
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