Ka'ū News Briefs Saturday, September 23, 2017

Pāhoehoe lava flows are common but a hazard to residents in their paths. See story below. Photo by Alicia Burtner/USGS

RAINA WHITING ANNOUNCED HER BID FOR THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TODAY. The Nā‘ālehu school teacher is campaigning as a Democrat for the District 5 seat that covers the citizenry from Honu‘apo through Nā‘ālehu, Green Sands, Discovery Harbour, South Point and Ocean View through Miloli‘i and up to Holualoa in Kona. District V is currently being represented by Richard Creagan, MD, who has announced he is running for the State Senate seat being vacated by Senator Josh Green, MD.
     Whiting said she is committed to championing the issues that matter the most to the nearly 50,000 residents of District 5, including advocating for farmers, "working towards the schools our keiki deserve, infrastructure improvements particularly the state highways, clean elections and the needs of kupuna."
     She said she believes in coastal preservation and "making a sound plan for sustainable growth and economic development of our island home. This campaign is about building capacity in our community. I am one rural school teacher with a big desire to work hard for the future we desire on our islands - Together, our future is one to believe in!”
     Whiting is a kindergarten teacher at Nā‘ālehu Elementary School. She earned her B.A. in Literature with a Certificate in Latin American and Iberian Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and her MS in Education from The Johns Hopkins University.
     A statement from her campaign says, Whiting "is focused on community advocacy, hosting events to feed the community and providing free school supplies; and leading events that engage children in crafting and agriculture. As a school teacher she received over $5,000 in grant funding for the 2017-18 school year. The grant funding will go towards environmental place-based education, musical instruments, new furniture and gardening resources for her students."
     Whiting is the co-founder of the Ka‘ū Farm School and is involved in supporting family farms. Whiting is also an active member of the Hawai‘i Farmers Union United’s Hawai‘i Island Chapter and a member of the Hawai‘i State Teacher’s Association’s Speakers Bureau, having contributed to its recent publication Schools Our Keiki Deserve: a blueprint for public education (hsta.org/index.php/news/schools-our-keiki-deserve-a-blueprint-for-public-education).

Whiting was the elected Democratic party National Delegate for Bernie Sanders. Photo from Raina Whiting

     Whiting was previously a legal advocate for victims of domestic abuse at the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i. She’s served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in legal services and in education as a Teach for America corps member. She has also been active at the state capitol lobbying the legislature on behalf of organizations that advocate for social justice issues such as education, human rights, death with dignity, labor rights, environment, coastal preservation, homelessness, child advocacy and public land access and open space issues.
     Whiting was the elected Democratic Party National Delegate for Bernie Sanders in 2016. She is the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i’s Hawai‘i County Secretary and is a State Senate District 3 representative on the State Central Committee. She is also a member of the Environmental Caucus, serving as an at-large elected officer.      She was recently selected to participate in the Rural School Leadership Academy. Participants in the program learn early school leadership skills and deepen their exposure to the power of the role of the school leader, while building a powerful national network of aspiring school leaders in rural communities. The 2017-18 program is a cohort of 39 teachers from Alabama, Appalachia, Arkansas, Delaware, Eastern North Carolina, Greater New Orleans–Louisiana Delta, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rio Grande Valley, South Carolina, South Dakota, South Louisiana, and Washington.

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Long-view photograph of the Ka‘ū coastal fire from the Cane Haul Road above Nā‘ālehu. Photo by Richard Taylor

THE KA‘Ū COASTAL BRUSHFIRE CONTINUES WITH AROUND 1,600 ACRES BURNED says a Hawai‘i Fire Department press release issued today, Saturday, Sept. 23, around 9 p.m. The fire began near Waikapuna Bay with the first alarm raised at 5:24 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, according to and earlier press release issued by Hawai‘i Fire Department. Now three days in, fire crews are still battling the flames. By mid-morning today, the fire had grown "substantially" with "about 1400 acres" burned. The cause of the fire is "undetermined," says the Hawai`i Fire Department statement.

"This photograph was taken with a telephoto lens of the aircraft and communications towers below Nā‘ālehu. Many firefighters on the scene there. Fire is actually some distance from the towers, maybe 1000 feet, foreshortened by the lens," says Richard Taylor who lives on a nearby ranch.

     The brushfire "is long, reaching from Waikapuna Bay to within .75 miles of Green Sands Subdivision, and has more than a dozen spot fires outside the main burn area." It has "continued to burn through uneven terrain with variable fuel/vegetation mixtures." The "spot fires range from 100 square feet to several acres. Air support by two helicopters using water drops assisted ground units who were extinguishing fires that had jumped fire breaks.
     "By nightfall, the fire was contained, with no further fires outside of 4-wheel roads widened by bull dozers, creating a perimeter for the approximately 1,600 acre fire."
     The location of the fire offers "rugged plains with limited 4x4 vehicle access" over "primarily cattle pasture, with some native trees and archeology of unknown periods," says the release.
     "No structures have burned or are in immediate danger."
     The release states their fire fighting efforts are manpowered by a total of 26 individuals - 14 Hawai‘i Fire Department personal, along with 12 volunteer firefighters - with four privately owned bulldozers, one engine, two tankers, one medic unit, five rescue boat related volunteer apparatuses, two choppers and seven other units being used.

An aerial view of the Ka‘ū coastal fire approaching Nā‘ālehu and Mark Twain. Photo by Shalan Crysdale

     Hawai‘i Fire Department "will remain on scene overnight, and operations will resume in the morning with choppers and ground fire fighting," says the statement.

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Matt Peharda won the Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run half-marathon and was greeted at the finish line with a wooden pendant lei presented by  Miss Ka‘ū Coffee Jami Beck. Photo by Trevor Goff

THE KA‘Ū COFFEE TRAIL RUN Half Marathon welcomed Matt Peharda, 29, of Portland, Oregon, as first across the finish line today at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill in 1 hour and 41 seconds. Peharda, who was hosted overnight by Pāhala Plantation Cottages, described his experience. "I've run several races across Oregon, Colorado and California and this was the most scenic one. The entertainment before and after the race was fun, as well as the emcee."
     Peharda is a senior financial analyst at Adidas and has written a book on running, available on Amazon, entitled Running with a Vengeance.
    The Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run's Mens 10K saw Kip Niewlse coming first across the finish line in 45.51.8, Zachary Hines second in 46.03.1 and Brian Shiro in 46.24.8.
   The Men's 5K saw Troy Aukai coming in first in 22.087.7, followed by Sumuo Engichi in 32.25.2 and Alexander Keely in 23.43.7.  See more results in tomorrow's Ka‘ū News Briefs.
    Today's was the fourth annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run, sponsored ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou and the Edmund C. Olson Trust, which provided the venue at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill and the trails through coffee fields and macadamia orchards into the rainforest above Wood Valley.

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THERMAL MAPS HELP WITH PĀHOEHOE CHALLENGES, says this week's Volcano Watch, written by scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

      Pāhoehoe lava flows are a common feature on Hawaiian volcanoes, and they have been a serious hazard to residential areas during the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō eruption over the past few decades. Pāhoehoe destroyed much of the town of Kalapana, buried most of the Royal Gardens subdivision, and most recently threatened the town of Pāhoa.
    A challenge with pāhoehoe flows is that they are difficult to track and forecast, in large part owing to how they spread out on the ground. As the surface of a pāhoehoe lava flow cools, lava tubes can develop and transport lava beneath the flow surface. This lava emerges at the active flow front, and on the flow surface in "breakouts" from the tube system. These lava breakouts can occur in many different areas along the length of a flow at any given time. On Kīlauea, lava breakouts are often scattered over areas spanning kilometers (miles).

An example of a thermal map, created on August 9, 2017. The thermal map is limited to the current flow  (episode 61g flow), which runs along the center of the map. The blue and green colors correspond to lower surface temperatures, areas of cooled, inactive lava. The orange and red colors show areas of hot, active breakouts on the flow surface. USGS map

    The scattered nature of breakouts is the main challenge for monitoring and forecasting pāhoehoe flows. In some ways, monitoring pāhoehoe flows can be much more difficult than monitoring ‘a‘ā flows, which are often focused in a single, well-defined lava channel.
    Until recently, geologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory could only effectively map the margins of a pāhoehoe flow. The advance and expansion of the flow margins provided a picture of evolving behavior at the edge of the flow (and potential hazard), but it was difficult to map out exactly where all the breakouts on the flow surface were located.
    These breakouts are commonly positioned well away from the flow front and margins. Sometimes they advance to reach the flow margins, and drive the flow in a new direction. Knowing where breakouts are clustered, and how they are evolving, is valuable for anticipating where the advance of a pāhoehoe flow might become focused.
    Over the past few years, HVO geologists developed a new technique to map activity across the entire surface of a pāhoehoe flow. During our routine helicopter overflights, scientists use a handheld thermal camera to collect a series of overlapping, oblique images along the entire length of the lava flow, from the vent to the ocean entry. Scientists then use "structure-from-motion" computer software to stitch the individual images into a large mosaic.

Thermal web cam captures images for USGS scientists in Hawai‘i. Photo from USGS

    This type of software uses the overlapping images to calculate the exact 3-dimensional position of each image pixel on the surface of the Earth. Scientists insert a handful of known coordinates in the image mosaic as "ground control" points, which provide "georeference" for the mosaic and orients it to its correct position on the Earth's surface.
    This mosaic of thermal images is basically a thermal map of the lava flow surface, and reveals the exact location of all the active surface breakouts. The map provides a highly accurate picture of surface activity, improving our ability to anticipate where lava might advance. The added benefit is that scientists can precisely map the path of the main lava tube, which produces a subtle line of warm temperatures on the surface.
    Structure-from-motion software has become much more accessible in the past 5-10 years, and geologists around the world use it to make accurate 3D ground surface models. This software is another example of how rapidly technology is changing. "It also shows how new techniques can overcome long-standing challenges and improve our ability to monitor Hawaiian volcanoes,"
says the Volcano Watch article.

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A FREE CONCERT FEATURING LOCAL RECORDING ARTIST MARK YAMANAKA will be hosted in the Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium of Hawai‘i Volcanoes' National Park on Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     Mark has been awarded multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards since the debut of his first album, Lei Puakenikeni. His next album, Lei Maile, has also received critical acclaim. A press release from Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ promoting the event says “Mark’s crisp, clear falsetto and rich baritone voice will mesmerize you.” This even is part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes’ ongoing Nā Leo Manu “Heavenly Voices” presentations. Park entrance fees may apply.

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A VOLLEYBALL CLINIC for five to 14 year-old youth, co-sponsored by the Hawai'i Police Department, will be held at Ka'ū District Gym from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25. The instructor will be Ka'ū High School girls volleyball coach Joshua Ortega and coaching staff, assisted by the Ka'ū High School Girls Volleyball team. Gym or court shoes required. Participants must turn in a signed registration waiver form. For more information, and to register, call Ka'ū District Gym at 928-3102.

http://kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory_2017.swf

ART ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON MONDAY, SEPT. 25, for the Ka‘ū Chamber of Commerce's Annual Art Show. The art show will be open for public viewing from Tuesday, Sept. 26, to Friday, Sept. 29, in the CU Hawai‘i Federal Credit Union Annex Building (behind CU) in Nā‘ālehu, during normal credit union business hours.
   An Artist Reception for distribution of prizes and art pickup will be the morning of Saturday, Sept. 30.
     Categories include: painting, graphics, photography, craft, lei, weaving, jewelry, quilting, sculpture, and woodworking. There will also be categories for Youth and Keiki entries, for which the entry fee is $1 per artwork - CU Hawai‘i has offered to sponsor any and all keiki who ask.
     The winning popular vote piece will be displayed on the cover of The Directory 2018, according to new Chamber co-chairs Alan Stafford and Allen Humble who describe the annual art show as a fundraiser for the Ka‘ū Chamber of Commerce scholarship program. For more details, visit the Chamber website at kauchamber.org or call 936-5288.

REGISTER KEIKI GRADES K-8 FOR ART: For Metal Stamped Bracelets, register until Sept. 26. The art class will take place at Pāhala Community Center on Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more, call 928-3102.
HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS meet Tuesday, Sept. 26, starting at 10 a.m. at St. Jude's Episcopal Church. For more, call 929-9910.

KA'Ū FOOD PANTRY OFFERS FREE FOOD FOR THOSE IN NEED on Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

A SPECIAL OPEN HOUSE FOR VETERANS TO PREVIEW the newly installed Telehealth Medical Equipment at Ocean View Community Center is planned for Thursday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon.
     For more information, read the Ka'ū News Briefs from September 10, or call 939-7033.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP. MEETS Friday, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m., at the Hawaiian Ranchos office.

THE ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN PETREL, ‘UA‘U, will be the subject of discussion at Coffee Talk on Friday, Sept. 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. inside the Visitor Center at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes' National Park.
     Hawai‘i Volcanoes' National Park Avian Research Technician Charlotte Forbes-Perry will present a talk about the life of the ‘ua‘u and the National Park’s efforts to monitor and protect them.
    Ka‘ū coffee, tea and pastries will be available for purchase. Entrance to the event and park is free. Visit nps.gov/havo for more.