Ka‘ū News Briefs Saturday, January 20, 2018

A Small, Olive Green, Stone Wheel-Cut Vase with Sand Blasted ‘Alalā and Tapa Band by Heather Mettler was  auctioned at Volcano Art Center's 13th Annual Love of the Arts fundraiser gala. The 14th Annual event will  take place Feb. 24. See more artwork by Mettler at the Volcano Art Center Gallery's ongoing exhibit:  Passage and Place. See event details below. Photo from Volcano Art Center

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is closing. Visitors are being turned away at the entry gate at Hwy 11 and Crater Rim Drive. Kīlauea Military Camp and Volcano House hotel guests have been given until Monday morning to leave the area. Campgrounds in the park are being closed. Crater Rim Drive, Chain of Craters Road, and the overlook at Jagaar Museum into Kīlauea Caldera are closed. Kilauea Visitor Center and Theater, and Volcano Art Center Gallery are closed.
     Volcano House Restaurant, KMC's Crater Rim restaurant and Lava Lounge, KMC's bowling alley and other concessions, are all shutting down. Back-county permits and overnight camping permits will not be allowed.
     The closure is due to "the lapse in federal appropriations," says a message from park staff, following the Friday failure by Congress to fund the federal government.

With Congress' failure to fund the federal government by Friday at midnight, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is turning away visitors at its main entry. Kilauea Overlook, most trails, and other features are off limits, due to lack of staffing. NPS photo

     "Hazards associated with the active volcano pose a significant risk to the safety of visitors in the absence of National Park Service staff," says the message. The ongoing eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, both at the summit and from the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent, contribute to hazards that require close monitoring and management of visitor areas by park staff.
     Hwy 11, which passes through the park, remains open. Also open is Mauna Loa Road to Kīpukapuaulu and its trail, with the day-use area and tree molds open. Ka‘ū Desert Trail is open to the Footprints exhibit shelter. However, no NPS services are being provided and access could be closed at any time.
     "The hazardous geologic processes and the immediate threats to visitor health and safety necessitate the restriction of access to areas that are volcanically active. These closed areas include the entire summit area of Kīlauea, Crater Rim Drive, Chain of Craters Road, and the active lava flow within the park boundary," says the message.

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KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS IS COMING TO KA‘Ū on Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Pāhala Community Center. The public is invited to learn about the schools, founded in 1887 by Ke Aliʻi Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop to benefit Native Hawaiian children. Kamehameha provides outreach programs in public schools here and also accommodates students from Ka‘ū at its Keaʻau campus. Presented will be Kamehameha School's Viston & Strategic Plan.
     Representatives will explain Kamehameha Schools Strategic Plan 2015-2020 and take community input for changes and future planning.
     A Kamehameha Schools statement on the current plan says, "Despite the progress of previous decades, academic achievement is a persistent concern for many Native Hawaiians. For example, 14 percent of Native Hawaiians who graduate from high school go on to complete a postsecondary degree. This has serious implications for economic self-sufficiency, given that 65 percent of jobs will require some kind of postsecondary degree."
     The population of Native Hawaiians, ages 0-24, was estimated by Kamehameha Schools to have been approximately 152,000 in 2015. Of those old enough for school, about 7,000 were in Kamehameha Schools, 7,000 in private schools, 4,000 in Hawaiian-focused charter schools, and the remainder assigned to public schools.
     By 2040, the number of Native Hawaiian young learners will increase to about 247,000, predicts Kamehameha Schools. "Even with a strong endowment and a strong tradition of educational programming, Kamehameha Schools may not be able to keep up with this population growth. New approaches will be essential to produce the transformation change we envision for all Native Hawaiian learners," says the statement.
     The strategic plan includes delivering a "world-class, culture-based education through a network of Native Hawaiian schools, inclusive of our KS schools and Native Hawaiian charter and immersion schools." The plan calls for programs that enable keiki to be ready for kindergarten; read at grade level or higher in third grade; be academically prepared in eighth grade; graduate from high school on time, prepared for the next step; complete postsecondary education and training; and to be engaged in local and global servant leadership, culturally committed.

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KEEPING INFORMED ABOUT HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES is the first step to preparedness. That is the headline for this week's Volcano Watch column by U.S.G.S. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists:
     With recent attention focused on the need to be prepared for all hazards, this week's Volcano Watch offers ways to stay informed about Hawaiian volcanoes and earthquakes.

Spectacular aerial view of Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone lava flows advancing over Pūlama pali in mid-December 2017. As surface lava flows moved through the center kipuka (forested area) on the pali, smoke  rose from the burning vegetation. Gases emitted from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, the source of the 61g lava flow, can be  seen in the distance above the smoke from the burning kipuka. Mauna Loa (left) and Mauna Kea (right) are  visible in the far distance. Looking carefully in front of Mauna Loa, the gas plume rising  above Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea can be seen. Capturing both the summit and East Rift Zone eruptions in one photo is a rare sight. U.S.G.S. photo by C. Parcheta

     Today's smartphones and 24/7 news coverage provide an ever-increasing number of ways to follow what's happening in the world of natural hazards, including volcanoes and earthquakes. For some, this barrage of information is challenging. But others might argue that offering hazards information in a variety of ways reaches a broader audience more quickly and efficiently.
     Whatever the preference, there are several ways that Hawaiʻi residents, visitors, and public safety officials, as well as volcano fans around the globe, can follow what's happening at Hawaiian volcanoes.
     First and foremost, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website (volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo) is available 24/7 for people with access to the Internet. On this website,

When Mauna Loa's Southwest rift zone erupts, where will the lava flow? These Lava Inundation maps are based on drainage routes and show the alternatives, depending on exactly where the lava erupts.The were presented by U.S.G.S. to Ocean View residents on Wednesday. Photo by Ann Bosted

 find daily eruption updates for Kīlauea and weekly updates for Mauna Loa. There are also links to photographs, videos, maps, webcams, monitoring data, Volcano Watch articles, news releases, frequently asked questions, and much more.
     Updates on Hawaiian volcanoes, HVO's weekly Volcano Watch articles, and other volcano postings can also be followed via social media, including Facebook at facebook.com/USGSVolcanoes/ and Twitter at twitter.com/USGSVolcanoes.
     If HVO's website and Internet searches do not yield information sought, email askHVO@usgs.gov to inquire about Hawaiian volcanoes and earthquakes. HVO strives to answer all askHVO email inquiries.
     For people who want information sent to them directly and automatically, day or night, the U.S. Geological Survey offers two notification services: one for volcanoes and one for earthquakes. Hawaiʻi residents interested in rapid notifications about volcanic and seismic activity are encouraged to sign up for both (more than 11,000 subscribers currently receive HVO notices). Here's how:
     The U.S.G.S. Volcano Notification Service (VNS) is a free, customizable email-subscription service that delivers notifications of significant volcanic activity directly to an inbox or cell phone. Sign up for this service at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/.
     With the VNS, choose from various types of notifications: Updates (daily, weekly, or monthly), Status Reports, Volcano Activity Notices, and/or Information Statements. Select to receive notices only from HVO about specific Hawaiian volcanoes, and/or notices about other U.S. volcanoes in the Cascades, Alaska, California, and at Yellowstone.
     The U.S.G.S. Earthquake Notification Service (ENS) is a similar subscription service for information about earthquakes that occur in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the world. The ENS can be customized to deliver messages about earthquakes of particular magnitudes, at specified times, and via preferred method (email or text). Sign up for this free service at earthquake.usgs.gov/ens/.
     HVO also maintains short, recorded telephone messages about Kīlauea's recent eruption activity and Mauna Loa's current status. Call 808-967-8862 (for daily Kīlauea updates) or 808-967-8866 (for weekly Mauna Loa updates) at any time to hear these messages.

Mauna Loa eruptions produce lava at a much higher rate than those  of any other Hawaiian volcano, even the highly active Kīlauea Volcano. This results in fast moving, long lava flows, as shown in this map which  compares the recent flow which threatened Pāhoa and lasted 126 days (top),  with four Mauna Loa flows which lasted 3 days, under 18 hours, seven days, and three days respectively. All the flows are drawn to the same scale. This poster points out that the fast-flowing lava from Mauna Loa requires fast  responses in order to protect lives and property. This illustration was shown  Wednesday to Ocean View residents at a Talk Story at Ocean View  Community Center. Photo by Ann Bosted

     Not everyone is connected to the Internet. For those folks, tuning into local radio stations and watching a favorite Hawaiʻi television news source are good ways to keep informed about important changes at Hawaiian volcanoes. This is especially true during volcanic and earthquake emergencies, when Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense proactively issues messages via public media about any situation that could impact public safety.
     Volcano Awareness Month - held each January, during which HVO scientists offer programs about Hawaiian volcanoes - is a great way to stay informed. Details about upcoming events are posted on HVO's website (volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/), or email askHVO@usgs.gov or call 808-967-8844 for more info.
     Recently, Kīlauea Volcano's two ongoing eruptions have been relatively steady, but long-time volcano watchers know this could change at any time. An eruption of Mauna Loa is not imminent, but it is an active volcano that will erupt again.
     We hope this review of how to find information about Hawaiian volcanoes will help everyone be ready when changes occur.

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Louise Keali‘iloma King Lanzilotti

LOUISE KEALI‘ILOMA KING LANZILOTTI can be heard in Ka‘ū on Hawai‘i Public Radio - 2, 91.3 FM, on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. She is the new host for the Classical Pacific music program. Lanzilotti, a Hawaiʻi native with extensive experience as conductor, educator, and arts administrator, has been serving as interim host for the program since mid-December.
     Gene Schiller, HPR's music director, welcomes her with these words, "Louise has just what we're looking for in a music host: knowledge, enthusiasm, and that indefinable something called 'personality.' With her deep roots in the islands, she embodies the Classical Pacific perspective."
     The show's repertoire includes the work of individual artists, great orchestras, and opera companies from throughout Asia, Polynesia, and the Americas. Interviews with visiting artists are a regular feature. The show was launched at the time of the station's program realignment in February 2017.
     Lanzilotti comes from a multi-ethnic background that has informed many of her beliefs. Her experience covers artistic, educational, and administrative areas of the arts. As a conductor, she has been the musical director for many musicals in the past 30 years. In 2010, she founded Kalikolehua - El Sistema Hawai‘i, a free orchestra program for children from underserved neighborhoods, focused on transforming lives through music. She was the Managing Director of Honolulu Theatre for Youth from 2001 to 2011, guiding it to greater stability through creative solutions and extensive partnerships. She served as Curator of Education at the former Contemporary Museum from 1988 to 2001. Lanzilotti taught for more than 20 years in public, private, and alternative K-12 schools, developing a method of writing music and plays with students, "which solidified her understanding of the importance of arts engagement for all," says a statement from HPR.
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