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The idea of the Pono Pledge is to commit to taking care of the land and the ocean, and to live and visit Hawaiʻi safely and respectfully. Image from ponopledge.com |
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| The Pono Pledge can be taken at ponopledge.com. Image from ponopledge.com |
"I will mindfully seek wonder, but not wander where I do not belong.
"I will not defy death for breathtaking photos or venture beyond safety.
"I will malama (care for) land and sea, and admire wildlife only from afar.
"Molten lava will mesmerize me, but I will not disrupt its flow.
"I will not take what is not mine, leaving lava rocks and sand as originally found.
"I will heed ocean conditions, never turning my back to the Pacific.
"When rain falls mauka (inland), I will remain high above ground, out of rivers and streams.
"I will embrace the island's aloha spirit, as it embraces me.
"Lawe i ka maʻalea i kuʻonoʻono. Take Wisdom and Make it Deep."
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Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development's Frecia Cevallos, Hawaiʻi Island Visitors Bureadu Executive Director Ross Birch, County Managing Director Wil Okabe, and Rep. Richard Onishi. Photo from Big |
Another section of ponopledge.com lists and educates about protected species from the Nēnē, the Hawaiian goose, to hawksbill and green sea turtles, the Hawaiian Hoary bat, the Ōpeʻapeʻa, the Hawaiian Monk seal, humpback whales, and spinner dolphins. See the Big Island Video News coverage of the Pono Pledge launch.
A WAIʻŌHINU WOMAN DIED WHEN HER CAR hit a utility pole along Hwy 11 near Punaluʻu on Thursday midnight. Nineteen year old Brittany Perry was driving toward Pāhala when her vehicle ran off the highway near the 58-mile marker, striking the utility pole head on, according to the police report. She was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was found unresponsive at the scene. Taken to Hilo Medical Center, she was pronounced dead at 4:03 a.m.
The police report points to inattention as the possible cause. An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death and the Traffic Enforcement Unit is asking for any witnesses to contact Officer Kimo Keliipaakaua at 808-326-4646, extension 229.
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Eucalyptus above Pāhala is scheduled to be harvested to make electricity at Pepeʻekeo, where a law suit to stop the bioenergy project was dismissed this week by a |
A story in today's Hawaiʻi Tribune Herald by John Burnett covers the suit against the county brought by bed and breakfast owner Claudia Rohr. She claimed that the county should have required an environmental assessment from Hu Honua. Judge Greg Nakamura ruled that "a judicial proceeding, the subject of which is the lack of an environmental assessment, must be brought within 120 days of an agency's decision to carry out or approve the action." He noted that the Special Management Area use permit for Hu Honua was approved in 2011.
According to Hawaiʻi Tribune Herald, "The judge also rejected Rohr's argument that Hu Honua's request last year to the state Public Utilities Commission seeking preferential rates for the purchase of renewable energy produced by agricultural activities triggered the necessity for environmental review." The judge stated, "The court's view is that Hu Honua's request to the PUC does not… for example, request approval of any use of land… As such, the request does not trigger the requirement of an environmental assessment…" reported the Tribune Herald. In the meantime, the harvest has begun at the eucalyptus farm above Pāhala on Kamehameha School
See more on The Kaʻū Calendar from Aug. 19.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
"We are elated to welcome visitors and staff back into the park!" says a release from Jessica Ferracane, Public Affairs Specialist for the Park.
In an Instagram post, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes says, "One of the biggest challenges of #HVNPRecovery is getting the park water system repaired and safe to drink. Did you know the park has the largest rainwater catchment system in the United States used solely for potable water? On a normal day it delivers over 30,000 gallons of treated water over 10 miles of 60 year old pipes to restrooms, visitor centers, 34 office buildings, 13 houses and dorms, dozens of warehouses and garages, and the Volcano House hotel.
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| View from the Pit Crater hike at Kahuku Unit. NPS photo |
Also on Saturday, the Pit Crater Trail will open in the Kahuku Unit, which will retain it's longer open hours and days – Wednesdays through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – and fee-free status. "A hike to the forested pit crater is a window into the past and a vision of the future for the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa," says a release from the Park. "From the crater's rim visitors can look down into a rare native forest refuge protected within the sheer walls of the pit."
Superintendent Cindy Orlando said, "We are excited to continue expanding visitor options. The Pit Crater Trail is a great opportunity to experience many of Kahuku's most fascinating resources."
The Pit Crater trail "is an arduous 4.75 miles long" says the release, and takes roughly 2.5 - 3 hours round trip to hike. The hike has "significant" elevation changes. Helpful tips include: Bring at least 3-4 quarts of water; Wear sturdy hiking boots; Bring a hat and sunscreen for protection. Hiker are encouraged to use the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death decontamination station at the beginning of the trail, to help prevent the spread of potential fungus spores. Also make sure to close all gates while hiking the trail: closing the gates helps to prevent the spread of invasive ungulates into the upper section of the park.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono in Washington this week. Photo from Hirono's Twitter |
Just before midnight in Washington, D.C., however, Committee Chair Chuck Grassley extended the deadline to Saturday for Ford to make her decision.
Ford has said she would testify regarding her allegations that the U.S. Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.
Hirono tweeted, "Chairman Grassley is now threatening to hold a vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination on Monday unless Dr. Blasey Ford gives in to his demands. The 11 Republican men on the committee are treating this like a hostage situation. They just don't get it," Hirono also posted photos of the 11 men.
Hirono is one of four women on the committee, and is the only Senator who was not born in the U.S. She encourages other women to be active in politics, and has said she believes women will make a difference in the 2018 elections in November.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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See video of Kīlauea summit. See the changes in person this Saturday, for free. NPS video |
The limited collapse of the inner part of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera this summer fell well short of the larger summit-wide collapses that occurred in the past. How many such limited collapses can we recognize at Kīlauea before written records were kept? The answer is none.
Yes, none. Without written descriptions, we could not identify past small-scale caldera collapses. The reason is that such collapses are confined to the inner part of the caldera itself, exactly where later eruptions and the next collapse take place.
The eruptions partly or completely fill the small collapse depression, and the next small collapse overprints the preceding one, like walking on someone else's footsteps. We might get a geologic hint of repeated small collapses under favorable circumstances, but usually we are out of luck.
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South side of Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit, showing a short section of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s (arrow) preserved on a block of the former caldera floor that has dropped down about 80 m (260 ft). Thinly bedded overlain by 19th and 20th century lava flows in the wall of Halemaʻumaʻu. USGS photo by D. Swanson |
Putting together the evidence for such events is complicated, time-consuming, field-oriented research, but it paid dividends at Kīlauea by recognizing large-scale cyclic behavior of the volcano during the past 2,500 years.
Among other things, we learned that each summit-wide caldera collapse was followed by centuries during which the supply rate of magma to the ground surface was apparently low – only several percent of that for the past 200 years. As a result, only a few lava flows erupted from one of the rift zones outside the caldera.
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A Park team assesses Halemaʻumaʻu trail damage, recording one of the many rockfalls from the wall of |
The previous two summit-wide caldera collapses occurred about 2,200 and 500 years ago, respectively. Each of these collapses was immediately preceded by the development of a very large flow field on the flank of Kīlauea .
These two flow fields, the Kīpuka Nēnē (2,200 years ago) and the Ailā´au (mid-15th century), are the largest that we know on Kīlauea in the past 2,500 years – the period of time for which we have good evidence. The eruption that formed the Ailāʻau flow field lasted about 60 years; the eruption that formed the Kīpuka Nēnē flow field probably lasted several decades.
What could be the reason that eruption of a vast flow field preceded a large caldera collapse?
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| A team from the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program, part of Federal Highway Administration, measure a sinkhole in a paved area of the Park. NPS photo |
What about the large Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō flow field? That eruption lasted just over 35 years and accumulated a volume equivalent to that of the Kīpuka Nēnē flow field. That makes Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō either the second or third largest flow field known in the past 2,500 years on Kīlauea .
Since each of the other two large flow fields immediately preceded a summit-wide caldera collapse, is the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō flow field sending a message? Will this summer's small summit collapse eventually resume and ultimately engulf the entire summit?
The geologic evidence is insufficient to tell us how long it took for past large collapses to fully develop. Such collapses could have happened in only a few weeks or could have been spread over years to several decades.
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| Road crew, filling in a crack in preparation of reopening parts of the Park tomorrow. NPS photo |
Volcano Activity Updates
At Kīlauea 's lower East Rift Zone (LERZ), no incandescence has been visible within the fissure 8 cone since September 15. At the summit of the volcano, seismicity and ground deformation remain low. Hazardous conditions still exist at both the LERZ and summit. Residents in the lower Puna District and Kīlauea summit areas should stay informed and heed Hawai‘i County Civil Defense closures, warnings, and messages hawaiicounty.gov/active-alerts.
No collapses at Puʻu ʻŌʻō have been observed since last weekend.
The combined sulfur dioxide emission rates at Kīlauea 's summit, Puʻu ʻŌʻō, and lower East Rift Zone remain at less than 1,000 tonnes per day.
The USGS Volcano Alert level for Mauna Loa remains at NORMAL .
Visit HVO's website volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvofor past Volcano Watch articles,Kīlauea and Mauna updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Call 808-967-8862 for a Kīlauea summary update. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.
Visit HVO's website volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvofor past Volcano Watch articles,
KAʻŪ TROJANS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL JV and Varsity played at Honokaʻa last night in a total of 7 games. JV scored 12, 25, and 15 against Honokaʻa's 25, 18 and 8, winning the night. Varsity made a great effort to overcome their opponents, scoring 21, 25, 21, and 18 against Honokaʻa's 25, 16, 25, and 25.
Support the Trojans Football and
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment. Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com |
KAʻŪ TROJANS FALL SPORTS SCHEDULE
Football:
Sat., Sept. 22, 3:30pm, host Lanaʻi @ Keaʻau
Sat., Sept. 29, 11am, host Pāhoa
Tue., Sept. 25, 6pm, @ HPA
Fri., Sept. 28, 6pm, host Kona
Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS
Sat., Sept. 22, 9am, @ HPA
Fri., Sept. 28, 6pm, host Kona
Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS
Sat., Sept. 29, 11am, host Pāhoa
Sat, Oct 6, 12pm , host Kohala
Girls Volleyball: Sat, Oct 13, BIIF Semi-Finals at Kamehameha
Sat, Oct 20, BIIF Finals - Higher
Tue., Sept. 25, 6pm, @ HPA
Fri., Sept. 28, 6pm, host Kona
Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS
Tues, Oct 2, 6pm , @ Kealakehe
Fri, Oct 5, 6pm , host Keaʻau
Wed, Oct 10, 6pm , @ Parker
Fri, Oct 12, 6pm , host St. Joseph
Mon, Oct 15, BIIF DII Qtr - Higher
Wed, Oct 17, BIIF DII Semi-Finals @ Kona
Thu, Oct 18, BIIF DII Finals @ Kona
Thu, Oct 18, BIIF DII Finals @ Kona
Sat., Sept. 22, 9am, @ HPA
Fri., Sept. 28, 6pm, host Kona
Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS
Sat, Oct 6, 2pm , @ Kealakehe
Sat, Oct 13, BYE
8:30am , HHSAA
Sat, Oct 20, 9am , BIIF @ HPA
Sat, Oct 27, NEW and UPCOMING
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.
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SATURDAY, SEPT. 22
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Birth of Kahuku, Sat., Sept. 22, 9:30-11:30am , Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
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Exhibit - One Lucid Dream: A Retrospective of Art Works by Ken Charon, Mon.-Sat., Sept. 22-Oct 6, 10-4pm, Volcano Art Centers Niʻaulani Campus, Volcano Village. Original paintings, drawings, and other objects. Public invited to free opening reception Sat., Sept. 22, 5-7pm. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org
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Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund Beach Clean-up w/Anderson ʻOhana's CF Campaign, Sat., Sept. 22, contact in advance for meet up time at Waiʻōhinu Park. 4WD required; no space available in HWF vehicles. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org
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TUESDAY, SEPT. 24
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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 27
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FRIDAY, SEPT. 28
5th Annual Kaʻū Coffee Trail Run, Sat., Sept. 22, 7am , Kaʻū Coffee Mill, Wood Valley midnight , Sept. 20. Fees: 5K, $35/person; 10K, $45/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $55/person. Fees increase Sept. 10: $55/person; 10K, $65/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $75/person. Race day registration ends at 6:30am; all fees increase to $75/person. kaucoffeemill.com. Event organizers: ʻO Kaʻū Kākou, okaukakou.org.
Fountain Grass Removal - Volunteer Day, Sat., Sept. 22, 9-3pm , meet at Ocean View Community Center
Stained Glass Basics II: Exterior Lamp Project w/Claudia McCall, Sat./Sun., Sept. 22, 23, 29, and 30, 9-noon, Volcano Art Center Volcano Village
Reopening of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, main park, limited sections, 10am , Sat., Sept. 22. See nps.gov/havo/recovery.htm for more.
Saudades, The Longing: 2018 Commemoration of the 140th Anniversary of the Arrivals of Hawaiʻi's First Portuguese Immigrant Families is being celebrated by islandwide traveling presentations that are free and open to the public. Kaʻū location: Pāhala Community Center 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Flameworking - An Introductory Class w/Nash Adams-Pruitt, Sat., Sept. 22, 2-4:30pm, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Volcano Village. Students complete workshop with a finished design of their own and basic skills to continue flameworking. $155/VAC member, $160/non-member, plus $40 supply fee. Advanced registration required. Class sized limited. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222
SUNDAY, SEPT. 23
People and Land of Kahuku 9:30-12:30pm , Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
MONDAY, SEPT. 24
Kaʻū Homeschool Co–op Group, Mon., Sept. 24, 1pm, Ocean View Community Center. A parent-led homeschool activity/social group building community in Kaʻū. Contact prior to attending to confirm location in case of field trip. Laura Roberts, 406-249-3351
HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. Meeting, Tue., Sept. 25, 10am, 92-8979 Lehua Lane, Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910, gm@hoveroad.com
Kaʻū Food Pantry, Tue., Sept. 25, 11:30-1pm , St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.
After Dark Near the Park: A Hawaiian Perspective of Pele, Tue., Sept. 25, 7pm, Volcano Art Center Auditorium. Cultural Practitioner, Professor, and Researcher Leialoha Kaleimamahu of Kaimu and Mokuhulu in Puna shares a Hawaiian perspective of Kīlauea 's current eruptive activity. Hear about Pele through chant, mele, and moʻolelo (stories) passed down from generation to generation. Program co-sponsored by Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Call 985-6011. Free; donations help support park programs. nps.gov/HAVO
Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wed., Sept. 26, 9-11am , St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years and older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi - referral required from Hawaiʻi County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org
Craft Class, Wed., Sept. 26, 9:30-10:30am, PARENTS, Inc., Nāʻālehu. Free. 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org
Arts and Crafts Activity: Beaded Wind Chime, Wed., Sept. 26, 3:30-5pm, Pāhala Community Center. For keiki in grades K-8. Register Sept. 19-25. Free. hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation, 928-3102
Kaʻū Community Children's Council, Thu., Sept. 27, 12-1:30pm , Punaluʻu Bake Shop. Monthly meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 808-381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com, ccco.k12.hi.us
Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thu., Sept. 27, 4-6pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Free community dinner for all. Additional packaged goods to take home for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org
Coffee Talk - The 1868 Eruption in Kaʻū: Disruption and Destruction, Fri., Sept. 28, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Join the discussion with rangers and other park visitors. Kaʻū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO
Park Beautification Day, Fri., Sept. 28, 1:30-4pm , Kahuku Park Hawaiian Ocean
ONGOING
5th Annual Kaʻū Coffee Trail Run Registration Open on Race Day, $75 per person, any race. Race Day is Saturday, Sept. 22, 7 a.m.. Races begin and end at Kaʻū Coffee Mill, kaucoffeemill.com. Event organizers: ʻO Kaʻū Kākou, okaukakou.org.
Free Beaded Wind Chime Arts and Crafts Activity at Pāhala Community Center Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., for keiki in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Register through Sept. 25. For more, call 928-3102 or visit the community center during business hours: Monday-Thursday and Saturday, from noon to 8 p.m., or Friday, from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. See hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation.
Disaster Recovery Center Closes Sept. 29. Open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Pāhoa Neighborhood Center at 15-3022 Kauhale St. Survivors who have left the area, call 800-621-3362.
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Volunteers Needed by St. Jude's Episcopal Church for community outreach, especially soup cooks and shower organizers, towel laundry, alter guild, and for the computer lab. Volunteers do not have to be members of the church. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's. Contact Dave Breskin, 319-8333.
Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool's Temporary Nāʻālehu Location is Kauahaʻao Church in Waiʻōhinu. Meeting days and times remain the same: Mondays and Wednesdays, from 8:45 to 10:45 a.m. Pāhala site program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., at Pāhala Community Center.
Tūtū and Me also offers home visits to those with keiki zero to five years old, to aid with parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Free. Visits last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, total of 12 visits. Snacks are provided.
To enroll in either program, fill out enrollment forms found at pidf.org/programs/tutu_and_me/enrollment_forms, or call Linda Bong at 464-9634. Questions: Clark at 929-8571 or eclark@pidfountation.org.
Harmony Educational Services, Home Based Educational Programs - Open Enrollment through Oct 15; harmonyed.com/hawaii. Partnered with four local public charter schools, Harmony offers benefits of homeschooling with resources available to public schools. Interested families can also contact Rayna Williams at rwilliams@harmonyed.com or 430-9798.
