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| Tūtū & Me keiki serenade residents of Kaʻū Hospital today with Christmas carols. Photo by Julia Neal |
About 12,000 humpback whales migrate from their feeding grounds off Alaska to breed, calve, and nurse their young in the warm waters of Hawaiʻi, While some whales have already arrived, the majority will be in Hawaiʻi between January and March.
There are concerns about declining numbers of humpbacks, possibly due to lowered amounts of food in the Alaskan waters they frequent during the summer. The annual humpback whale count – in Ka‘ū and elsewhere – has documented the decline, along with scientists recording fewer whale songs. Crew members on watch from ships coming in and out of Hawaiian waters report fewer sightings.
Sanctuary Ocean Count dates are the last Saturday of January, the 26th, February, the 23rd, and March, the 30th. Sponsored by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, volunteers count sightings of humpback whales - from spouting to breaching - in NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
There are concerns about declining numbers of humpbacks, possibly due to lowered amounts of food in the Alaskan waters they frequent during the summer. The annual humpback whale count – in Ka‘ū and elsewhere – has documented the decline, along with scientists recording fewer whale songs. Crew members on watch from ships coming in and out of Hawaiian waters report fewer sightings.
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| Humpback mother and calf. Up to 12,000 humpbacks are expected to show up in Hawaiian waters between now and April. Photo from NOAA |
Locations in Kaʻū include Kaʻena Point in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Miloli‘i Lookout, Ka Lae Park, and Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park 7:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. , orientation included.
A new website with important information and resources, and where volunteers can register, is oceancount.org.
A new website with important information and resources, and where volunteers can register, is oceancount.org.
Edward Lyman, large whale entanglement response coordinator for the sanctuary, said "Collisions between whales and vessels occur annually, presenting serious risks to boaters as well as the whales. Whale calves are particularly vulnerable because they are difficult to see and surface more often."
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| Humpback numbers in Hawaiian waters have declined in recent years. Scientists theorize they may be going to other warm waters to calve and mate, due to changes in their Alaskan food supplies. Photo from NOAA |
Humpback whales can also get entangled in fishing gear, which can result in starvation, physical trauma and infections, and may contribute to vessel strikes since the animals are less mobile.
"If you see an injured or entangled marine mammal, keep a safe and legal distance and call NOAA's Marine Mammal Stranding and Entanglement Hotline at 888-256-9840 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately. If you are reporting a vessel coming too close to a whale, call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964 or email
respectwildlife@noaa.gov," says a release from NOAA. Additional guidelines and safety tips can be found at hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.
gov/res/ocean_etiquette.html.
"If you see an injured or entangled marine mammal, keep a safe and legal distance and call NOAA's Marine Mammal Stranding and Entanglement Hotline at 888-256-9840 or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 immediately. If you are reporting a vessel coming too close to a whale, call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964 or email
respectwildlife@noaa.gov," says a release from NOAA. Additional guidelines and safety tips can be found at hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.
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Humpbacks spend several months in warm Hawaiian waters, to mate and calve. Photo from NOAA |
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the state of Hawaiʻi through the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales and their habitat through research, education, conservation, and stewardship.
CHINESE-AMERICAN WORLD WAR II VETERANS will receive the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill today, sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono, to recognize contributions of more than 18,000 Chinese-American World War II vets. The Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act was introduced by Hirono and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Reps. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). It passed the Senate earlier this year. The bill awaits the President's signature.
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| Victoria Moy's book on Chinese American vets can be purchased on Amazon. See its Facebook with Moy presentations. |
When Word War II began, there were approximately 78,000 Chinese on the Mainland and 29,000 living in the Territory of Hawaiʻi.
Davace Chin, National President of Chinese American Citizens Alliance, said, "Having Congress approve the Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American Veterans of World War II is momentous and the timing truly historic. This month, as the nation reflects on the 75th Anniversary of the Magnuson Act, which ended 61 years of discrimination towards Chinese Americans, it is poignant and bittersweet. Tens of thousands of Chinese American men and women enlisted at a difficult juncture in American history, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was still in effect. We are grateful and appreciative for Congress's recognition of service and sacrifice made by Chinese American veterans."
Last Congress, Hirono successfully passed S.1555, the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the over 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers who responded to President Roosevelt's call-to-duty and fought under the American flag during World War II. Sen. Hirono, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and Congressional leaders presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino World War II veterans in October, 2017.
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. Brian Schatz Photo from Schatz's Flickr |
Chlorpyrifos is used in agriculture and on golf courses to kill insects and worms through damaging their nervous system – the system most affected by the poison in young children. It is also used to control mosquitoes. It was introduced by Dow Chemical Co. in 1965.
Earthjustice praised the effort and described chlorpyrifos as "a dangerous pesticide known to damage our children's developing brains – and establish new, sensible safeguards that prevent the spraying of toxic pesticides near schools, while requiring transparency and notification about the use of pesticides in our communities. It's an important step forward for the health of all people, especially farmworkers and people in agricultural communities who bear the brunt of exposure to pesticide applications."
Chlorpyrifos is already banned for use in homes, since 2000. The EPA stated that children one and two years of age were exposed to chlorpyrifos at concentrations 140 times more than safe levels. Rep. Creagan, Lt. Gov. Green, Sen. Schatz, and Earthjustice all say the pesticide is hazardous to humans, particularly children. The Prohibit Chlorpyrifos Poisoning Students Act would ban chlorpyrifos near schools in 2019 and ban all sales and distribution in 2020.
"My bill would take Hawaiʻi's state ban nationwide, so all of our children are protected no matter where they live or go to school," Sen. Schatz said.
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.
"Asmannia auropunctata (the Little Fire Ant or LFA) is one of Hawaiʻi's most significant invasive invertebrate species. It has the potential to impact virtually every tropical fruit enterprise through promotion of phytophagous insects, interfering with beneficial insects, reducing pollination, stinging agricultural workers, and rejection of infested export commodities," said Forrester.
"Nowhere is this impact more obvious than in Hawaiian tropical fruit enterprises which are comprised almost totally of specialty crops grown on small holdings." She says the east side of Hawaiʻi Island has been "struggling with LFA for some time," but thatWest Hawaiʻi has begun to recently experience the impacts of LFA.
"LFA are notoriously hard to control because of their social behavior and nesting habitat," says Forester. "Colonies are small but numerous with a network of colonies all working together and sharing resources. LFA not only inhabit the ground, but are also nesting in trees." She calls treatment "a three dimensional problem."
Hawaiʻi Ant Lab received USDA Farm Bill funding to work with tropical fruit growers (all orchard crops) and beekeepers on LFA prevention and management strategies, says Forester. For those whose farms are impacted by this invasive ant, contact to schedule a visit at (808)315-5656.
VISITS TO FARMS IMPACTED BY LITTLE FIRE ANTS can be booked through Heather Forester, Invasive Ant Extension Specialist at Hawaiʻi Ant Lab.
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| Little Fire Ants. Photo from littlefireants.com |
"Nowhere is this impact more obvious than in Hawaiian tropical fruit enterprises which are comprised almost totally of specialty crops grown on small holdings." She says the east side of Hawaiʻi Island has been "struggling with LFA for some time," but that
"LFA are notoriously hard to control because of their social behavior and nesting habitat," says Forester. "Colonies are small but numerous with a network of colonies all working together and sharing resources. LFA not only inhabit the ground, but are also nesting in trees." She calls treatment "a three dimensional problem."
Hawaiʻi Ant Lab received USDA Farm Bill funding to work with tropical fruit growers (all orchard crops) and beekeepers on LFA prevention and management strategies, says Forester. For those whose farms are impacted by this invasive ant, contact to schedule a visit at (808)315-5656.
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 High Winter Sports Schedule
Girls Basketball:
Dec. 22, Sat., host JV Christian Liberty, 2pm
Jan. 4, Fri., host Hilo 6pm
Jan. 7, Mon., @Honokaʻa, 6pm
Jan. 9, Wed., @Kamehameha, 6pm
Jan. 14, Mon., host Kealakehe, 6pm
Boys Basketball:
Dec. 22, Sat, host Parker
Dec. 27, Thu., @Kealakehe
Jan. 3, Thu., host Honokaʻa, 6pm
Jan. 5, Sat., @HPA, 6pm
Jan. 8, Tue., host Kamehameha, 6pm
Jan. 11, host Konawaena, 6pm
Wrestling:
Dec. 22, Sat., @Oʻahu
Jan. 5, Sat., @Waiakea
Jan. 12, Sat., @Kealakeha
Jan. 19, Sat., @Keaʻau
Soccer:
Dec. 22, Sat., host Waiakea
Dec. 29, Sat., @Kona
Jan. 3, Thu., Girls @HPA
Jan. 5, Sat., Boys host Kealakehe
Jan. 7, Mon., @Hilo
Jan. 9, Wed., @KeaʻauJan. 12, Sat., host Honokaʻa
Jan. 14, Mon., @Makualani
Swimming:
Dec. 29, Sat., @Kamehameha, 10am
Jan. 5, Sat., @KCAC, 10am
Jan. 12, Sat., @Kamehameha, 10am
NEW and UPCOMING
HOW TO MAKE HAUPIA, an ‘Ike Hana No‘eau - Experience the Skillful Work - hands-on cultural demonstration, is offered on Wednesday, Dec. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the lanai of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai. Haupia, a popular and authentic Hawaiian cultural dessert, is made from the pia root (arrowroot) and mixed with coconut milk or cream, then steamed, boiled, or baked into a pudding. Attendance is free; however, park entrance fees apply. The event is co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association. For more, call 985-6011, or visit nps.gov/havo.
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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| Nāʻālehu Public Library Branch Manager Sara Kamibayashi (middle, pictured with fellow staff) offers a free Cookie Decorating event for all ages Thursday, Dec. 20, starting at |
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Wed., Dec. 19, (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building
Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Wed., Dec. 19, (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘
Ocean View Community Association Special Membership Meeting, Wed., Dec. 19,
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Thu., Dec. 20, 9-noon, Ocean View Community Center
Cookie Decorating Party, Thu., Dec. 20,
Family Reading Night, Thu., Dec. 20,
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Coastal Clean-Up w/Hawai‘i Academy of Arts & Sciences, Fri., Dec. 21, Contact for meet up details. No seats available; BYO-4WD welcome to all current HWF volunteers. Free; donations appreciated. RSVP to kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or call 769-7629 for more.
First Annual Christmas Program, hosted by the teachers and keiki of Harmony Options Day in Ocean View, welcomes homeschooling families and those interested in homeschooling in the Ka‘ū community. Ocean View Community Center on Friday, Dec. 21, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Music, prizes, refreshments, and "a performance by our keiki!"
Youth Group, Fri., Dec. 21,
Stewardship at the Summit, Sat., Dec. 22. Meet Paul and Jane Field at 8:45am in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at Kīlauea Visitor Center. Volunteers help remove invasive, non-native plants species that prevent native plants from growing. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. Bring hat, rain gear, day pack, snacks, and water. Gloves and tools provided. Parental/guardian accompaniment or written consent required. Free; however, park entrance fees apply. No advance registration required. nps.gov/havo
Birth of Kahuku, Sat., Dec. 22,
Kīlauea Crisis Support Group Meeting, Sat., Dec. 22,
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Dec. 23, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo
MONDAY, DECEMBER 24
Christmas Eve Service, Mon., Dec. 24, Christmas Carols at 5pm, Service at 6pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Aloha hour after service. Bring a dish to share. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, Mon., Dec. 24, 7pm, Nā‘ālehu Methodist Church. Lessons and Carols service where Christmas story will be told, interspersed with Christmas carols. Everyone is welcome. 929-9949
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25
Christmas Day Buffet, Tue., Dec. 25, 4-7pm, Kīlauea Military Camp's Crater Rim Café, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Entrees: Prime Rib, Roast Turkey w/Stuffing, Holiday Lamb Stew. $28.95/Adult, $15.95/Child (6-11 yrs). KMC open to all patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356, 967-8371
Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wed., Dec. 26, 9-11am, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years & older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i 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
How to Make Haupia - ‘Ike Hana No‘eau (Experience the Skillful Work), Wed., Dec. 26, 10-2pm, Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Made from the pia root (arrowroot) and mixed with coconut milk or cream, then steamed, boiled or baked into a pudding, haupia is a popular and authentic cultural dessert. Free; park entrance fees apply. Co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo
Substitute School Health Assistant Positions are available. Qualifications: CPR and First Aid certifications, and a high school diploma or equivalent. Training begins in 2019. Contact Kristy Loo for more at look@hkkk.k12.hi.us.
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Christmas in the Country and 19th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibition are open at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Christmas in the Country runs thro ugh Wednesday, Dec. 26. Enjoy an abundance of art and aloha as VAC creates a merry scene of an old-fashioned Christmas inside its 1877 historic building. In addition to artwork, find unique holiday offerings of island-inspired gifts, ornaments, and decorations made by Hawai‘i Island artists, including VAC exclusives.
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The Wreath Exhibition is available through Tuesday, Jan. 1. The exhibition presents one-of-a-kind wreaths in a variety of imaginative media, techniques, and styles, from the whimsical to the traditional, with this year's theme of Home for the Holidays - inspired by the four month closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Admission is free; Park entrance fees apply. For more, call 967-8222, or visit volcanoartcenter.org.
Admission is free; Park entrance fees apply. For more, call 967-8222, or visit volcanoartcenter.org.
Registration for P&R Boys & Girls, T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball League open through Jan. 16, Kahuku Park, H.OV.E. For ages 5-8. Programs run Jan. 22-Apr. 18, game and practice times tba. 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation
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