Kaʻū News Briefs, Thursday, April 4, 2019

Storybook Theatre visited Pahala Elementary, Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences and Kamehameha School this week.  The marine education was sponsored in part by Pahala Plantation Cottages. The children enjoyed an inflatable humpback  whale and her baby, with storytelling inside the mama whale's belly. See story below. Photo by Julia Neal

A COMPROMISE THAT COULD EXTRACT KAʻŪ RANCHERS AND FARMERS from a fight over water has been crafted by Hilo state Sen. Kai Kahele. The measure would make way for farmers and ranchers using less than two million gallons a day to more easily renew their water permits from the state. The Kaʻū agricultural community was caught up in proposed legislation that would have made new permits onerous, by requiring environmental assessments in the near future and possibly putting the permits out to public auction. The aim of the legislation that put fear into local ranchers and farmers was to manage large volumes of water diverted by large landowners from streams and small farms. The water was carried long distances across ahupuaʻa and district lines for irrigation during sugar plantation days.

Kaʻū ranchers and farmers have spent much money to make use the  old sugar cane water to feed new crops. Hike along some of the irrigation  lines and flumes on Wednesday, May 1, during Kaʻū Coffee Festival week, See story below. Photo by Jessie Tunison/Kaʻū Coffee Festival

     With sugar gone, companies like Alexander & Baldwin on Maui want  to retain rights to divert water and sell the water rights along with their real estate. However, Hawaiʻi courts ruled that the diverted water shall be returned to the natural stream beds. To keep the diverted water, A&B sought delays through the legislature.
     In Kaʻū, all of the ranchers and farmers are small users. Combined, they use far less than two million gallons a day, said John Cross. Unlike on Maui, there is no long distance diversion of water from streams. He said this evening that water in Kaʻū stays in the local ahupuaʻa and district when used in agriculture. Most of the ag water here comes from horizontal wells drilled into Mauna Loa more than a century ago by sugar planters.
     The proposal from Kahele would authorize the state Board of Land & Natural Resources to reissue permits in good standing to those farmers and ranchers whose use less than two million gallons a day. It would require BLNR to be tough on renewing permits to those who use more than two million gallons a day. It would exempt small farmers growing Kalo (taro) along streams, in watershed wetlands.
     The Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. issued a statement today, saying, "Finally, we have courageous leaders willing to champion the rights of Native Hawaiians and small farmers in the face of powerful corporate interests all too accustomed to using our laws to inflict unnecessary suffering upon our people and their ʻāina."

Kaʻū's old sugar plantation water systems are now in use  for irrigation of diversified agriculture. Photo from the Olson Trust

     Office of Hawaiian Affairs issued a statement urging the state to "uphold its public trust responsibilities in its management of our precious water resources by not allowing any bad faith diverter from continuing to flout a court order... For far too long, our state has managed Hawaiʻi's water in favor of for-profit enterprises at the expense of our environment and the rights of Native Hawaiians..."
     Senate Committee on Water & Land, chaired by Kahele, passed his measure today, 3-2, with one member voting 'aye' with reservations; Ways & Means deferred the measure.
     In her testimony at the legislature this week, Marti Townsend, of the Sierra Club, addressed the  ranchers of Kaʻū, noting that they use a small amount of water, "and have been actively producing food for many, many years. The water used by these ranchers is sourced from naturally impounded water, not streams." She said it would be "reasonable to extend the temporary revocable permit regime to the ranchers of Kaʻū while they complete their water lease, including a state-funded environmental review."
     Townsend called it "extremely disappointing to see local agriculture and renewable energy production used a shields for blatantly excessive stream diversions for the private profit of a few. The Sierra Club has a long history of supporting local agriculture and renewable energy. We know that our watersheds are abundant and can support all of these endeavors and more if the water is shared."

In 2011, Edmund Olson, Glenn Panglao, and John Cross celebrated one of  the first water restoration projects from old plantation tunnels.  Photo by Julia Neal

     Legislation to extend the permits received supportive testimony from Kapapala Ranch; Kaʻū Agricultural Water Cooperative; Hawaiʻi Cattlemens Council; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co.; Kaʻū Mahi, LLC; Kaʻū Soil and Water Conservation District Board; Mahi Pono; and many more.
     Those in opposition to the permit extension for the large landowners diverting water include: Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hawaiʻi Advocates for Consumer Rights; Hawai‘i Center for Food Safety; Young Progressives Demanding Action; Ke One O Kākuhihewa; We Are One, Inc.; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; Hawaiian Affairs Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Audubon Society; Sustainable Agriculture Committee; Earthjustice; The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club; Hui O Malama ʻĀina, LLC; and numerous individuals.

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A HIKE ALONG OLD PLANTATION WATERWAYS refurbished for agriculture in Kaʻū is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 starting at Kaʻū Coffee Mill.

Agricultural water in Kaʻū comes from horizontal shafts drilled into Mauna Loa Volcano. Learn about their development on a Hike on May 1. Photo by Jessie Tunison/Kaʻū Coffee Festival

     An activity of the Kaʻū Coffee Festival, it begins with a walk into the rainforest. Follow old wooden flumes that carried water down the mountain to float sugar to the mill. Learn about the water's use for Kaʻū Coffee, macadamia, and other crops. Hear about a plan for a new hydroelectric plant for electricity to use at Kaʻū Coffee Mill and beyond. Talk story with local conservationists John Replogle and Shalan Crysdale, and Kaʻū Coffee Mill manager Louis Danielle, who will share stories and facts about the journey.
     This hike is limited to 30 people, so reserve a spot as soon as possible, by April 30. The $45 ticket includes lunch. Meet at Kaʻū Coffee Mill, 96-2694 Wood Valley Road, Pāhala, before 9 a.m. Hike concludes around 2 p.m. To reserve a spot, call 808-928-0550. See kaucoffeemill.com.

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A "TRY WAIT" TO GO FISHING program along a Hawaiʻi Island shoreline led to dramatic recovery of marine life, according to a study by The Nature Conservancy. The organization surveyed waters in North Kona where a ban on fishing, the "Try Wait" initiative, is resting the reefs of Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve. "Try Wait" is year three of a ten-year rest period, and some fish populations increased more than 60 percent in the first two years.

     The initiative is led by Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee, comprised of kūpuna, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, Kona Hawaiian Civic Club, and local kamaʻāina, landowners, and lineal descendants who have observed fish decline for decades.

     In 2009, the committee invited scientists from TNC to conduct coral reef and fish surveys at Kaʻūpūlehu and neighboring Kūkiʻo. TNC's monitoring documented decreases in important food fish observed by community members. The community led a rule-making process to rest the reef for 10 years to replenish depleted fish stocks to levels that could support sustainable harvest. After numerous public meetings, the Department of Land and Natural Resources created the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve in July 2016.

     Hawaiʻi Island marine program director for TNC, Chad Wiggins, said TNC's 2018 surveys supported what community members witnessed. "On more than 183 dives over seven miles of coastal reefs, we observed more fish – fish we hadn't seen in the area before – and bigger fish. While it is too early to determine the long-term effects of the rest area, these signs of recovery show promise for the community's goal of supporting a sustainable subsistence fishery in the region."

     Baseline surveys conducted from 2009 to 2016 showed no difference in reef fish communities inside or outside the rest area. TNC's September 2018 monitoring data shows populations of some fish are on the rise. Increases inside the rest area are higher than in adjacent areas. The surveys found 62 percent increase in some wrasses (hogfish) inside the rest area, and 3 percent outside; 30 percent increase in some parrotfish (uhu) inside the rest area, and 3 percent outside; 46 percent increase in some surgeonfish (kole) inside the rest area, and 21 percent outside; and evidence of spillover – fish populations increasing just outside the reserve boundary.

      Coral surveys showed stable or slightly increasing coral cover, said TNC, following the mass bleaching event in 2015-2016 when high ocean temperatures killed about 50 percent of the coral in waters off  West Hawaiʻi. This is another indicator that reducing impact on an area can help promote reef resilience, said TNC.

     Said Wiggins, "The reef resilience survey findings we completed last year showed that reefs with the most recovery from the coral bleaching events are in areas with limited exposure to human impacts. Resilient reefs can resist or recover from stressors such as warmer ocean temperatures, land-based pollution, or high fishing use."

     Leinaʻala Lightner, a lineal descendent of Kaʻūpūlehu and curator of the Kaʻūpūlehu Interpretive Center at Kalaemanō, said, "We've been hearing from long-time fishermen that the area is starting to remind them of 'old Hawaiʻi.' Divers who came to our invasive fish removal event last summer said they were seeing big schools of weke, pualu, uhu and manini, as well as healthy coral, limu, ʻopihi, and wana. Many of them shared that seeing the recovery completely changed their opinion of the rest area and community-based fishery management."

     Kekaulike Tomich, a fisherman from the area, said, "Auntie Lei is right, it's better than it was three years ago, but not like I remember when I was a kid, not yet."

     Dr. Eric Conklin, Hawaiʻi director of marine science for TNC, said: "This is preliminary data and these fish have a long way to go before they are fully recovered. But after decades of documenting decline for highly prized food fish like uhu that are so important in keeping reefs healthy, it's a big step in the right direction."

     Resting an area is one of the best ways to increase fish populations in coral reef ecosystems, concluded TNC, with populations of certain species needing years to recover. During the remaining seven years of the rest period, Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee and community members plant to continue resource management efforts and work with the state to develop a fisheries management plan to guide sustainable harvest once the area reopens. 

     Recent science shows that populations of some favorite reef fish in Hawaiʻi have declined by up to 90 percent. To address this decline, the state Division of Aquatic Resources has committed to manage 30 percent of Hawaiʻi's nearshore marine environment by 2030. The Marine 30x30 Initiative aims to collaborate with communities and other stakeholders to develop management strategies for specific marine areas, modifying fisheries rules based on current knowledge and traditional practice, increasing education and enforcement, and improving monitoring of marine resources and management actions.

     Brian Neilson, Administrator of Aquatic Resources, said, "The results at Kaʻūpūlehu are very promising in terms of what can be achieved through the Marine 30x30 Initiative. By increasing public awareness and engaging our communities and fishers to find solutions to the many threats facing our oceans, we have the best chance of restoring thriving fisheries and healthy reefs that can feed our families into the future."