Kaʻū News Briefs, Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Volcano Art Center, which hosts cultural events, such as hula on a traditional dance platform, will receive funds from  Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority's Aloha ʻĀina program. See story below. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

NEW HAWAIʻI, WESTERN PACIFIC, AND AMERICAN SAMOA DIRECTOR FOR USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT is Brenda Iokepa-Moses. She assumes the position on Monday, with the federal Department of Agriculture, following decades of her hands-on work with Kaʻū farmers and ranchers in soil and water, horticultural practices, land lease, and purchasing negotiations. Her planning and operations employment with owners of rural land in Hawaiʻi, where real estate is dear, has provided her with experience in establishing common ground between farmers and property owners, to benefit the future of agriculture, she says.

Brenda Iokepa-Moses. Photo from USDA

     Iokepa-Moses says she plans to bring her interpersonal skills to the job, stemming from her involvement with business, the nonprofit organizations where she volunteers, and in working with ranchers, farmers, and their cooperative organizations on many issues, including farmland security.
     As a land manager in Kaʻū, Iokepa-Moses has overseen daily more than 60 independent farmers on hundreds of acres leased to them, as well as thousands of acres leased to cattlemen, while carrying out improvement projects, with responsibility for bidding and completion. She credits more than 20 years of military service in the Army Reserves for training in time management and project completion skills.
     Married with three children, Iokepa-Moses is a resident of Pāhala. She serves as a co-organizer of the Kaʻū Coffee Festival, which helps to market one of the most important crops of the region. She also volunteers for the service organization ʻO Kaʻū Kākou. Since 2013, she has served as President of the Hawaiʻi Association of Conservation Districts, with its members in 16 Districts across the state, assisting with public affairs and management. She also chairs the Kaʻū Soil & Water Conservation District and is secretary and past president of the Kaʻū Farm Bureau. She served on the Department of Water Supply Board from 2012 to 2017.
     Iokepa-Moses's education spans from military training to a paralegal degree, from studying business at University of Hawaiʻi to courses in real estate, construction engineering, and leadership development.
     Directors of USDA Rural Development are tasked with helping to improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. The agency offers loans, grants, and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services, such a housing, health care, first responder services and equipment, and water, electricity, and communication infrastructure. Rural development supports loans to businesses through banks, credit unions, and community-managed lending pools. It offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve effectiveness of their operations. It also helps communities undertake empowerment programs, helping rural residents to buy or rent safe, affordable housing and make health and safety repairs to their homes.
     Iokepa-Moses' office will be in the Federal Building in downtown Hilo. For more on Hawaiʻi programs see rd.usda.gov/hi.

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NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTS FROM HAWAIʻI TOURISM AUTHORITY will flow to non profits and government organizations on Hawaiʻi Island. The Aloha ʻĀina program funds community-based nonprofit and government programs helping to manage and protect Hawaiʻi's natural resources. "The Hawaiian proverb, 'He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauwā ke kanaka,' means 'the land is a chief, man is its servant,' and therefore if we care for our natural resources, they will care for us," says an HTA statement released today.

Aloha ʻĀina will issue funds to the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Seed Banking Initiative 2020. Photos from laukahi.org

     HTA issued a request for proposals on May 2 with the deadline of July 5 to submit applications. HTA staff held informational briefings about the submission process on all six islands during the month of May.

     "Our Aloha ʻĀina program is focused on the lasting value of stewardship by responsible, community-based entities with an emphasis on ʻāina-kanaka (land-human) relationships and knowledge. The collective objective is to reinvest tourism dollars to manage, conserve, and revitalize Hawaiʻi's natural resources," said Kalani Kaʻanaʻana, HTA's Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs.

     HTA is also providing funding through its Kukulu Ola program to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture. The Kukulu Ola awardees for 2020 will be announced soon.

     Full List of the 95 HTA 2020 Aloha ʻĀina Awardees can be found at governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/latest-news/hta-awards-funding-to-support-community-events-and-programs/.

     Statewide, HTA awarded funs to DLNR – Division of Forestry and Wildlife; Mokuhaliʻi: Covering the Islands in the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Outreach Network; Hawaiian Islands Land Trust; Cultural & Ecological Restoration Program; Kupu; Hawaiʻi Youth Conservation Corps; University of Hawaiʻi; Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Seed Banking Initiative 2020.

The Coral Reef Alliance, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is one of the Aloha ʻĀina programs funded. Image from coral.org

     Hawaiʻi Island: Coral Reef Alliance; Hawaiʻi Wai Ola; Edith K. Kanakaole Foundation; Makawalu a Kanaloa; Hawaiʻi Forest Institute; Restoration and Education at Palamanui and Lai Opua Dry Forest Preserves; Pohaha I Ka Lani; Liko No Ka Lama; The Kohala Center, Inc.; Malama Kahaluʻu: Restoring Our Coral Reef Ecosystem; Volcano Art Center; and Niʻaulani Rainforest Preservation & Education Program.

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