Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, May 11, 2021

TWO TRAILS IN KAHUKU UNIT that were closed to protect native ʻōhiʻa trees from a deadly fungus will reopen in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Thursday, May 13.

    “We are so pleased to welcome visitors back to Kona and Glover trails and to the Visitor Contact Station where they can once again safely engage with our rangers,” said Kahuku Manager Travis Heinrich. “Many in our community have waited patiently for this and we mahalo you for your understanding. We urge everyone to comply with park policies to keep each other safe from COVID, and ʻōhiʻa trees safe from ROD,” Heinrich said.
    The Kahuku Visitor Contact Station (VCS) will also reopen Thursday to visitors who recreate responsibly and follow COVID safety guidelines. Visitors are required to wear a mask in the VCS and other park service buildings. Masks are only required outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.
    Kahuku Road above Upper Palm Trail to the ROD Quarantine Gate is not recommended for low-clearance vehicles. The road past the gate is closed to vehicles.
    Hikers need to account for the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) one-way walk from the ROD Quarantine Gate to the lower Glover and Kona trailheads, a lovely trek through a wooded landscape with water tanks and cattle corrals that are reminders of the paniolo days at Kahuku. A picnic area en route to the trailheads offers panoramic views of Ka Lae (South Point) and the Kaʻū coast. Native forest birds and the rare mamo lehua (yellow flowering ʻōhiʻa trees) are sure signs of spring in Kahuku.

New protocol protect Ohia from ROD at Kahuku in Hawa'i Volcanoes. NPS photo

    Hikers must walk through the gate along the main road to access Kona and Glover trails, and will be required to sanitize their footwear to remove fungal spores and mud. Research by ROD scientists and park staff highlights the importance of such practices to prevent the spread of this terrible disease. The public is asked to do their part to protect native forests by checking their personal items and vehicles for invasive pests before recreating in natural areas, and by following sanitation protocols.

    To learn more about ROD in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, visit https://go.nps.gov/12djlk.
    Glover Trail is a 3.2-mile (5 km) loop with a 320-foot (98 m) elevation change. Add in the 2.4 miles (3.8 km) to and from the trail head for a total of 5.6 miles (8.8 km) round trip. This hike culminates on the edge of a huge iʻpit crater with a pristine Hawaiian rainforest protected within its sheer walls.

    Kona Trail is 4.6-mile (7.3 km) loop with 520-foot (158 m) elevation change. Add in the 2.4 miles (3.8 km) to and from the trail head for a total of 7 miles (11.1 km) round trip. Relics of Kahuku’s ranching era, pasture land and the 1887 lava flow define this trek.
    The Kahuku Forest Trail Guide is available at the lower trailhead across from the Visitor Contact Station. Both the Kona and Glover trail hikes require an early start. The Kahuku Unit is open Thursday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and entrance is always free. Plan your Kahuku visit on the park website: https://go.nps.gov/1bicpe.www.nps.gov

     The legislation requires U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that any new foreign air carrier permit issued to a foreign airline that will fly between the United States and Europe under the U.S.-E.U.-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement is consistent with the agreement’s requirements regarding fair labor standards and fair competition.  The legislation establishes that preventing entry into U.S. markets by foreign airlines exploiting flags of convenience or undermining labor standards is in the U.S. public interest, is a responsibility of the DOT, which shall consider these factors before granting a future foreign air carrier permit.
    “As an active commercial airline pilot, I know firsthand the rigorous training and evaluations required of every U.S. pilot, crew member and airline each year to operate within the United States,” said Kahele. “The United States prides itself on operating one of the safest aviation systems in the world. Permitting foreign airlines to ignore regulations and labor standards could erode the unprecedented level of safety that currently exists within the American airline community and risk millions of American jobs to unfair competition."
    Organizations supporting the Fair and Open Skies are"
AFL-CIO; Air Line Pilots Association; Allied Pilots Association; Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association; Association of Flight Attendants-CWA; Association of Professional Flight Attendants;
Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations; Communications Workers of America;mnInternational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; International Brotherhood of Teamsters;
International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots;
Southwest Airlines Pilots Association; Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; Transport Workers Union; and UNITE HERE.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I-HILO and Hawaiʻi Community College are two of the higher education institutes receiving a share of the $97.6 million appropriated by U.S. Department of Education, according to Congressman Ed Case.

    Case explained today that the the funding is part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Congress’ third major COVID-19 emergency assistance package enacted in March 2021. The Plan provided $36 billion for nearly 3,500 public and private, non-profit colleges and universities nationwide to help them cope with the severe fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to safely service their students.
    “At least half of the funding each school receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness and other hardship,” said Case. “While schools of higher education are struggling to balance their budgets while also continuing to meet the needs of their students, the funding provided to these institutions from the American Rescue Plan is an investment that will help secure the future of these schools and, at the same time, provide for struggling students with urgent relief that will help them stay on track and complete their education.”    In addition to U.H.-Hilo, Hawai`i's colleges and universities receiving funding from the American Rescue Plan are: Kauaʻi Community College, University of Hawaiʻi - Maui College, Windward Community College, Chaminade University, Honolulu Community College, Kapiʻolani Community College, Leeward Community College, UH West Oʻahu, Pacific Rim Christian University and Hawaʻi Pacific University. Case said students at these institutions should contact their administrators for more information about how they can apply for an emergency grant.

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THE ZERO WASTE SUMMIT IS FRIDAY MAY 28. Sponsored by Zero Waste- Hawaiʻi Island and state Sen. Laura Acasio, of Hilo, the session will be on zoom from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The virtual event will feature several panel discussions focused on reducing waste, creating pathways to community composting, and building efficient reuse systems in Hawaiʻi. Zoom Registration: http://bit.ly/zwhisummit

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THE DEATH OF COLT BRENNAN drew comments from Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige, who said today, "Colt Brennan electrified the entire State of Hawaiʻi at the peak of his college career with the UH Rainbow Warrior Football team. He will always be remembered for his brilliance, his leadership and how he and his team brought the people of Hawaiʻi together during that exciting and memorable 2007 season. Dawn and I join our community in mourning the loss of Colt Brennan. We send our deepest condolences to Colt's family and loved ones."    Brennan, who led University of Hawaiʻi to two of its most successful seasons and broke numerous records nationwide as a quarterback, died of an apparent drug overdose. According to ESPN, his father said he had been turned way from a California hospital where he sought rehab, because there were no empty beds. He was 37.
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