Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, April 5, 2014

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A HAWAI`I CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE HAS RULED in favor of the $1.3 billion Thirty Meter Telescope project in a case brought by six petitioners challenging the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ approval of a conservation district land use permit for what would be one of the world’s largest telescopes at the summit of Mauna Kea.

      A story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reports that Third Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura ruled on four points, one being that the board’s approval of the permit before holding a contested case hearing didn’t warrant a reversal of the decision.

      Megan Moseley reported that Kealoha Pisciotta, president of Native Hawaiian group Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, said the group intends to appeal. “It’s hard to accept that the judge could agree with the university that a project like TMT wouldn’t have adverse and significant impact when the university admits it would. We’re ready to go. We’re ready go to the higher courts.”

      Pisciotta also said, “Sacredness isn’t for sale. We have to keep fighting for it.”

      TMT spokeswoman Sandra Dawson said, “We’re very happy about the ruling. We are happy that we followed the process every step of the way. This was done in collaboration with great support from this island.”
      TMT is a partnership between research universities including the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, as well as the governments of the United States, China, India, Japan and Canada.
      Officials hope to begin construction on the $1.3 billion telescope this year, with operations beginning in 2021.

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TWO WEEKS OF TERROR IN KA`U is the title of a recent edition of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s Volcano Watch. It chronicles 16 days of earthquakes in March and April of 1868 that included a tsunami, landslide and eruption in Ka`u. During that period, between 50 and 300 quakes were felt each day, with the most reported from Ka`u, HVO reports. In some areas, it was described as nearly continuous ground motion.

      “The seismic activity came to a head on Thursday afternoon, April 2, when a violent earthquake (at least magnitude 7.9) rattled the island and beyond. Located beneath South Hawai`i, the quake was felt as far away as Kaua`i and stopped clocks on O`ahu.

      “In Ka`u, the destruction was nearly complete. People who had been standing or on horseback were knocked to the ground. Those sitting on the ground had to brace themselves with their hands and feet to remain upright as the powerful shaking went on for several minutes. All stone structures—buildings and walls—were thrown down.”
      The shaking caused several landslides in Ka`u, and a large mudslide in Wood Valley buried 31 people in a matter of minutes.
      “As the people of Ka`u were recovering from the earthquake, they noticed the ocean receding from the coastline,” according to the report. “Over the next several hours, at least eight waves washed ashore, razing coastal villages and carrying people and animals into the sea. The tsunami, estimated to be more than 20 feet high in Ka`u, caused damage from South Point to Cape Kumukahi, destroying more than 100 structures and taking 47 lives. The tsunami was detected several hours later on the west coast of the United States.
      “But the devastation was not over. Strong aftershocks continued to shake the island. On Tuesday evening, April 7, a fissure opened low on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, disgorging voluminous amounts of lava. The lava fountains jetted to heights of several hundred yards and produced lava flows that rushed southward to the sea (a distance of eight miles) in 3.5 hours. The fountains also produced copious amounts of tephra that blanketed Ka`u with deposits of cinder and Pele’s hair several inches deep.
      Using modern analysis, scientists have hypothesized that the southeastern part of the island, from Kapoho to Ka Lae, moved seaward and subsided several feet during the April 2, 1868, earthquake.
      According to HVO, recent studies suggest that aftershocks of the 1868 main shock are still occurring.

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A GRASS ROOTS UPDATE HAS BEEN RELEASED by Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc., sharing U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa’s message of aloha to the organization regarding its upcoming 17th annual Rural Health Conference to be held Friday, April 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. 

      “Since 1998, KRHCA has been positively affecting the Ka`u community by advancing health care initiatives, partnering with other community organizations and being actively engaged in promoting the vitality of Ka`u and her people,” Hanabusa said. “By focusing on rural health initiatives, KRHCA has helped to increase the quality of life for thousands of people in the surrounding area. 

      “This annual conference promises to continue KRHCA’s track record of excellence. By bringing stakeholders together, examining past successes in the context of current issues, KRHCA and other community partners can plot a better path forward. Ka`u in an extremely historic, important and vibrant community in our state and has shown how many hands working together can achieve success and serve as a model for other communities in Hawai`i.
      “I look forward to continuing to support KRHCA, the Ka`u community and rural health initiatives. Working together, we can make powerful and impactful changes but those within the Ka`u community are the ones leading the charge and bnuilding a brighter future.”
      The conference offers health, education and prevention booths, nutrition and healthy food demonstrations, Hawai`i Health Connector enrollment, games and door prizes.
      Registration deadline is Monday. Call 928-0101.

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      OHA is recruiting volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls in hopes of making more Hawaiians familiar with this new opportunity to better manage their future.
      Only Hawaiians on the roll will be eligible to participate in the Hawaiian-nation-building process, which OHA has agreed to help ensure runs smoothly and effectively. Already, more than 120,000 names are on the official roll. May 1 is the deadline for others to sign up.