Kaʻū News Briefs, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

Waikapuna Management Plan on its Way Waikapuna's Draft Resources  Management Plan will go to a zoom public meeting on Wednesday, March 22, with time and  link to be announced. The announcement was made on Thursday by Townscape, the entity that has been working on the  plan with public outreach. The 2,317 acre property includes 2.3 miles of coastal and inland trails and is stewarded by Alakaha Kai Trail Association.  See http://www.alakahakaitrail.org/waikapuna.  Photo by Shaylan Crysdale

Tri-Park Pass is available for a year for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes  National Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical  Park and Haleakalā National Park. NPS photo

HAWAI'I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be open without fees next Monday, Jan. 16 on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The National Park Service announced five entrance fee-free days for 2023 that provide free admittance to all national parks for everyone, including the three fee-charging national parks in Hawaiʻi. They are Volcanoes, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, and Haleakalā National Park.
   In addition to. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the free days will be the First Day of National Park Week on April 22, Great American Outdoors Day on Aug. 4, National Public Lands Day on Sept. 23 and Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
    In addition, the 2023 Tri-Park Pass is now available and provides a full year of admission to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, and Haleakalā National Park. The popular pass has a new lehua mamo (yellow ʻōhiʻa flower) design and can be purchased for $55 from the entrance stations at any of three parks. It is not available online.
    Other passes offered by the National Park Service include the annual $80 America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass which allows unlimited access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including all national parks, for the passholder and companions accompanying them. There are also free or discounted passes available for currently serving members of the U.S. military and their dependents, military veterans, Gold Star Families, fourth grade students, disabled citizens, and senior citizens.  See more at www.nps.gov/havo.

UH COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, WHICH HAS LONG SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE IN KAʻŪ, has released a mahalo statement, a review of 2022 and an outlook for 2023. The statement from the Extension Service, of University of Hawai'i College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, is from Extension Agent Andrea Kawabata and colleagues:
    "To our funding agencies and donors, our partners, collaborators, volunteers, producers, and

Andrea Kawabata Extension Service agent. Photo by Julia Neal

stakeholders, we would like to thank you all for your generous support of our extension program and applied research projects, for participating in our outreach events, providing us with ideas, suggestions, and feedback, and inviting us to your farms for events and visits. 2022 was a busy year for us all and a tough one with rust, avocado lace bug, macadamia quick decline, droughts, storms, and excessive rain resulting in tree and production losses. However, we are hopeful for a year of positivity, strength, perseverance, and success with increased research, results, and recommendations for managing pests, diseases, and improved yields."
    The statement says the UH Extension Service has been able to: Acquire over $705K in grant funding for the next 2-3 years to support coffee statewide and orchard crops (West Hawai'i) industries with the extension program;