Kaʻū News Briefs, Sunday, April 2, 2023

CELEBRATE MICRONESIA HEALTH FAIR on Saturday in Ocean View drew some 350 people circulating among 14 health and lifestyle booths, and enjoying entertaining events, such as traditional dance, music, face painting and volleyball.
    Rachel Rodrigues-Cuba, who coordinated the outreach, called the event was a "huge success," stressing

Ocean View family, Dennis M. James, Unique L. Keebler and son  Zion David James, discuss the selection of free books at Celebrate  Micronesia Health Fair. Stacy Brown of Family Support Hawai'i  also provides home visit services to families with keiki under three  to monitor children's health and development. Also organized are two play groups per month as well as transportation to doctor visits. Photo by Annie Bosted

AN ADDITIONAL FREE SHOWER DAY IS ADDED to the St. Jude's program in Ocean View, Beginning April 5, St. Jude's is expanding its free hot shower program to include Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 a.m. The last opportunity to sign in is at 11:30 a.m.
St. Jude's provides towels, shampoo and body wash. No other services will be offered at this time. Showers are limited to 15 minutes per person. There are two private stalls in use.
St. Jude's Episcopal Church is located mauka at Paradise Circle and Ke'aka.

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NATIONAL PARK WEEK  begins Saturday, April 22 at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park with a fee-free day for everyone and an adventurous family fun event. This yearʻs theme, Your Park Story, invites an even deeper connection to reflect on special moments in national parks and the opportunity to make new memories. It also involves Bark Ranger Day to bring the family dog and meet up with a canine ranger, an After Dark in the Park presentation on 'Io, the native Hawiaian hawk, and numerous hikes at Kahuku and Volcano.

Bark Ranger Sting and his human, Park Ranger Dean Gallagher NPS Photo by Janice Wei

    On opening day, families are invited to Journey at the Summit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a role-playing quest and to receive an adventure pack with directions to activity stations located in the park. Roll the dice at each adventure station to learn what the quest will entail. Stations are located within a half mile of Kīlauea Visitor Center and at Kahuku. Once the quests are complete, return to the welcome tent to claim a prize. The start and finish locations are at Kīlauea Visitor Center and Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.

    The Kaʻū Field System Farming the Rock is a National Park Week event on Saturday, April 22 at 9:30 a.m. Walk along an old ranch road to the remnants of the field system in Kahuku. Learn how pre-western contact Hawaiians intensively farmed this area and fed the large population of Kahuku. This is an easy 1/2 mile, one-hour hike to Kipuka Kāʻopapa and back. Meet at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station
    Pu'u o Lokuana Cinder Cone is a National Park Week event on Sunday, April 23 at 9:30 p.m. It is an easy 45-minute, 1-hour hike. Walk the 0.4 mile loop and learn about how a cinder cone is formed and the various uses of this hill over time. Enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka'ū from its peak. Why is (and was) it considered a kumu waiwai (a source of wealth) by the many different inhabitants of Kahuku? Meet at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station  
 

'Io, Hawaiian Hawk. USFWS Photo

  Movement Patterns of the Endemic ʻIo is a National Park Week event on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. ʻIo, the only hawk endemic to Hawaiʻi, is considered a symbol of royalty in Hawaiian culture and remains protected today. ʻIo are found only on the Island of Hawaiʻi, living in many habitats, from urban to agricultural and forested landscapes. Biologist Dr. Kristina Paxton discusses exciting new research that reveals how ʻio move across their island home. The talk is part of Hawai'i Volcanoes' ongoing After Dark in the Park programs and sponsored by the Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Free, but park entrance fees apply. Venue is Kīlauea Visitor Center auditorium
    Hi'iaka & Pele is a National Park Week event on Saturday, April 29. Discover two Hawaiian goddesses, sisters Pele-honua-mea (Pele) and Hi'iaka-i-ka-poli-o-pele, and the natural phenomena they represent. Experience the sisters through the epic stories depicted in the natural landscape of Kahuku on this moderate two-mile, 90-minute hike Meet at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.

Hi'iaka & Pele hike to discover the story of the two Hawaiian goddesses and natural phenomena they represent. NPS photo

    

    Bark Ranger Day is a National Park Week event on Sunday, April 30 from dawn to dusk. A statement form the park says, "Don't let sleeping dogs lie, treat your furry friend to a long walk on Bark Ranger Day! The park will close Mauna Loa Road to vehicles on Sunday, April 30 just so you can strut your mutt up and down this scenic shady road. Make sure to bag and remove your pup's poo, keep your pet leashed and respect wildlife. Want to really get that tail wagging? Make your dog a Bark Ranger!" Visit the Hawaiʻi     Pacific Parks Assocation store at Kīlauea Visitor Center or at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station, take the pledge, get the certificate and celebrate with some Bark Ranger bling! See https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/pets.htm. Venue is Mauna Loa Road past Kīpukapuaulu.
    Realms and Divisions of Kahuku is a National Park Week event on Sunday, April 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Discover the classification system, the realms and the vertical and horizontal land divisions that have been used in Hawaiʻi for centuries. This is a moderately easy one-mile, 90-minute hike on Kamakapaʻa Trail. Meet at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station.

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