Kaʻū News Briefs December 8, 2023

    The school statement says, "We have been working very diligently on increasing student engagement through real-world, community-connected, and college/career opportunities, and also on our student academic growth, which has been steadily improving. Creating opportunities for our students to share their learning with their community is an important part of our school transformation to become the first National Career Academy Coalition certified K-12 College/Career Academy school in the nation." See https://www.ncacinc.com/."
      Community members and partners are invited to sign up to visit with students and teachers. The school statement says that many attending will "help make this a dynamic and positive event for our students and teachers." Representatives of area businesses and non profits, health care providers, government agencies and others who support better education in Kaʻū are invited. It says the students "have been working hard to prepare for their Showcase. If you are able to come and support, we would really appreciate your time and efforts. Additionally, please feel free to forward this request to other members of your organization, or other community members that may be interested in participating."

   The school statement says that the learning intentions for the Showcase are to:
    Provide students an opportunity to practice their presentation skills and demonstrate their learning.
    Create opportunities for students to share their class projects with other students, community partners, and family.
    Build pride in our students, school, and community by showcasing various student and school projects done in collaboration with the community such as project-based learning, technology integration, and other real-world projects.
    Practice and prepare for Capstone presentations in grades 6, 8, and 12 starting in Spring SY24-25.    

    To RSVP, see the Google Form. Those with questions, can contact Jennifer Makuakane at 808-313-4141 or jennifer.makuakane@k12.hi.us.

Teams remove fountain survey and control fountain grass, this week in the Great Crack area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from NPS

Next Monday Hawai'i Volcanoes will fly in a crew  to set up a spike camp to control invasive faya trees  along Pepeiao Trail at 2,100- ft. elevation. Photo from DLNR

    On Monday, Dec. 11 and Thursday, Dec. 14 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. the Park plans to transport camp gear and supplies from the end of Hilina Pali Road to a spike camp along Pepeiao Trail to support survey and control of invasive faya tree at 2,100- ft. elevation.
    On Wednesday, Dec. 13 and Thursday, Dec. 14 between 6:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. flights are planned for ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel) monitoring on Mauna Loa. between 4,000-9000 ft. elevation.
    USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory may conduct additional flight operations over Kīlauea and Mauna Loa to assess volcanic activity and maintain instrumentation.
The Park statement says it "regrets any noise impact to residents and park visitors. Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.
"Management of the park requires the use of aircraft to monitor and research volcanic activity, conduct search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources, and to maintain backcountry facilities."JANUARY WILL BE VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH and this week's Volcano Watch reveals the schedule of "opportunities to learn about the volcanoes in your backyard."Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
    Volcanoes are a part of life for Hawaii residents. We live on the flanks, feeling earthquakes beneath our feet, smelling vog, and experiencing the effects of eruptions. It's important to keep up awareness of the types of volcanic activity and associated hazards possible in Hawaii nei. During January 2024, join us at a Volcano Awareness Month program to learn something new about the volcanoes in our backyard! 

The unrest associated with the intrusion that began in early October southwest of Kīlauea's summit continues. Elevated earthquake activity has continued in the Southwest Rift Zone, summit, and upper East Rift Zone over the last week, with earthquakes swarms December 1, 2, and December 7. Unrest may

Kīlauea eruption stopped on Sept. 17 but may resume soon. USGS photo

continue to wax and wane with changes to the input of magma into the area and eruptive activity could occur in the near future with little or no warning. The most recent sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate for the summit—approximately 70 tonnes per day—was measured on December 5.
    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity increased slightly at the beginning of November but returned to low levels in the weeks since then. Ground deformation indicates continuing slow inflation as magma replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO2 emission rates are at background levels.
    Four earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the week ending Dec. 5.: a M4.4 earthquake 2 km (1 mi) ESE of Volcano at 23 km (14 mi) depth on Dec. 6 at 5:16 p.m. HST, a M3.1 earthquake 13 km (8 mi) SSE of Volcano at 1 km (1 mi) depth on Dec. 4 at 5:58 p.m. HST, a M5.1 earthquake 13 km (8 mi) SSE of Volcano at 2 km (1 mi) depth on Dec. 4 at 5:53 p.m. HST, and a M2.2 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) ESE of Waikoloa at 3 km (1 mi) depth on Dec. 4 at 4:35 p.m. HST.