Kaʻū News Briefs March 20, 2024

Visitors below the cliff at a distance from the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Photo by Summer Fisher

Monk seal at Green Sand Beach taken long distance with lens. Photo by Summer Fisher

PAPAKŌLEA, MAHANA, GREEN SAND BEACH, in online promotions for the many visitors that trek there each day, is the recent resting place of a critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, 'īlio holo i ka uaua, who was documented by photographer Summer Fisher on Tuesday.

Fisher said she remained more than 50 feet from the seal and captured its photo along with a photo showing nearby tourists on the Green Sand Beach at a good distanced from the seal.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal, Neomonachus schauinslandi, is one of the most endangered seal species on the planet. According to NOAA, the population declined for six decades and current numbers, though increasing, are only about one-third of historic population levels. NOAA reports that the current upward trend is due in part due to federal NOAA Fisheries recovery efforts.

NOAA reports: "Hawaiian monk seals are found in the Hawaiian archipelago which includes both the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and rarely at Johnston Atoll which lies nearly 1,000 miles southwest of Hawai'i. These monk seals are endemic to these islands, occurring nowhere else in the world. Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and State of Hawai'i law."

The popular tourist trail to Green Sands Beach is owned by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The beach itself belongs to the public and is stewarded by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. There is no lifeguard nor steward to protect the beach and educate visitors about the place, the culture and the wildlife.

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KĪLAUEA SUMMIT AREA CONGESTION, SAFETY, RESOURCE PROTECTION AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE are topics for public input, which has been extended for comment until March 31 by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

"The park encourages input, especially from those who hold a deep connection to Kīlauea, who participate in cultural protocol, and recreate or conduct business within the park," says an HVNP statement.
The Kīlauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan aims to identify management strategies and

solutions to reduce conflicts among cars, buses, motorcycles, bicyclists (including e-bikes) and pedestrians on park roads and trails that traverse the popular and often-crowded summit of Kīlauea volcano.
An online newsletter describes the desired conditions of the project, the issues the plan will address, and project goals, and is available for comment at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/kilaueasummitcmp.
The public comment period began Feb. 22 and was extended to March 31. "This comment period is the initial phase of the plan and future opportunities to provide input will be announced as the plan develops," says the park statement.
Since 2008, following the first significant summit eruption since 1924, park visitation has soared with most visitors drawn to areas between Uēkahuna and Devastation, including Nāhuku lava tube, Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea Visitor Center, the entrance station and the overall summit corridor. The high concentration of vehicles and people in a relatively small area often results in full parking lots, lines of traffic at the entrance station, crowded overlooks, resource damage and frustrated visitors.
Major damage to Crater Rim Drive and the loss of buildings and infrastructure during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse has exacerbated park congestion, especially during eruptions, and the busy winter and summer holiday travel seasons. The park lost Jaggar Museum, a portion of Crater Rim Drive, Halema'uma'u Overlook and 'Iliahi Trail due to the eruptive events that year.
The need for, and development of, a Kīlauea summit site plan was included in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park 2016 General Management Plan. See: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/management/upload/Hawaii-Volcanoes-General-Management-Plan_2016_508.pdf.

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THE HAWAI'I WE DESERVE is the title of Gov. Josh Green's report, released last Friday on the eve of his one week visit to Japan to promote tourism to the islands.

Green reported that The Hawai‘i We Deserve is:

• A place where our children can grow up and thrive, have families of their own, and find abundant educational and economic opportunities.

• A center of innovation and progress in the Pacific, contributing to and enriching the global community. • A place where our keiki and kūpuna are cared for, our communities and institutions are supported, and our local culture and natural resources are respected and preserved.

• A place where local families can always call home.

• A place where we value tolerance and mutual respect regardless of race or religion, age, sex, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status.

The Governor stated, "Our vision for Hawai‘i encompasses all these things and more. But how do we collectively reach The Hawai‘i We Deserve? Through decades of commitment, shared values, and hard work, today Hawai‘i is filled with aloha, beautiful scenery, some of the most welcoming people on earth, and our unique spirit of aloha.

"We want people from around the world to visit Hawaiʻi and experience this beauty and spirit for themselves. However, Hawai‘i struggles with chronic, fundamental challenges that are not necessarily unique to Hawaiʻi, but which impact the full potential of our state and most importantly, the well-being of our people. We live in a rapidly changing world, and in many ways, Hawai‘i is still adapting to the challenges of the 21st century. Many residents feel that our state has lost the momentum and energy generated by the hard work of the past—and with it, our hope for a better future. Some feel that our once close-knit communities are drifting apart. Mounting economic challenges in the new millennium have forced many to leave our state—as many as 15,000 each year.

"Too many of these are people who were born in Hawaiʻi and grew up here have struggled to find economic opportunity and the hope for a better life in their home state. To me this is unacceptable and must change. The past year has also presented new and unexpected challenges. The disastrous fires of August 8, 2023, claimed 101 lives on Maui in a single tragic day, and left thousands more homeless. Maui’s recovery is far from complete, and the survivors have ongoing and immense needs that we are continuing to meet.

"To truly realize The Hawaiʻi We Deserve, we must continue to address these challenges, push for change, and keep making real progress in our state. What does change and progress mean for the people of Hawaiʻi? Fundamentally, this means taking action based on our shared values. It’s not enough to simply debate ideas, delay over minor details, and stall initiatives—we need to tackle our challenges headon. It means asking more from our leaders and institutions—to push for solutions, take action, and move Hawaiʻi forward," stated the Governor.

See the entire report at: https://governor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-Green-Admin-Policy-Briefing-Report-1.pdf.

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THE SOUTH HAWAI'I SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA will present the concert An Afternoon at the Movies on Saturday, March 30 at Ocean View Community Center, starting at 2 p.m. The concert is free, but donations are appreciated.

Farley Sangels will conduct An Afternoon at the Movies.

An Afternoon at the Movies will be largely composed of pieces of music that were either soundtracks or theme songs for a large variety of popular movies, such as Ben Hur, Star Wars, Lion King and many others.
The orchestra will be conducted by Farley Sangels, a musician with a long career in many of the country's top orchestras, and more recently with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Sangels' taste for crowd pleasing music and his relaxed conducting style has made him popular with Ka'u audiences.
The South Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra is composed of about 20 musicians, largely from Ka'u, who play a wide variety of orchestral instruments. They perform as volunteers for the community orchestra.
This will be the third concert that the South Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra has presented. Its previous shows drew audiences of over 100 music fans and culminated in standing ovations.