Ka`u News Briefs June 25, 2013

      “In my 2013 State of the State, I described any failure to address early learning development as one of our state’s greatest unfunded liabilities; this bill breaks from the status quo and provides our first down payment on ensuring Hawai`i’s keiki are prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn,” Abercrombie said. “No other piece of legislation this year was more important. I firmly believe that giving keiki a strong early childhood education foundation is the best, most effective way to empower their success in life.”


      Abercrombie also announced the appointment of GG Weisenfeld, Ed.D, as director of the Executive Office on Early Learning. Weisenfeld will take over for Terry Lock, the state’s former early childhood coordinator, who the governor appointed as director when the office was first established. Lock has accepted a position with the University of Hawai`i at Manoa College of Education, where she will focus on the professional and leadership development of current and future early childhood educators.


      “Terry joined my administration in 2011 and has been a steadfast leader for our youngest citizens,” the governor said. “She and her team have made significant progress and established a strong foundation for early learning and development in Hawai`i, including completing the strategic plan ‘Taking Action for Hawai`i’s Children.’ As we enter this next phase of implementation, it means a great deal to me that Terry recommended GG to lead our efforts forward.”



      A key component of the governor’s legislative package, SB1093 (enacted as Act 151) establishes the Preschool Open Doors Program as the statewide school readiness program administered by the state Department of Human Services. The new voluntary program will provide access to school readiness services that address children’s physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development. The program will serve four-year-old children, with priority extended to underserved or at-risk keiki and those who are not eligible to attend public school kindergarten in the school year they turn 5 because their birth date occurs after the kindergarten eligibility date.


      The bill also requires each provider to conduct school readiness assessments, give priority to children from low- and moderate-income families and prepare children for school through either English or Hawaiian language.


      The measure includes appropriations of $720,000 in fiscal year 2013 and $440,000 in fiscal year 2014 to fund three temporary positions and contract services, as well as an additional $6 million for program subsidies in fiscal year 2014.

      Program listings can be found at www.naleo.tv.

      `Olelo Community Media has gathered people from both sides of the GMO debate for four nights of signature programming that aims to delve more deeply into this often divisive issue. “The subject of GMOs is clearly one that many people in our community feel passionately about,” says Roy Amemiya, president and CEO of `Olelo. “We hope that GMO Week will help all of us gain a better understanding of both the pros and cons of GMO so that our community can create solutions that are in the best interest of Hawai`i.”
      The shows will also available for online viewing through `OleloNet On Demand at olelo.org.
      GMO Week started yesterday and continues today with pre-recorded shows from panels that convened earlier this month. This evening’s show presents a continuation of what aired yesterday – 30 minutes of programming from the pro-GMO panel, followed by 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel. Tonight, the order switches, with 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel first, followed by the pro-GMO panel.

      Chad Blair, of Civil Beat, served as the moderator for a pro-GMO panel that featured Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, director of the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo; Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms and president of the Hawai`i Farm Bureau; and Adolph Helm, project manager for Dow AgriSciences’ Moloka`i, Hawai`i Mycogen Seeds, and the Seeds and Traits Research and Development Project, as well as a board member of the Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association.
      Beth-Ann Kozlovich, of Hawai`i Public Radio, served as the moderator for the anti-GMO panel. That panel featured Walter Ritte, manager and teacher at Keawenui Fishpond and Learning Center of Moloka`i; Gary Hooser, Kaua`i County councilmember and chair of the Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee; and Scott Cooney, an adjunct professor of sustainability at the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa.
      Tomorrow and Thursday, the public statewide is encouraged to participate in two live discussions on GMOs through live tweets or pre-submitted comments by phone. Questions or comments by phone should be submitted by calling 834-5303 no later than 4 p.m. Thursday. To submit questions via Twitter, use the hashtag #olelogmo. Olelo’s web page on this topic is olelo.org/gmo.
      Questions submitted by the community will be among those discussed by the gathered experts. The pro-GMO position in both live shows will be represented by the individuals who participated in the pre-recorded panel earlier this month.
      For more information, visit olelo.org.

LAND AND SEA, THE FIRST SESSION of a new Science Camp, has begun in Ka`u. The session gives teens entering grades 9 through 12 a chance to examine volcanoes, geology, beaches, reefs and the ocean. So far, the campers have been to Punalu`u, The Nature Conservancy preserve and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Today they go to `Imiloa. Home base is Pahala Plantation Cottages. 

      Science Camps of America takes the learning outdoors, offering first-hand experience in environments ranging from beaches and rainforests to volcanoes and snow-covered mountaintops. “The idea is to get teens outside and into the field to truly experience science,” Michael Richards, camp founder and executive director, said. “We need to find new ways to engage students and nurture their interests, and in this particular case, we want to focus on science because we have one of nature’s greatest laboratories in our backyard.” 

      The second session, Air and Space, will be held July 1 to 10 and exposes campers to topics including the atmosphere, weather systems, climate change and innovative technologies that address the ever-changing world.
      Science Camps of America chose the Big Island “for its unique and incredible environment, climate, geology and people,” said Richards. He described this island as “a science lab unto itself, with active volcanoes, one of the tallest mountains in the world, home to incredibly sophisticated astronomy facilities and natural energy laboratories, eleven of thirteen global climate zones and a native cultural heritage of discovery and innovation. This thriving scientific community is a great resource. One of the goals stated in the Hawai`i County General Plan is to ‘promote and develop the island of Hawai`i into a unique scientific and cultural model.’ I look forward to making Science Camps of America a contributor to that goal,” he said.
      Registration fees include meals and transportation to and from Kona or Hilo airports. The organization also offers scholarships to Ka`u youth.
      Find out more at ScienceCampsAmerica.com or 678-619-0974.

Ka`u resident Peter Anderson took this photo of the supermoon.

A SUPERMOON OCCURRED SUNDAY EVENING when the Moon had its closest encounter with Earth this year, creating the largest full moon of the year. A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. 

      Supermoons occur about once every 14 full moons in a full moon cycle. The next supermoon will occur Aug. 10, 2014.

TONIGHT’S AFTER DARK IN THE PARK features Megan Lamson, marine biologist and Hawai`i Wildlife Fund project coordinator, discussing the unique natural and cultural resources of Ka`u’s Wai`ohinu coastline, sharing progress of HWF’s conservation work and presenting opportunities to participate in upcoming volunteer events. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.