Ka`u News Briefs Friday, April 10, 2015

Hula sisters at dawn on Punalu`u Beach today prepare to travel to Hilo to perform at Merrie Monarch festivities this afternoon at Prince Kuhio Plaza and tomorrow at Ah Fook Chinen Civic Center. Halau Hula O Leionalani is comprised of dancers from Japan, Okinawa, O`ahu and Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

GOV. DAVID IGE DISCUSSED HAWAI`I ISLAND ISSUES during a Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday. According to Bret Yager, of West Hawai`i Today, Ige said he is working on a plan to double local food production, “which would in turn create a local economy of associated services and investments,” instead of sending billions of dollars out of state each year on goods made elsewhere.

Na`alehu residents protested TMT Wednesday
on Hwy 11 at Na`alehu Park.
Photo by Ron Johnson

In response to questions about construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, Yager reported Ige saying, “You can rest assured that all previous agreements and decisions will be honored.”
Ige said he has “done a lot of listening to get a 360-degree view of the project,” and will continue to listen during the one-week timeout he called for following continued protests and arrests at TMT’s construction site. “It’s really about listening and finding a way for discovery and sacred sites to coexist on a very important asset,” Ige said.
Regarding his choice of Suzanne Case to head the Department of Land & Natural Resources, Ige said she has the qualities of leadership that will serve her well. “She’s smart; she’s collaborative; she’s a great listener,” he said.
According to Yager, Ige said he wants department chiefs who are “great leaders” and responsive to the public. “She believes the community is part of the solution,” Ige said.

See westhawaiitoday.com.
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GOV. DAVID IGE HAS ALSO ANNOUNCED his nominations to lead the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Office of Information Management and Technology. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Linda Chu Takayama

Linda Chu Takayama has been tapped to lead the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. She is currently executive director of Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. She also maintains a law practice specializing in regulator and governmental affairs, health, insurance and corporate business law. She has previously served as deputy director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and was formerly the Hawai`i insurance commissioner. She also served on the governor’s Subcabinet Task Force on Healthcare Reform to update Hawai`i’s unique Prepaid Health Care Act and to assist President Clinton’s early efforts on health care reform. As chair of Hawai`i Foodbank for the past 20 years, Takayama has worked with DLIR’s Office of Community Services which administers programs providing services to the needy including the distribution of food.
“Linda has a deep understanding of many of the regulatory matters that are routinely handled by the department,” Ige said. “I am confident that she will support the well-being of our workers and promote good labor-management relations.”

Todd Nacapuy

Ige chose Todd Nacapuy to be the state’s chief information officer and lead its Office of Information Management and Technology. Nacapuy is currently senior technical account manager responsible for all Premier Commercial services for Microsoft in Hawai`i. Prior to this, he was a senior infrastructure specialist for EDS, where he was responsible for monitoring and optimizing all Web services within the Navy and Marine Corps network for the Pacific. While there, he was responsible for architecture and implementation of a 65,000-user network into the Navy and Marine Corps network.
“Todd has the right mix of technical and business skills to upgrade the state’s technology infrastructure,” Ige said. “Under his leadership the office will continue to identify modernization projects that are in process across the various state agencies. He will immediately focus on a few that have broad or significant impact. My commitment to an enhanced IT system is based in my strong desire to improve public access to government services that will ultimately result in improved public trust in state governance.”
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THE DRAFT 2015 STATEWIDE Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan is available for public review. The plan is updated every five years to assess Hawai`i’s outdoor recreation trends, needs and priorities. It also provides direction for the state’s recreational future and allows Hawai`i to remain eligible to receive funds for outdoor recreation projects through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal grants program administered by the National Park Service.

The draft 2015 statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan is available
for public review. Camping is popular at Kawa. Photo by Julia Neal

Using priorities for outdoor recreation identified in the comprehensive recreation plan, the National Park Service selects projects to receive conservation funding that best meet Hawai`i’s recreational needs and help resolve recreational conflicts.
A 14-page summary of the SCORP findings and strategic plan, as well as the full draft SCORP document with appendices, can viewed at dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/.
Public comments are due by April 30 and can be submitted by email or in writing to ccullison@pbrhawaii.com or  PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc.  Attn: Catie Cullison, AICP 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650  Honolulu, HI 96813-3484.

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CU Hawai`i has a new website.

CU HAWAI`I FEDERAL CREDIT UNION has a new website. Ka`u residents can do their banking online at the website. It also describes types of saving and checking accounts, loans and electronic and other services available to members. The colorful Moola Moola newsletter, of interest to keiki, is also on the website.

A new mobile app is also available. Use requires enrollment in CU Hawai`i’s online banking program.
See cuhawaii.com.

KA`U JUNIOR RANGERS ARE ENCOURAGED to “Find Your Park” as National Park Week begins. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park encourages keiki to connect with their national park and World Heritage Site by becoming a Junior Ranger on Saturday, April 18 – Junior Ranger Day and International Day on Monuments and Sites.
The fee-free weekend and programs kick off National Park Week, April 18-26. This year’s theme, Find Your Park, celebrates the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park also celebrates its centennial in 2016.

Junior rangers discover the rain forest in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Photo from NPS

A Junior Ranger station with handbooks and park information will be set up at Kilauea Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Jaggar Museum observation deck. Keiki who complete an interactive junior ranger handbook will earn a Junior Ranger badge and certificate and be sworn in as a National Park Junior Ranger.
Saturday is also International Monuments and Sites Day, which marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and was the first World Heritage Site in Hawai`i. The state’s other World Heritage Site, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, was inscribed in 2010, and representatives from both sites will share information at the Junior Ranger station.
“Our Junior Ranger programs are a perfect way for families to discover their World Heritage Site and national park together,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “As the park approaches its centennial anniversary in 2016, our most important goal is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates. Every keiki who becomes a junior ranger helps ensure the future of their national parks, which serve as the model for heritage sites worldwide.”
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KA`U’S DRAFT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN is the topic at two speak-outs tomorrow. Residents can find visual displays about parts of the CDP that interest them, discuss CDP strategies with people familiar with the plan and provide feedback. Listeners and recorders will be on hand to document comments. There will not be any presentations or formal testimony at the speak-outs, and keiki activities will be available so that parents are free to learn and talk story.

The events are from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.
Copies of the draft document are available at local libraries and community centers and at kaucdp.info.

A GUIDED 2.5-MILE, MODERATELY DIFFICULT hike tomorrow over rugged terrain at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit focuses on the area’s human history. People and Land of Kahuku takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Dietrich Varez'
Pele & Hi`iaka

VOLCANO ART CENTER GALLERY in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park celebrates Merrie Monarch with book and print signings this weekend. Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Caren Loebel-Fried and David Kawika Eyre are on hand for signings. On Sunday, Dietrich Varez signs his prints.
Call 967-8222 for more information.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK holds its Sunday Walk in the Park April 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cheryl Gansecki leads this four-mile hike for exploring Kilauea Iki. Non-members may become members in order to attend. Preregistration required. Call 985-7373.

TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR Spice up Your Spring, Ho`omalu Ka`u’s dinner dance raising funds to build a Ka`u Heritage Center. Tickets for the event on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. are $20.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call 929-8526.

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