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| Hawksbill nesting season is underway, with many sites along the Ka`u Coast monitored by Hawksbill Recovery Project personnel. Photo by Dave Berry |
HAWKSBILL TURTLE NESTING SEASON has just begun and continues through December. Punalu`u and Kawa are popular nesting sites for the endangered species, along with Kamehame, on the shore below Pahala, and other remote sites along the Ka`u Coast. Protectors of the turtles, guided by the Hawksbill Recovery Project based at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, often camp overnight to prevent dogs, cats, rats, mongoose and other animals from dining on the eggs, as well as to prevent human disturbance. At Punalu`u, it is common to see a fence around nests with signage warning onlookers to keep away.
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| With the return of nesting season, Hawksbill Recovery Project personnel will again work to protect nests along the Ka`u Coast. Photo by Dave Berry |
Lauren Kurpita, project coordinator for the Hawksbill Recovery Project, told Ivy Ashe, of Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, that more than 90 percent of documented hawksbill nesting has taken place on Hawai`i Island. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hawksbills also nest on Maui, Moloka`i and O`ahu.
Kurpita said most monitoring takes place along the coastline of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and other Ka`u coastal locations.
According to Ashe, honu`ea take 20 years to reach maturity, and they are subject to predation throughout their lifetimes, making their recovery slow. They also only nest every three to five years.
See more at http://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/turtles.htm and at hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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REPRESENTING NANI KAHUKU `AINA, a proposed Ka`u Coast resort development makai of Ocean View, Tom Schnell, senior associate at PBR Hawai`i, offered written feedback regarding the draft Ka`u Community Development Plan during the public review period.
Schnell requested that areas of Nani Kahuku `Aina’s property designated Conservation and Extensive Agriculture follow the State Land Use District Conservation and Agricultural District boundaries, “if these areas do not match already.”
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| Tom Schnell |
Schnell also suggested that the CDP’s policy about setbacks of development along the coast “be deleted in its entirety. We feel that: 1) a setback at 1,320 feet (1/4 mile) is too arbitrary; and 2) there are other protections already in place to account for the “science-based assessment” criteria listed. As an alternative, we could support a setback policy based on erosion rates, as Maui County and Kaua`i County have already established such regulations.”
Schnell also noted that previous changes requested have not been made in the most recent draft.
According to the draft CDP, Nani Kahuku `Aina filed a petition with the County Planning Department for an interim amendment to the General Plan to allow development of a cultural center, resort and mixed-use town near the shoreline makai of Ocean View. The draft states, “Before finishing the Final Environmental Impact Statement required to complete the petition, Nani Kahuku `Aina abandoned the project and initiated talks with The Trust for Public Land, the National Park and the county about acquisition of the parcel or a portion of it.”
Schnell requested that the sentence regarding abandonment and acquisition be replaced with, “As of Sept. 2013, Nani Kahuku `Aina has not advanced the petition.”
More of Schnell’s and others’ feedback is available at hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp/plan-input/march-june-2015-public-comment-on-the-draft-cdp.
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HAWAI`I STATE SENATE, under new president Sen. Ronald Kouchi, has assigned members to committees for the next legislative session.
Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green, who will be majority floor leader and whip, will serve on committees for Housing, Human Services and Tourism & International Affairs. Sen. Russell Ruderman, who also represents Puna, will work on committees for Commerce, Consumer Protection & Health; Economic Development, Environment & Technology; and Water, Land & Agriculture. He also joins Green on Human Services Committee.
Schnell also noted that previous changes requested have not been made in the most recent draft.
According to the draft CDP, Nani Kahuku `Aina filed a petition with the County Planning Department for an interim amendment to the General Plan to allow development of a cultural center, resort and mixed-use town near the shoreline makai of Ocean View. The draft states, “Before finishing the Final Environmental Impact Statement required to complete the petition, Nani Kahuku `Aina abandoned the project and initiated talks with The Trust for Public Land, the National Park and the county about acquisition of the parcel or a portion of it.”
Schnell requested that the sentence regarding abandonment and acquisition be replaced with, “As of Sept. 2013, Nani Kahuku `Aina has not advanced the petition.”
More of Schnell’s and others’ feedback is available at hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp/plan-input/march-june-2015-public-comment-on-the-draft-cdp.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HAWAI`I STATE SENATE, under new president Sen. Ronald Kouchi, has assigned members to committees for the next legislative session.
Ka`u’s Sen. Josh Green, who will be majority floor leader and whip, will serve on committees for Housing, Human Services and Tourism & International Affairs. Sen. Russell Ruderman, who also represents Puna, will work on committees for Commerce, Consumer Protection & Health; Economic Development, Environment & Technology; and Water, Land & Agriculture. He also joins Green on Human Services Committee.
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| Lew Cook's Sky Map helps Ka`u stargazers locate celestial bodies as their locations change each month. |
PLANETS AND STAR GLOBS ARE TOPICS in the June issue of Stars Over Ka`u in The Ka`u Calendar by astronomer Lew Cook.
The three brightest planets set in reverse order of their brilliance around mid-month, Cook wrote. Venus is very low in the west and sets just about 10 p.m. Venus passes quite close to an interesting and beautiful star cluster around June 13 – 15. Venus acts like a signal light saying, “Here’s the Beehive cluster!” Get out your binoculars and look for Venus. If you’ve got good eyes and good binoculars, you’ll see Venus as a half-moon shape. Off to the left, about the diameter of the moon, you’ll see a bunch of stars that resembles a swarm of bees around a beehive. This cluster was one of the first astronomical objects studied by Galileo. It is also called Praesepe (manger in Latin) and is M44 in Charles Messier’s list. Don’t wait until 10 p.m. to see it – it’ll be too low, and you don’t want to look through all that dust and vog. Just go outside after it is fairly dark, and Venus is still high in the sky.
Jupiter follows, having escaped the claws of Cancer, the crab, but now lies at the feet of Leo, the lion. Saturn has left his weigh-in with Libra (the Scales) and is doing battle with the claws of Scorpius.
The M13 globular cluster, the brightest one in the northern sky, doesn’t have a signal beacon like the comparatively puny (but nonetheless impressive) Beehive cluster. Comparing the two types of clusters (globular and galactic or open) is like comparing one boat to an armada! Don’t you just love that term – a glob of stars? How many stars are in a glob? Tens of thousands! The Beehive cluster contains around 1,000 stars. M13 is a globular cluster with nearly a half million stars.
Jupiter follows, having escaped the claws of Cancer, the crab, but now lies at the feet of Leo, the lion. Saturn has left his weigh-in with Libra (the Scales) and is doing battle with the claws of Scorpius.
The M13 globular cluster, the brightest one in the northern sky, doesn’t have a signal beacon like the comparatively puny (but nonetheless impressive) Beehive cluster. Comparing the two types of clusters (globular and galactic or open) is like comparing one boat to an armada! Don’t you just love that term – a glob of stars? How many stars are in a glob? Tens of thousands! The Beehive cluster contains around 1,000 stars. M13 is a globular cluster with nearly a half million stars.
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| M13 globular cluster as captured by NASA's Hubble Telescope Image from wikepedia |
Earlier in the evening you can get a look at the really big globular cluster of omega Centauri. Just after darkness falls, look far to the south, just above and to the right of the Southern Cross (labeled Crux) on the star chart. Use your binoculars if you have a pair – or a telescope. It is labeled with a rounded “w” on the chart. You are looking at 10 million stars in that glob! Why aren’t these more impressive than the Pleiades cluster or any of the open clusters that we study? Are their stars particularly dim? Are they very far away?
The answers to these questions are, “No, their stars are bright,” and, “Yes, they are very distant.” They are all in our galaxy, but the Milky Way is a very big home. The Pleiades cluster is nearby, as cosmic distances go. It is around 500 light-years away. So is the Beehive cluster, at less than 600 light-years. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year – about six trillion miles.
So how far are these globular clusters? Omega Centauri is some 16,000 light-years distant, while its smaller cousin, M13, is over 20,000 light-years distant. That is why they appear so much fainter than they might be expected to. An interesting note: both were discovered to be globular clusters by Edmund Halley.
The answers to these questions are, “No, their stars are bright,” and, “Yes, they are very distant.” They are all in our galaxy, but the Milky Way is a very big home. The Pleiades cluster is nearby, as cosmic distances go. It is around 500 light-years away. So is the Beehive cluster, at less than 600 light-years. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year – about six trillion miles.
So how far are these globular clusters? Omega Centauri is some 16,000 light-years distant, while its smaller cousin, M13, is over 20,000 light-years distant. That is why they appear so much fainter than they might be expected to. An interesting note: both were discovered to be globular clusters by Edmund Halley.
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KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life tomorrow and every other Tuesday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center and Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.
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| Ka`u CDP Steering Committee meets tomorrow to summarize public participation and feedback received about the draft CDP and to plan future meetings. |
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee’s meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Public input is welcome on agenda items, which at this meeting are preparations for making final CDP recommendations. The committee summarizes public participation and feedback received during the draft document review period and prepares for future meetings.
According to planner Ron Whitmore, this meeting is not designed as an opportunity for additional or repeated comment on the Draft CDP.
For information about the CDP, see kaucdp.info.
HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK holds a talk story session about its draft general management plan, wilderness study and environmental impact statement at Kilauea Visitor Center Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In addition, a formal wilderness hearing will be held during this meeting to receive comments specific to the wilderness study. Park representatives will answer questions and take comments.
To review the DGMP/WS/EIS and provide comments online, see parkplanning.nps.gov/havogmp.
Comments can also be mailed to Superintendent, Attn: DGMP/WS/EIS, PO Box 52, Hawai`i National Park, HI 96718-0052. The public comment period is open through June 30.
For information about the CDP, see kaucdp.info.
HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK holds a talk story session about its draft general management plan, wilderness study and environmental impact statement at Kilauea Visitor Center Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In addition, a formal wilderness hearing will be held during this meeting to receive comments specific to the wilderness study. Park representatives will answer questions and take comments.
To review the DGMP/WS/EIS and provide comments online, see parkplanning.nps.gov/havogmp.
Comments can also be mailed to Superintendent, Attn: DGMP/WS/EIS, PO Box 52, Hawai`i National Park, HI 96718-0052. The public comment period is open through June 30.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_June2015.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf. |
