Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015

Ka`u Multicultural Society holds its first organizing meeting for next month's Ka`u Plantation Days today. Everyone interested in making the event a success is welcome to attend. See details below. Photo by Julia Neal

COMING TO THE DEFENSE of Thirty Meter Telescope opponents are several Office of Hawaiian Affairs board members, according to a story by Tom Callis in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.

Kamana`opono Crabbe

Bob Lindsey, the elected OHA trustee for Hawai`i island, told Callis he expects “vigorous discourse” on how to deal with the issue. The story also reports that OHA CEO Kamana`opono Crabbe “said before the meeting that he was concerned about native rights being violated and plans to speak with the Department of Land & Natural Resources about the continued arrests.”
Crabbe told Callis, “What we need to do as OHA is work with the government to, one, respect our rights as indigenous peoples, and if we cannot come to that understanding, then we as OHA, we have to do what’s in the best interest of our people and communities.”
Eight were arrested Wednesday morning for violating an emergency rule that limits access to the mountain.
Following the arrests, OHA issued a statement that it “strongly condemns this morning’s arrests on Mauna Kea and again urges the state to cease further enforcement action and arrests until legal questions relating to the Mauna Kea emergency rules are properly resolved. It is our understanding that the individuals were arrested this morning while they were in the act of pule, or prayer. Native Hawaiians have constitutionally protected rights to reasonably engage in traditional and customary practices, and regulations cannot eliminate the exercise of these rights. We hope for a resolution that ensures our beneficiaries’ rights are protected instead of violated.”

See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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THE PROPOSED SOLAR PROJECT that would cover largely wooded lots in Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos and neighboring subdivisions is receiving islandwide coverage ahead of tomorrow’s public meeting at Ocean View Community Center at 6 p.m.

Bret Yager reported in West Hawai`i Today that one homeowner told him the project turns his neighborhood into a light industrial area.
Oahu-based Solar Hub Utilities submitted applications for the project in 2011 and 2012. SPI, which is based in California and China, later purchased the project. While the applications were approved, agreements from Hawai`i Electric Light Co. to buy the electricity have not yet been executed, according to Yager.
Richard Creagan, Maile David and Virginia Isbell will be there, according to organizers. Mayor Kenoi may also attend. There will be an opportunity for people to speak for three minutes each.
See more on Ka`u News Briefs, Sept. 6, 2015.
See westhawiitoday.com.

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Cathartus quadricollis
Photo from Bug Guide

WANTED FOR BEETLE STUDY: feral/unmanaged coffee and coffee/mac nut farms.

Researchers are looking for a feral/unmanaged coffee farm as an experimental plot to observe flat bark beetle, Cathartus quadricollis, predation on coffee berry borers. Thirty-six coffee tree branches will be sleeved, and after the experiment is over, they will be clipped to collect and process the beans.
Also needed are farms that grow both coffee and macadamia nuts (at least 20 trees on-site) for the study. Macadamia nut trees must be accessible enough to clip sticktights within a 15-foot range. Only sticktights will be picked for this study.
For more information, contact Eva Brill, of USDA ARS PBARC, at eva.brill@ars.usda.gov.
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SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ YESTERDAY SPOKE on the Senate floor in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, President Obama’s agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program.
“  A President of the United States once said of his nation’s enemy that we cannot ‘wish away the differences between our two societies and our philosophies,” Schatz said, “but we should always remember that we do have common interests, and the foremost among them is to avoid war.’ In pursuing that cause, he said, ‘We will be prepared to protect our interests and those of our friends and allies. But we want more than deterrence. We seek genuine cooperation. We seek progress for peace.’
“It was President Reagan who seized the opportunity during the Cold War and President George H.W. Bush who carried it forward. Together, they achieved commitments from the United States and the Soviet Union — enemies through and through — to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons, bringing us ever closer to a world free of the threat of nuclear annihilation.   It ingrained in us a tradition of pragmatism — the idea that even with countries we deeply distrust and whose behavior we abhor, we cannot ignore the opportunity to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the United States negotiated with Iran and the other members of the P5+1 preserves that tradition to “seek progress for peace.”   
“This deal is not perfect, as the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee so ably explained. We had to make concessions. That is because it was negotiated between sovereign countries pursuing diplomacy, not unconditional surrender.

Sen. Brian Schatz

“I hear complaints about one provision or another, and some of those criticisms are valid. But we do not have the luxury of sending our negotiators back to Vienna. If we do that, things will fall apart.   Every ambassador from the P5+1 has made clear that the multilateral sanctions that brought Iran to the table will be upended.   We would be isolated diplomatically, Iran’s nuclear program will be unconstrained, and Iran would get most of its money, too.  
“Of course, we could levy harsh unilateral sanctions ourselves. And that may be emotionally satisfying to many. But they won’t bite. They did not when Iran went from only 300 centrifuges to more than 18,000, and they won’t now.  
“The question in this debate is whether to approve the deal or to dump it. There is no door number three.   But we don’t need to feel resigned because, as a deal, it is quite a good one. Experts in the nonproliferation space almost unanimously affirm that it is a strong deal.  It blocks each one of Iran’s pathways to the bomb and places its nuclear program under strict international supervision.  …
“The other concern — and I think this is a valid one — is that this deal should not be overstated in terms of its impact on our priorities and alliances in the region. It is important on the nuclear issue, but in October we will have many of the same challenges in the Middle East that we have in September.   Iran is still the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, and nothing in this deal will deter us from working to contain Iran’s regional aspirations, including its support of Hamas and Hezbollah. But our efforts can now occur with a nuclear-armed Iran off the table.   …
“Even as we work to restrict Iran’s nuclear ambitions, we will continue to thwart Hamas and Hezbollah.   We are committed to cooperating with Israel on intelligence and security at the highest levels ever and continuing to ensure that Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge is protected.   …
“We do not underestimate or understate the challenges that we have and the role of our military in shaping events for the better.   But in this instance, with eyes wide open, we ought to pursue peace first.  ”
See the full speech at schatz.senate.gov.
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THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Ka`u Scenic Byway Committee’s meeting today at 5 p.m. at Na`alehu Methodist Church.

Ka`u residents interested in joining Friends of the Ka`u Libraries' efforts
are invited to today's membership meeting. Photo by Julia Neal

FRIENDS OF THE KA`U LIBRARIES’ annual membership meeting is today at 6 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.

For more information, call Ann Fontes at 987-7448 or Doris Davis at 928-0919.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS HOLDS ITS FIRST organizing meeting for the October event today at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740.

THE RICH GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF KAHUKU is the subject of a free, guided, easy-to-moderate hike Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Participants traverse the vast 1868 lava flow, see different volcanic features and formations and identify many parts of Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone. They learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku.

Enter the Kahuku unit on the mauka side of Hwy 11 near mile marker 70.5, and meet near the parking area. Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended.
For more information, call 985-6011.

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