Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK has announced flight plans for this month. Management of the park requires the use of aircraft to monitor and research volcanic activity, conduct search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources and to maintain backcountry facilities. Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather. 

      Dates, times and reasons are:

• Each Tuesday, depending on weather and project needs, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. for ungulate surveys and control work in Kahuku between 3,000 and 7,000 ft. elevation; 
• Mondays, Oct. 19 and 26 between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about 9,000 ft. elevation; 
• Monday, Oct. 19 between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. from the Volcano agricultural station into `Ola`a Tract to transport supplies to support ungulate control work; 
• Tuesday-Thursday, Oct. 27-29 between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. to transport fence materials to the boundary of Kahuku and Kapapala Forest Reserve; and 
• Thursday and Friday, Oct. 29 and 30 between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. for ungulate surveys in Kahuku between 3,000 and 7,000 ft. elevation. 

      The park said in a statement that it regrets any noise impact to residents and park visitors.
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U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, will not be attending the first Democratic presidential candidates’ debate today. Gabbard told Wolf Blitzer, of CNN, that DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz asked her not to attend because she disagrees with the number of debates the DNC has scheduled. Only six debates are currently on the calendar, but Gabbard has called for more.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was promoted to major. Photo from Office of Rep. Gabbar

      “The issue here is one of democracy, of freedom of speech and defending that which so many have sacrificed and given their lives for,” Gabbard said. 

      Wasserman Schultz’s office later said Gabbard was not disinvited but asked to focus on the participating candidates. 

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U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD WAS PROMOTED in rank by the Hawai`i Army National Guard from Captain to Major in a ceremony at at Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. She was joined by her family, friends and fellow service members and veterans. Former U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka led Gabbard in reciting her Oath of Office.
      “Standing here today amongst veterans at the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery, I’m again reminded of what aloha truly means,” Gabbard said. “Ultimately, aloha means respect, love and caring. Some people think love and caring means weakness, but I assure you that the exact opposite is true. The truth is, nothing is as strong as love. It was their love for liberty and freedom that gave our country’s founders the courage and strength to fight for independence.
       “It is that love for country that motivates our men and women in uniform to be ready and willing to put their lives on the line for the freedom and liberty that is the foundation upon which America stands. Punchbowl Cemetery is sacred. It exudes the aloha of those who have given their lives for America. I am humbled, honored, and inspired to be here with them – and with all of you.” 

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TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING systems legislation unanimously passed the U.S. Senate last week. The bill reauthorizes and enhances tsunami preparedness and increases investment in research to protect coastal communities.
       The Tsunami Warning, Education and Research Act of 2015 would strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning system and advance new research related to improving tsunami detection, forecasting, notification and response.
      

 The bill “strengthens the national tsunami forecasting program and stabilizes funding available for tsunami warnings and preparedness,” Sen. Brian Schatz said. “It also gives communities the ability to focus on the particular risks they face. In Hawai`i, that means securing our ports, preparing for the specific impacts to areas with a concentration of high rise buildings and looking to Hawai`i’s geological past to identify possible tsunami threats in the future. The earthquake in Chile last month underlines the importance of strengthening tsunami forecasting and preparedness for Hawai`i.”
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WE THE POWERFUL WORKSHOPS are coming to Ka`u on Friday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center and from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Keanu Young, assistant coordinator of Hawai`i State Legislature’s Public Access Room, explains how to influence state laws. 

      PAR is the Legislature’s non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau. Providing testimony and keeping up with the bills before the legislature can be done online, with Hawai`i having one of the best interactive systems in the country, particularly for remote communities like those in Ka`u.
      Topics include tips and techniques on effective lobbying, testimony and communicating with legislators. Young explains the legislative process, deadlines and power dynamics. He also describes easy to use tools available on the Legislature’s website, capitol.hawaii.gov.
      For more information and to register (helpful but not required), call 974-4000, ext. 7-0478, or email par@capitol.hawaii.gov.
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KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Steering Committee is scheduled to make final recommendations to the county two weeks from today, on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The committee will be acting on its preliminary decisions about CDP revisions based on community feedback. Those preliminary decisions were made during the committee’s August and September meetings. Minutes from each of those meetings are available in the Steering Committee folder at www.kaucdp.info.

      During its Sept. 24 meeting, the committee agreed that it would only consider additional CDP revisions if they are presented with new, verifiable information. In those cases, the committee agreed to address any major issues at a follow-up meeting so that the public is given proper notice.
      Once the committee makes its final CDP recommendations to the county, next steps include: Planning Director and agency review ( less than 60 days); Planning Commission public hearings and recommendation (60 days); County Council public hearings and action;
Mayor’s signature; and Action Committee appointed to guide CDP implementation.
      The Oct. 27 meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The meeting is open to the public, and comment on agenda items is welcome.
      Ka`u residents can contact Steering Committee members, Community Planning Assistant Nalani Parlin or Project Manager Ron Whitmore with questions. Contact information is available at the kaucdp.info.

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CANEFIELD SONGS: HOLE HOLE BUSHI is the title of a film to be screened Saturday during Ka`u Plantation Days. In the PBS Hawai`i film, narrator Jake Shimabukuro refers to the songs as Japanese American Blues. He defines hole hole as a Native Hawaiian word for dry cane leaves and bushi as a Japanese term for melody or tune. Issei immigrants brought their music from Japan and changed lyrics to reflect life in Hawai`i. 

      Shimabukuro compares the music to the `ukulele, which has only four strings, “and because of this, it has a kind of power,” he says. “Traditional hole hole bushi has just four lines of verse, but they tell powerful stories.”
      Ka`u Plantation Days is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.