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| Honu `ea hatchlings head to the ocean yesterday as Ka`u residents and visitors watch them leave the nest at Punalu`u Black Sand Beach. See story below. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie |
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY will partner with a family and community to build at least one home in Ocean View, probably breaking ground next June, according to West Hawai`i Executive Director Patrick Hurney. The house lot is secure and family, who will contribute their own sweat equity in order to own the home, has been chosen, he said.
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| Proceeds from Habitat for Humanity's ReStore support the organization's efforts to eliminate poverty housing. |
Donations of money and supplies are being taken. Habitat, founded by Pres. Jimmy Carter, is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating, and preserving homes. It advocates for fair and just housing policies and provides training and access to resources in order to improve lives of families and help them get back on their feet. Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety.
Habitat operates a ReStore in Kona at 73-4161 Ulu Wini Place. Residents can support Habitat by donating gently used home improvement products or purchasing items previously donated.
For more information and photos and to donate, see habitatwesthawaii.org.
Habitat operates a ReStore in Kona at 73-4161 Ulu Wini Place. Residents can support Habitat by donating gently used home improvement products or purchasing items previously donated.
For more information and photos and to donate, see habitatwesthawaii.org.
HAWAI`I BIGEYE TUNA FISHERY has reopened. National Marine Fisheries Service had closed the fishery two months ago because fishermen had caught the annual quota. According to an Associated Press story in Honolulu Star-Advertiser, NMFS instituted a rule that allows fishermen to report some of their catch as from the Northern Mariana Islands.
“Arbitrary quotas not linked to conservation objectives kept our boats tied at the docks,” said Kitty Simonds, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council executive director. “The struggling vessels and small businesses they support accumulated millions of dollars in debt each month, causing untold anxiety for our local fishing community and consumers.”
David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, said, “What the fisheries service has been doing in response to industry pressure is absolutely the wrong thing for consumers who want to have sustainable food and food to put on the table for their children and their children’s children. And really, ultimately it’s not the right thing to do for longliners themselves if they want to continue that tradition in their families.”
Honu `ea come ashore only to nest, with confirmed sites from Ka`u into Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at Awili Point, Pohue Bay, Kawa, Punalu`u, Kamehame, Halape and `Apua Point. More than 90 percent of the nests statewide are found on this island.David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, said, “What the fisheries service has been doing in response to industry pressure is absolutely the wrong thing for consumers who want to have sustainable food and food to put on the table for their children and their children’s children. And really, ultimately it’s not the right thing to do for longliners themselves if they want to continue that tradition in their families.”
See staradvertiser.com.
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| Keiki got a close encounter with honu `ea before Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project personnel released the hatchlings. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie |
HAWAI`I ISLAND HAWKSBILL Turtle Recovery Project successfully opened a nest at Punalu`u yesterday. Keiki from local schools, other Ka`u residents and visitors looked on as project manager Lauren Kurpita and others helped the honu `ea escape their shells and deep nest. Students examined the hatchlings up close in containers before setting them off on their journey to the Pacific, where they will live out the rest of their lives munching on sponges and other treats.
Volunteers who would like to help monitor and protect nests can contact Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park at 985-6090 or email HAVO_Turtle_Project@nps.gov. Report people harming sea turtles to 974-6208 and dead, sick or injured sea turtles to 327-7780.
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KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I Volcanoes National Park offers free programs this weekend.
Participants explore Kahuku’s rich geologic history, traverse the vast 1868 lava flow and see different volcano features and formations tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on a guided, easy-to-moderate hike. They will also learn to identify many parts of Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone.
People and Lands of Kahuku, Sunday at 9:30 a.m., is a moderate two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forest, pastures, lava fields and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped and restored this land.
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“MAUNA LOA IS NOT ERUPTING,” Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported in its current update on the status of the world’s largest active volcano. HVO is providing weekly updates following its elevation of Mauna Loa’s Volcano Alert Level from Normal to Advisory on Thursday, Sept. 17. Scientists based the level on long-term trends in both earthquake and deformation monitoring data.
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| HVO is keeping a close watch on Mauna Loa after raising its alert level one month ago. Photo from USGS |
The seismicity rate is elevated above background but at a lower weekly rate than reported in mid- to late-summer. Earthquakes occurred beneath Mauna Loa’s upper Southwest Rift Zone at depths less than eight miles. Deformation data are still consistent with inflation of magma reservoirs beneath Mauna Loa’s summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone.
Mauna Loa rises gradually to 13,681 feet above sea level. Its long submarine flanks descend an additional three miles below sea level to the ocean floor. The ocean floor directly beneath Mauna Loa is, in turn, depressed by the volcano’s great mass another five miles. This places Mauna Loa’s summit about 56,000 feet above its base.
Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first well documented historical eruption in 1843. Its most recent eruption was in 1984.
For more information on Mauna Loa and its hazards, see the USGS Fact sheet available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3104/fs2012-3104.pdf.
Mauna Loa rises gradually to 13,681 feet above sea level. Its long submarine flanks descend an additional three miles below sea level to the ocean floor. The ocean floor directly beneath Mauna Loa is, in turn, depressed by the volcano’s great mass another five miles. This places Mauna Loa’s summit about 56,000 feet above its base.
Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first well documented historical eruption in 1843. Its most recent eruption was in 1984.
For more information on Mauna Loa and its hazards, see the USGS Fact sheet available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3104/fs2012-3104.pdf.
See hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
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| Gov. and Mrs. Ige celebrated Hawai`i's thirty-year sister-city relationship with Quangdong Province, China. Photo from Office of the Governor |
GOV. DAVID IGE and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige returned from a trip to Japan and China on Wednesday, Oct. 14. They traveled with a delegation from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to promote economic development, renewable energy cooperation and international student exchange.
While there, the governor and Mrs. Ige participated in celebrations of the 30th anniversary of sister-relations with Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Guangdong Province, China and expressed Hawai`i’s commitment to further strengthen these relationships through educational, cultural and economic exchanges in the years ahead.
“Hawai`i and Okinawa share many similar characteristics, and I was able to observe how Okinawa’s energy companies and educational institutions are developing programs and initiatives that have global impact,” Gov. Ige said. “The Prefectural Government is also committed to developing a workforce skilled in international relations. Our similarities will continue to unite us as we strive to achieve new models of economic development priorities.”
“Hawai`i and Okinawa share many similar characteristics, and I was able to observe how Okinawa’s energy companies and educational institutions are developing programs and initiatives that have global impact,” Gov. Ige said. “The Prefectural Government is also committed to developing a workforce skilled in international relations. Our similarities will continue to unite us as we strive to achieve new models of economic development priorities.”
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| Hawai`i's Larger Game Birds. Illustration by H. Douglas Pratt |
THE 2015-2016 GAME BIRD HUNTING season opens on Saturday, Nov. 7. With lingering drought impacts in many parts of the state, Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife biologists are predicting a below average season of bird hunting.
The fall game bird hunting season will run through Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. A valid hunting license and a game bird stamp are required for all game bird hunting on public and private lands.
Kapapala Ranch Cooperative Game Management Area and Kapapala Forest Reserve will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays for the entire game bird season.
Kipuka ‘Ainahou will be open on weekends and state holidays throughout the game bird hunting season. Special permits are required and available from the DOFAW offices in Hilo. Hunters are to avoid nene geese that are in the area. Mammal hunting in this area is closed from Nov. 1 through February.
Pohakuloa Training Area will be at the direction of the Department of Defense, subject to training schedule. Hunters can call the Pohakuloa hunter’s hotline at 969-3474 for information on hunting days, open areas and access routes.
Further information may be obtained by contacting DOFAW’s Hilo office at 974-4221.
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TOMORROW IS KA`U PLANTATION DAYS. The fifth annual event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The 2015 theme is For the Good Times.
The fall game bird hunting season will run through Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. A valid hunting license and a game bird stamp are required for all game bird hunting on public and private lands.
Kapapala Ranch Cooperative Game Management Area and Kapapala Forest Reserve will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays for the entire game bird season.
Kipuka ‘Ainahou will be open on weekends and state holidays throughout the game bird hunting season. Special permits are required and available from the DOFAW offices in Hilo. Hunters are to avoid nene geese that are in the area. Mammal hunting in this area is closed from Nov. 1 through February.
Pohakuloa Training Area will be at the direction of the Department of Defense, subject to training schedule. Hunters can call the Pohakuloa hunter’s hotline at 969-3474 for information on hunting days, open areas and access routes.
Further information may be obtained by contacting DOFAW’s Hilo office at 974-4221.
Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.
TOMORROW IS KA`U PLANTATION DAYS. The fifth annual event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The 2015 theme is For the Good Times.
The events begins with the arrival of the sugar cane truck and pa`u parade of horses and riders bedecked in lei, colors and costumes representing each island.
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| A cane haul truck opens festivities tomorrow at Ka`u Plantation Days. Photo by Julia Neal |
The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Pahala Community Center and travels down Maile Street to Old Pahala Clubhouse, with emcee Clyde Silva. Derrick Andrade will drive a decorated sugar cane truck that hauled sugar from the fields to the mill in Pahala until the plantation closing in 1996.
A mounted pa`u court with Queen Lorilee Lorenzo will follow. Walkers and riders will include representatives of the many ethnic groups who built the agricultural community of Ka`u, which has evolved from sugar plantations to ranching, macadamia and coffee orchards and food and tea farms. Educational groups such as Friends of Ka`u Libraries and Ka`u Rural Health Community Association will participate.
A mounted pa`u court with Queen Lorilee Lorenzo will follow. Walkers and riders will include representatives of the many ethnic groups who built the agricultural community of Ka`u, which has evolved from sugar plantations to ranching, macadamia and coffee orchards and food and tea farms. Educational groups such as Friends of Ka`u Libraries and Ka`u Rural Health Community Association will participate.
KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I Volcanoes National Park offers free programs this weekend.
Participants explore Kahuku’s rich geologic history, traverse the vast 1868 lava flow and see different volcano features and formations tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on a guided, easy-to-moderate hike. They will also learn to identify many parts of Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone.
People and Lands of Kahuku, Sunday at 9:30 a.m., is a moderate two-mile, three-hour guided hike that loops through varied landscapes to explore the human history of Kahuku. Emerging native forest, pastures, lava fields and other sites hold clues about ways people have lived and worked on the vast Kahuku lands – from the earliest Hawaiians, through generations of ranching families, to the current staff and volunteers of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the powerful natural forces at work here and how people have adapted to, shaped and restored this land.
Call 985-6011 for more information.
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| Information for homeowners with septic systems is available later this month. Image from HDOH |
HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Wastewater Branch and Safe Drinking Water Branch’s Groundwater Protection Program are joining together to provide free onsite disposal system information. Homeowners with septic systems are invited to attend. Participants learn how to determine if they have a septic system, how to locate the system and provide proper operation and maintenance.
Hawai`i Island sessions are in Kona on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Kealakehe School Library and in Hilo on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Aupuni Center.
Maximum enrollment is 50 per session. Registration information is provided at health.hawaii.gov/wastewater/home/training.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.
Maximum enrollment is 50 per session. Registration information is provided at health.hawaii.gov/wastewater/home/training.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
For Affordable Computer Help, call John Derry at 936-1872.
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_October2015.pdf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf. |
