Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015

Pakala cloths draped the veranda at Pahala Plantation Manager's House for Ka`u Plantation Days yesterday, signaling a passage to "before time." Photo by Ron Johnson

THE FIFTH ANNUAL KA`U PLANTATION DAYS saw residents and visitors learning and sharing their experiences of “before time.” Following a pa`u parade led by a decorated cane truck, Ka`u residents and visitors headed to Pahala Plantation Manager’s House. Palaka cloth draped the veranda, where residents shared artifacts and children’s activities from a bygone era. Attendees watched films of the past, including Ka`u Sugar: A Town Remembers, Canefield Songs: Hole Hole Bushi and The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai`i.

Traditional Ka`u Plantation Days games, with homemade toys. Photo by Julia Neal

In the dining room, residents looked through collections of various camp photos, identifying homes of families and friends.
Food, entertainment and arts and crafts filled the front and side lawns. Attendees could choose from Portuguese, Hawaiian, Chinese and more ethnic foods. Entertainment ranged from hula to country music.
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DELAYS IN CONSTRUCTION of Ka`u Gym & Shelter are examined in today’s issue of West Hawai`i Today. Nancy Cook Lauer noted that a sign on the Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School campus bears a completion date of Nov. 15, 2014.
After the county found that the new concrete floor didn’t meet specifications, Summit Construction had it removed. Department of Public Works Director Warren Lee told Cook Lauer that the contractor is paying to replace the floor. “The county does not pay for this. We already paid for it once,” Lee told Cook Lauer.

Darlyne Vierra and Liz Kuluwaimaka hosted Ka`u Plantation Days yesterday,
sponsored by Ka`u Multicultural Society. Photo by Julia Neal

Summit Construction has, however, been paid an extra $166,069 in a change order that was added to the original contract. The change order was for “unanticipated changes not included in original design,” according to a July communication to Hawai`i County Council.
Previous delays include additional time needed for State Historic Preservation burial treatment permits, grading, drainage, sidewalk and driveway location changes and rerouting of telephone lines.
Cook Lauer said the facility should open sometime next year.
See westhawaiitoday.com.
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HURRICANE OLAF CONTINUES to strengthen as it heads west toward the Central Pacific. After it crosses longitude 140 and out of the Eastern Pacific early Tuesday morning, Olaf is forecast turn north and pass Hawai`i to the east.
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Hannah's Makana `Ohana dance on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House.
Photo by Julia Neal

SCOTT GLENN IS HAWAI`I’S NEW director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control. Glenn will officially take up his duties in November. His appointment by Gov. David Ige is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Glenn is leaving his position as an environmental planner that he has held since 2010. He focused on the intersection of planning, asset management and risk analysis in clients’ strategic decision making. He has managed project budgets and held key roles on many multi-million dollar projects for clients in public and private sectors. Recently, his focus has been on integrating climate change adaptation into federal asset decision-making tools.
As a volunteer, Glenn serves as vice chair and past chair of Sierra Club Hawai`i and holds the same positions on the state Environmental Council. He is also co-founder and president of Better Block Hawai`i, a nonprofit dedicated to exploring collaborative, innovative approaches to improving urban livability.

Clyde Silva emceed the pa`u parade and Ka`u
Plantation Days event. Photo by Julia Neal

Glenn earned a B.A. in philosophy and classical archaeology from the University of Evansville and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawai`i. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
“Scott is passionate about working with diverse stakeholders to plan together for a better shared future,” Ige said. “His education, work experience and volunteer service have prepared him to make a difference in this position.”
“I am humbled to serve as the director and thankful to the governor for the opportunity,” Glenn said. “The office has a key role in the stewardship of our environment and economy. I look forward to bringing a collaborative approach grounded in technical expertise to the office and working with my fellow board members on the Environmental Council to reach out to the public and all stakeholders.”
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HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists use geologic mapping to look to the past to reveal the future.
“Geologic mapping is considered by some to be old school science,” scientists explain in the current issue of Volcano Watch. “By current standards, there’s certainly nothing glitzy or high tech about walking miles across seemingly barren rock or through dense forests to map lava flows.
“The motivation for mapping ‘old’ lava flows is based on the geologic principle of Uniformitarianism, which fundamentally says that the key to understanding the future is to look at the past. By definition, Uniformitarianism is the theory that natural processes behave more or less the same today as they have throughout the past, and will continue to do so in the future.
“As an example, if we are assigned the task of figuring out future threats posed by an unknown or poorly understood volcano, we start by examining its eruptive products or deposits. By looking at these old deposits, we can establish if the volcano is predominantly effusive (eruptions characterized by lava flows) or explosive in character. Then, by systematically mapping the spatial distribution of the deposits and age-dating them through various techniques, we can identify the areas affected by volcanic activity and how frequently it takes place.

Collections of photos and memorabilia from ranches, farms, dairies and sugar
camp life filled the carriage house and the old plantation manager's house.
Photo by Julia Neal

“Our mapping tools are basic: a hand lens, notebook, topographic map, hammer and compass (or handheld GPS for some geologists!). Our ‘computer’ sits on our shoulders: head, brain and eyes. Field geologists must also be in tune with the natural environment in order to derive clues on the character, origin and age of the substrate. These clues can include subtle changes in vegetation, ground surface roughness, rock color and other characteristics.
“Geologic mapping requires extensive field work in which we walk the contacts between old lava flows to distinguish individual flow units and intraflow boundaries, including gradational transitions between pahoehoe and `a`a flows. This field work relies on aerial imagery and paper topographic maps to plot the flows.
“Where terrain or jungle obscures the contacts between different lava flows, we create a grid pattern of transects to examine sparse outcrops of rock. The resulting boundaries between distinct lava flows are then extrapolated between transects from aerial photo interpretation and geological and botanical inferences. …
“Sleuthing out the eruptive history of a volcano is challenging, time consuming, and tedious. But there’s no better way to figure out a volcano’s future behavior than to examine its past – and geologic mapping shows us the way!”

Filipino, Japanese, Portuguese and Hawaiian foods celebrated the multi-ethnic
community of Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

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See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
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NATIVE DRYLAND PLANTS WORKSHOP is a week from today on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Kahuku Park Pavilion in Ocean View. Sponsored by Ho`omalu Ka`u, a nonprofit working to build a cultural center north of Ocean View, presenters showcase plants well suited to Ka`u’s climate and environment and that can be used to great effect as landscape features. Sign up at hoomalukau@gmail.com or 929-8526.

JAZZ IN THE FOREST CONTINUES with two performances this Saturday, Oct. 24, featuring Keahi Conjugacion with Volcano Art Center’s Jazz Ensemble. The concert series offers an extraordinary opportunity to hear the highest caliber jazz – anywhere – up close and personal.

Hawaiian kupuna Jeanette Howard, of Punalu`u, represented Hawaiian
Civic Club of Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

Conjugacion is a Hoku and Grammy nominated vocalist who has performed throughout the mainland, Asia and Europe. Considered one of Hawai`i’s finest jazz and blues singers, Conjugacion is the eldest sister of the famous musical family (Brother Noland & Tony C). She has played Carnegie Hall in New York, Jazz Alley in Seattle and at jazz festivals in Sicily. She returns by popular demand, as she delivered an emotional and inspiring performance to an SRO audience in her previous appearance at Jazz in the Forest.
The Wine and Beer Room will be open to enjoy before and after the concert. Also, an area has been set aside for dancing.
Two shows are offered, with a matinee at 4:30 p.m. and an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the matinee are $15 for VAC members ($20 non-members) and for the evening show are $20 for VAC members ($25 non-members).

Tickets are available at VAC’s Administration Office in Volcano Village, VAC Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and at Basically Books in Hilo. The last day to purchase tickets online, at VAC Gallery, or Basically Books is Friday, Oct. 23. After that, tickets will be sold at the door if they are not sold out.

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.