Everything Big Island



Bright lights, less money
County streetlamps get energy-efficient makeover

More than 400 streetlights will soon be sporting a new glow, thanks to a $737,800 grant Hawaii County has received from the federal government.

The money to retrofit streetlights with energy-efficient bulbs is the first installment of federal stimulus money from an Energy Efficiency and Conser-vation Block Grant.

The federal government has set aside more than $2.6 billion for energy efficiency grants. The state of Hawaii is receiving $9.6 million, with Honolulu getting $3.9 million, Maui County, $605,300 and Kauai County $267,900, according to the federal government.

In addition to the streetlight retrofit, the money will be used for energy audits of homes of low- and moderate-income residents as well as training and public outreach.

The work will be contracted out, rather than being done by county agencies, Research and Development Director Randy

Kurohara told the County Council Finance Committee on Tuesday.

Streetlights at signalized intersections will be given priority because they are the brightest and use the most electricity of the 9,500 streetlights in the county. The new lights will be comparably bright but use half the electricity and cost less to maintain, he said.

Kurohara admitted that the energy money was the "low-hanging fruit" in federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. He said the county wanted to move quickly on that money and is now focused on applying for more.

Several members of the Finance Committee were quick to agree.

"I don't think anyone's going to reject that," Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann said. "But I don't know why it's $737,000 and not $7 million."

North Kona Councilman Kelly Greenwell, who's been pushing the county to seek more stimulus money, thought the amount fell short as well. He urged county staff members to get creative with their grant applications.

"Please don't be swimming in the established soup," Greenwell said. "There's not enough creativity and imagination that goes into these and you'll be reaching into a rather small box to get it."

In other business on Tuesday, the Committee on Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations advanced free bus service for another year.

Mass transit accounts for about $5 million of the county's annual general fund budget, and another $1 million comes from the highway fund. At least $1.5 million of the total is paid by federal subsidies.

Money in the highway fund comes from driver's license fees, weight taxes and fuel taxes, and can be used only for highway and transportation needs.

The agency is planning to expand services islandwide in early 2010 with five additional 49-passenger buses and four 33-passenger buses expected to be on the island by the end of this year. The county also plans to buy two more 49-passenger buses with funding made available through the stimulus bill.

About 811,000 Big Islanders made trips last year, and officials predict that number will continue to rise. About one-third of all Hele-On trips are on the route running from East Hawaii through South Kohala, often taking workers to the resorts along the coast, according to Mass Transit Administrator Tom Brown.

That concerned Waimea attorney Margaret Wille, who said she supports free transit but thinks the county should look at the bigger picture and how transit relates to developers and county requirements to build affordable housing as conditions of rezonings.

"We are subsidizing the hotel use for bringing their labor over," Wille said.


Source: www.westhawaiitoday.com, Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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Hawaii Island Family Health Center opens its doors

A first-of-its kind medical clinic and training center for health professionals celebrated its grand opening in Hilo on October 24.

The Hawai'i Island Family Health Center is the culmination of several years of effort by island residents and federal, state, and local governments to address a critical shortage in health professionals available to the Big Island's citizens.

The clinic is staffed by a unique combination of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists. They include faculty from:

• The University of Hawai'i at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

• The University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene

• The University of Hawai'i at Hilo Baccalaureate Nursing Program

• The University of Hawai'i at Hilo College of Pharmacy

Along with the Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation's Hilo Medical Center, they will serve patients in the community, while also training future medical professionals to serve in a rural health setting. Dr. Lucy Bucci, MD, MPH, JABSOM Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, is the Site Director. She will lead a staff of two physicians, a nurse practitioner and a pharmacist. They already are seeing about 40 patients a day.

"Our faculty are very excited to be part of this interdisciplinary effort which will offer learning opportunities for nursing, nurse practitioner, and pharmacy students, and medical residents to collaborate together in meeting the health care needs of people in our community," said Kathryn Daub, Chair of the University of Hawai'i at Hilo Baccalaureate Nursing Department.

"This collaboration between nursing, medicine and pharmacy marks a landmark for Hawai'i," said Mary Boland, Dean, School of Nursing & Dental Hygiene, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. "While we have students from all the islands, this is the first time we launched a direct service program with our partner schools, Hilo Medical Center and the community."

"Specialists tend to train separately," said Dr. Jerris Hedges, JABSOM Dean. "This is an opportunity to bring people together while they are training, have them work in a interdisciplinary clinic, and build their medical knowledge and patient management abilities while using the skills of each profession to boost their education."

"Pharmacists have always been an integral part of family medicine, but often don't interact with the patient until later in the health care process," said John M. Pezzuto, Dean, University of Hawai'i at Hilo College of Pharmacy. "It's essential for us to be a part of this clinic from the inception so that we can not only interact with patients and doctors more directly, but so we can help shape future health care in Hawai'i."

Officials believe the interdisciplinary training center will make it easier to recruit needed health care workers from all four health care professions to practice on the Big Island.

"As the sponsoring hospital for the Hawai'i Island Family Health Center, Hilo Medical Center looks forward to seeing this multi-disciplinary program flourish and contribute to producing more physicians and other health care professionals who practice and live in East Hawai'i," said Howard Ainsley, East Hawai'i Regional CEO of Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation.

Individuals and community organizations came together on the Big Island after state funding for a Hilo residency training program lagged. The Hilo Medical Center Foundation worked to increase awareness and funds for the program. HMSA, TriWest Health Care Alliance and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contributed key financing to establish the clinic/training center.

"Hawai'i's Congressional Delegation, led by senior U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, worked tirelessly with the Hawai'i State Legislature and Hawai'i County representatives to make this a reality," said Dr. Hedges. "This is an important step in a goal we all share: to expand health care opportunities statewide."

TriWest is the health provider for the U.S. military's active duty personnel. In addition to serving military on the Big Island, TriWest hopes to establish a training model which can be replicated in communities throughout the Pacific, where many military personnel are stationed.

The Hawai'i Island Family Health Center is located at 45 Mohouli Street in Hilo. The clinic features nine examination rooms in 4,350 square feet of medical clinic and education space. The center's telephone number is (808) 769-6100.


Source: www.honoluluadvertiser.com, Wednesday, October 28, 2009

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Planting 'Seeds of Hope' in the future
Supporters of isle's school garden program board cruise ship in Hilo to promote sustainability

School gardens on the Big Island are growing in popularity, and educators spearheading these initiatives hope that today's keiki will hoe the row towards a future of sustainability.

Nancy Redfeather, Hawai'i Island School Garden Network project director, said hopes more will pop up and continue to blossom.

"Forty-nine schools all across Hawai'i Island have garden programs, which provide outdoor living laboratories for students to develop ecological literacy, provide hands-on learning experiences, develop healthy lifestyle choices and participate in environmental stewardship," Redfeather said.

On Friday, Oct. 16, the Kohala Center celebrated the 26th Annual World Food Day with a benefit "Seeds of Hope" luncheon for the Hawai'i Island School Garden Network program. The benefit was held aboard the Golden Princess cruise ship docked at Hilo Harbor. The school garden network is one of The Kohala Center's projects and part of the center's food self-reliance initiative.

"Building gardens, preparing and nurturing the soil, planting and harvesting food, preparing and eating healthy foods that grow well on our island will help to prepare our young citizens for building a more sustainable world for our island's future," Redfeather said.

Redfeather said children succeed in garden programs.

"Our children are facing so many challenges today," Redfeather said. "Our children are expressing to us the stresses of modern life... I think it's time to make a change in the way we are teaching and in our emphasis and curriculum."

Redfeather said not long ago, every school on Hawai'i Island had a garden, according to elders in the community who remember the gardens -- the goal, Redfeather said, is to get back to that.

School gardens, Redfeather said, can serve as places where whole communities can reconnect with the land. Waimea Middle School, for example, has a program that offers classes for parents on how to start gardens at home.

"I really think this might be the first generation that is teaching their parents about sustainability," Redfeather said.

Mayor Billy Kenoi said the Big Island should not only be able to feed itself, but also feed the rest of the state. The Big Island, he said, could also be a model for energy sustainability.

"If any place can power itself... it's the island of Hawai'i," Kenoi said.

State Sen. Russell Kokubun said when he was a young boy, his mother used to say, "that kid just likes to play in the dirt," when describing him to others.

"She always had a garden at our home," Kokubun said, adding he remembers the awe and wonder he experienced as a child working the land. "She would take me out in the garden to help her... The lessons that you learn from that experience (gardening at a young age), they carry over with you no matter what you do."

Kokubun said the more self-sufficiency the island can achieve, the better off the people living here will be.

Kokubun's message of sustainability was echoed by fellow lawmaker, State Sen. Dwight Takamine.

"Our common ground is that we are all part of this island," Takamine said.

His message of sustainability, however, came with a serious warning.

"As long as we keep importing 80 to 85 percent of what we consume, sustainability will not be of value," Takamine said, adding that a change of attitude is needed, and residents need to realize how important it is to grow their own food.

"I thank you for planting the seeds," Takamine said to all the leaders of the school garden projects.

An eight-minute trailer of Hawai'i filmmaker Danny Miller's "Seeds of Hope" documentary was shown at the luncheon. It was filmed for Hawai'i Public Television and features teachers and students in the island's school garden programs.

The trailer highlighted some facts about food in Hawai'i. Only 15 to 17 percent of food in the state is grown locally. Without planes and ships bringing goods from elsewhere, the islands' populations would not survive long. The trailer also addressed hunger in the state. Right now, one-third of families here do not have enough food.

The movie trailer states that the average farmer in Hawai'i is 60-years-old, implying a new generation of farmers has not sufficiently sprouted up. For more information, visit http://www.seedsofhopethemovie.com.

For more information on the Kohala Center, visit http://www.kohalacenter.org.


Source: www.bigislandweekly.com, Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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Call for entries for the 2010 Big Island Film Festival

Movie magic under Hawaii stars helps make the Big Island Film Festival one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 2009 Top 25 “Coolest Film Festivals,” and independent filmmakers are encouraged to experience the excitement. The Big Island Film Festival is now accepting films for its 4th annual event May 12-16, 2010.

Narrative short films (30 minutes or less) and feature length films (60 minutes or more) completed after January 1, 2009 will be considered. Only narrative films are eligible; no documentaries are accepted. Deadlines are: “Early Bird” November 1, 2009, Regular January 1, 2010, Late/Final February 1, 2010. “Early Bird” entry fees are $50 Feature, $40 Short, $30 Student. Films shot in Hawaii or from filmmakers who live in Hawaii receive a 25% discount on entry fees (verification required).

The Festival’s “Golden Honu Awards” will be given to the best feature and short films in Overall, Family, Student, Animated, Foreign and Hawaii categories at a special Awards Brunch to honor the filmmakers and their works.

Several past entries have been purchased or received major TV, film and DVD distribution. One, Pule Wailele, after its world premiere at the Big Island Film Festival, screened to sold-out houses at Maui Film Festival and received national coverage for its depiction of the Hawaiian model of environmental awareness. Filmmaker, John Zak traveled to Zurich, Switzerland in August 2007 to present the film, which received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response. Pule Wailele is distributed by The Islander Group/Booklines Hawaii.

The Big Island “Talk Story” Film Festival is a celebration of narrative filmmaking, with international narrative features and shorts, Actor and Filmmaker Salutes, Filmmaker Panels, Awards Brunch and social opportunities for networking and making new friends in film. Movies, special events, Hawaiian culture and music, all embraced by the spirit of Aloha, help the Big Island Film Festival grow into a premier event to share with the world.

For submission rules and application visit www.BigIslandFilmFestival.com. For further information call 808-883-0394.


Source: www.hawaii247.org, October 12, 2009

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Big Island is world’s most diverse golf experience

There is one island in Hawai‘i that has it all for golfers: the southernmost course in the United States; greens where players tee off in view of smoldering Kīlauea volcano; designer golf courses with historic signature holes at oceanfront resorts; affordable and scenic municipal courses where wild turkeys and endemic nēnē (geese) strut about, and mountain courses where refreshing breezes rustle through native forest.

That island, of course, is Hawai‘i’s Big Island – hailed as the Golf Capital of Hawai‘i but as some say, the most diverse golf experience on earth . . . and perhaps, the most distracting. Flip through the colorful new guide “Golf Hawai‘i – Hawai‘i’s Big Island: The Golf Capital of Hawai‘i,” available online at www.bigisland.org/hawaii-golf-courses for a “teeser.”

Or just ask Dave McNair of Nebraska, whose ambitious goal to golf all 50 states hit the 49th mark with a recent visit to the Big Island, where he played seven out of 18 possible courses in his signature tam- o’-shanter cap, knickers, long argyle socks, and classic Tom Stewart hickory clubs, all made between 1908 and 1915.

“The Big Island presented some the most challenging golf I’ve ever played, not because of the difficulty of the courses but because of the great views,” McNair said. “It was the first time I’ve ever played alongside black lava rock, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it!” That setting was the Kings’ Course at Waikoloa Beach Resort, regarded as one of Hawai‘i’s top courses, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. But the day he and his wife Cindy arrived on island, he headed straight for the resort’s famous Beach Course, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. creation.

“As you’re coming down the signature seventh hole, there’s palm trees jutting out of the greens, and this huge ocean in front of you. You think, wow, now that’s Hawai‘i,” McNair said. Also bordering holes six, seven and eight is an ancient Hawaiian petroglyph field.

For golf enthusiasts, resort courses at Hualālai Resort, Waikoloa Beach Resort, Mauna Lani Resort, Mauna Kea Resort and Kona Country Club all present diverse golf opportunities adjacent to full service resorts. For example, the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa is a swing away from the Kona Country Club’s Ocean Course. Overshoot the green on the second-hole fairway and your ball could easily end up in the ocean on this challenging hole. The Mountain Course designed by William Bell, Nelson and Robin Wright offers breathtaking Kona coastline views.

McNair and his wife Cindy, who often walks alongside him as he plays, are amateur bird watchers and marveled as they observed species like the native Hawaiian stilt (ae‘o), saffron finch, Hawai‘i’s state bird the nēnē (goose), kajil pheasants, and red-crested cardinals.

They were also treated to Hawai‘i Island’s prevailing aloha spirit. At Sea Mountain – the southernmost golf course in the United States located near Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach – the pro suggested they hike a coastal trail that led them to an ancient heiau, or Hawaiian temple not on the map.

At Kīholo Bay on the Kohala Coast, the couple counted nearly 40 Hawaiian green sea turtles after playing Mauna Lani Resort’s renowned Francis H. I‘i Brown South Course, which boasts more oceanfront holes than any course on the Kohala Coast. (McNair shot an 82, and made par on each ocean hole.) In Hilo, they visited Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Gardens before heading back to West Hawai‘i to golf at Mauna Kea Golf Course – originally designed in 1964 by the late, great Robert Trent Jones, Sr. This historic and revered course, which sets the standard by which most courses in Hawai‘i are judged, was renovated by the architect’s son, Rees Jones, and unveiled in 2009. The legendary service and amenities continue to lure golf enthusiasts from around the world.

Another historic icon in Hawaiian golf, who would have undoubtedly approved of McNair’s ode to Scottish decorum, was the ali‘i (Hawaiian nobleman) Francis H. I‘i Brown, considered the “father of Hawaiian golf.” Brown, who purchased the 3,200-acre Kalāhuipua‘a in 1930, now known as Mauna Lani Resort, won the California State Championship that same year. The two 18-hole courses still bear his name, and its signature oceanfront 15th hole on the South Course is one of the most photographed in the world. In winter months, it’s not unusual to see humpback whales breaching offshore and the snow-capped peaks of Maunakea from any of the courses that grace the Kohala Coast.

Today, the pros continue to converge on Hawai‘i’s Big Island for the PGA Champions Tour Mitsubishi Electric at Hualālai Championship, an event that happens every January at the spectacular Hualālai Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course.

For more information on the diverse Big Island golf experience, visit www.bigisland.org/hawaii-golf-courses and be sure to review the, “Golf Hawaii – Hawaii’s Big Island: The Golf Capital of Hawai‘i,” brochure, available online or by calling the Big Island Visitors Bureau at (800) 648-2441.


Source: www.hawaii247.org, September 28, 2009

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Laney: Diverse economy helps Big Island

The Big Island’s diverse economy has enabled it to weather the recession better than the other Neighbor Islands, according to a new economic forecast.

Economist Leroy Laney said the Big Island is helped by the vastly different economies on the east and west sides of the island.

“In times like these, the disparity between the two sides can be good news,” Laney said Tuesday at the 35th annual First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook Forums held at the Naniloa Hotel in Hilo and the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Kamuela.

“Hawaii County’s economic cycle is determined by what happens on the west side because that’s where the visitor industry and most construction are centered. The West Hawaii economy is thus more volatile, while East Hawaii acts as an economic stabilizer. That may not seem so good in boom times, but it looks a lot better in times like the present.”

Laney, First Hawaiian Bank economic adviser and professor of economics and finance at Hawaii Pacific University, pointed out the disparity between the east and west sides based on harbor activity.

Laney said during the peak of the economic cycle in 2005, Young Brothers had five or six weekly barge shipments to Kawaihae Harbor on the Kona side and three at Hilo Harbor. Shipments are down to about two a week on the west side, but there are still three a week in Hilo.

Tourism on the Big Island was busier during the first half of 2009 than on Maui and Kauai, even though the Big Island has fewer time shares.

Laney noted that Alaska Airlines has added an Oakland-Kona flight which will begin in November.

Laney said the west side of the island benefits more from tourism, but in times of contraction in the visitor industry, the east side will feel less pain.

He noted the contributions of the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the planned construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea, which will pump an estimated $1.2 billion into the economy over nine years, generating 300 construction jobs and 140 permanent jobs.

Job growth on the Big Island is expected to be down 5 percent in 2009. Unemployment is expected to finish above 10 percent, almost double 2008.

Construction on the Big Island peaked in 2006, and is expected to bottom out in mid-2010, with a very gradual recovery to follow, Laney said.

Only one housing project is underway on the Big Island — an affordable housing project in Kona. The resort condo market is expected to be the last to show a recovery, as some developments on the Kohala Coast are overbuilt now.

Laney said there is an oversupply in commercial development, more so on the west side. “Casualties” are expected at the Kona Commons shopping center, which has been fully leased.

“Adding that much retail space in a shrinking economy leaves no other conclusion, and casualties will extend elsewhere on the west side,” Laney said.


Source: www.pacific.bizjournals.com, Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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Event offers a taste of Big Island's foods

If you're visiting the Big Island this weekend, get off work early Friday and hop on a plane in time for the 14th Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agricultural Festival, running 6 to 8 p.m. at Hilton Waikoloa Village.

The showcase of locally raised meats — including beef, pork, lamb, mutton and goat — and locally grown produce will be prepared by more than 30 isle chefs. Town Restaurant, 12th Avenue Grill and Tiki's Grill & Bar are among the Honolulu eateries represented; they join a long list of Big Isle restaurants, including Daniel Thiebaut's Restaurant, Earl Paauilo Store, Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar — Waikoloa, Roy's Waikoloa Bar & Grill, Merrimen's Market Cafe, Jay's Island Tapas and Huggo's Restaurant.

If you can get an even earlier start, attend a 4 p.m. culinary demonstration, "How to Cook Grass-Fed Beef 101," by chefs Jackie Lau and Ronnie Nasuti of Roy's Restaurants-Hawaii. Fee is $10. Call Susan Miyasaka at 981-5199, ext. 201, or e-mail miyasaka@hawaii.edu.

Tickets are $40 pre-sale and $80 at the door, available at various Big Isle locations or online: www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ taste/tickets.asp, where an order form can be downloaded and an address is posted for payment.

Chef Ted Fulmer of Pau Pizza, which is also participating, offers his recipe for a beef cross-rib stew. The dish will be among those served at the festival.

"This recipe is not only simple ... it's versatile," says Fulmer. "It becomes a main course very easily by just ladling it over pasta and spinach. Garnish with some extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan and fresh herb, and you've just made a $25 entree at your favorite Italian restaurant. I'm not sure if there is such a dish that can be made so inexpensively and yet deliver such satisfaction."


Source: www.starbulletin.com, Sep 16, 2009

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Big Island Abalone's business booms
The product sells well here and in Japan

Nothing can be all things to all people, but Big Island abalone hits the mark on many fronts. The sustainable ocean product is top quality yet economically priced, allowing it to make appearances in home kitchens as well as on the tables of fine-dining restaurants. An added bonus: Even its food source is locally produced.

This year, Big Island Abalone, opened in 1997, will farm and sell some 45 tons of abalone, with as much as 40 percent of sales made locally. The rest is shipped to Japan. Both there and here, abalone has historically been pricey and, therefore, a delicacy.

But today, abalone lovers can indulge their hankering for the chewy, succulent seafood every week at Kapiolani Community College and Blaisdell Center farmers' markets, where grills are lighted and customers can buy two smaller abalone, in 1 1/2 - to 2-inch shells, for $5. The smoky treat is served in its own shell.

The farmers' markets also sell live abalone in bags of six pieces for $10 (small size) and individually for $6 (large size, with an approximately 3 1/2 -inch shell).

"It's the top of the list as far as quality products go," says Reid Fukumoto, a former executive chef for Morton's Steakhouse and now a personal chef. "This abalone is fresh, sweet and prices are very reasonable."

Fukumoto says he prepares the abalone two ways: raw, as sashimi, or grilled and served with chili pepper water and soy sauce.

For those who haven't yet tasted the product, Big Island Abalone will make an appearance this weekend at the State Farm Fair's Ag-Tastic Expo at Bishop Museum.

THE FARM is in Kona, where the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority pumps cold sea water from a 3,000-foot depth to mix with warm surface water and achieve a 64-degree temperature, optimum for growing abalone.

Hiroshi Arai, CEO of Big Island Abalone, says it takes 2 1/2 years to grow abalone.

"We grow them in 32 tanks, each with eight to 12 cages. Each cage has plastic plates, and the abalone stick to them like they do onto rocks in nature," he says.

The abalone start out their life cycle hatching from eggs. Those larvae are kept in nursery tanks for eight months, then are transferred to bigger tanks, where they live for 22 months.

"Every weekday, we harvest red algae and put it on top of the cages. The abalone move to the top to eat them," says Arai.

That algae is another facet of the sustainable operation. It was developed specifically for the farm by scientists who founded the company. Since most of the founders hail from Oregon State University, the company joined with the school to develop the special strain.

"One reason the company was formed in Kona is because there's plenty of sunlight in Kona. It's a good place to grow abalone feed," Arai says. "This abalone is fed natural algae, which gives it its excellent flavor. The meat is clean and clear, and even the shells are beautiful. That's why the abalone is served in its shell at restaurants. People pay attention to everything. Eye appeal is very important."

FOR MOST OF its existence, Big Island Abalone's market was almost exclusively Japanese. But two years ago, with increased competition globally and a weakened Japanese economy, the farm decided to target Hawaii. It was a good business decision, Arai says.

In the past six months, the Big Isle abalone has been in restaurants, sushi bars, farmers' markets and Don Quijote, Tamashiro Market and Marukai. Plus, they hold farm tours in Kona.

"Hawaii has a lot of potential," says Arai. "We are very encouraged."

COOKING ABALONE

Before cooking, blanch abalone in hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Shuck and remove gonads if preferred.

» Grilling: Place abalone back in shell and grill shell-side down for 3 minutes on medium heat. Season with butter alone or with garlic, ginger, soy sauce or chili pepper.

» Stir-fry: Slice abalone into bite-size pieces and stir-fry with preferred seasonings, or with vegetables or noodles.

» Steaming: Place in steamer with or without shell. Top with desired seasonings, such as butter, garlic, ginger, olive oil or green onions.

» Sashimi style: Blanch, slice to desired thickness and serve with dipping sauce.


Source: www.starbulletin.com, Jul 15, 2009

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Big Island buckeroos show their stuff
Parker Ranch Rodeo is a Hawaii Island tradition

The first cowboys in the world were Mexican vaqueros. It was these men who taught Texans how to use a lasso; how to ride and round up cattle. But 50 years before Texans started herding cattle, the vaqueros traveled to Hawaii and began a tradition which was passed down through to our treasured paniolo.

Keeping the tradition alive, the Parker Ranch Horse Races and Rodeo were held July 3. This rodeo kicked off the Fourth of July weekend with events such as: dally team roping, ribbon mugging, ranch mugging, dally team roping, horse racing, calf dressing and more.

Ranches from across Hawai'i Island participating in Parker Ranch's invitational rodeo included; Andrade Ranch, Ponoholo Ranch, Ernest Deluz Ranch, RK Livestock, Peter DeLuz Ranch, Palani Ranch, Kukaiau Ranch and, of course, Parker Ranch.

"This Rodeo is unique because it's the only one on the Big Island of Hawaii where we have different ranches from Hawaii Island competing against each other," said Diane Quitiquit, vice president of Parker Ranch. "Generally, most rodeos and races have individuals competing against each other. Competing against different ranches makes this event more fun and family oriented."

The day started with the opening of the national anthem, Hawaii Pono I and a tribute to Hawaii Islands honored resident, Nelson K. Doi. As a judge in the 3rd Circuit Court, Doi made significant court rulings which upheld the constitutional rights of citizens. He served in the Hawaii Senate and as Hawai'i's Lt. Gov. under Gov. George Ariyoshi. He helped secure the development of Mauna Kea Beach Resort, which increased employment along the Kohala Coast, as well as helped secure state funding for the development of the North Hawaii Community Hospital.

After a moment of silence in honor of Parker Ranch's well-respected paniolos, the late Martin Purdy and Albert Lewi, the mood quickly evolved and the fast and furious day cowboyed up. First off it was horse racing and Hawaii's traditional event, poo-wai-u. In this event, a paniolo roped a steer by the horns and maneuvered it to a forked stand in the middle of the arena. Then the rider tied a non-choke knot on the steer's neck to the forked stand. This technique is still used today by many paniolo.

After an exciting round of poo-wai-u roping, the crowd cheered, clapping and whistled. Before the crowd had a chance to settle down, the announcer belted out the start of the horse races. The heart-pounding sound of horse hooves brought spectators once again to their feet and in an uproar, as horses with names like "She Bang" and "Butters" jetted past the crowd and raced around the track toward the finish line.

However, not all of this rodeo's events were just for the adults. The keiki had a chance to team up and jump in the arena for some action in the ribbon mugging event.

"One of the nicer events is the junior-senior ribbon mugging, which involved a parent and their children; the roper is on horseback and the mugger is on the ground," Quitiquit said. "When the roper catches the calf, the mugger holds on until the roper can remove the ribbon from the calf's tail, then the two partners must run to the barrel with the rope and ribbon in hand. Again, this is a real ohana type of event."

If the keiki weren't in the arena or hanging on the fence line, then they were out on the pony rides, provided by Parker Ranches Loki Faliciano. Some keiki were loaded "all aboard" on Hawaii Islands Zoo Choo train, which took them throughout the grounds of the Parker Ranch Arena.

The rodeo also hosted a charitable event called calf dressing. In this event, teams were challenged to dress their roped cows. The first team to dress the calf, remove the rope and run together to the barrel carrying the rope won.

"We had two rounds because we had so many people who wanted to do it," Quitiquit said. "We had several construction companies and in the second group we had one of our trustees and we had three teams from the North Hawaii Community Hospital, which included their new CEO and some of their doctors. They had such spirit [but they got worked!] Monty Miranda Construction won, and what was neat about this event was that everyone pays to participate and the winnings go to the charity of the winner's choice. So, $1,000 will be donated to Small Worlds Pre-School."

"It's all about speed and agility and the technique of not getting stomped into the ground and staying on your feet, that's the main thing," said Monty Miranda, of Monty Miranda Construction. "This is actually our second year competing in this event and this is the second year that we won. It's a great deal and the bigger that we can get it then the more money will go to nonprofit organizations. We are inviting all companies to come out and participate next year."

It's interesting to see what visitors have to say about our Hawaiian/American traditions.

"All I can say is that my son is now infatuated with your paniolo," said Julien Cassel who traveled to Hawaii with her family from Saint-Die-des-Vosges, France shared her experience of her first rodeo. "This was a magnifique experience! This was an amazing day in paradise with the kindest people that I have ever met. I admired the style of riding that these horsemen have perfected. They ride with such confidence and honor. I only wish that the world could experience this kindness of Aloha that you all have and the magic of this amazing landscape. But I have to admit that the calf dressing was one of the craziest things that I have seen in my life. You really are crazy Americans, but we love you and your traditions!"

"This is a tradition for Parker Ranch and events like this helps us to share the culture of Paniolo with our local community and many family members that come from both Hawaii as well as from other places," Quitiquit said. "If anyone is interested in becoming a sponsor of this event next year please contact me."

For more information about this event please contact Diane Quitiquit at dq@parkerranch.com

Final results are as follows:

RACE EVENTS

1/8 MILE

1. Rachel Rincon -- Peter Deluz Ranch

2. Peter Deluz Sr. -- Peter Deluz Ranch

3. Moochi Andrade -- Andrade Ranch

1/4 MILE

1. Peter Deluz Jr. -- Peter Deluz Ranch

2. Scott Spence -- Parker Ranch

3. Blain Hoopai -- Parker Ranch-RELAY RACE

1. Blain Hoopai, Scott Spence, Klem Kaniho Parker Ranch

2. Douglas Cox, Fasto Paiva, Kawika Souza Kukaiau Ranch

CALF DRESSING

1. Monty Miranda Construction -- Small World Pre-School

All Around Cowboy -- Shane Jose Sr.

All Around Parker Ranch Cowboy -- Scott Spence

PO'O WAI U

1. Shane Jose Sr. -- Palani Ranch

2. Tyler Cox -- Palani Ranch

3. Chris Gomes -- Andrade Ranch

RIBBON MUGGING

1. Shane Deluz & Preston Deluz -- Ernest Deluz Ranch

2. Jesse Hoopai & Makani Kaniho -- Parker Ranch

3. Kimo Hoopai & Ku'unahenani Tachera -- RK Livstock

TEAM ROPING

1. Keola Loando & Joshua Gomes -- Palani Ranch

2. Kamuela Bertelmann & Mark Yamaguchi -- RK Livestock

3. Scott Spence & Keoki Wood -- Parker Ranch

RANCH MUGGING

1. Shane Jose Sr., Tyler Cox, Joshua Gomes -- Palani Ranch

2. Roman Ha'o, David Ha'o, Kimo Hoopai -- RK Livestock

3. Keoni Balucan, Britt Craven, Keola Loando -- Palani Ranch


Source: www.bigislandweekly.com, Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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Big Isle to enforce anti-smoking law

A 14-month-old law banning tobacco use at all Big Island parks has gone largely unenforced because there are none or too few signs informing people of the prohibition.
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That will change starting Friday, when the first of about 40 no-smoking signs will be posted at popular Hilo parks, Parks Director Bob Fitzgerald said.

The Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, nearby Walter Victor Baseball Complex, Lili'uokalani Gardens and Onekahakaha Beach Park will receive signs measuring 10 inches by 12 inches each, he said.

The county's other large facilities, like Kailua, Kona's Old Airport Park, will follow, Fitzgerald said, noting county employees will make the signs.

Another 100 displaying various no-smoking messages will be donated by a tobacco-free youth group, he said.

Fitzgerald said he'd like the placement to be standardized, preferably at park entrances so users will be made aware of all the rules.

"I don't like to have signs everywhere," he said.

According to county law, "every public place and place of employment where smoking is prohibited by this article shall have posted at every entrance a conspicuous sign clearly stating that smoking is prohibited."


Source: www.honoluluadvertiser.com, Wednesday, June 24, 2009

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Big Island Workshop Teaches How to be Green

Sustainability was the hot topic at a Big Island workshop this weekend. Students and teachers from across the state learned exciting ways to go green at the second annual student congress on sustainability. Tips include using hydrogen and solar power, cooking with locally grown produce and converting a diesel engine to run on vegetable oil.

"I probably want to start my own bed in my garden, and grow maybe some taro plants or other fruits," Eli Dankner, West Hawaii Exploratory Academy said. "So I'd be less dependable on other markets."

Students who went to the free conference attended six workshops and even went on a excursion. Watch video.


Source: www.kgmb9.com, June 14, 2009

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Geologists capture clearest video yet of Kilauea volcano lava lake

Geologists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory this week released some of the clearest video footage yet captured of lava activity within Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater vent.

Since opening in March 2008, the summit vent has sent out a thick plume of steam and ash into the skies over the Big Island of Hawaii volcano. Six months later, HVO geologists on a daily flyover of the vent captured this video of a lava lake roiling below the Halemaumau crater floor.

Similarly clear footage of lava activity within the vent has been scarce ever since.

But the new videos below—shot by HVO on June 3 and 4 as the plume recently assumed a less dense, slightly wispy character—offer some of the clearest, most measurable detail yet seen of the lava’s behavior within the vent. The footage shows molten lava emerging about 300 feet below the vent opening, the direction and speed of lava movement, and the character of that movement (waves, bursts, spattering, etc.).

Lava activity within the Halemaumau vent is not visible from the Kilauea caldera and Halemaumau crater overlook at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s Thomas A. Jaggar museum. But theres' still a great deal to see—especially at night. HVO geologists have characterized this week’s evening incandescence from the vent as the most luminous they’ve seen since last fall—mostly due to the slight dissipation of the plume and shallower than normal depth of lava activity below the crater surface.

If you’re on the Big Island and want to head over to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the evening, the Jaggar museum is keeping later hours for the time being. The museum is open until 8 p.m.; the overlook is open 24 hours daily.


Source: www.hawaiimagazine.com, Sun. Jun 07, 2009

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Visit Kilauea volcano and Hawaii's growing island

The largest and southernmost of the Hawaiian islands is shaking, spitting, and stretching as it slowly expands into the ocean.

You'll see and feel reminders of this almost everywhere during your trip to Hawaii Island, which most locals call the Big Island.

On the southern shore, streams of lava pour from lava volcano into the ocean where they form new land.

In some neighborhoods, you'll see fields of black, cooled lava that have poured from Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes in recent decades.

Sometimes the ground shakes as gravity pulls on the accumulated piles of lava. But don't let a fear of temblors prevent you from visiting: the vast majority of these earthquakes are far too weak to feel. Big earthquakes measuring magnitude 6 or more tend to only hit the state about once a decade.

Volcanoes have been central to stories told by Hawaiians for centuries.

Legend says the volcano goddess Pele dug fire pits as she traveled from island to island looking for a home with her brothers and sisters.

She finally settled at Kilauea's summit, where she lives at Halemaumau crater. It's said that Pele stomps on the floor of her fire pit when she wants to summon lava, hot rocks, steam and smoke.

You can see for yourself how Pele's lava is building the Big Island if you visit now. Kilauea volcano has been erupting simultaneously in two places for over a year, something that's unprecedented in 200 years of its recorded history.

The first of these eruptions has been spilling lava across the southern part of the Big Island since 1983, swallowing roads, homes and even entire towns.

Fresh flows from this eruption are currently slithering into the ocean near Kalapana, a formerly robust town that was mostly buried in lava in 1990.

Kilauea is also erupting from Halemaumau crater at the summit. That's where a large explosion opened a vent in March 2008, leading to the daily release of hundreds of tons of sulfur dioxide. Kilauea has spit small fragments of lava from Halemaumau but hasn't released any lava flows from here.

You can watch the summit eruption from a lookout point inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It's humbling to see the crater's gas plume rise hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of feet into the air from a vent larger than a football field.

From the visitor's center inside the park, you can join ranger-guided hikes to see cinder cones and now-solidified lava lakes created by previous eruptions. Some of the walks meander through rainforests. Visitors can even venture into an old lava tube — a tunnel through which lava once streamed.

Getting near flowing lava can be dangerous, so it is vital that visitors follow guidelines set by the national park and Hawaii County.

Park ranger Mardie Lane said most visitors comply with the rules and have no problems. But in 1993, a lava-watcher was swept away when the unstable lava bench he stood on collapsed. Nine years ago, two visitors died after inhaling steam near a point where hot lava enters the ocean.

Hawaii County, which operates the ocean entry lava viewing point near Kalapana, outside the park, has designated a safe lava viewing area and cordoned off fragile lava benches.

Don't be disappointed if you are prohibited from standing next to the lava flow. Watching lava slide into the ocean is powerful even from a distance.

At the Hawaii County lava viewing point one recent evening, a few dozen visitors oohed and aahed as they watched a large steam plume rise into the air as scalding hot lava hit the chilly sea near Kalapana.

The plume glowed pink whenever lava slithered into the ocean from an above-ground lava tube prompting viewers to gasp and murmur.

County workers on duty at the viewing site have spent most of their lives next to lava.

Emily Hauanio saw her hometown of Kapaahu submerged in molten rock in the 1980s. She says Pele was cleansing the land so she wasn't upset.

"There was a lot more people coming in. Our famous swimming holes were getting polluted," said Hauanio, a Hawaiian whose family has lived in the area for generations. "It was time for her to come in and clean up the mess. That's the way I felt. And that's what she did."

Another county guide, Malia Mendes, whose grandmother's home was one of the only Kalapana structures spared by lava, was also accepting.

"It's nature's way. It was meant to be," said Mendes, who is also Hawaiian.

Hawaii's volcanoes are created by an underwater "hotspot" where magma from deep inside the earth has been poking through the earth's crust for at least 80 million years.

Few other places on Earth have a hotspot forming new land. One is the North Atlantic, where a small island called Surtsey grew off the southern coast of Iceland in the 1960s.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed as the Pacific plate — one of the earth's eight major tectonic plates — has slowly edged northwest over t he stationary hotspot.

The Big Island, the newest in this chain, is made up of five adjacent volcanoes, most of them still active.

Kilauea is the youngest of the five, having started erupting underwater 300,000 to 600,000 years ago. Between 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, Kilauea grew tall enough to emerge from the sea.

Most of the volcanoes on the other, older Hawaiian islands are now extinct. The exception is Haleakala on Maui which last erupted in the late 1700s.


Source: www.mercurynews.com, 05/27/2009

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Travel Channel's Samantha Brown touches down on Hawaii's Big Island

The latest episode of Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends—airing Saturday at 10 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific), 7 p.m. (Hawaii)—is showcasing as much of the Big Island of Hawaii's charms as its über-cheerful, ever-game host could squeeze into one hour of television, and three days of traveling last fall.

Among Brown’s adventures on my former home island: a helicopter tour of Kilauea Volcano's eruptive activity, a visit to a green sea turtle nursery at South Kohala’s Mauna Lani Resort, a beachside luau at the Kona Village Resort, hula and lei making lessons at the Sheraton Keauhou, a trip to the summit of Mauna Kea with Hawaii Forest & Trail, and some java bean harvesting at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.

Not quite the gripping drama that accompanied last year’s Maui-filmed Jon & Kate Plus 8 wedding vow renewal show, perhaps. But a lot more Hawaii scenery getting screen time, for sure. And Brown's bound to be smiling a lot more than Jon was.

One small gripe about Brown's itinerary: A good chunk of the east and north sides of the Big Island (Hilo, Hamakua Coast, Waimea, etc.) seems to have been left out of her schedule. I get it. She only had a weekend, and her destination isn't called the BIG Island for nothing. But still.

Samantha_Brown_HawaiiFrankly, I was surprised it took two seasons for Brown to bring her Great Weekends crew to the Islands. The self-described “travel goddess” was awarded her first taste of Travel Channel-style fame hosting the network’s 2000-2001 series Girl Meets Hawaii, where she essentially traveled the Islands looking for cool stuff to do—even hanging with the late Don Ho.

She’s still doing the same kind of stuff for Great Weekends that the staff of HAWAII typically does before breakfast. Only with a camera crew, and millions of Travel Channel viewers in tow.

Yeah. I'm jealous. Perhaps she’ll give us a call the next time she's here.


Source: www.hawaiimagazine.com, Fri May 22, 2009

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