(HONOMū, HAWAIʻI) – The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has issued its final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FEA-FONSI) for the Department’s Honomū Subsistence Agriculture Homestead Community in South Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island. DHHL’s Honomū project will be the first of its kind on the island and is among expanded options the Department is working to bring beneficiaries, including the opportunity to return to the land and promote self-sufficiency through farming. The project proposes subsistence agriculture, supplemental agriculture, commercial, and community facilities, as well as special district and conservation land. “Honomū is a pilot project to implement the Department’s new rules for subsistence agricultural lots,” said Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Aila, Jr. “These lots will allow beneficiaries to live and cultivate their land while producing locally grown food for themselves and their families, all in fulfillment of Prince Kuhio’s vision. We are excited to work with the County in advancing this subdivision. I’m certain future lessees are looking forward to joining the existing Honomū community.” A bid for the first phase is anticipated to go out in early 2020 after project plans are submitted to the Hawaiʻi County Planning Department in December. The project’s first phase is anticipated to cost $2 million and will include the infrastructure development for 16 one-acre subsistence agricultural homestead lots near Akaka Falls. In 2017, DHHL updated its Administrative Rules allowing for Subsistence Agriculture which provides beneficiaries with more manageable lot sizes and removed the requirements of traditional agricultural lots. The project in total is anticipated to include up to 375 lots to provide beneficiaries subsistence agriculture parcels ranging in size from one to three acres. The EA can be read in full at the following link: http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/EA_EIS_Library/2019-11-08-HA-FEA-Honomu-Subsistence-Agricultural-Homestead-Community.pdf ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS: The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921, with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of over 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

HONOLULU – The Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has received numerous reports of local businesses receiving emails purportedly coming from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) and OCP. These emails commonly referred to as “email phishing scams” are fraudulent and are an attempt to illegally obtain private information and to place malware on the businesses’ computers. The fraudulent email attempts to deceive consumers through the inclusion of a DCCA letterhead and uses a spoofed sender email of “consumer.reports@cca.hawaii.gov.” The phishing correspondence is as follows: Dear Business Owner: We are formally notifying you of a claim submitted against your company with the Office of Consumer Protection. Your company has a rebuttal period of 7 business days from the receipt of this notice, to respond to the claim. The response must contain a final rebuttal and be no more than 5 pages in totality. The full compliant [sic] filed as well as the response form and instructions for submitting your response have been attached to this email. Due to the privacy of the claim the file is password protected. The password is located below. You can download the file at the link below. Complaint Notification: Click to Download Password: 56673637 Your reply must be sent to us as instructed within the reply form. If we have not received notification from you within the allotted time the claim will awarded to the party filing the claim and they may take further action if they choose to do so, depending on the severity of the claim. Waiting for your reply, Office of Consumer Protection Anyone receiving this email should not click any links associated with it nor download any attachments. Neither the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs nor the Office of Consumer Protection has anything to do with this email. “This email is an illegal attempt to deposit malware on the recipient’s computer,” said Stephen Levins, Executive Director of the Office of Consumer Protection. “The Office of Consumer Protection never requests a business to download a password protected file through a link, like the one referenced in the email.” Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information. They may try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day—and they’re often successful. Do not click on any links listed in the email message, and do not open any attachments contained in a suspicious email. Do not enter personal information in a pop-up screen. Legitimate companies, agencies, and organizations don’t ask for personal information via pop-up screens. Install a phishing filter on your email application and also on your web browser. These filters will not keep out all phishing messages, but they will reduce the number of phishing attempts. If you aren’t 100 percent certain of the sender’s authenticity, don’t click on attachments or embedded links; both are likely to result in malware being installed. Instead, open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar. Often a phishing website will look identical to the original, so check the address bar to confirm the address. Similarly, never submit confidential information via forms embedded in or attached to email messages. Senders are often able to track all of the information you enter. Be wary of emails asking for financial information. Emails reminding you to update your account, requesting you to send a wire transfer, or alerting you about a failed transaction are compelling. However, scammers count on the urgency of the message to blind you to the potential for fraud. Don’t fall for scare tactics. Phishers often try to pressure you into providing sensitive information by threatening to disable an account or delay services until you update certain information. Contact the merchant directly to confirm the authenticity of the request. Be suspicious of social media invitations from people you don’t know. Phishers rely on your natural curiosity to click on the person’s profile “just to find out who it is.” However, in a phishing email, every link can trigger malware, including links that appear to be images or even legal boilerplate; scammers use your hijacked account to send spam to your friends, because spam from real accounts is more believable than spam from a fake account. Watch out for generic-looking requests for information. Many phishing emails begin with “Dear Sir/Madam.” Some come from a bank with which you don’t even have an account. Ignore emails with typos and misspellings. Recent real examples targeting TurboTax include ”Your Change Request is Completeed” and “User Peofile Updates!!!” Update and maintain effective software to combat phishing. Reliable anti-virus software should also automatically detect and block fake websites, as well as authenticating the major legitimate banking and shopping sites.

HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige and Department of Public Safety (PSD) Director Nolan Espinda announced the appointment of Shari Kimoto as the Department of Public Safety Deputy Director for Corrections. Kimoto will begin her new position, effective December 17, 2019. “Shari has been a dedicated public servant and leader in our corrections division for more than two decades and will provide valuable insight and experience in her new role,” said PSD Director Nolan Espinda. Shari Kimoto has been employed with the Department of Public Safety since 1994, and is currently the Acting Institutions Division Administrator since February 2015.  During her 25-year career, she has served in multiple capacities and positions to include, Project Director to design and implement a web-based audit system based on legal standards in Hawaii’s jails and prisons, Mainland Branch Administrator and Interstate Compact Coordinator, Acting Corrections Supervisor, Social Worker, Inmate Classification Officer and Legislative Coordinator. The current Deputy Director for Corrections, Jodie Maesaka-Hirata, is retiring on December 16, 2019.  She has served in her position since January 2016. Maesaka-Hirata previously worked for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney from 2014 until her appointment to Deputy Director for Corrections.  Prior to that she worked for the Public Safety Department from 1992 to 2014 in various capacities. “I want to thank Jodie for her many years of service to the state. I wish her well in her future endeavors,” said Director Espinda. The Public Safety Department Deputy Director appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation.

HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – The Hawai‘i State Senate in their second Special Session of 2019 has confirmed the judicial appointments of Kelsey Kawano as Judge of the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit (encompassing Maui county), Rebecca A. Copeland as Judge of the District Family Court of the First Circuit (O‘ahu), and Alvin Nishimura as Judge of the District Family Court of the First Circuit (O‘ahu). The Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Karl Rhoads (Dist. 13) commented, “The Senate is pleased to confirm three well-qualified judges to the bench. In the interests of timely court proceedings, it is important to keep judgeships filled.” Judge Kelsey Kawano has served as a judge of the District Court of the Second Circuit since August 29, 2008, and in 2010 he was made Deputy Chief Judge for the circuit. He had previously been in private practice and primarily handled cases involving family, business, employment and real estate law. He also had served as a part-time district court judge from2006-2008. Judge Kawano received his law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 1984. Judge Rebecca Copeland has served as a per diem District Court Judge of the First Circuit Court since December 2016 and also has had a career in private practice specializing in appellate litigation. She served as a Deputy Solicitor General in the Department of the Attorney General from 2008-2010. Judge Copeland received her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law, in San Antonio, Texas, in 2002. Judge Alvin Nishimura has been in private practice since 2001 and has served as a per diem District Court Judge of the First Circuit since 2005. He also serves as a Federal Court Indigent Defendant Panel Attorney with the Federal Criminal Justice Act. His prior legal experience includes hearings officer with the Department of Hawaiian Homes and Deputy Public Defender in the Office of the Public Defender. Judge Nishimura received his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 1985.

HONOLULU – Beginning this month, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will mail driving reports to thousands of vehicle owners across the state. This is the next step in researching the feasibility of adjusting to a per-mile road usage charge (RUC) to fund Hawaii’s roads in the future. The research is part of a federally funded three-year study that began in 2018 to explore how RUC could replace the state gas tax. Vehicle owners who get this customized report are asked to complete an online questionnaire at www.hiruc.org. Completed questionnaires are the best way for the public to provide input. Across the country, states are grappling with the difficulty of taking care of their communities’ needs with dwindling revenue from gas taxes as cars grow more fuel efficient and drivers buy less gas, while the costs of maintaining and enhancing roads and bridges grow more expensive. Without a consistent source of funding, states are finding it difficult to deliver on the maintenance and capacity improvements the public is asking for. They are looking for other, fair ways to fund road and bridge maintenance. In Hawaii, the gas tax is one of the largest sources of state road funding, and revenue is declining. HDOT is studying the replacement of the gas tax with a RUC system. In a RUC system, drivers would pay to use roads based on the number of miles they drive instead of how many gallons of fuel they burn. Like the gas tax, RUC funds would go into the highway fund which pays for the upkeep, improvement, and enhancement of the State surface transportation system. “The driving report will start arriving in mailboxes in November for most car owners who recently had their annual safety inspection. It will compare what they paid in gas taxes over the last year to what a road usage charge could cost for the same vehicle and mileage,” said Director Jade Butay, Hawaii Department of Transportation. The driving report will use the two most recent valid mileage records available for a vehicle through vehicle inspections, estimate the amount paid in gas taxes based on the vehicle make and model, and show what the same vehicle would pay under a RUC. The report is not a bill. No payment is required. The gas tax was once a fair way to assess a person’s use of the transportation system.  As new cars grow ever more fuel efficient, this is no longer the case. Now, some drivers pay significantly more than others for their use because they cannot afford to upgrade their vehicles. On average, this disproportionately impacts rural residents and low-income drivers. The RUC study allows us to see if there are systems that provide more parity, so everyone pays their share based on usage. The first set of driving reports will go out to approximately 50,000 households in November. Starting in January and continuing throughout 2020, owners of about half a million vehicles will receive the driving reports and be asked to take the online questionnaire. The driving reports are the next phase of research, which began with public meetings across the state. The feedback from those 14 meetings helped HDOT understand the public’s questions, concerns, and funding preferences. Feedback from the driving reports will help further refine the research before the final phase of the demonstration involving approximately 2,000 volunteers is launched across the state in 2020. At the end of the three-year study, HDOT will provide a report to the Legislature and Governor, who would ultimately decide if the RUC is implemented in Hawaii, and to the federal government who is considering alternatives to funding the federal highway trust fund. “Even if the research indicates the RUC is a feasible alternative to the gas tax, discussions with states who have been working on this for many years indicate that establishment of a new system could take up to 10 years, said Deputy Director Ed Sniffen, Hawaii Department of Transportation Highways Division. HDOT has already started moving forward on process adjustments, updated contracting vehicles, new construction materials, and advanced technologies to deliver more for the public now.  We look forward to hearing from the public on their thoughts on the RUC and how we can improve our service to them.” Residents are encouraged to visit www.hiruc.org to learn more, sign up to receive email updates on the research, and volunteer. To view a sample driving report for a gas vehicle click here. To view a sample driving report for an electric vehicle click here. About the Hawaii Road Usage Charge (HiRUC) Project The Hawaii Road Usage Charge Demonstration is a three-year project to investigate the use of a per-mile fee to fund upkeep of roads and bridges instead of paying gas taxes. The demonstration will allow Hawaii drivers to experience what a road usage charge (RUC) system could be like and provide their feedback, opinions, questions, and concerns to the Hawaii Department of Transportation. More information is available on the website at www.hiruc.org

HONOLULU – Creative Lab Hawaii (CLH), founded by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s (DBEDT) Creative Industries Division (CID), will host an Indigenous Storytellers Panel and Discussion on Saturday, November 16, 2019. Coinciding with an intensive CLH Weekend Ideation Program for Indigenous Storytellers, the free public panel will be held at Hawaii Pacific University and will offer insights from the program’s esteemed coaches. The timing of the panel further aligns with a number of other creative and media related development events happening in the state this November. “It’s an exciting time for indigenous creative content. The Ideation Weekend will allow more local talent to develop compelling stories and explore the growing opportunities to reach new audiences across multiple platforms—from streaming media and videogames, to virtual reality and beyond,” said Mike McCartney, director of DBEDT. Emerging indigenous writers, media creatives, oral history practitioners and spoken word artists, as well as non-indigenous storytellers who are working on indigenous stories and seeking partners in indigenous communities, are encouraged to attend the public discussion. Panelists will include: Princess Saazhraii Johnson – Neets`aii Gwich`in; Producer, Actor, Writer, Director; Creative Producer “Molly of Denali” (PBS) Jason Suapaia – Native Hawaiian; Executive, Producer, Consultant; Co-Founder of `Ohina; Content producer for ABC, HBO, NatGeo, PBS, Revolution Micah Ian War Dog Wright – Muscogee (Creek) Nation; Executive, Writer, Director; Video Game/VR Designer for  “Call of Duty,” “Transformers,” “Looney Tunes,” and “The Blu” Designed to help emerging storytellers find a pathway for developing their stories for global media platforms, while retaining the integrity of their distinct voices, the CLH Indigenous Storytellers Panel and Discussion will start at 6:00 p.m. at 1 Aloha Tower Drive. Participants are encouraged to register their attendance at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-lab-hawaii-2019-indigenous-storytellers-panel-discussion-tickets-74364619579 “There are tremendous indigenous stories and storytellers just waiting to be heard, and in an exciting first for Hawai‘i, we are seeing more and more leading organizations across our local creative economy offering storytellers a chance to develop their work both pre-and-post the Hawaii International Film Festival,” said Georja Skinner, chief officer, Creative Industries Division and founder of CLH. “Given an opportunity to develop their concept and a strategy to navigate the entertainment industry, these creatives can better bring their vision to the marketplace while vitally upholding the essence of what makes these narratives so unique.” In addition to the CLH Indigenous Storytellers Panel and Discussion, other relevant events and workshops across Hawaii this November include: `Ohina Filmmakers Lab and public panel https://ohina.org/ Hawaii Media Makers Summit/Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC)  https://www.piccom.org/ Good Pitch Hawaii/Doc Society, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) https://goodpitch.org/orgs/good-pitch-local-honolulu-hawaii VR Panels and Master Classes / Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), Creative Industries Division (CID) https://hiff.org/ Wahine in Media / Hawaii Women in Filmmaking  https://www.hawaiiwomeninfilmmaking.org/Hawaii Film Collective Writers Lab https://hifilmmakers.com/index.html “We’re thrilled to see where the inspiration from these various workshops and our Indigenous Storyteller discussion will lead,” said Michael Palmieri, executive director of CLH, “Our panel’s incredible coaches will bring both their personal insights and invaluable industry expertise to the table in support our attendees and the important stories they’re committed to telling.” CLH was founded in 2012 to develop an ecosystem to increase export, attract investment and build the state’s creative entrepreneurial capacity. Its Ideation Workshops are designed for entrepreneurs in early stage project development with the goal of building the pre-requisite requirements for CLH Immersive programs or other relevant accelerators. For more information, contact creativelab808@gmail.com. To connect to Creative Lab Hawaii via social media for the latest updates, insights and content, please visit: Facebook: Creative Lab Hawaii – https://www.facebook.com/creativelabhawaii/ Twitter: CreativeLabHI – https://www.twitter.com/creativelabhi IG: CreativeLabHI – https://www.instragram.com/creativelabhi About DBEDT (Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism) DBEDT is Hawaii’s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. DBEDT’s mission is to achieve a Hawaii economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all Hawaii’s citizens. Through its attached agencies, the department fosters planned community development, creates affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments, and promotes innovation sector job growth. About CID (Creative Industries Division) CID, a division within DBEDT, is the state’s lead agency dedicated to advocating for and accelerating the growth of Hawaii’s Creative Economy.  Through initiatives, program development, and strategic partnerships, the division and its branches implement activities to expand the business development, global export and investment capacity of Hawaii’s arts, culture, music, film, literary, publishing, digital and new media industries. About the Creative Lab Hawaii Program The Creative Lab Hawaii (CLH) Program was founded in 2012 by the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic, Development and Tourism (DBEDT)’s Creative Industries Division to accelerate the growth of Hawaii’s creative entrepreneurs through immersive, hands-on training in broadband/new media, producing, screenwriting, interactive media, music and design/fashion.  The CLH Program, a key facet of Hawaii’s creative economy, is developing an ecosystem to increase export, attract investment and build the State’s creative entrepreneurial capacity in media, music and fashion/design. The CLH Program features three program components: 1) Immersive Programs; 2) Ideation Workshops; and 3) Public Keynotes. Website:  creativelab.hawaii.gov

(Nakula Natural Area Reserve, Maui) – In late October, thirteen critically endangered kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill), were brought to the leeward slope of Haleakalā in the state’s Nakula Natural Area Reserve (NAR). Over the past decade more than a quarter million native trees were planted in this NAR and the adjacent Kahikinui Forest Reserve to repair decades of habitat destruction caused by overgrazing by hooved animals like goats, cows, and sheep. One of the major goals of this effort was to recreate a largely native forest and understory as a new home for the kiwikiu. Seven of these birds were captured in the wild in the Hanawi NAR and flown to Nakula. The other six kiwikiu were reared in captivity at the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) and then transferred to Nakula for release. “Unfortunately, of the thirteen birds translocated from Hanawi NAR or transferred from MBCC, we had five captive bird mortalities and four wild bird mortalities,” said Dr. Hanna Mounce, Project Coordinator for the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, the lead organization in this multi-agency collaborative effort. “While we’re waiting for the final necropsy (animal post-mortem) results from San Diego Zoo Global, preliminary tests suggest the birds died from avian malaria, one of the major killers of forest birds in Hawai‘i and one of our greatest challenges to saving these species,” Dr. Mounce said. “Project team members say it’s extremely important that Hawai‘i moves quickly toward proposed new methods for controlling mosquitoes that transmit the disease to forest birds.” Though it is not possible to eradicate mosquitos with existing conservation tools, the team has increased mosquito control efforts in the area to minimize the bird’s exposure to the disease. Large-scale efforts to protect kiwikiu and other forest birds from mosquitos will be essential for the long-term survival of the species. Based on current monitoring, the team is cautiously optimistic about the survival of the remaining kiwikiu. Experts in the field of species recovery say that efforts like this almost always have setbacks and a certain amount of mortality. Mounce explained, “When you’re dealing with a species, estimated to have only between 44-312 birds, it’s tough to lose even one of them. However, everyone on the capture and release teams understands that this type of project rarely has a 100% survival rate. We’re pleased that three male birds and one female are beginning to move away from the feeders we set up and are foraging on native plants and trees.” At the Hanawi NAR and MBCC, the soon-to-be moved birds were given thorough veterinary exams to determine their suitability for the cross-mountain transfer and release. After being moved to Nakula NAR, the birds spent ten days in aviaries in a small area in the southwestern corner of Nakula. Prior to being released, they were outfitted with tiny radio transmitters to help researchers track their movements over the next month and a half. Preliminary results show the birds are foraging close to their release sites, but on certain days ranging as far as a kilometer away. The kiwikiu translocation project is a decade-long effort involving the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, San Diego Zoo Global, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and American Bird Conservancy. Continued monitoring and tracking of the birds is the near-term future goal. Additional captures and releases depend on how this first group does over the next few months and will not happen until next year at the earliest.

CORAL BLEACHING NOT AS SEVERE AS PREDICTED BUT STILL WIDESPREAD EXTENSIVE SURVEYS SHOW BLEACHING EVENT NOW ABATING (Honolulu) – The widespread coral bleaching event predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) did impact reefs across Hawai‘i, beginning with warm ocean temperatures in the summer, extending into the fall. For the past two months, teams from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology and the Arizona State University Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, conducted rapid assessments of coral health along coral reef tracts throughout the state. They report cauliflower and rice corals were most impacted. “Conditions for corals are now improving with sea surface temperatures beginning to drop,” according to Gerry Davis with NOAA Marine Fisheries. He explained, “While bleaching this year was not as devastating as the events seen across the Hawaiian Islands in 2014 and 2015, the DAR surveys, along with NOAA observations and reports from ocean users to the Hawai‘i Coral Bleaching Tracker, show there still was substantial bleaching found on all islands.” As much as half of live coral bleached in the most heavily affected areas. On Hawai’i Island, the majority of the sites surveyed by the DAR teams showed some level of bleaching.  The areas most affected by the by bleaching were along the Kona coast, with an average of 40% live coral bleached in many survey locations.  Several locations there were heavily bleached in the 2015 event which resulted in high mortality.  “This has resulted in less coral cover in 2019 as previous bleaching has reduced the amount of live coral in some of these places,” according to Brian Neilson, DAR Administrator. On Maui, bleaching surveys showed that the amount of coral impacted was less than in 2014 and 2015, but areas with low coral from previous events were more severely impacted this year.  For instance the nearshore reef at Pa’ia, where the live coral cover is only 5%, more than three-quarters of the live coral left, bleached.  As reported earlier, reefs in Molokini’s crater experienced upwards of 50% of corals bleached. At Olowalu, routine monitoring in August did detect numerous Porities corals bleached and overgrown with turf algae. Several locations on O‘ahu were surveyed for bleaching the first time this year, in what were the most extensive island-wide surveys yet conducted by DAR aquatic biologists and technicians. At Lanikai, in Windward O‘ahu, a beach known for its white sand and heavy visitation draw, bleaching has covered an estimated 55% of live corals. This is a higher percentage than reported during the last bleaching event. Also on Windward O‘ahu, surveys teams looked at numerous patch reefs in Kaneohe Bay (see video/photographic resources below). DAR Aquatic Biologist Kim Fuller led the efforts there and at other locations around the island.  She reported, “On the patch reefs, bleaching was patchy.  On some reefs more than 50% of the corals have turned the tale-tale snow white color which makes it easy to spot bleached corals, while on other reefs nearby, maybe only 10-20% was bleached.” “Kaua‘i’s reefs mirrored this year’s statewide trend with extensive bleaching in some areas and less in others, but overall the 2019 event appears to be less severe than those of four and five years ago,” Fuller added. The reefs along Molokai’s south shore were also surveyed and also showed the same trend, where cauliflower and rice corals experienced the worst of it. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case concluded, “We hope that greater awareness of the constant stresses we all put on our coral reefs and the steps we can take to reduce those impacts, helped the corals persist during this event.  This is why we encourage everyone, especially commercial tour operators who take people into the ocean, to sign The Coral Pledge (also announced today). Our efforts to protect, preserve and perpetuate Hawai‘i’s coral reefs as the foundation of the ocean will take knowledge and constant awareness from all of us. The steps outlined in the pledge are the best way for everyone to do their part – simple steps, to save corals. To see ocean user’s coral bleaching reports combined with the scientific monitoring, visit www.hawaiicoral.org. People can continue contributing bleaching reports to this website. #CoralBleaching #ClimateChange #HawaiiCoral #NOAA #NatureConservancy #DAR #Hawaii #KimFuller #Environment #SaveOurPlanet #Coral

No Immediate Changes to Hawaii’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently established the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program through an Interim Final Rule in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill.  The Interim Final Rule does not have an immediate effect on industrial hemp that was or is being cultivated under the 2014 Farm Bill programs, including Hawaii’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program. The new rule outlines provisions for the USDA to approve plans submitted by states and tribes for the domestic production of hemp. It also establishes a federal plan for producers in states or territories of tribes that do not have their own USDA-approved plan. “Through the pilot program, there has been significant interest by existing and potential farmers in growing hemp in Hawaii,” said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture. “The department is examining the new federal regulations and will continue to develop a program to ensure future commercial production of hemp in Hawaii.” With the release of the USDA Interim Final Rule, HDOA anticipates legislative action aligned with USDA’s direction to provide the statutory authority and resources necessary for Hawaii’s hemp growers to transition from the current pilot program to commercial production. In the interim, HDOA continues to prepare a plan for submission to USDA, and to run Hawaii’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program in accordance with the 2014 Farm Bill and current state law. There are currently 36 industrial hemp growers licensed in the state under the pilot program. For more information on the Interim Final Rule and instructions on how the public may submit comments to USDA, go to: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp The public comment period is open until December 30, 2019. For information on Hawaii’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program, go to: http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/hemp/ #Hemp #HempProduction #USDA #Agriculture #HDOA #FarmBill #Hawaii

HONOLULU — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance (IA) Program for Kīlauea survivors will end on Monday, November 11, 2019. The program is intended to help residents get back on their feet following a disaster. Specifically, it provides financial and direct services to eligible individuals and households who had uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses as well serious needs for 18 months. A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) was opened in June 2018 to help Hawai'i County residents who suffered losses from the Kīlauea eruptions and earthquakes apply for disaster assistance. The DRC was staffed by representatives from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, State and County and voluntary agencies to assist survivors of the Kīlauea eruption. In August 2019, FEMA with support from the County of Hawai'i deployed assistance specialists to Hawai'i Island to meet with recipients of disaster aid who received letters indicating they owe a federal debt following the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. Recognizing that a disaster involving lava presents unique challenges, special efforts have been made between the County, State and Federal agencies to address issues regarding standards to prove occupancy, as well as other concerns that may have resulted in ineligibility for assistance. At this time: FEMA continues to process applications and has already awarded nearly $12.5 Million to more than 1,000 households. In total, 1,010 households received financial assistance including 992 receiving housing assistance, with 186 receiving the maximum allowable award, and 247 receiving other needs assistance. The total approved to date under the Individuals and Households Program has been $12,493,933.78, including $11,093,420.30 for housing assistance and $1,400,513.48 for other needs assistance. FEMA referred 1,809 households to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low interest disaster home loans. 577 completed an application and 277 were approved for $28,265,900.00. SBA approved an additional $14,488,700.00 in disaster loans for 102 local businesses. Local nonprofits continue to provide assistance to disaster survivors. One example is the Kīlauea Hui, a coalition of nonprofits including Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Hawaiian Community Assets, and others meets regularly to assist survivors with unmet needs in collaboration with the disaster case management program at Neighborhood Place of Puna. Financial donations are still being accepted to support their efforts. The FEMA-funded disaster case management grant program has been authorized until May 2020. This program makes case managers available to help survivors develop their recovery plan and find community resources that might help. For assistance, contact Neighborhood Place of Puna at 808-965-5550. FEMA applicants are reminded that Monday, November 11 is the deadline for submitting any missing documentation. To check the status of an application and upload documents visit www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 until 6 p.m. daily.

A new Waikīkī Beach improvement project to help beach erosion is kicking off next week.  The project includes construction of a 95-foot-long sandbag groin and the transfer of 700 cubic yards of beach sand from the Diamond Head swim basin of Kuhio Beach. The groin and beach sand will serve to stabilize the Diamond Head (South east) end of Kuhio Beach park fronting the Duke Kahanamoku statue. The purpose of the project is to fix an erosion hot spot in the far eastern corner of Royal Hawaiian Beach until such time a larger master planning effort for Waikīkī Beach can be completed. The planned groin project consists of the placement of a 95-foot-long by 18-foot-wide by 4.3-foot-high sandbag groin extending seaward perpendicular to the beach at location 140 feet west of the Kuhio Ewa swim basin groin.  Approximately 60% of groin will be buried within the beach face and extend into the ocean approximately 30-40 feet. The project includes the retrieval and transfer of 700 cubic yards of sand from the east (Diamond Head) swim basin area to nourish the eroded beach after construction of the groin is complete. A partial beach closure at Kuhio Beach for the construction staging area is required, but community access to and along the shoreline will be maintained always. The groin will be constructed of 68 geotextile ElcoRockÒ sand bags, weighing about 10,000 pounds each when full of sand.  The sandbags require 225 cubic yards of sand and the sandbags will be filled on the beach.  These bags will be stacked to form a stable structure with sloping crest elevation sufficient to prevent sand transport past the structure and stabilize the sand fill between the Kuhio crib wall and the groin.  With a crest elevation of +3.5 ft above mean sea level, and a toe elevation of -2.8 ft msl, the groin has been designed to the minimum size allowable that will still be an effective erosion control measure. “This project is a much-needed erosion control measure with immediate impact to mitigate chronic beach erosion in Waikīkī. It is also an important first step towards more proactive and comprehensive beach management and maintenance in Waikīkī.” said Suzanne Case, DLNR Chair. “The Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District is excited to see this project get underway just in time for the Winter break, we are proud to be a partner in this important effort but also pleased to see the onset of a new era of proactive beach management plans and improvement projects get underway in Waikiki.” said Rick Egged, President of the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association (WBSIDA). The $568,000 State project is supported through a public-private partnership with the Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District, which is paying for 50% of the project through a special tax assessment from Waikīkī commercial properties. The City and County of Honolulu is also a project partner since the project falls within the Kuhio Beach Park boundaries and is providing access and staff support. The project start date is Monday, November 4th, 2019 with a construction timeline estimated of 2-3 weeks for completion. The project consultant and engineering designer is Sea Engineering Inc and the contractor for construction is JS International, Inc. #KuhioBeach #Erosion #WaikikiBeachImprovement #DiamondHead #RickEgged

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state's tourism agency, announced today it has published the 2018 Annual Visitor Research report. It provides the final statistics on Hawaii’s visitor industry in 2018 and a comprehensive comparison with 2017 visitor data. Included in this report are characteristics and expenditures data from visitors who came to Hawaii by air or by cruise ships. Visitor statistics are categorized by Hawaii’s Major Market Areas (MMA), by select countries, purpose of trip, accommodation type, first-time or repeat visitor status and by island. Statistics about visitor room inventory, hotel occupancy, room rates and air seat capacity are also included. In addition, the 2017 visitor data was revised with updated immigration statistics and updated airfare statistics. The report is available on HTA’s website: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/media/3738/2018-annual-report-final.pdf About the Hawaii Tourism Authority The Hawaii Tourism Authority is the State of Hawaii agency responsible for strategically managing its support of the tourism industry. Established in 1998 to support Hawaii’s leading industry and largest employer, HTA continually strives to help ensure tourism’s sustainability and the benefits it brings to residents and communities statewide. For more information about HTA, please visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. Follow updates about HTA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (@HawaiiHTA) and its YouTube Channel. #HawaiiTourism #AnnualVisitorResearchReport #HawaiiMajorMarketArea #Tourism #HTA #Hawaii #HawaiiState