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Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

The majority of humpback in the North Pacific migrate to the main Hawaiian islands each year between November through May.

The round-trip distance they travel during this annual migration from their feeding grounds in Alaskan waters is approximately 4,000 miles, one of the longest migration distances of any animal species. And, considering a humpback in the wild lives between 30 and 40 years, that’s a lot of commuting!

During their stay in Hawaii, they do not feed, but rely on energy stored in their blubber. Near the islands, the whales devote most of their time to mating and giving birth to calves.

A mature humpback whale measures about 45 feet in length and can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Their calves weigh around 3,000 pounds at birth and nourish off their mother’s high-fat milk for six to eight months, consuming 100 to 130 gallons per day.

Studies indicate whale-watching tours attract about 1 million passengers each year, contributing more than $80 million to the state’s coffers.

— Find out more:
hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov

A humpback whale shows off March 14, 2010 in Hilo Bay. (Photography special to Hawaii 24/7 by Brad Ballesteros)

Zip Isle features seven lines over the World Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls. (Photo courtesy of Zip Isle)

MEDIA RELEASE

The new year brought a new adventure to the Big Island.

Kamaaina, local dignitaries and board members of the World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls enjoyed grand opening festivities for the zip line adventure back in January.

The Zip Isle zip line adventure is the newest attraction at the World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls, 16 miles north of Hilo. Following a traditional Hawaiian blessing and mail lei parting, the two-hour attraction was praised by Mayor Billy Kenoi.

“During these challenging times, it is truly a bright spot to see what hard work, confidence, and commitment to our beautiful island traditions can achieve,” Kenoi said. “We welcome the Zip Isle zip adventure and applaud the spirit in which the World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls officials created this exciting new attraction.”

The zip line features seven zip lines through the rainforest on long cables and one suspension bridge. An additional, parallel 1,100-foot long zip line was recently added at the ride’s seventh stage, allowing riders to race and enjoy the excitement along side each other.

Zip Isle significantly helps the World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls meet its mission of being a jewel of all botanical gardens, said Ken Francik, chairman of the board for WBGI.

Zip Isle's seven runs carry riders over the botanical gardens. (Photo courtesy of Zip Isle)

“With Zip Isle, we sought to create a new kind of world-class adventure that would complement the popular other attractions at the gardens,” Francik said. “We are excited to add this new attraction that fits so well with our waterfalls, magnificent flowers and plants, guided tours, arboretum, and fun family maze. Its success strengthens our acting as a repository for rare and endangered plant species from around the world.”

“We have been getting rave reviews from tourists and kamaaina,” said Mark Robinson, WBGI board member and marketing director. “Riders are using words like ‘awesome,’ ‘over the top experience,’ and ‘best two hours of my vacation,’ to describe their feelings after riding.”

The Zip Isle Zip line adventure courses are on a small portion of the more than 200-acres that make up the World Botanical Gardens. The thrill ride is located at about the 350-foot level at the base of Mauna Kea, and about one-half-a-mile from the WBG’s Visitor Center.

The zip lines begin shorter rides through seven stages and with ranges in elevation from ground level to approximately 100-feet in height and all tours include safety training and special electric transport from the Gardens to the Zip Isle Zip Line Adventure starting point.

Zip Isle is a member of the Professional Ropes Course Association that is writing the ANSI Standards for zip lines nationwide.

Canopy Tours, also known as Zip Line Tours, have increased dramatically in popularity in recent years due to the thrill of the ride and the increasing range of skill levels that can be accommodated. They been on various challenge reality television shows over the past few years.

Zip Lines have been operating in the United States since 1999. This growing adventure experience became popular in Costa Rica during the mid to late 1990’s. They were based on ropes challenge courses in the United States which gained in popularity since the mid 1960’s.

After the popular movie “Medicine Man” starring Sean Connery hit movie theaters in 1992, the concept of exploring the canopy of the tree tops utilizing climbing ropes, harnesses, and pulleys sparked the interest of adventure travelers around the world.

Advance, on-line reservations are recommended. Walk-up riders are welcome on a space available basis. Additional information is also available by calling toll free: 888-Ziplsle (888-947-4753) or locally at 963-5427.

Zip Isle and the World Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls are open daily 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. year around.

Complete information, including pricing and schedules are available at: www.zipisle.com

Zip Isle crews during the construction phase last year. (Photo courtesy of Zip Isle)

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Video by David Corrigan | Big Island Video News

Supporters rallied around the Hawaii County Band Saturday (March 13) in Hilo as budget cuts threaten the existence of the 127 year-old tradition. The band played a concert at the Mooheau Park Bandstand.

Upcoming budget cuts have the axed the band after June 30, 2010. Supporters have created a petition online and are asking members of the public to support the band by contacting politicians.

Save the Hawaii County Band petition – www.petition.fm/petitions/savetheband/0/13/

A Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, offloads 20,000 pounds of baby formula, water and diapers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. The aircrew then loaded 65 U.S. citizens onto the plane and brought them to Homestead, Fla. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz)

Special to Hawaii 24/7 by Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson

Honolulu – The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, caused thousands of buildings to collapse in Port-au-Prince, trapping untold numbers, killing many and leaving more than one million people homeless. The quake was the worst in the region in more than 200 years.

According to the American Red Cross, the Haiti relief operation involved more emergency response teams than any other single-country disaster in global history; more than $67 million has been sent to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti.

More than 3 million pre-packaged meals were delivered by boat and aircraft to survivors, and more than 800,000 gallons of water were distributed. Shelter items, such as blankets, tarps, sleeping mats, and tents were also provided to families left homeless.

During the response to this major natural disaster, more than 30 nations, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, and more than 13,000 military personnel came to offer assistance.

From the thousands that responded, the U.S. Coast Guard sent more than 1,000 members from a variety of units. Of the nine cutters and 28 aircraft sent during the relief efforts, 14 Coast Guard aircrew members from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii traveled more than 5,400 miles to join the multi-agency relief support in Port-au-Prince.

The Hawaii-based aircrews flew an HC-130 Hercules aircraft more than 14 hours to assist in air surveillance assessments, transporting medical and security personnel, relief supplies and evacuees.

“I’m just grateful that we were able to extend a helping hand in the Haiti relief efforts,” said Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz, a Hercules pilot. “Just four months ago we helped in the tsunami response efforts in American Samoa; that’s why I joined the Coast Guard — to have the chance to help those in need and make a difference.”

With only three Hercules and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters at Air Station Barbers Point, aircrews stood ready to help in any mission that came their way.

“It’s amazing that our air crews serve in such far flung places and that they were literally on opposite sides of the earth on the same day,” said Capt. Anthony Vogt, the air station’s commanding officer, “and yet we were still ready to assist the residents of Hawaii in the event of an emergency here at home in the islands.”

Days after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the Department of State was establishing a joint task force with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to streamline the process of adoptions, and to ensure that these families are united as quickly as possible, the air station crew flew 20 Haitian orphans to Homestead, Fla.

“If someone were to ask me about the earthquake that shook Haiti, the image that comes to mind are the orphans we flew back to south Florida,” said Paszkiewicz. “They were so tiny, so vulnerable, so quiet. Many were in wheelchairs or had limbs that had been crushed.”

The two crews completed 29 missions to and from Haiti and transported more than 120 relief personnel, 20 orphans and evacuated more than 200 injured from Port-au-Prince, and flew approximately 100 hours to support relief efforts.

Once the word was out about the earthquake, Coast Guardsmen were the first ‘boots on the ground,’ and paved the way for a joint task force of military and volunteer members. As soon as supplies became available, aircraft and vessels gave the highest priority to the shipment of water and medical supplies.

“Every flight involved hundreds of people helping load supplies and making sure we were within weight standards, carrying as much as and as many people as possible,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Burgess, an air station maintenance technician. “Every flight consisted of at least 20,000 pounds of relief supplies, gear, humanitarian assistance personnel, and evacuees.”

“We’re often known as the first responders in these tragic events,” said Paszkiewicz. “In this case, every crewmember fulfilled the ‘Always Ready’ motto by putting people and cargo on time and on target.”

“Because of the type of aircraft we fly, the missions we perform rarely allow us to be in physical contact with those we help,” said Paszkiewicz. “Seeing and hearing the appreciation in the people we helped made all the endless flight hours and no sleep more than worth it.”

The County of Hawaii Fire Department, Police Department, Prosecutor's Office, and Planning Department also helped with keiki ID's and checking blood pressure, in addition to assisting with the young Hats Off volunteers. (Hawaii 24/7 photo courtesy of Margaret Masunaga)

Special to Hawaii 24/7 by Margaret Masunaga

Kona 4-H clubs volunteered their time Saturday, March 13 for the American Red Cross and collected more than $5,000 at the “Hats Off” event held at Wal-Mart, KTA, and Lanihau Center in Kailua-Kona.

The Busy Bee Buddies 4-H club, comprising of first and second graders, greeted Wal-Mart customers with store manager John Yates, and were the “top producers.”

Who could refuse when a cute keiki said, “Good morning, would you like to donate to the American Red Cross?”

Parent Kim Kunitomo, who was helping at KTA in Kailua-Kona, said donations included $100 and $50 from generous donors in the West Hawaii community.

“At least 90 percent of the customers exiting Wal-Mart donated $1,” said another parent. “We are fortunate to live in the County of Hawaii where our community does help each other out. It was a positive experience for our 6, 7, and 8 year-old 4-H volunteers.”

The Busy Bee Buddies 4-H Club members and their helpers, included Jamie Saito, Kai Kunitomo, Michelle Tam, D’Marco Mireles, Jana Masunaga, Moani Nishida and daughter, Kel Kunitomo, Caileen Teramoto, Richard Cacal, Carson Nishida, Taylie Oshiro, Margaret Masunaga, Jaymie Kunitomo, Iris Higashi-Oshiro, Deana Teramoto, Fire Chief Ralph Yawata and coordinator & Deputy Prosecutor Carol Kitaoka.

The American Red Cross responds to disasters big and small, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and has served in Hawaii for 93 years.

In addition to responding to disaster victims, in Hawaii, more than 33,000 people were taught how to save lives, and provided emergency communication between deployed Hawaii military service members and their families in times of crisis.

— Find out more:
www.hawaiiredcross.org

The Busy Bee Buddies 4-H Club members and their helpers. (Hawaii 24/7 photo courtesy of Margaret Masunaga)

County of Hawaii firemen are (from left) Dusty Frechette, Gifford Matsuoka, Jamie Okuda, Justin Yamamoto, Galor Sasaki, and in front are Kai Kunitomo, Jana and Margaret Masunaga. (Hawaii 24/7 photo courtesy of Margaret Masunaga)

Teachers participating in the immersion program get some hands on experience. (Photo courtesy of Traci Sylva)

MEDIA RELEASE / Newswise

Hawaii’s strong farming history and its indigenous people’s relationships to aina (the land) and ohana (immediate and extended family) provide the landscape for an experiment in culturally relevant learning.

Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa transformed an agricultural and environmental science professional development course for K–12 teachers to strengthen the community of educators and build stronger connections between science and culture. The results are reported in the 2010 edition of the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, published by the American Society of Agronomy.

The researchers’ goal was to help teachers incorporate important topics related to the environmental and agriculture science fields into their curricula, and to make that content relevant to their students’ lives and backgrounds, especially those of native Hawaiian decent.

Hawaiian ways of learning are experience-based and highly interpersonal, and the course was developed to build a “community of practice,” among the teachers.

According to Traci Sylva of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a community of practice is a “group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”

The first two years of the course consisted of short instructional summer classes, with teachers incorporating projects into their curriculum during the school year. For the third year, the course was transformed to include a five-day immersion program at a remote location.

Participants spent their time working together, learning from experienced instructors and experts in agricultural and environmental science, as well as Hawaiian culture. Science terminology and concepts, such as the nitrogen cycle and ecosystem and species interaction, were presented in ways to connect them to familiar Hawaiian practices.

Teachers who participated in the transformed course reported that they had more confidence in their ability to make culture-science connections, and that their understanding of the concepts improved. Interpersonal relationships between teachers and instructors were also much improved over the previous two years.

Teachers report that student participation and satisfaction had improved with the project-based learning projects such as beach and park clean-ups.

Hawaiian classrooms do not need to be the only beneficiaries of culturally relevant learning. Unique cultures, environments and traditions exist across the country. The researchers conclude that problem-based lessons and activities should include model lessons and projects that engage the learners with knowledgeable people in their field. For teachers, this makes them more knowledgeable and comfortable in exploring the relationship between science and culture.

Funding for the project was funded by the Agriculture-Based Remediation Program, U.S. Department of Defense, and USDA, and the third year (and beyond) was funded with a grant from the Native Hawaiian Education program called Malama I Ka Aina (Caring for the land) under the U.S. Department of Education.

— Find out more:
Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education: www.jnrlse.org
American Society of Agronomy: www.agronomy.org

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Video by David Corrigan | Big Island Video News

HPA's Rokas Cesnulevicius draws a hard foul from Kamehameha's Jayce Carvalho as East met West in Saturday night's All-Star Basketball Classic held at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. The West team beat the East 77-59. Photography by Tim Wright | Special to Hawaii 24/7

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Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Results of the matches
Hawaii Prep 14, Hilo 12
Kamehameha-Hawaii 15, Waiakea 12
Kealakehe 20, Ka‘u 5
Waiakea 11, Hawaii Prep 10
Hilo 22, Ka‘u 14
Kameahameha-Hawaii 15, Kealakehe 8

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Photography by Rick Ogata | Special to Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE

Amber Waracka continues to plow down opponents as the sophomore pitcher picked up two more victories as the University of Hawaii at Hilo swept Notre Dame de Namur University, 4-0 and 3-2, in a Pacific West Conference doubleheader on the UHH softball field.

The Vulcans improved to 16-5 overall and 12-4 in the PacWest while the Argonauts are 4-14 overall and 2-8 in the PacWest.

After starting the season off with at 2-1 record, the reigning PacWest Pitcher of the Week has gone undefeated and improved her record to 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA. She has held opponents to a .196 batting average while striking out 63 over 77.1 innings. She also hasn’t given up many freebies as she has walked just 22 batters, hit one and has yet to uncork a wild pitch.

In the first game, Waracka tossed a complete-game 2-hit shutout with five strikeouts. She came in relief in the second game and pitched 3.2 innings giving up a pair of hits and striking out four.

The Vulcans capitalized on Argonaut errors in the first game with a pair of 2-run, 3-hit, 1-error innings in the first game. Amanda Tellez, Aisha Sueda and Dana Lee paired hits for the Vulcans.

Sueda’s 7th-inning double sent the second game into extra innings where Kanani Numata’s 9th-inning triple set the stage for the Vulcans second game. With Numata ready to score, Jessica Schatz shot to third base was mishandled and scored the game winner.

Hawaii Hilo at Notre Dame de Namur (Game 1)
Mar 13, 2010 at Hilo, HI (Vulcan Stadium)

Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Hawaii Hilo......... 020 000 2 -  4  9  0
Notre Dame de Namur. 000 000 0 -  0  2  2
-----------------------------------------

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Hawaii Hilo......... 000 100 101 -  3 14  1
Notre Dame de Namur. 000 002 000 -  2 10  2
-------------------------------------------

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Photography by Rick Ogata | Special to Hawaii 24/7

The Boys & Girls Club Big Island All-Star Basketball Classic couldn’t have started any better. In the Girls Senior Division, the East All-Stars defeated the West All-Stars by a score of 57-55.

The Senior All-Stars were comprised of high school juniors and seniors from the schools on the Big Island. The high scorers for the East were Jackie Kaio-Goo (Keaau) 15 points and Kamie Imai (Waiakea) with 10 points. Taylor Wang (HPA) had 13 points and Anuhea Wall had 11 points for the West All-Stars.

Earlier in the Rising All-Star game (freshman and sophomores) the West defeated the East by a score of 46-44. High scorers for the West were Konawena’s Dawnyelle Awa with 14 and Lia Galdeira with 12 points. Waiakea’s Tricia Amuimuia and Deven Namohala-Roloos had 8 points a piece

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Photography by Rick Ogata | Special to Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE

After a slow start the University of Hawaii at Hilo pulled out a sweep of Notre Dame de Namur University in a Pacific West Conference doubleheader on the UHH softball field.
Game scores were 1-0 and 8-0 (TKO).

The Vulcans improved to 14-5 overall and 10-4 in the PacWest while the Argonauts are 4-12 overall and 2-6 in the PacWest.

The first game started out as basic Vulcan softball with lead-off batter Sierra Green getting to on base this time after being hit by a pitch. Amanda Tellez moved her to second on a ground out. After a wild pitch, Green scored on Bryanna Hardy’s single.

Following that opening the Vulcans went on to strand 11 base runners while collecting just four more hits. Both Green and Aisha Sueda collected two hits each.

Fortunately, Amber Waracka had her game going as the sophomore struck out eight batters while giving up five hits and two walks.

In the second game, a 4-run, 6-hit fourth ended a string of three consecutive three-up, three-down innings.

The flow continued into the fifth inning as Hardy added an RBI double and 8Kanani Numata* hit here sixth homerun of the season to give the Vulcans a 7-0 lead.

The game ended on Hardy’s bases-loaded single in the sixth.

Tellez, Hardy and Numata paired hits for the Vulcans while Christina Pedroza allowed just two batters to reach base. She gave up two hits and struck out four.

Game 1

Score by Innings                  R  H  E
-----------------------------------------
Notre Dame de Namur. 000 000 0 -  0  5  1
Hawaii Hilo......... 100 000 X -  1  8  1
-----------------------------------------

Score by Innings                R  H  E
---------------------------------------
Notre Dame de Namur. 000 000 -  0  2  0
Hawaii Hilo......... 000 431 -  8 11  0
---------------------------------------

Video by Matt Lovein | Special to Hawaii 24/7

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Contributing Editor

Matt and Mary Lovein were caught by surprise Friday afternoon when a car burst into flames near their home on Holualoa Homestead Road.

Emergency crews doused the fire and surrounding pasture land.

The Loveins said they don’t believe anyone was injured, although the horses in the pasture were alarmed by the excitement.