Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 12, 1 December 2022 — Water Protectors Serve the U.S. Navy an “Eviction Notice” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Water Protectors Serve the U.S. Navy an “Eviction Notice”

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Water protectors from more thon o dozen orgonizotions gothered ot the Mokolopo Gote entronce of INŪOPAC0M on Nov. 20 to observe the one yeor onniversory of the jet fuel leok ot Kapūkokī (Red Hill) ond to deliver on "eviction notice" to the U.S. Novy. - Photo: Rebekah Garrison

On Nov. 20 - the anniversary of the 19,000 gallon Red Hill fuel spill that led to the poisoning of thousands - water protectors from across the island presented an "eviction notice" to Navy leaders, noting that, for decades, the aetions of the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defence (DoD) have threatened and harmed the lands, waters and people of Hawai'i. Prior to presenting the notice, water protectors gave out hundreds of iee pops and informational brochures to families shopping at the Navy Exchange. People on the Navy's water system need to be informed that there are still health and contamination issues," said Wayne Tanaka, Sierra Club of Hawai'i executive director. "We want these families to understand that we are all connected. We all need water, and we all need to take care of eaeh other - as well as these islands we are blessed to eall home. That is what today is all about." Water protectors expressed alarm that the Navy has not acknolwedged the emergency nature of the continued presence of 104 million gallons of fuel just 100 feet above 0'ahu's Sole Source Aquifer. They also cited disappointment in the Navy's refusal to hold publie meetings to receive and respond to community concerns. Documenting Cultural Context and Pandemic Response Last month the Native Hawaiian & Paeiīie Islander Hawai'i COVID-19 Team (NHPI 3R) and the Hawai'i State Department of Heahh (DOH) announced the release of a new report:

"COVID-19 Vaccination Experiences and Perceptions among Communities of Hawai'i." The report, a collaboration of the DOH and community and academic researchers, examines the COVID-19 vaccine effort in Hawai'i to better understand successful strategies and identify lessons learned. The report offers insight into creating equity and access for underserved and marginalized eommunities. Improvements to puhlie heahh emergency response in Native Hawaiian and Paeihe Islander (NHPI) communities are recommended - such as fostering collaborative partnerships and trusted community messengers; ensuring transparency and diverse representation in decision-making and resource allocation; and prioritizing in-language services, cultural values, and traditional practices. Following a series of interviews, the emerging themes highlighted the impacts of colonization that have led to heahh disparities and inequities: degradation of natural resources, urbanization fueled by consumerism, introduction of foreign diseases, systemic changes in social and eeonomie systems, and generational traumas. This report recognizes the uneven burden borne by NHPI communities, identifies the root causes of those disparities, and offers valuable insight into improving access and equity for underserved and marginalized communities. To read the report go to: https:// ences-Perceptions-among-Communi-ties-of-H.awai%CA%BBi.pdf. SEE NEWS BRIEFS 0N PAGE 26

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 25 Lopes Will be the First 'Ōiwi Face of Nike7

Pi'ikea Lopes is the new face of the Nike N/ collection. - Photos: N ike

UH Mānoa recently announced that Pi'ikea Kekīhenelehuawewehiikekauonohi Lopes, a graduate student and the reigning Miss Aloha Hula, will be the new face of the Nike N7 Collection. "It's niee being noticed by a globally known brand wanting to feature Hawai'i and aeknowledge hula as a sport," said Lopes. The Nike N7 Collection seeks to celebrate "Indigenous eommunities through footwear and apparel offerings and honors various Indigenous cultures and traditions," according to Nike. Lopes is the first Native Hawaiian to be featured with this collection. Nike's production crew traveled to O'ahu in September for a photoshoot with Lopes at Mākaha Beach and Nike ofīicials expressed to Lopes their appreciated for her authenticity and commitment to ensuring the campaign was culturally appropriate. Lopes has a BA from UH Mānoa in olelo Hawai'i and is currently working on a master's degree in teaching. She is currently

a student teacher at Roosevelt High School where she teaches olelo Hawai'i to first- and fourth-year students. KOKO Awarded Grant for Ulu Laukahi Project Kīpuka o ke Ola (KOKO) has been awarded a three-year Administration for Native Americans grant of nearly $1.5 million for its Ulu Laukahi Project (ULP). "Native Hawaiians disproportionally struggle with chronic disease and mental heahh eonditions. This federal grant aeknowledges this struggle and assists us with the hnaneial capacity to address this heahh disparity." said KOKO CEO Dr. Claren Kealoha-Beaudet. KOKO is an Independent

Rural Heahh Clinic located in Waimea on Hawai'i Island with a mission to ensure that "Native Hawaiians living in North Hawai'i will enjoy the highest quality of comprehensive healthcare fr om prenatal to end of life." The Ulu Laukahi Project aims to improve the heahh of 240 Native Hawaiians by one clinically significant level in two of five chronic disease conditions to mitigate obesity, hypertension, diabetes, depression and anxiety that contribute to premature death. They want to do this by educating, inspiring and assisting program participants to successfully integrate healthy habits into their daily lives and to pass those healthy habits to the next generation of their 'ohana. The

program will provide the neeessary tools to participants to encourage long-term changes in their heahh and wellbeing. Reelitz Named Compass CF0

C o m p a s s , ine., a leading tech-enabled real estate brokerage, has announced the appointment of Kalani Reelitz as its new Chief Financial Officer

(CFO). As CFO, Reelitz will be responsible for all aspects of the company's hnaneial operations and will focus on building sustained profitability and free cash flow generation. Reelitz is a graduate of Kame-

hameha Schools and joins Compass after nearly 20 years of finanee, business and operational experience across the real estate and retail industries, serving in several senior hnaneial and business leadership roles at Cushman & Wakefield Americas including CFO and chief operating officer. "Kalani is a strong leader with a deep understanding of the real estate business," said Compass CEO Robert Reffkin. "The eombination of Kalani's operational excellence and hnaneial discipline will be an incredible asset as we accelerate our path to profitability." "I could not be more excited to join the team at Compass at this critical time in the eompany's journey to profitability," said Reelitz. "Compass has aecomplished amazing things in its first decade, becoming the largest brokerage in the eountry by sales volume and joining the Fortune 500. I am excited to be a part of the next chapter of growth and success with this team." Reelitz has a BA in business administration and an MS in aecounting from Loyola University Chicago. Agreement Reached to Protect Endangered 'Ua'u Ihe Grand Wailea Resort on Maui has implemented protective measures, including reducing lighting, to help protect the endangered 'ua'u (Hawaiian petrel). The agreement, finalized on Oct. 21, resolves an Endangered Species Act (ESA) case brought by Conservation Council for Hawai'i and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice. 'Ua'u is a native seabird that is considered endangered under the federal ESA and Hawai'i state law. It travels thousands of miles across the Paeihe to forage for squid and other marine life, but Hawai'i is the only plaee in the world where the 'ua'u breed, SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 27

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 26 with adults returning to nest at the same site where they fledged after spending the first six years of their lives at sea. The largest surviving nesting colony exists on the volcanic slopes of Haleakalā, where the birds dig burrows in the rocky soil. Fledgling 'ua'u leave their nests for their first flight to the sea from mid-September to mid-December. Some birds are attracted to and disoriented by artificial lights, circling the lights until they fall to the ground ffom exhaustion - or strike other human-made structures. Onee grounded, it is difficult for 'ua'u to take flight, leaving them highly vulnerable to predators, dehydration, and starvation. This agreement resolves the conservation groups' lawsuit filed in Feb. 2022. 'Ōpelu Point Purchased for Conservation

Hawai'i nonprofit Kīpahulu 'Ohana, Ine., announced the acquisition of a 9.5-acre coastal property known as 'Ōpelu Point in Kīpahulu, Maui. The parcel will be protected as conservation land in perpetuity, in partnership with the County of Maui and the Hawai'i Land Trust (HILT). The Ofīice of Climate Change, Resiliency, and Sustainability (CCRS) awarded a grant of $2.5 million from the Open Space, Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, and Scenic Views Preservation Fund to Kīpahulu 'Ohana for the acquisition of 'Ōpelu Point.

The property overlooks Lelekea Bay - an important location for managing the proposed Kīpahulu Moku Commu-nity-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA). Lelekea Bay is a traditional spot for harvesting akule (big-eyed scad), but the area is exhibiting the negative effects of unmanaged recreational u_se. 'Opelu Point is adjacent to a another 9-acre parcel managed by Kīpahulu 'Ohana through a state lease. It will expand the 'Ohana's existing cultural, agricultural and shoreline programs to encompass both properties. The 'Opelu Point conservation easement marks HILT's 50th conservation easement. HILT will monitor the property in perpetuity to guarantee conservation easement restrictions are followed. "Hawai'i Land Trust is honored and humbled to partner with Kīpahulu Ohana and the County of Maui to ensure 'Ōpelu Point will serve as a food basket for Kīpahulu families and the greater community forever," said Shae Kamaka'ala, director of 'Āina Protection for HILT. Transient Accommodation Caps Bill Passes Ihe Maui County Council has passed Bill 159, FD2 (2022), amending the comprehensive zoning ordinance to establish lower transient accommodations caps. This legislation was introduced by Council Vice-Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, who said it is the culmination of well-considered solutions that resulted ffom the Tourism Management and Eeonomie Developmenī Temporary Investigative Group last year. Rawlins-Fernan-dez said that Bill 159 establishes a point-in-time freeze on all existing short-term-rental uses and creates a regulation prohibiting camper-van vacation rentals on puhlie property. "Since I got onto the eouneil nearly four years ago, residents

made abundantly clear that they felt inundated by the sheer number of people visiting Maui," said Rawlins-Fernandez. "The county is limited in its jurisdiction to control tourism - for example, we cannot limit the number of planes flying here - but we ean limit the number of lodging units, disincentivize the proliferation of vacant second homes, and prohibit camper vans used as vacation rentals on puhlie land." For more information visit mauicounty.us/agendas/ or eontact the Ofīice of Council Services at (808) 270-8008. LopezBecomesYoungest Female HAM Radio Operator in Hawai'i Alohalani Lopez, a 16-year-old junior at Hakipu'u Academy Puhlie Charter School in Kāne'ohe, recently passed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Amateur Radio Technieian test. She is now Hawai'i's newest member of the Ham Radio Community and the youngest female licensed operator in the pae aina.

Ham refers to amateur radio - a popular hobby that allows people to eommunicate with others all over the world without the internet or

eell phones. More than a social activity, ham radio ean be a lifeline in a crisis. All amateur radio

operators must pass an exam for the FCC license to operate on radio ffequencies known as "amateur bands." Lopez heeame interested in ham radio after her unele, a ham radio user, moved to Idaho. "He did not own a phone. Whenever we needed to contact him we had to eall a friend who relayed our messages to him over ham radio," she said. Concerns that her family would not be able to eommunicate in the event that telephone lines and eellphone towers are damaged in a severe weather emergency - such as a hurricane - prompted Lopez to pursue a license. 'As a licensed amateur radio technician I ean legally assist in communication during emergencies." It took her about two months to complete certification training and study for and pass the exam. Lopez is currently studying for the FCC's General Class License. Play Akamai; BeAkamai A new board game dedicated to uplifting Hawai'i is now available just in time for the holidays. Akamai is described as "a game of wit, knowledge and humor" wherein players answer questions about Hawai'i language, traditions, history, sacred plaees and popular culture to earn points and elaim victory. Akamai encourages cooperative relationships and is designed for everyone, ffom keiki (age 8+) to kūpuna and is for all

people who are interested in Hawai'i, Hawaiian culture and our diverse cultural communities. Game components and strategies reflect a Hawaiian narrative of Aloha Akua, Aloha Kanaka, Aloha 'Āina - Divine grace, human compassion and devotion to the earth. The board game is the newest addition to EA Hawai'i's educational repository. Akamai was conceived by Pūlama Collier as a learning and teching tool. From Maui, Collier is a scholar, educator, philosopher, artist and founder of 'Uhane Designs. It is available for purchase at Native Books, Arts & Letters Gallery and Nā Mea Hawai'i on O'ahu, at Kahua o Mali'o on Maui, at Hawaiian Force on Hawai'i Island, and online at www. playakamai.com. It retails for $88. EA Hawai'i is a grassroots movement for Indigenous higher learning dedicated to "radical collaboratin, mutual emergence, and the power and purpose of a'o aku, a'o mai - by my actions, teach my mind." ■

'Opelu Point in Kipahulu, Maui, will be protected into perpetuity. - Photo: Courtesy

3 Kaloni Reelitz

Aloholoni Lopez