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Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center Presents “Aloha Lāna‘i”

No plans this weekend?  Problem solved.
Lāna‘i Culture & Heritage Center Presents “Aloha Lāna‘i” a Benefit Fundraising Event on the Island of O‘ahu, Sunday, March 25th, 2012 – Saint Louis High School – Mamiya Theater.
I was early and fortunately got my tickets early; but I understand due to an overwhelming response to the Aloha Lanai Benefit Concert, the event has been sold out.
Not to fret – arrangements have been made for overflow seating in the Saint Louis Presidential Suite adjoining Mamiya Theater.
Sunday, March 25, 2012 at Saint Louis Campus – Mamiya Theater; $30.00 at door.
Outside at 4:00 pm – Strolling musicians; Voices of Lanai Oral History Program; Silent Auction Opportunities viewing and bidding; Food ; Sales of CDs from contributing musicians; Sales of Lanai Culture & Heritage Center Publications and a special “Aloha Lanai” t-shirt.
In the Mamiya Theater at 6:00 pm – Welcome presentations/program background and call to support; Raffle Giveaway and Silent Auction; Music and Hula.
Proceeds benefit heritage, preservation and cultural-historical education programs on Lāna‘i.

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How Much Land Do We Need To Be Food Self-Sufficient?

Given the recent and on-going conversations on food “self-sufficiency” and “sustainability,” in trying to answer the above question, I first looked to existing State plans to see the estimates and computations noted there.
To my surprise, there is no detail in the Hawaii 2050 Plan (the State’s most recent long-range planning document) that quantifies how much land is needed for food self-sufficiency.
While it does use “happy words” (as I describe its text) generalizing that we need to do this or that; however, no roadmap to get there or measures of success are included.
I then did an internet investigation into the matter to see if ‘rules of thumb’ or other standards could apply.  The evidence is variable.
As noted by the graphic used here, some suggest, at a self-subsistence level, a family of four can live off of approximately 2-acres of land.
Extend that to the Hawai‘i’s existing defacto population of about 1.5-million people, we need about 750,000-acres of land to feed everyone.  (Of course, there are economies of scale when moving from individual family subsistence production to commercial scale production, so this number is inflated.)
(By the way, de facto population is defined as the number of persons physically present in an area, regardless of military status or usual place of residence.  It includes visitors present but excludes residents temporarily absent, both calculated as an average daily census.)
The 750K acres for 1.5M people conflicts with a report on feeding the people in the city of Detroit.  In that report, Detroit’s 5.4-million people would require only 164,250-acres to feed everyone there, per year.
Extrapolating that to Hawai‘i’s 1.5-million de facto population that means, under the Detroit analysis, Hawai‘i only needs about 45,625-acres of farmland to feed the State.  Hmmm.
Another study on Costa Rica “Quantifying Sustainable Development: The Future of Tropical Economies” suggests that it takes about 495,000-acres of land to feed 1.2- to 1.6-million people.
Of course, all of these estimates do not include the significant dietary supplement we are able to use in Hawai‘i by harvesting seafood from the surrounding ocean.
Nor does it include opportunities that concentrated farming offer, like aquaponics, hydroponics, intensive grazing, etc.
So, while we talk about food “self-sufficiency” and “sustainability” what are we doing about it?
Lately, I think the only ‘action’ has been talk – folks go to a meeting, talk, then they prepare a plan.  They meet again, and talk some more.  Then everyone goes away satisfied that they are ‘doing’ something (until the next happy words meeting.)
Presently, the State designates about 1.9-million acres as “Agriculture.” The USDA reports Hawai‘i’s total farm acreage is 1.1-million acres of land.
And, of course, you can farm lands that are not designated ‘agriculture;’ meaning, a lot more land is available for food production from lands under other land use classifications (including everyone’s own backyard.)
 
Given that, should we all feel comfortable there will be food for us in the future?
Not quite.
I think it is about time we have a frank discussion about what our needs are and start to take the necessary steps to ultimately realize our goal of food self-sufficiency and sustainability.
The world is changing in lots of ways – we cannot blindly go along with business as usual (with just happy words) in addressing this important and critical need.

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Kauikeaouli – Kamehameha III

When I was a sophomore at University of Denver, I transferred into the business school and changed my major to real estate.
As a student of real estate, I became fascinated with Hawai‘i’s Great Māhele and the actions of Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III.
Prior to the Māhele, the king controlled everything; he delegated authority to some of the land to his favored chiefs.
Although the chiefs controlled the land and extracted food and labor from the commoners who farmed the soil, “everyone had rights of access and use to the resources of the land and the sea … The people were sustained by a tradition of sharing and common use.”
The Great Māhele did not convey land, but established a land commission and provided the means whereby land claims could be presented to the commission and decided by them.
Ultimately, it transformed land tenure from feudal/communal trusteeship to private ownership.
It turns out that the Māhele is not my only tie to Kamehameha III.  In doing research for various planning projects we have been involved with, I learned of Kamehameha III’s ties back to Hiram Bingham, my great-great-great grandfather.
While doing a Master Plan, Cultural Impact Assessment and Environmental Assessment for DHHL on their lands on Mauna Kea, I learned that Bingham and Kamehameha III traveled to the summit of Mauna Kea together.  Mauna Kea is a very special place for me.
In doing some preliminary research for another planning project on Kaua‘i, I learned that Bingham and Kamehameha III interacted with each other there, as well.
Since I spent a lot of time in Kona, I was aware that Kauikeaouli’s Birthsite was in Keauhou.  This is one of the featured sites in the Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast Scenic Byway; we prepared its Corridor Management Plan.
Kauikeaouli spent the first 5-years of his life in the ‘O‘oma ahupua‘a in Kona (the place where he first learned to be a king.)  For the past five years, I have been working on planning and permitting on the coastal part of the ‘O‘oma ahupua‘a.
In 1846, Kamehameha III and the legislature passed a law declaring “the forests and timber growing therein shall be considered government property” in an effort to conserve the forests from further encroachment on the seaward side by the plantations’ need for fuel and on the mountain side from grazing animals.
The Forest Reserves in the state are managed by DLNR; as Director of DLNR, I oversaw the activities and was responsible for DLNR’s Forestry and Wildlife Division, which oversees the State’s forested lands.
Interesting; somehow I feel a link – I feel close to Kauikeaouli.  (Whenever his name comes up, I have anticipation on learning more about him.)
I wonder how our next project will link me back to Kauikeaouli – Kamehameha III.
Kauikeaouli was stillborn, but was revived.  He was the second son of Kamehameha I. 
The younger brother of Liholiho, he served as Hawai‘i’s King from 1825 to 1854.  Kauikeaouli was only about 10 or 11 when he ascended to the throne and had the longest reign in Hawaiian history.
In the early years of his rule, he served under a regency with Ka`ahumanu, his father’s favorite queen, as joint ruler.
In addition relinquishing his ownership and control of lands through the Great Māhele, a major gift to the people of Hawai‘i, Kauikeaouli also initiated other beneficial programs for his people.
Kamehameha III promulgated the Declaration of Rights, called Hawai‘i’s Magna Charta, on June 7, 1839, the Edict of Toleration on June 17, 1839 and the first constitution on October, 8, 1840.
Kauikeaouli’s second major gift to the Hawaiian people was when he granted the common people the right to participate in governing the Hawaiian Kingdom.
This first written constitution for Hawai‘i contained several innovations, including a representative body of legislators elected by the people.  It also set up a supreme court.  The first compilation of laws was published in 1842.
His exact birth date is not known; however, the generally accepted date is August 11, 1813.
Never-the-less, Kauikeaouli was an admirer of Saint Patrick and chose to celebrate his birthday on March 17 (today.)
Happy Birthday and Cheers to Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III.  I think I’ll have a Guinness (or two) tonight in his honor.

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Mokulua Islands, Lanikai

Mokulua (meaning, “the two islands”) are two islets off the windward coast of O‘ahu.
They are also commonly known as “The Mokes” or the “Twin Islands.” They are about a mile off Lanikai.
The larger island is also known as Moku Nui, Big Moke and Two Humps (13-acre land area.)
The smaller island is also known as Moku Iki, Baby Moke and One Hump (9-acre land area.)
The Mokulua islands are part of the summit caldera of the Ko‘olau shield volcano that slid into the ocean in one or a series of massive landslides more than a million years ago.
In what scientists call the Nu‘uanu Debris Avalanche, a landslide sheared off a third of O‘ahu and swept material more than 140 miles north of O’ahu and Moloka’i.
These old offshore islets (as well as many others off O‘ahu and around the Neighbor Islands) form the Hawai‘i State Seabird Sanctuary, created to protect the thousands of seabirds who seek refuge in and around the main Hawaiian Islands.
The sanctuary, administered by DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, exists to protect not only seabirds but also endangered native coastal vegetation.
Mokulua are primary nesting sites for ‘Ua‘u kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) and ‘Ou (Bulwer’s Petrel.)
The Wedge-tailed Shearwater is a dusky brown bird with white breast feathers, long and thin wings, a hooked bill and a wedge-shaped tail.
The wailing sound made by these birds at their burrows at night inspired the Hawaiian name, which means “calling or moaning petrel.”
The Bulwer’s Petrel has long pointed wings, a long pointed tail, a black bill and pale short legs.  Adult males and females are overall sooty-brown, with a pale bar across the proximal half of upper wings.
Access is restricted to areas below the high water mark, around the perimeter of the island to minimize disturbance to the birds.
You cannot go onto the island without a special permit; access is restricted to daylight hours, between sunrise and sunset.
Overnight camping, alcohol and dogs are prohibited on the Mokulua Islands
The sandy beach at Moku Nui is a destination for thousands of (resident and visitor) kayakers, surfers, and boaters every year.
Multiple commercial operations cater to the Mokulua-bound kayakers and provide equipment rental and guided eco-tours.
Because of growing public use and associated concern for water safety, last summer the city quietly set-up an undercover state-of-the-art camera surveillance system.  The city installed the camera on the smaller island.
The camera faced its sister island and monitored what was going on using a wireless satellite connection to transmit video back to the lifeguard headquarters.  Having monitored the situation, the City removed the camera to use at another undisclosed location.

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Riddling

Riddling – no, it’s not telling tough, puzzling stories with veiled double meanings.  It’s a process used in the making of sparkling wine (champagne – under the traditional “Methode Champenoise”.)
First, some very basics in wine making.
Grape juice has sugar; yeast is added and it ferments the juice, consuming the sugar – producing alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat.  Made in unsealed containers, ‘still’ wine has no bubbles.
In making a sparkling wine, first the winemaker makes a still wine (no bubbles) and puts it into a champagne bottle.
Then, to make the bubbles, a small amount of sugar and yeast is added to the wine in the bottle.
A bottle cap (like a Coke bottle cap) seals the bottle and it is set aside to referment; this traps the carbon dioxide bubbles produced by the fermentation of the added sugar and yeast.  This process also traps the dead yeast cells in the bottle.
After appropriate rest, it’s time to remove the yeast residue.  The bottles are put in A-frame holders and the riddling process begins.
Over several weeks of periodic turning and tapping of the bottle, the yeast residue slowly moves toward the cap.  (The video shows the riddling process.)
Now it’s time to disgorge the residue.  The bottles are set upside down in a freezing brine solution to freeze the yeast sediment and form a “plug” near the cap.  The bottles are turned upright, the cap is removed and the trapped gas shoots the frozen plug (with the spent yeast) out of the bottle.
Some extra sparkling wine tops off the bottle and a cork is added to seal the bottle.
The cork seal keeps the carbon dioxide in the sparkling wine (the wire cage over the cork prevents any possible premature decorking from the high pressure contained in the bottle.)
Chill your sparkling wine prior to serving.
To remove the cork, keep the cork pointed in a safe direction and remove the foil around the cork and wire cage (keep a thumb on the cork, just in case.)
With the cage removed, hold the cork in one hand (usually under a towel) and the base of the bottle in the other.
Turn the bottle, not the cork, slowly and gently.  You want the cork to ease off with a soft “whoof” (with the cork in your hand,) not with a “pop” – and the cork sailing across the room.
Usually, a tall, thin sparkling wine glass is best to extend the life of the bubbles in the wine (the flat, broad glass allows the gas to escape faster.)