Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 12, 1 December 2023 — $20M for Native Hawaiian Climate Resilience [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

$20M for Native Hawaiian Climate Resilience

On November 14, Sen. Brian Schatz and the Department of the Interior, Office of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) announced $20 million in new funding for the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program. The initiative is funded through a provision of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act authored by Schatz to support Native Hawaiian climate resiliency efforts. "Through the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program, the federal government is directly funding Native Hawai-ian-led climate solutions for the first time ever," said Schatz. "1his $20 million down payment - part of the Inflation Reduction Act's historic investment in climate action - recognizes the critical role of the Native Hawaiian community in charting a path towards a sustainable, climate resilient future in Hawai'i and beyond." The Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program will prioritize project proposals ffom Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) that focus on coping with past and present climate change-related impacts; adaptation to projected climate change effects; and efforts towards innovation, transformation, and systemic change to increase Native Hawaiian resilience. Informed by Native Hawaiian and other subject matter experts over the past year, the Kapapahuliau program is intended to assist NHOs affected by elimate change across the pae aina with awards ranging from $100,000 to $5 million. "Native Hawaiians are seeing elimate change affect their communities, nearshore fisheries, traditional foods, resources, and cultural practices," said Stanton Enomoto, ONHR senior program director. "The program puts critieal hnaneial assistance into the hands of the Native Hawaiian Organizations whose practice of aloha aina reflects how the Hawaiian Islands and its environment are essential to the Native Hawaiian community identity." Applicants may propose projects with durations of one-to-five years. ONHR will host a two-hour virtual pre-pro-posal informational session to provide an overview of the program and answer questions on Wednesday, December 13, at 12:00 p.m. HST. The application deadline for funding

is Feb. 29, 2024 at 6:59 p.m. HST. Register to attend the information session at: https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_t GZJ xaeuQpuU5 IUe GJkiFA For more information about the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program, visit the ONHR website at www.doi. gov/hawaiian/climate-resilience. FEMADeadline Extendedto December 9 Ihe deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been extended another 30 days. Homeowners and renters with uninsured or underinsured damage to their property from the Maui wildfires have until Saturday, Dec. 9, to apply. This is also the deadline for homeowners, renters, and businesses to apply to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for a low-interest disaster loan for physical property damage. "Registering with FEMA for Individual Assistance is the key that opens the door to many kinds of additional federal help, and we want to make sure everyone who is eligible for that aid has an opportunity to receive it," said James Barros, administrator of the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency. "Ihe complexity of this event and the diversity of the Maui community

created some obstacles to getting all of the people who need help signed up for federal assistance," he added. "So we're grateful that FEMA extended the registration deadline." FEMA provides funds paid directly to eligible individuals and households. Housing Assistance may include rental assistance, lodging expenses reimbursement, home repair assistance, and replacement assistance. FEMA also provides hnaneial assistance for other disaster-caused expenses and immediate essential needs including funds to replace personal property, moving and storage expenses, transportation assistance, funeral, medical, dental, childcare, and miscellaneous disaster-related items. As of mid-November, FEMA and the U.S. SBA had approved about $260 million in federal assistance to survivors of the Maui wildfires. To apply for FEMA aid visit DisasterAssistance.gov or eall T800-62T3362. Advancing a Circular Economy in Hawai'i Pi'o Summit 2023, a UH Innovation Conference sponsored by UH Mānoa's OfRce of the Vice President for Research SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 29

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 28 and Innovation, is set for December 13 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Waikīkī. The modern pursuit of convenienee has led to rampant eonsumerism and waste resulting in the continuous extraction of finite resources used to create products that end up in landfills. Growing awareness has sparked a demand for urgent action to address issues such as resource management, biodiversity loss, climate change, energy efhciency, waste and pollution. One idea gaining traction is aimed at designing a Circular Economy, where waste is minimal. Hawai'i's traditional ahupua'a system is an example of a circular system. Combining contemporary Circular Economy solutions with ancestral knowledge ean create integrated approaches to sustainability that are both regenerative and socially just. The summit will feature an international panel of keynote speakers, including Dr. Kamana Beamer, a professor with UH's Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and Richardson School of Law, and Kawika Winter, reserve manager at He'eia National Estuarine Research Reserve, part of UH's Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology. Session topics will include an overview of the history of Circular Economy as ahupua'a; contemporary restoration of ahupua'a; experiences, challenges and best practices of circular economy interventions; and UH's role in creating opportunities for Hawai'i's future. For more information and to register for Pi'o Summit 2023 go to: https://research.hawaii. edu/event/a-circular-econo-my-in-hawaii/. D0I flwards $1 Million in NflīlVEflctGrants Ihe Department of the Interior's Ofhce of Native Hawaiian Relations (ONHR) has awarded

$1 million in grants to eight Native Hawaiian organizations to implement the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act. This funding enables Indigenous communities to participate in national tourism goals and strategies, while seeking to enhanee and integrate native tourism, empower native communities, and expand unique cultural tourism opportunities. The eight 2023 HO'IHI grant recipients are: Hāna Arts, Hawai'i Land Trust, Hi'ipaka LLC., Hōlani Hāna; Kāko'o 'Ōiwi, Mālama Loko Ea Foundation, The Kohala Center, and Waimea Hawaiian Homestead Association. "The HO'IHI Grant is meant to encourage a tourism model that accurately showcases Native Hawaiian culture and traditions while providing protection and awareness for Hawai'i's natural and cultural resources," said Ka'aleleo Wong, HO'IHI grant manager with ONHR. "Grant awardees for 2023 exemplify Hawai'i's overall movement towards regenerative tourism." For more information about

the HŌ'IHI Grant Program and ONHR visit: www.doi.gov/hawaiian. La'i'ōpua 2020 Fall Puwalu

lt wūs ū speciol moment ot the Puwolu when lovely Koulu Amaml offered an impromptu hulo. - Photo: La'i'ōpua 2020 Over 100 La'i'ōpua homesteaders and other DHHL beneficiaries gathered on October 21 at La'i'ōpua 2020 (L2020) in Kona, Hawai'i Island, for a celebratory puwalu thanks, in part, to a grant from the Ofhce of Hawaiian Affairs. Guests explored demonstration stations throughout the facility while keiki enjoyed a 40foot, double plunge water slide. This was a unifying event for DHHL homesteaders, beneficia-

Makaimoku has diverse experience across the nonprofit and education sectors. Prior to joining the foundation, Makaimoku

Keohi Mūkūimoku worked for Kame- - Photo: HML hameha Schools' Foundation Public Education

ries, and stakeholders - a time to sign up for future classes/workshops and enjoy music, food, and camaraderie. Live music featuring Kahanuola Solatorio and Lina Rob-ins-Tamure & 'Āina Asing was enhanced with impromptu hula by audience members. And eaptains Rusty Oppenheimer and U'i Malakaua of L2020 wa'a La'i'ōpua answered questions and invited participants to sign up for future sails. L2020's lānai provided shelter ffom the elements and featured an array of pūpū and desserts created by the students of La'i'ōpua's Youth Culinary Program. "The puwalu was a celebration of the community's participation in sharing its mana'o throughout the year," said Kawehi Inaba, L2020 executive director. "Their input has helped L2020 to create new workforce development, cultural, and educational opportunities for Native Hawaiians. The puwalu enriched eommunication between the residents of the Villages of La'iopua, DHHL beneficiaries, and La'iopua 2020." La'iopua 2020 is located on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands land, in the "piko" of the Kealakehe ahupua'a. For more information, www.laiopua.org. Makaimoku Named CE0 of Hau'oli Mau Loa Foundation Keahi Makaimoku has been named CEO of the Hau'oli Mau Loa Foundation. Makaimoku, who has been with the foundation as a program ofhcer since 2012, assumed her new role as CEO on November 1.

Support Division where she supported the planning and implementation of the Ka Pua Initiative on the Wai'anae Coast. She has also served as chair of the Native Hawaiian Education Council since 2019. Hau'oli Mau Loa Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1990 by the late philanthropist Helga Glaes-el-Hollenback. Based in Honolulu, the foundation focuses its efforts on providing opportunities for those in need, especially children, to find hopeful futures, as well as to enhanee stewardship, preservation, and protection of Hawai'i's natural environment. Makaimoku resides in Hilo with her 'ohana and the foundation will continue its practice of being a hybrid workplace. CNA Training Now flvailable in Ka'ū Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) training is now available in Kau on Hawai'i Island at Hopena Kūloli Medical Training Institute. Hopena Kūloli is the vision of founder and nurse practitioner Hokulani Porter.

As a young single mother, Porter enrolled in a CNA program to learn skills that would enable her to earn a living wage. After

Hokuloni Porter - working in sevCourtesy Photo eral long-term care homes she returned to school to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN), then a registered nurse (RN) and finally a nurse practitioner (NP). While studying to become an NP, Porter was sent to Kau Hospital to complete her elinieal study hours. After graduating in 2012 she decided to remain in Ka u, recognizing the eommunity's dire need for health care. Porter hopes that CNA training will not only provide her SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 30

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 29 students with the skills to earn a living wage in their own eommunity but also help address the aeute shortage of heahh eare professionals in Ka u, partieularly home heahh eare serviee providers for kūpuna. The training program requires two full-day elasses per week for eight weeks. Clinieal praetieums are an additional four days. Anyone 18 years old with a high sehool diploma or GED may enroll. When the eourse and praetieum are eompleted, students sit for a national board exam. Upon passing the exam they will be eertified to work for any heahh eare faeility in the U.S. For more information about Hopena Kūloli Medieal Training Institute go to: www.hopenakuloli.eom. Wai'anae CivicClub Releases E-Book

Ihe Wai'anae Hawaiian Civie Club (WHCC) announeed the October 15 virtual release of its Historic Wai'anae e-book and audiobook to mark the 50th anniversary of the hard copy version of the original publication by author Edward McGrath. The release is part of an effort to breathe new life into the Wai'anae community's rich history through a digital lens. WHCC also aspires to revive olelo Hawai'i whhin Wai'anae Moku over the next 50 years. Part of this effort is to distribute pocket-sized olelo Hawai'i dictionaries to fourth graders throughout the region. Purchasing the e-book or audio

version of Historic Wai'anae will help to fund this initiative. For more information or questions about WHCC, email waianaehawaiiancivicclub@gmail.com. To purchase Historic Wai'anae go to: www.historicwaianae. eom. BISAC Offers New Detox Center Ihe Big Island Substance Abuse Councils (BISAC) new Detox Center reflects the organization's understanding of the different levels of substance abuse treatment and their relative benefits, and programs offered at their Detox Center utilize proven strategies for breaking the cyele of addiction. A priority for BISAC is creating detoxification and treatment options for people experiencing homelessness and living with a substance use disorder. They do that by providing resources for detoxification and treatment to close the gap in services offered on Hawai'i Island, and by creating treatments that sustain recovery and enhanee client resilience (i.e., increasing client knowledge base and skills, increasing treatment engagement, continued client engagement following discharge ffom livein treatment programs, and increasing access to elean and sober transitional housing). BISAC also is working to create the infrastructure necessary (staffing, training, facilities) to support ongoing, sustainable detox services. These detoxification and treatment options will build the organization's capacity to provide additional units for the most vulnerable populations. The intended outcomes include expanding the continuum of care and increasing the number of transition housing units for individuals who are ready for re-en-try. These service interventions provide comprehensive, holistic care to help the most susceptible, underserved populations. BISAC is an OfRce of Hawaiian Affairs grantee. If you're interested in learning more about

their programs, such as their Detox Center, please eall 808-969-9994 or go to: www.bisac. org. Extended Drought Expected for Hawai'i lsland Ihe County of Hawai'i Department of Water Supply (DWS) has undertaken a multi-phased strategy to meet the public's essential drinking water needs during the ongoing island-wide drought that weather experts predict will extend well into 2024. DWS' drought strategy includes partnering with others including the Civil Defense Agency to prepare for extended dry kveather conditions, conserving kvater storage, establishing temporary services from select fire hydrants so approved water haulers will have more sites from kvhich to draw potable water to help those on personal rainwater catchment systems, and utilizing generators to power water facilities during electrical outages.

DWS also intends to maintain communication with the puhlie about impacts to their water service and posting updated messaging at www.hawaiidws.org and on DWS' Facebook page. They will closely monitor all 23 puhlie water systems and ongoing weather forecasts, continue to promote water conservation and if warranted, issue mandates that customers limit their water use for essentials only (drinking, cooking, hygiene, sanitation). For water conservation tips go to www.hawaiidws.org/conser-vation-resources/. PA'I Foundation lntroduces Lunar Planner New for 2024, the PA'I Foundation is introducing a new Hawaiian Funar Planner. Seamlessly blending modern functionality with timeless wisdom, this meticulously crafted tool provides users with daily guidance and tailored recommendations based on the moon's phases.

While its primary audience is business professionals, the profound insights incorporated into the planner are rooted in the richness of Native Hawaiian eultural traditions that have steered traditional agricultural and fishing practices for countless generations. Experience a bridge between the past and the present as you navigate your days with this unique and culturally enriched planner. Established in 2001 by Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine, PA'I is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Native Hawaiian cultural traditions for future generations. PA'I views Native Hawaiian artistic practices as a form of resistance, organization and empowerment. The Hawaiian Funar Planner will be available for $40 beginning the first week of December. For more information or to plaee an order visit www.paifoundation.org. Mitigating Visitor lmpacts at Kumukahi Focated in the moku of Puna on Hawai'i Island, Kumukahi is the easternmost spot in the Hawaiian archipelago. As such, it is a wahi pana with deep spiritual and cultural significance for Native Hawaiians. Kumukahi is a leina a ka 'uhane, a plaee where souls of the departed leap ffom this earthly realm to the realm of the ancestors. The region includes countless cultural sites, including heiau and burials, and is home to many native species of flora and fauna. It has also heeome an increasingly popular destination for SEE NEWS BRIEFS ON PAGE 31

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NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 30 tourists. Escalating disrespectful and destructive behavior by visitors gave rise to the introduction of a resolution by Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz asking that Hawai'i County agencies, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Ofīice of Hawaiian Affairs take "immediate and long-term measures" to protect the area. As reported by Big Island Now, on November 15 the Hawai'i County Council passed Kierkiewicz' resolution, reinforcing the councils promise to protect and preserve Kumukahi. In 2020, representatives ffom the Hawai'i County Planning Department, University of Hawai'i, state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, plus landowners and lineal descendants ffom the region began discussing a burial treatment and preservation plan to resolve long-stand-ing iwi kūpuna issues. County officials will continue to convene relevant agencies and community stakeholders to manage and steward Kumukahi. The resolution identifies nonprofit Ho'oulu Lāhui to provide immediate and long-term support for these efforts via project management and community engagement. The county will use geothermal royalties collected ffom Puna Geothermal Venture to help fund the protection and preservation of Kumukahi. Native Hawaiian Artists Selectedfor Fellowship Lehuanani Waipa Ah Nee and Pōhaikealoha Panoke are among 36 people ffom Indigenous and native communities across the United States who have been selected for a yearlong fellowship offered by the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI). The fellowship includes a series of virtual meetings with other fellows and mentors as well as

Lehuanani Waipa Ah Pōhaikealoha Panoke Nee - Courtesy Photo - Courtesy Photo four in-person trips to a variety of native communities across the country. The artists will discuss issues specific to Indigenous eultures and how their art ean eapture experiences related to these communities. Waipa Ah Nee is a Keaukaha native who began her photography career as a Hilo High student. She has documented events such as the Mauna Kea protests and the Mauna Loa eruption and uses her photography to tell inspiring stories about Native Hawaiians. Panoke is from Wai'anae and is a media producer, storyteller and founder of 'Oiwi Online. She works with various forms of creative and digital media including film, interactive works and animation, creating media that supports the perpetuation of Indigenous excellence while educating both natives and non-natives as to the values of Indigenous eulture. "I'm really looking forward to learning about these different cultures and how they are faring in the world politically and physically, and how they are tackling very hard, but recognizable issues," Waipa Ah Nee told the Hawai'i Tribune Herald. "As artists, we have a tool in our hands that becomes a massive paintbrush that we ean use to paint what's in ffont of us. We ean use our work to perpetuate our stories and to tell new ones." ILI is a collaborative program of Alternate ROOTS, Lirst Peoples Lund, PA'I Loundation, Sipp Culture, Lirst Alaskans Institute, and The International Association of Blacks in Dance. The two artists are part of Cohort 5. Applications for Cohort 6 are currently available at www. Weareili.org. The application deadline is Jan. 12, 2024. ■