Hazard Preparedness Pocket Card

Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce, with support from Hawaii County Office of Research and Development, will be releasing the first printing of the “Hazard Preparedness Pocket Card”.   This innovative educational tool will be distributed throughout the community and to visitors on the Big Island in a limited release edition at the end of March.

The first such tool of its kind, the Pocket Card, and the accompanying website http://hazardprep.com/ (under construction), will provide vital information on “HOW TO AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM” during a natural disaster.

Included in the guide is information on disaster preparedness actions in the event of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, windstorms, rainfall, flooding, storm surge, high surf and volcanic hazards. Specific, and immediate instructions are recommended and the guide also containes a listing of medical facilities, fire stations, tsunami evacuation zones, radio stations. Information on basic disaster kits supplies is also provided.

With the help of Civil Defense and the USGS, Dr. Walter Dudley and the UHH Conference Center, have undertaken the project to provide as much comprehensive information as possible in this small and convenient Pocket Guide. With the invaluable support from the Big Island Visitor’s Bureau, commending the slogan of “We Prepare Because We Care”, KGMB, Hui Ka Ua and Green Collar Technologies, the informational guide will, hopefully, set a model for innovative delivery methodologies in terms of disaster mitigation.

The HICC Tourism Committee, Chaired by Judith Fox-Goldstein, undertook this project with the full enthusiasm and support of the HICC Board. Committed to sustainability and developing healthy communities, the HICC, once again, has taken a very pro-active lead in contributing to our community.

2008 Hawai’i Tourism Conference

This year, the annual Hawai’i Tourism Conference was held at the Honolulu Convention Center from August 6-7. The UH Hilo Conference Center attended with staff representation from Hawaiian EDventure, our edu-tourism offices as well as our conferencing department.

The metaphors of cultural authenticity, economic sustainability, and the preservation of natural resources rang clear and true through the duration of the conference; Live Koa, Kukui and Kalo decorated the conference rooms, and an indigenous plant display provided by the Kaua’i Rare Plant Conservation was a symbolic reminder of the State’s intent and mission to “strategically manage Hawai’i tourism in a sustainable manner…”

HTA directly addressed the dire situation of Hawai’i's economy, offering insightful messages covering topics ranging from the Korean and Chinese markets and visitor statistics to Hawai’i's airlines industry.

Keynote speakers included: Thomas K. Kaulukukui, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Queen Lili’uokalani Children’s Centers and Ted Bush, Waikiki Beach Boy, President, Waikiki Beach Services.

For more information and to download presentations, visit the official HTA conference website here: http://www.hawaiitourismconference.com/

IPIAC 2007 (May 23-25, 2007)

BAMBOO HAWAI`I (October 19th – 22nd, 2006)

American Bamboo Society 28th Annual National Conference with support from
Hawai`i Department of Agriculture,
Hawai`i Chapter of the American Bamboo Society,
Hawai`i County Office of Research & Development, &
The University of Hawai`i at Hilo Conference Center.

Hilo Hawaiian Hotel
Hilo, Hawai`i

Bamboo Hawai`i 2006 Website

HISTOCHEMISTRY 2006 (August 23-27, 2007)

Joint Meeting of the Histochemical Society and the Japanese Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry

August 23-27, 2006
Hilton Waikoloa Village
Big Island of Hawai`i, USA

The Nexus of Histochemistry & Molecular Genetics
Real-time visualization of signal-transduction in living cells & tissues

The 7th Joint Meeting of The Histochemical Society &
The Japan Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry

Organized by Joseph E Mazurkiewicz & Toyoshi Fujimoto

Click here to download the Abstracts & Author Index of the meeting in PDF.

Click here to go to the hotel’s website.

Send email to: mail@histochemicalsociety.org if you have any questions about this meeting.

Organizational Website: http://www.histochemicalsociety.org/

Protostars & Planets V (October 24-28, 2005)

Protostars and Planets V (PP-V) took place at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawai`i from October 24–28, 2005.

SCOPE OF THE MEETING
The motivation for holding PP-V in Hawai`i was based on recent efforts to develop interdisciplinary research in these areas within the University of Hawai`i. The Institute for Astronomy, in close collaboration with the Hawai`i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, recently started a Center for Star and Planet Formation in order to specifically explore the interfaces between studies of the early solar system through Kuiper belt objects, comets, and meteorites, and studies of the formation of stars and planetary systems.

The goals of the meeting were four-fold: (1) to present an overview of the major areas of progress since PP- IV; (2) to bring researchers together for discussions and exchanges of ideas; (3) to strengthen future interdisciplinary research in these areas; and (4) to encourage the participation of young researchers and advanced students in these fields of research.

PPV 2005 Program

Visit the conference website here.

Bo Reipurth
Phone: (808) 932-2314
E-mail: reipurth@ifa.hawaii.edu

IAVS (July 18-23, 2004)

Landscape Change and Ecosystem Disturbance
Islands and Continents

47th Annual Symposium
International Association of Vegetation Science
July 18-23, 2004

King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel,
Kailua–Kona, Hawai’i, USA

**picture not shown**
Pulama Pali, Kilauea Volcano, 2000. T. Pfeiffer

HOSTED BY

• University of Hawai’i-Manoa
• University of Hawai’i-Hilo Conference Center
• USDA Forest Service
• USGS Biological Resources Division
• North American Section of the IAVS

Conference Co-chairs:

• Julie S. Denslow (USDA Forest Service)
• Dieter Mueller-Dombois (University of Hawai’i-Manoa)

Support for this website provided by Hawaii County office of Research and Development.

E Komo Mai – Welcome

Extreme isolation and spectacular environmental heterogeneity have combined to provide the Hawaiian Islands with one of the most fascinating biota in the world. The volcanic island chain is continuously forming in the center of the North Pacific Ocean as the Pacific tectonic plate slowly moves northwest over a stationary hot spot in the earth’s mantle. As a result, the current high islands in the archipelago range in age from fresh lava surfaces being produced daily by Kilauea volcano on the Island of Hawai’i, to sites more than 5 million years old on Kaua’i.

Hawai‘i’s volcanic mountains, which reach up to 4205 m above sea level, interact with the tradewinds to produce such a wide range of climates that most of the world’s terrestrial biomes are represented in the archipelago, including tropical rain forest, savannah, and alpine desert. This environmental diversity has made Hawai’i a model system for studies of vegetation dynamics and ecosystem development.

Because Hawai’i is separated from the nearest continent by 3750 km of ocean, few organisms have been able to colonize the islands naturally. However, many species that did establish underwent extensive evolution, producing some of the world’s best-studied examples of adaptive radiation, including honeycreepers, land snails, drosophilid flies, lobelioids, and silverswords.

Recently, the arrival of humans and alien species in the islands has transformed many Hawaiian ecosystems and caused hundreds of species of plants and animals to become extinct or endangered. Sadly, this now makes the Hawaiian islands a model system for studies of invasive alien species and conservation of rare species.
Organization

Five conference days will feature plenary sessions, contributed papers, posters and special sessions on topics around the conference theme. A mid-conference field trip for all participants is planned to explore leeward and windward altitudinal gradients on young and old lava flows, impacts of invasive species on native ecosystems, and community rehabilitation. Capping the last evening of the conference will be a banquet of tropical delicacies and Hawaiian music and dance. Pre- and post-conference field trips will provide an outstanding opportunity to explore the rich evolutionary landscape across several of the main islands in the Hawaiian chain and to engage researchers and managers attempting to understand and conserve the health of these plant communities. Programs to experience the rich Hawaiian natural and cultural heritage are planned for accompanying family and friends as well as participants.
Meeting Highlights

Explore the plant communities of Hawai’i with the experts. Field trip leaders Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Linda Pratt, Peter Vitousek and others have decades of experience studying the ecosystem and vegetation processes in Hawai’i and the Pacific.

Plenary speakers will include (with tentative topics) Peter Vitousek (formation and development of the Hawaiian island ecosystems), John Ogden (the legacy of Pleistocene events in modern vegetation), Patrick Kirch (the impacts of Polynesians on island ecosystems), Julie Denslow (assessing impacts of invasive species on plant communities), Bastow Wilson (local and regional control of vegetation processes), Boone Kauffman (fire and land use in tropical ecosystems) and Campbell Webb (implications of phylogeny for plant ecological processes).

Special sessions are planned on tropical Pacific landscapes, on patterns of species richness along natural and disturbed elevation gradients, on disturbance-based vegetation management, on the role of urbanization for plant diversity and on ecoinformatics. We look forward to receiving your contributions to the discussions at the symposium.
Schedule

• Early registration opens: January 15, 2004
• Deadline for Submission of abstracts: March 15, 2004
• Early registration closes: April 15, 2004
• Pre-conference field trip: July 17-18, 2004
• Registration and opening reception (evening): July 18, 2004
• Paper sessions and mid-conference excursion: July 19-23, 2004
• IAVS Council meeting: July 19, 2004

Editorial Board Meeting (7 p.m.): July 22, 2004
IAVS General meeting: July 23, 2004
Symposium Dinner and Closing Party: July 23, 2004
Post-conference field trip (tentative): July 24-28, 2004

Registration

Submitted by April 15
IAVS members: $250
Non-members: $275
Students: $150

Submitted after April 15
IAVS members: $350
Non-members: $375
Students: $250

Full refunds less an administrative fee of $50 will be given to participants submitting intent to cancel, in writing to iavs2004@hawaii.edu by June 15, 2004. Any requests for cancellations on or after June 16, 2004 are not eligible for refunds.

To register for the International Association of Vegetation Science 2004 Symposium click here.

Financial Support for Students

We will have modest funds available to defray registration fees for university students. A waiver of the registration fee is available in exchange for assistance with program organization, registration, AV monitoring, etc. (ca. 12 -16 hours). We also have limited additional funds to assist students with the costs of registration and travel. If you are interested in attending the conference and helping the organizers in exchange for a waiver of your registration fee, please send the information below by April 1st. If you responded to the earlier call, please respond again if you wish to be considered for the broader range of support currently available.

Field Excursions

Pre- and Post-Symposium field excursions are planned to explore Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (July 16-18) and the islands of Maui and Kaua’i (July 24-28) with expert field naturalist guides. A mid-symposium excursion is free and open to all registrants (July 21); four alternative trips will provide a variety of experiences and entail hikes of different lengths.

Social Programs and Activities

Kailua-Kona
The IAVS conference is situated in the beautiful, seaport village of north Kona, more affectionately known as Kailua-Kona. This is foothill country leading up to Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. With a rolling, and rocky countryside and very dry and sunny climate, Kailua is known as the center of for all West Hawaii.

The climate ranges from arid desert to humid tropical and in July temperatures will run in the low to mid 80′s, but there are comfortable trade winds cooling the island. Outlying villages include Holualoa, Honalo and Kainaliu.

We have planned several opportunities for symposium participants to get together in a relaxed atmosphere and to enjoy the food, music and dance of Hawai’i. An Opening Reception, included in participants’ registration fee, is planned for the evening of Sunday, July 18, to meet old and new friends.

The Symposium Dinner and Closing Party the evening of July 23 will be held on the luau grounds of the King Kamehameha Hotel and will feature delicacies from across the Pacific and Hawaiian music and dance.

A day-long excursion for accompanying family and friends is planned for Tuesday, July 20. The day will begin at the ancient Place of Refuge, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, where a ranger from the National Park Service will guide us through a faithfully reconstructed Hawaiian village. We will explore other Hawaiian archaeological sites and picnic along the Kona coast. In the early afternoon we will join the crew of the Fairwinds to sail, swim and snorkel in Kealakekua Bay. The day will end with a barbecue aboard and an early evening return to the hotel. Numerous other activities are available in the area; the conference organizers will facilitate tours by small groups. For links to points of interest, go to http://www.konahistorical.org/tours/ or http://bigisland.gohawaii.nyc.world.net/exec/106941/519%20.

Hotel Accommodations

Symposium Venue. King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, is an historic hotel on the beach in the heart of Kailua-Kona. We have reserved a block of rooms at the special conference rate of $110 + tax/night. Participants should make their lodging reservations directly with the hotel at telephone 808-329-2911; fax 808-329-4602. U.S. and Canadian residents may call 800-367-2111 for reservations. Please mention IAVS when making your reservation to receive the conference rate.

See http://www.konabeachhotel.com/ for a description of the hotel. Click here to download a copy of the hotel registration form.

Other Accommodations. To search for other accommodations in Kailua-Kona and elsewhere on the Big Island, visit the Big Island Visitors Bureau Website.

Air Travel

The Kona International Airport (code KOA) has direct flights to and from Honolulu, mainland USA (American Airlines, United Airlines, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and others), including Japan (Japan Airlines) with additional connections internationally through Honolulu. United Airlines has agreed to provide discounted rates for meeting participants from the US West Coast. Call 800-521-4041 and mention the meeting ID code (523AE).

Two inter-island airlines (Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines) provide connecting flights to Hawai’i island from Honolulu. Please note when making flight arrangements that Kailua-Kona is a two-hour drive by car from Hilo. Click here for a map of the Kailua-Kona area.

Please inquire early about visa requirements to visit the United States from your local US Embassy or Consulate. For general information on the USA visa requirements, go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa;visitors.html.

Ground Travel

Rental cars are available from most major agencies. See links for the Kailua-Kona area at http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/fleetinfo2004.htm or http://www.hawaiicarrentalsearch.com. There is one daily bus transport from Hilo to Kailua-Kona.

Call for Abstracts

Abstracts for contributed papers, posters, plenary addresses, and special sessions should be submitted as e-mail attachments following the instructions provided. Please click here to review and download those instructions.

Contact Information

• Direct inquiries: iavs2004@hawaii.edu

Website Support from Hawaii Country Research & Development

Hawai`i: the Healing Island

March 21-31, 2004
September 26-October 6, 2004
Hosted by UH Hilo Conference Center

Culinary arts, healing techniques, nature walks, Hawaii’s medicinal herbs, and the splendor of Hawai`i… all are a pathway to health,healing, and knowledge! Known as the Healing Island, the Big Island of Hawai`i embraces you with aloha and rich resources that enhance your mind, body and spirit. Fly to Hilo and begin this special journey that will teach you about the history and culture of Hawai`i as well as those aspects that can enhance your well-being. At the end of the program, you’ll depart from Honolulu. Leave Hawai`i feeling rejuvenated, peaceful, and joyous–with memories and friends that will last a lifetime!

Highlights:

• Indulge yourself in Hawaii’s traditional, gentle lomilomi massage
• Learn the art of Asian/Polynesian healing approaches through physical movement (tai chi)
• Learn Hawaiian techniques of relaxation and the power of “ha” (breath)
• Bask in the natural steam baths, swim healing ponds, and explore Hawai`i’s underwater world in the clear, blue ocean waters of the Pacific
• Explore Hawaii’s 11 diverse climate zones, from deserts to rain forests (short one-mile walks)
• Experience the power and drama of Kilauea Volcano, and feel the presence of Madame Pele, the fire goddess as you gaze over the crater
• Visit the sacred “Valley of the Kings” in lush Waipio Valley, as you learn the ancient myths, stories and healing qualities of each sacred site you visit.
• Taste the health and delicious foods representing Hawaii’s multicultural cuisine
• Learn about Hawai`i’s healing herbs and foods and leave the island with inspired ideas and recipes for healthy culinary Pan-Pacific delights
• Laughter is a great medicine! Capture more joy in your life learning and being with the powerful spirit of song, hula, and “talking story” with our native healers, kupuna (elders), and kumu (teachers)–joining in song and chanting.
• Learn about the hidden mysteries of Hawai`i, Hilo’s “City of Refuge”–Coconut Island, hula for health, healthy Hawaiian cooking, and the art of Chinese healing.
• Stroll through Liliuokalani Park, Lava Tree State Park, Kahua Ranch, Warm Springs Pond, Waikoloa Petroglyph Walk, Hilo Town and the Farmers Market, Akaka Falls, Palms Cliff House, Waipio Valley Lookout, Waimea Town, Parker Ranch Historic Homes, Chinatown (Oahu), the U.S.S. Arizona/Mighty Mo (Oahu), and Hawai`i Plantation Village (Oahu).

Itinerary subject to change

Base Location: 4 nights in Hilo, 4 nights in Kona, 2 nights in Oahu

Accommodations: You’ll stay in 3-star or better hotels and resorts