Community

Give the Gift of Energy 

During challenging times or just as a practical gift, the Gift of Energy is something you can give at any time, for any occasion. You can make a payment toward a friend or family member’s energy bill as long as the recipient is a KIUC member.

How to give the Gift of Energy

Simply fill out the online form, print and mail to us with your Gift of Energy payment. You can give any amount and will need to have a specific recipient in mind. If you don’t have a specific someone in mind, but wish to help a KIUC member with electric payments or support local non-profit organizations, you can make a donation to the KIUC Charitable Foundation’s Makana Program.

Your KIUC Gift of Energy will be applied as a credit to their KIUC electric account. We will send you an acknowledgement letter when the payment has been applied.

Please allow two business days for processing. This gift is not tax-deductible.

Gift of Energy Form

Kauai United Way | Cop on Top - Special Olympics Kauai | Park Clean up | March of Dimes Walk for Babies| American Cancer Society Relay for Life | YWCA | Habitat for Humanity | Contractors Association of Kauai Home Show | Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair | Lights on Rice Parade | Waimea Lights Parade 

2022 Annual Calendar of Student Art Contest!

The program was designed in 2003 to inspire and promote young Kauai artists on the island. Our 2022 contest will continue to celebrate the arts and showcase each grade level’s student talent and will continue to only accept submissions electronically. It is our hope that participation in the contest will play a part in encouraging a lifelong love of art.

Who can enter: Any Kauai student attending any public or private school or schooled at home who is in kindergarten through grade 12. Students may enter as often as they wish.

How the contest works: Match the grade the student is in during the 2020-2021 school year to the corresponding month. Students are encouraged to draw or paint a picture that illustrates a connection to their assigned month. Kindergartners will draw the cover art depicting any subject or season.

Kindergarten - Cover
1st grade - January
2nd grade - February
3rd grade - March
4th grade - April
5th grade – May
6th grade – June
7th grade – July
8th grade – August
9th grade – September
10th grade – October
11th grade – November
12th grade – December

Artwork will be judged on a number of factors including artistic merit and creativity.  How well the assigned month is depicted will be a contributing factor but may not be the deciding factor. Acceptable artwork includes still life, landscapes, portraits, etc.
All elements of the artwork (lines, paint, color, shapes, shading, highlights, etc.) must be the work of the student whose name appears on the back of the artwork.
No tracing.
All artwork must be original and not be copied from other copyrighted sources without substantial creative changes; renderings or other paintings or published photographs that are deemed to be too exact to the source will be disqualified.

How to submit the artwork: 

Take a photo or scan your artwork to enter the contest. Digital images of artwork should be submitted as a high resolution .jpg, .eps, or PDF. High resolution images are typically at least 300 dpi images at 8.5 x 11". Images can be submitted in RGB, CMYK, or greyscale format.

The following information must be included with each submission: School Name, Student Name, Studentʻs Grade, Teacher and/or Parent/Guardian’s name, contact phone number and email address.

Artwork created digitally may be entered as long as rules on originality and copyrighted sources are followed. Resolution must be at least 600 dpi at 8x10 inches. Please contact contest officials for file format requirements and other details for digital submissions.
The name and school of each winning student will be printed in the calendar along with the student’s photograph. Photos of winning students will be requested after the winners are announced.

Artwork in the horizontal or landscape position best fits the calendar’s format. Artwork that is portrait oriented is discouraged.

Judging and prizes:
A panel of judges will pick winners. Each calendar winner will receive $100. Artwork may be chosen as honorable mentions and will be printed in a special section of the calendar. Honorable mentions will receive $50. An overall “Artist of the Year” will be selected. The Artist of the Year will receive $100.
All reproduction rights become the property of KIUC.
KIUC will celebrate Calendar winners at a reception in December.

Deadline: Wednesday, October 13, 2021. 

For more information, please contact Shelley Paik at 246.4378 or via email at info@kiuc.coop.

Thanks to those who participated! 

Calendar Awards Ceremony

For years, KIUC has worked collaboratively with U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) and the Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) to address complex issues concerning the potential impact of utility structures and lights on Kauai’s protected and endangered seabirds. Over the years, we have implemented numerous measures to 1) reduce the potential impacts of our facilities on seabirds (such as shielding thousands of streetlights, shielding facility lighting, undergrounding and altering powerlines, etc.) and 2) to improve seabird survival and recovery (such as funding, expanding and improving the Save Our Shearwaters program, and funding habitat improvement projects). 

To date, we have spent more than $26 million on this effort, working with consultants, community groups, wildlife agencies, and government regulators on bird issues. This includes strong partnerships and funding for the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP), the Hono O Na Pali Natural Area Reserve Seabird Mitigation Project (HNP NARS) and the Kauai Humane Society (KHS). That work includes: 

• Funding the implementation and ongoing operations of the Save Our Shearwaters Program

• Funding seabird-colony management and predator control in upper Limahuli Valley and Hono O Na Pali Natural Area Reserve

• Undergrounding power lines on Mount Kahili 

• Updating population estimates at-sea for the three seabird species

• Funding auditory surveys to locate and quantify seabird breeding colonies

• Funding development and implementation of an under-line monitoring program aimed at better understanding the amount of seabird take caused by overhead utility structures

• Funding tracking studies of fledglings and adults released out of the Save our Shearwaters program

• Conducting cultural, biological, vegetation, and fencing studies to evaluate and prepare for the construction of predator proof fences at select colonies.

KIUC is currently seeking a long-term Habitat Conservation Plan with USFWS and DOFAW, along with a 30-year incidental take permit and license.

Kauai: Where Seabirds Thrive

Kauai is home to many species of seabirds that nest and raise their young in our mountain forests and coastal beaches. On other islands with large populations of mongoose, seabirds are absent except in remote reserves or offshore islets. The absence of mongoose—unique in the state—has allowed many species of seabirds to survive on Kauai.

When they leave their nests, seabird fledglings are guided out to sea by the light of the moon. Unfortunately, urbanization has caused ongoing fallout of fledgling seabirds on their first nocturnal flight from their nesting burrow. By eliminating stray light, we can reduce the number of young birds that get confused and fall inland rather than continue out to sea.

You can help reduce light attraction by:

Turning off unnecessary outdoor lights, especially between September 15 and December 15.
Replacing fixtures that scatter light in all directions—such as globe and carriage lights—with directional fixtures that point down and away from the beach.
Shielding the light source with materials such as aluminum flashing, which can direct light where it is needed and keep it off the beach.
Replacing white incandescent, fluorescent and high-intensity lighting with a maximum 40-watt yellow bug light.
Drawing drapes at night to keep interior lights from attracting the birds.
Checking your neighborhood for grounded seabirds—especially if you live near a county ballpark.
Turning off the lights when the park is not in use.
Outdoor Lighting Guidelines

http://www.kauai-seabirdhcp.info/lighting-homes-businesses/
Model Lighting Codes

http://www.darkskysociety.org/handouts/OutdoorLightingRegulations.pdf
http://www.flagstaffdarkskies.org/ordinances.htm
How to Rescue a Seabird

To prepare for seabird recovery, please follow these recommendations:

Keep an old towel and a ventilated cardboard box, pet carrier or other non-airtight container in your car. If you are on foot, just the towel will do.
If you find a downed bird, gently pick it up from behind with the towel, carefully wrapping the material completely around its back and wings. Place it in a container as soon as possible. Be aware of the shearwater's long, pointed bill. Don't be worried too much because the birds are usually docile, but wrapping the bird in a towel will protect you and the bird.
Keep the bird covered and in a quiet, shaded or cool location. Do not feed, water or handle it.
Take the downed bird to the Kauai Humane Society, if possible. Otherwise, take the bird to the nearest shearwater aid station right away (see the list below). Aid stations are available September 15 to December 15.
Do not attempt to release the bird yourself. It may have internal injuries or be too tired or weak to survive. Throwing the bird into the air could cause more injury. Let the trained Save Our Shearwaters program staff examine the bird and decide when, where and how to let it go.
On the white board provided at the aid station, write information about where you found the bird. The best information is a street address or street intersection, the number of a nearby utility pole or highway mile marker. If you are in a hurry, you can leave your telephone number so staff can call you to get additional information about the bird you found.
Kauai's Seabirds Still Need Your Help

You should be proud of yourselves. Since SOS was created by the state in 1979, volunteers and residents have collected 31,224 seabirds—92 percent of which were recovered and released. In the past, up to 2,000 Newell's shearwaters—mostly juveniles—were picked up annually through the SOS program. Of these, 91 percent were released into the wild.

SOS Season

The SOS season begins in mid-September, when the first seabird fledglings begin to emerge from their nests. The Newell's shearwater is the most commonly found grounded seabird. The species can be easily distinguished by its formal wear of black and white plumage, dark bill and pink legs with black toes. For seabird emergencies, call 808.635.5117.

Public SOS Aid Station Locations

Bring the bird directly to the Kauai Humane Society during regular business hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Monday.

North
Kilauea Medical Group
Hanalei Fire Station
Hanalei Liquor Store

Central-East
Lihue Fire Station
Kapaa Fire Station
Kaiakea Fire Station
Kauai Humane Society

West
Waimea Fire Station
Hanapepe Fire Station
Kalaheo Fire Station

South
Koloa Fire Station

For more information about the SOS Program go to: https://saveourshearwaters.org/

In keeping with the Cooperative Principle “Commitment to Community” and in the Spirit of Aloha, the Sharing of Aloha program exists to assist various local nonprofit organizations that contribute to Kauai’s quality of living.

The Sharing of Aloha Committee meets the second Friday each month. Applications must be received by the first week of the month to be considered for that month. Once the application has been reviewed, the applicant will be notified of the results. Good luck on your work in the community!

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. is one way that KIUC invests in our youth. Electric cooperatives are different than other utilities and as your locally owned electric co-op, KIUC’s business plan involves giving back to the community. 

Every June since the late 1950s, high school students have been sponsored by local electric cooperatives to visit Washington, D.C. KIUC sends four students on this trip of a lifetime to visit our nation’s capital because it is important to that our leaders of tomorrow learn about the political process. Youth Tour participants are in their junior year of high school and return to Kauai as stronger leaders, with confidence that they can make a difference.

KIUC partners with Kansas Electric Cooperatives where they travel to meet up with the Kansas delegates to form the Hawaii Kansas group. Delegates get to learn from each other and as a group they travel to Washington, D.C. for a week of touring and learning about our government and history. 

Who can apply? Kauai students in their junior year of high school can apply. Applications will be sent to school counselors in November and students who are selected to be interviewed will do so in January.  

The dates for the 2020 Youth Tour are June 16-26, 2020. 

Youth Leadership Council

Of the four students selected to attend Youth Tour, one will be selected to attend the Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. for leadership training with other representatives of the cooperative community's brightest youth. Each youth is chosen by his or her state delegation while attending the Youth Tour.

The purpose of the YLC is to build leadership skills, public speaking skills, and enhance delegates' knowledge of the energy industry and the cooperative form of business. These students also make presentations to their peers at local cooperative annual meetings.

The YLC representative also attends and participates in the resolutions process during NRECA's Annual Meeting. The YLC also selects a national spokesperson to address the membership at the Annual Meeting and Youth Tour delegates the following year.

The Application Process

• Only high school juniors from Kauai are eligible to participate.

• Complete an application and submit it to your high school counselor. If you are home­schooled or attend a private school with no counselor, please contact KIUC if interested.

• High schools will select up to five students to participate in an interview process. Counselors must submit applications, check with your counselor for school deadlines.

• Students will be interviewed on January 20, 2020. You will be notified of your interview time.

• Four students will be selected to attend the 2020 trip, write a short essay about their experience, attend the KIUC Annual Membership Meeting and participate in KIUC's Youth Leadership Council. 

For more information about Youth Tour, visit www.youthtour.coop, email info@kiuc.coop or call 808-246-4300.

General emergency preparedness information can be found on the Kauai Emergency Management Agency's website: www.kauai.gov/KEMA.