PAHOA — Two Puna residents were arrested after allegedly leading lava tours onto state land.
PAHOA — Two Puna residents were arrested after allegedly leading lava tours onto state land.
Officers with the state Department of Land and Naturals Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement arrested Matthew Hoeflinger, 50, of Keaau and Christa Nicholas, 23, of Mountain View on Monday after conducting an undercover operation.
Hoeflinger and Nicholas allegedly led tours into the Wao Kele O Puna Forest Reserve and Kahaualea Natural Area Reserve.
DLNR, which closed state lands around the June 27 lava flow, did not say if they are associated with a tour company.
‘Ahiu Hawai‘i manager Orion Enocencio said in a Facebook post Tuesday that they work for his company.
He said he will continue offering tours and that the closure disregards Native Hawaiian access rights.
According to DLNR, the pair is charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree trespassing, conducting illegal commercial activities within forest and natural area reserves, and entering a closed area within forest and natural area reserves.
“DLNR intends to prosecute any trespassers who willfully violate the closures and place enforcement officers and emergency personnel at increased risk,” said William Aila, DLNR chairperson, in a press release.
According to DLNR, entry into closed lands can result in a fine of up to $5,000 for the first offense.
Lava update
Hawaii County Civil Defense conducted outreach Tuesday with Pahoa Marketplace merchants as the June 27 lava flow appears headed their way.
Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said the outreach was a proactive step to make sure they are aware of the situation, but was not meant to imply there is an imminent threat.
“We want to make sure the businesses are aware of what’s happening upslope, the possibility of different flow paths,” he said, “one of which could present with a threat to their location.”
As of Tuesday morning, the flow was 2.7 miles from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road, where the shopping area is located.
The flow currently is following a path, determined by lines of steepest descent, that would take it through the marketplace if it stays on its current course.
Oliveira said the manager of the marketplace’s gas station already took steps to make sure there isn’t any fuel at the site if lava arrives.
“He identified response plans and is ready to go,” Oliveira said, adding the manager needs at least three days warning. “We are well outside that.”
The flow recently has advanced between 350 and 400 yards per day. Oliveira said the active area was between 100 and 125 yards wide.
At its current rate, the flow could reach the highway in roughly 12 days.
But the flow’s advance is expected to slow as it reaches less steep terrain and is impacted by decreased output at Pu‘u ‘O‘o.
About a kilometer from its position Tuesday morning, the terrain flattens enough that it could cause the lava to pool, said Mike Poland, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicist.
At that point, two paths of steepest descent nearly converge. The one it currently is following travels to the marketplace, while the other eventually reaches the southeastern edge of Hawaiian Paradise Park.
Officials say it remains to be seen which path it follows, though it’s possible it could travel along both.
So far, the flow has largely followed the identified lines of steepest descent, though undetected changes in topography also could affect its direction.
The next community meeting about the lava flow is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Pahoa High School cafeteria.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.