“Mālama the Invasives” fundraiser
Mālama Loko Ea Foundation’s recent fundraiser event, “Mālama the Invasives” raised over $10,000 to fund its sediment dredging project. The Hale‘iwa organization is using an industrial dredge to remove sediment from the bottom of the fishpond, then separating the water from solid soil, to restore the fishpond. The event celebrated agriculture, sustainability, and management of invasive species with a night of dining, featuring five master chefs Eric Oto, Mark Noguchi, Ed Kenney, Tammy and Danny Smith. The event was sponsored by The Kahala Hotel & Resort, The Pili Group, Hale Kealoha ‘Ai Pono, Ed Kenney, Nā Mea Hawai‘i, Honolulu Beerwork, Honolulu Tourism Authority, O‘ahu Visitor’s Bureau, Hawai‘i Visitors and Convention Bureau, Office of Hawaiians Affairs, Platinum Tents and Events, Hawaiian Airlines, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii News Now, Summit Media, O‘ahu Broadcasting Company, Destination Hawai‘i, and Kamehameha Schools. To learn more about the Loko Ea Fishpond, visit www.lokoea.org. – Photos: Courtesy Mālama Loko Ea
Breadfruit Agroforestry Workshop: Practices for environmental and local economic revitalization
A breadfruit workshop focusing on practices for environmental and local economic revitalization will take place Saturday–Sunday, April 6-7 at Papahana Kuaola, in He‘eia, Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu. The workshop includes field sessions at Ke Kula O Samuel Kamakau and Kaia‘ulu Cooperative, and an optional field tour of Ho‘okua‘āina in Maunawili on April 8.
Breadfruit has been recognized for its commercial potential and its nutritional value as a local food with endless dish and product possibilities. “Growing breadfruit together with several crops can improve overall production, increase yields and profits, and reduce the risk of weather extremes,” says agroforestry educator Graig Elevitch. Workshop participants will be able to learn how to establish and maintain their very own breadfruit agroforestry system tailored to their site and preferences. This workshop is suggested for agricultural professionals, growers, educators, and any others interested in regenerating breadfruit.
There will be hands-on exercises that will prepare participants to apply new skills in using planning methods developed by workshop presenters like Kealoha Domingo, Graig Elevitch, Shirley Kauhaihao, M. Kalani Souza and more. Participants will also learn about creating dishes and products with breadfruit and other crops grown together with breadfruit. This workshop goes even deeper, “reconnecting kānaka, our people to the ‘āina, honoring traditional beliefs, while providing food security to nourish oneself as well as family, which is truly priceless,” says Kealoha Domingo.
The registration fee is $110 per person ($95 for early registration by March 14) and includes refreshments and lunch (Saturday and Sunday). Advance registration is required and space is limited. Visit www.breadfruit.info to download the workshop agenda and a link for registration.
Acacia koa wood made available to local artisans
The Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association (HFIA) has teamed up with Kamuela Hardwoods and Paniolo Tonewoods to make processed live edge Acacia koa wood available to local craftspeople, woodworkers, instrument makers and other artisans. The partnership among HFIA, Paniolo Tonewoods and Kamuela Hardwoods was born through a shared vision of wanting to create availability for smaller buyers with transparent pricing. With leftover logs, branches and treetops, Paniolo Tonewoods was willing to help HFIA source the wood and Kamuela Hardwoods participates through cutting and selling the wood. The newly launched Kama‘āina Wood Market will help facilitate an open koa wood marketplace.
Historically, koa has been sold in very large amounts to buyers offshore including the international market. As an important initiative of HFIA, Kama‘āina Wood Market is in line with the organization’s goal of promoting the use of Hawai‘i-grown woods and ensuring that local woodworkers have the resources they need. The Kama‘āina Wood Market aims to get processed and semi-processed Hawai‘i-grown wood, including koa, into the hands of local craftspeople and artisans.
Interested buyers must be current members of HFIA to participate in Kama‘āina Wood Market program. HFIA membership is nominal and applications may be found online at www.hawaiiforest.org. To view and purchase wood through Kama‘āina Wood Market visit the website and contact Kamuela Hardwoods at info@kamuelahardwoods.com or (808) 657 4797. For additional information, contact HFIA Executive Director Heather Simmons at 808-933-9411 or email: hfia@hawaiiforest.org.
Writers retreat at Camp Mokulē‘ia
The Mokulē‘ia Writers Retreat is an annual gathering that brings three dozen writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, and memoir to the North Shore of O‘ahu for a week of intimate workshops and coaching. The retreat is high-level and professional — but also is tuned in to the beauty of the surroundings. With a diversity between islanders and mainlanders, published writers and budding writers, Native Hawaiian artistry and mainland publishing– the retreat fosters a sense of connectivity among participants.
Writers will be coached in producing pieces worthy of publication through guided workshops, one-on-one meetings, and sessions under the guidance of nationally known writers, editors, and agents. Attendees are encouraged to draw from nature and tap their own creative wellsprings. This dovetails with one of the missions of the nonprofit Camp Mokulē‘ia: to raise ecological awareness and bridge Native Hawaiian and Western ideas of sustainability.
The retreat is led by North Shore native Constance Hale, the author of five books, the editor of more than two dozen, and a journalist whose stories about Hawai‘i appear on CD liner notes, as well as in publications like The Los Angeles Times and Smithsonian magazine. (One recent book, The Natives Are Restless, is about the hula.) The retreat faculty includes a mix of writers and editors from both the islands and the mainland, all of whom have deep experience in publishing.
We provide a limited number of scholarships to emerging island writers, who are often cut off from resources available on the mainland. For more information please contact our reservations department at (808) 637-6241 or send an email.
