Ulu La’au News, March 2009
Have you stopped by Ulu La’au lately?
The drought is over! The grass is green again (and requires mowing),
the trees and plants are flourishing and the stream is running after
many months of inactivity! After ten years of work , our
accomplishments are very rewarding to our members and to the many
volunteers who help make all this possible. It is gratifying to see
more and more members of the Waimea community make use of the park
for picnic lunches, informal meetings and an opportunity to walk
their dogs (on a leash only and observing PPP (poo poo pickup).
Our upcoming volunteer days are March
14th and 28th; April 11th and 25th
and May 9th and 23rd from 9:00 to noon.
March will begin the planting of our
Kukui grove in the picnic area. (See article on page 4.)
Barrie Moss will conduct the third of
her classes on “Plant Propagation” on March 28th. (See
article on page 4.)
We are embarking on two major projects
this year, grants and donations permitting.
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Installing a footbridge crossing
the Waikoloa Stream giving access to our four acres on the far
side. Numerous adults and children take a shortcut through the
park to reach the town center or Waimea schools. These intrepid
souls have to scramble down the stream bank and jump from rock
to rock to cross the stream. With the stream running as it is at
the time of this printing, crossing the stream is not possible.
We have been offered $10,000 in seed money by one of these
“stream crossers” for this project. Engineering firms are being
contacted to determine feasibility and placement of the
footbridge.
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Our second major
project “in the works” is to establish a “native Hawaiian canoe
garden” in the park. An authentic Hawaiian made rock wall will
enclose the area. dda Peleiholani has expressed interest in
the construction of the wall. Peter Van Dyke from the Amy
Greeenwell Ethnobotanical Garden is assisting us with the
selection of canoe plants which were brought to the Islands in
the early voyaging canoes from Polynesia. When completed, this
new area of the park will provide a learning center for students
and adults interested in what will be a unique collection of
Hawaii's first “imported plants.”
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