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Lani Kailua Outdoor Circle Tree Planting
On a recent Saturday morning a crowd gathered at Aikahi Triangle Park in Kailua to bless the 21 Nara and Monkey pod trees planted in the median of Mokapu Boulevard. The event also was a celebration of the partnership between the Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle and the City Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Urban Forestry.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann, City Council Chair Barbara Marshall, Parks Director Lester Chang and LKOC President, Sharon Geary, as well as most of the LKOC Board members were in attendance. The 21 trees were supplied by the City and LKOC Board paid the planting costs of more than $15,000. The trees were planted to replace the dead Wiliwili trees which had fallen prey to the state-wide blight.
Beach Walks with Rox #529 – Outdoor Circle Tree Blessing
Flyers on Utility Poles Degrade Communities
Once again greedy concert promoters have decided that our communities are a good place for them to illegally advertise their events. Last week hundreds of ugly yellow flyers were posted on utility poles in various places across O‘ahu, most notably on the beautiful Windward side.
From Makapu‘u Lookout to the Waimanalo business district dozens of utility poles were wallpapered with flyers creating an unforgivable eyesore along one of the most scenic roadways on the planet. The flyers were strategically concentrated in the areas where people tend to congregate—near pubic parks, in front of schools, close to commercial businesses and in residential neighborhoods. The same flyers also have been posted on numerous utility poles elsewhere on the island as well.
The event advertised on the posters is a reggae concert scheduled for Kualoa Ranch. But of course Kualoa denied any knowledge of the dastardly deed, as did the concert’s promoter. That’s par for the course. The utility poles on all of our islands frequently become the target of event promoters who obviously believe that their desire to make money supersedes the peoples’ right to live and play in an environment free of illegal advertising. And make no mistake about it, posting any type of sign on a utility pole, whether a concert flyer or garage sale notice, is not only a civil violation that can result in fines, but also a criminal act for which violators can be sentenced to community service and even time in jail.
In this instance The Outdoor Circle would like to extend a huge mahalo to the State Department of Transportation for its extremely quick action in dispatching a highway crew to remove the flyers along Kalanianaole Highway in the Waimanalo area. The removal work obviously was done at taxpayer expense. Even so, hundreds of flyers for the Kualoa event remain on utility poles elsewhere on O‘ahu and we encourage anyone who finds this illegal activity offensive to call Kualoa Ranch and register a complaint. Kualoa might not be responsible for posting the flyers, but it and other event venues should communicate a clear message in their contracts with promoters that illegally advertising their events will result in stiff financial penalties and result in losing their ability to stage future events. That’s the type of action that might make event promoters obey the law and prevent the unconscionable littering of our communities with illegal advertising.
In the meantime, if you see illegal flyers on utility poles anyplace on O‘ahu, please call The Outdoor Circle.
Arbor Day Celebrations 2007
Margaret Mead said, “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” She couldn’t have been more right judging by how The Outdoor Circle celebrated Arbor Day this year.
It was a sad day last summer when a stately, 90+ year old tree at Kuhio School had to be removed, the victim of disease. The tree was well loved and many of Honolulu’s media outlets covered the distressing news. Shortly afterward I received a call from a Kuhio School graduate who was so upset over the tree’s loss that she offered to donate a replacement tree.
Word went around among the landscape/tree community asking where we could obtain a Monkey pod tree. The response was amazing. Wayne Ogasawara from Mililani Agricultural Park stepped forward and offered to donate the tree of the donor’s choosing and Steve Nimz of Steve Nimz Associates volunteered to dig the tree out of the ground and move it to the school. He offered also to dig the hole and to replant it.
But first we needed to ensure that Kuhio School wanted another tree. Mrs. Evelyn Hao, Principal, was thrilled when we spoke. She admitted to being very sad to have lost the tree and couldn’t believe that someone cared enough to give the school another. She also stipulated that she wanted as big a tree as possible.
Thursday November 1, 2007 was our Arbor Day celebration at the school. Following a very stormy evening and several morning downpours, the day turned sunny and beautiful just in time for our celebration. As we kicked off our program we were treated to a rainbow which arched beautifully across the tree, as a bird frolicked in his new home. We could not have ordered a more perfect day!
Many guests from the community came as did representatives from the Department of Education and friends of The Outdoor Circle. The Kuhio School Choir entertained us with songs and the Student Government Officers provided us with many famous quotes and proverbs about trees.
All of this from one “do-gooder” in the community who cared enough to change her world and wanted Kuhio School students to benefit from the tree in the same way.
Arbor Day 2007
The Outdoor Circle and Prince Jonah Kuhio School cordially invite you to participate in a celebration of Arbor Day 2007
Help restore shade, solace and beauty to the playground of Prince Jonah Kuhio School. The 90 year old Monkeypod tree lost in July will be replaced by another – the gift of a generous donor.
Where: Prince Jonah Kuhio School, 2759 S. King Street
When: Thursday, Nov 1, 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Refreshments Immediately Following
Keep the trees where they are at Magic Island!
The Outdoor Circle is in complete agreement with the Honolulu Star Bulletin. The caption of their editorial, dated August 27, 2007 reads, “Move the stage, not the trees.” We concur.
It all started with an anonymous letter which stated that the city was negotiating with a group to hold a large concert at Magic Island. The trees, it asserted, would block the view of the stage and the city had planned to remove and/or relocate them.
This was hard to believe. TOC staff speaks with the city’s Division of Urban Forestry at least three times a week about various tree issues. No one ever told us about a plan to remove or relocate trees at Magic Island. Nor had they told us about a large concert planned for next spring. We later learned that city employees and consultants were given orders to keep the entire plan under wraps.
We wrote to Honolulu’s Director of Parks and Recreation and learned that it was true! For more than a year the city has been working with a group called Blue Planet Festival. The plan is to hold a two day symposium on energy sustainability and then a two day music and arts festival at Magic Island. Festival promoters hope for 25,000 – 30,000 people to attend the concert this year with plans of growing the annual festival’s attendance to as many as 50,000 in future years.
The irony of this potential debacle was not lost on us. A group claiming to promote sustainable energy and operating under an umbrella of environmental sensitivity wants to rip out and relocate mature trees to improve views for a concert. In addition, the promoters say for several days the event will close all of Magic Island for public use. The only people allowed in will be those who pay for a ticket—price yet to be announced. The event also will restrict public access to and usage of other parts of Ala Moana Beach Park as well.
When we met with the promoters and city officials to learn about the plan they explained that this is the only location on O‘ahu large enough to accommodate the event. Perhaps they’re not familiar with Aloha Stadium? Blue Planet Festival also claimed that the city will benefit because they will leave the park better than when they began. But they were unable to explain what their plan was or how the park would be enhanced. It is hard for us to believe that removing and/or relocating 15 or more trees from the center of Magic Island will enhance it at all.
The Outdoor Circle believes that making permanent changes in a park to accommodate a temporary event is completely unconscionable. We believe it is the City’s responsibility to be a steward of our park lands not a promoter of paid events.
We urge the people of Honolulu to closely monitor this still evolving story. That’s certainly what The Outdoor Circle intends to do.
H-2 Tree Massacre Act 2
On August 6, 2007 six employees from the Department of Transportation (DOT) met with Outdoor Circle (TOC) volunteers and staff to discuss the ongoing tree massacre on the H-2 Freeway. Earlier DOT promised that all tree work on the highway would stop until TOC and its volunteer arborists examined the arborist report, walked the entire site and reviewed a replanting plan, but DOT contractors continued to cut trees leaving three-foot stumps in their wake.
At our sit-down it was agreed by DOT that they made some “mis-steps.” They offered in the future to provide TOC with all work orders their maintenance department issues relating to pruning and removing trees. DOT expressed its hope that in doing so future miscommunications will be avoided.
We believe that the amount of negative attention this project generated took DOT by surprise. At first DOT’s public spokesman claimed the trees were cut because they were dangerous, then he said it was because they were invasive, and finally he claimed it was because they were a fire hazard. None of this was necessarily true and it was clear the DOT was shooting from the hip using any excuse it could find in order to justify the mess it created.
Let’s hope that DOT learned an important lesson…TOC must be consulted before any projects of this magnitude are undertaken again. Our members are always watching. Mahalo to each of you who contacted us frantic for information. We hope that you are satisfied with our actions. We are not finished. In fact, we promise that H-2 will be green again!
DOT Promises to Replace Trees Removed Along H-2
From the State Capitol to Honolulu Hale. From the headquarters of Hawaii’s Big Five Companies to the Makiki shop owner and just about every other corner of Hawai‘i government and business those seven little words “Have you talked to The Outdoor Circle” have been repeated countless times.
But it was exactly the opposite, not talking to The Outdoor Circle, that landed the Department of Transportation (DOT) in a negative light with the cutting and removal of hundreds of trees on the H-2 Freeway.
The massive tree removal began at the end of June and prompted dozens of telephone complaints to our office. We are usually consulted prior to a removal action of this magnitude but unfortunately that didn’t happen this time.
We prefer to have the opportunity to have trees assessed by qualified arborists to determine if they are structurally hazardous or if their locations present a threat to motorists. We did not have the opportunity to do that in this instance and were as surprised as those traveling on H-2 when the work began.
DOT has used every excuse in the book for removing these trees. Scott Ishikawa, the department’s spokesperson, said that a tree limb fell on their emergency call box prompting the clear cutting. In their press release DOT also said they cut down the Albizia, Opiuma and Christmas Berry trees because they were invasive. We believe there are far too many trees of these types classified as invasive species to ever remove them from Hawaii’s landscape, nor would the public stand for that.
It should be stated that The Outdoor Circle is not for saving hazardous trees and had DOT told us in advance and allowed us to walk the site we might have agreed that some number needed to be removed. But 70-100 trees? We think not!
The DOT has promised to replant the area with native trees by the end of the year. You have our promise that we will be reminding them of that promise regularly. And by the way, DOT also has promised to call The Outdoor Circle before taking on a project of this magnitude again.
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