Thank you TOC for Your Many Years of Partnering with Kaulunani - $1.2 Million Worth of Projects – Now that is Something to Write About

Teresa Trueman-Madriaga

It has been my great pleasure to have worked with The Outdoor Circle and the branches on Kaulunani grants over the last 20+ years. The Outdoor Circle took on many challenging and innovative projects adding to the wealth of trees in Hawai‘i’s urban forest. The Kaulunani Council was always impressed with the size of the projects that the Circles took on. From planting trees along median strips, main thoroughfares, bike ways, parks, and schools. It gave Kaulunani a standard to which all other proposals could be evaluated.   
 
In addition to tree planting projects there were educational activities including support of Kaulunani conferences, the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (WCISA) conferences, the International Society of Arboriculture Conference in Honolulu in 2007, a coloring book, a Shower Tree Festival, a Master Plan for the City and County of Honolulu Division of Urban Forestry, training of municipal workers, training school maintenance workers, and working with the Girl Scouts on an exceptional tree tour brochure.  
 
Mary Steiner and I were quite the team; I vowed not to take on any conferences or workshops without her help. Mary joined the Council in 1997 when Gary Moll from American Forests presented Citygreen at a “Keep Kool Hawai`i” Conference.
 
This event was followed by many other collaborations including these local conferences: Getting to the Roots; a Tree Hazard Evaluation Workshop; Innovative Approaches to Tree Care; Plant Appraisal Workshop; Creating Green Environments; Getting to the Roots II – Root Pruning, Rubber Sidewalks and Underground Critters and Creating Green Environments; and Design, Construction and Maintenance with Trees in Mind: A More Livable Hawai`i. You could say we educated an industry.
 
There was a time that I lovingly refer to as the “Glory Years” of Kaulunani. There were somewhere in the area of 20+ projects each and every year. Many were Outdoor Circle projects. All of them were large scale projects, and here’s a bit of a walk down memory lane….
 
I remember the very first Kaulunani project that was completed – it was by the North Shore Outdoor Circle. The dedication was remarkable and anyone who was any one in
this town was there, standing under the tent listening and learning about the power of trees. I met Mary there. The grant was to plant trees along the entrance for a temporary homeless shelter. The branch went on to plant other large Kaulunani funded projects – the bike path along the North Shore, (I realize there were other funding sources), and the triangle project at the entrance to Haleiwa. These are signature projects which Kaulunani was very happy to be involved with. I still think of these three projects every time I drive up to the North Shore. Powerful reminders of the vitality of the North Shore Outdoor Circle members to make a difference.
 
I remember when the Maui Outdoor Circle planted the median strip from Kahului to Wailuku – what an undertaking. I remember one particular area where the arborist told me he forgot to look up. There was a utility line right over one of the trees. Just goes to show you that in the excitement of planting trees we are all human.
 
Then there is Kaz Shigezawa, formerly of the Kona Outdoor Circle. I enticed him into joining the Council after meeting him at a Kaulunani event at Norm Bezona’s house in Kona. There was actually a time where we went island to island promoting the program. This was one of those events. He went on to spearhead numerous Kaulunani funded projects in Kona, to a tune of $1M+. He worked with many organizations, or I should say they sought him out. I asked his secret to developing these projects and he said, “There is a great need here.” You can’t argue with that.
 
The Waikoloa Outdoor Circle hosted a Kaulunani meeting one year. They had submitted a grant to plant the median strip. I think we fell in love with them that day. It was one of the best lunches ever and they were the most exciting group of women – oh my goodness, they could conquer the world.
 
After Hurricane Iniki, the Kaua’i Outdoor Circle was able to secure critical dollars for replanting Kaua’i. They also received a grant from Kaulunani to replant Poipu Beach. What a mess that beach was after the hurricane. No one would recognize that beach right after Iniki came through, and I can only say what an extraordinary job the Circle did in replanting. We used the pre- and post-photos for years as an example of what is possible.
 
I thought you might find the chart below interesting. It lists the branches, number of projects, grant awards and the matching cash or in-kind. Be proud of all that you have done and let’s continue working and striving to keep Hawai`i clean, green and beautiful. 
 
Teresa Trueman-Madriaga
Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator

The WCISA Conference Mary Steiner and Chris Snyder helping out.

TOC members celebrating after a successful Kaulunani Project

Teresa Trueman-Madriaga
 Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator
 [email protected]
 808-220-0966