The Outdoor Circle (Statewide) acquired funding from the Arbor Day Foundation for the third iteration of the East Hawaii Branch’s annual tree giveaway event held on November 6, 2021. The giveaway provided free fruit/food trees to residents of the East Hawai‘i community. While this event started in 2019 as a response to the volcanic eruption, hurricanes and floods that took place in 2018, the event has evolved to also include a food security focus, in addition to planting trees in the areas that saw impacts from these natural disasters.

This year’s event was held on Hawai‘i’s Arbor Day so it was fitting that the Arbor Day Foundation supported it for the third straight year, with financial sponsorship by International Paper for the second time.

510 trees were given away consisting of 15 species of fruit/food trees (see species list below) obtained from Plant It Hawaii and AAO Farms, both of which provided large and vibrant trees as they have during the preceding two giveaway events. Residents from over 27 East Hawai‘i communities received trees from this event (tree distribution map) and  the feedback was overwhelmingly positive of the new online reservation system with time slots to manage traffic congestion.

As you know, your planned legacy gifts are a key to the continued sustainability of The Outdoor Circle and allows you to bless the community now and in perpetuity by allowing our mission to continue. Gifts may be made in any amount, large or small and all are sincerely appreciated. 
 
Many options exist for you, including simple bequests of a specific asset or percentage of your estate, IRA distributions and transfers, naming The Outdoor Circle as a named beneficiary of your retirement fund or life insurance policy, or gifts of stocks and mutual funds you may hold. 
 
Below we highlight just one of some simple ways to include Bequest Language for your Wills and Trusts. We encourage you to consult with your financial advisor for the best ways to make an annual or planned giving legacy gift to The Outdoor Circle that are specific to your circumstances.
 
Sample Bequest Language for Wills and Trusts
 
You can simply leave a gift outright to The Outdoor Circle or you may state how you would like your gift to be used. For example, you may:
· Designate “wherever the need is greatest” so that The Outdoor Circle can best decide to how to best utilize your gift to fulfill our mission. This is the most flexible and best option for the organization.
· Direct your gift to one of our programs such as “Christine Snyder Education and Tree Fund.”
· Direct your gift to our Annual Fund or our Endowment Fund.

Specific amount:
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii the sum of $_________ to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
Specific asset:
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii the following described property [insert description of asset] to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
Real Property:
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, all of my right, title, and interest in the following described real property [insert legal description of property] to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
Portion of the estate:
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, _______% of my estate to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
Residual estate (after other bequests or designations are named):
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN is 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the rest and residue of my estate to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
Portion of Residual estate (after other bequests or designations are named):
I give to The Outdoor Circle, a 501(c)3 non-profit, FEIN is 99-0085044, located in Honolulu, Hawaii,  _______% of the rest and residue of my estate to be used wherever the need is greatest.
 
More information is available on our website at www.outdoorcircle.org or by contacting our office.
 
Mahalo for including The Outdoor Circle in your current and planned giving. Your philanthropic support sustains our extraordinary legacy and vision of protecting Hawaii’s unique beauty for generations to come.

It was another successful Kamānele Park clean-up! On November 6, 2021, 40 volunteers cleared the invasive vegetation from the heiau site. The volunteers included five of our Mānoa Outdoor Circle board members (Jackie Osumi, Allison Fisher, Noah Lum, George Herbst, and Vanessa Distajo), Mālama Mānoa Directors, UH Wellness Warriors, the UH Wahine Beach Volleyball team, two archaeologists, and two City staffers from DPR. The City permitted us to work in two separate groups, which helped us to clear a larger area. We ended up with 81 bags of green waste, 1 bag of rubbish, and a large pile of fallen branches.

The University of Hawai‘i News posted an article about the two students groups, UH Wellness Warriors and the UH Wahine Beach Volleyball team, who volunteered their time and energy to the day: 
Students Connect with Community Through Heiau Clean Up

Mahalo for your support of the Kamānele Park Project!

Mālama pono,
Vanessa Distajo, Vice President, Manoa Branch

For more information about the Manoa Outdoor Circle, please check their website at: Manoa Outdoor Circle.

Ulu La‘au the Waimea Nature Park is Waimea Outdoor Circle’s most ambitious project to date. Our mission is to provide a peaceful, accessible native park, which cultivates life-long stewardship of the ‘aina, the earth, for the enrichment of the community and all who visit.

Though it now seems quiet and serene, this project has been an enormous undertaking. It was developed entirely with donations from the community, along with thousands of hours of work by volunteers. It continues to be maintained solely by volunteers, donations and grants. Currently on site is a long-planned education center completed and dedicated in 2016. Native plants continue to be introduced and different methods of stabilizing the stream banks have been successfully implemented with the help of the University of Hawai‘i in 2018. A new professional greenhouse was completed in 2020, which is used primarily to propagate native plants for the park, the community and for education purposes. Storage containers house tools and equipment for park maintenance and there are a number of memorial trees dedicated to extraordinary individuals who have given tirelessly to the Waimea Outdoor Circle.

Volunteers are welcome. We hold regular work days every Saturday starting at 9:00 am. No knowledge of Hawaiian plants is necessary, we will happily train and offer you a tour of the Park. At noon we adjourn to a picnic area where we gather in a large circle to enjoy homemade cookies, fruit and talk story.

Email us at: [email protected] or call (808) 443-4482 for our Saturday workday schedules, events and more information. Volunteering at Ulu La`au is a great way to learn about native plants!!

Thank you for supporting Waimea Outdoor Circle and Ulu La‘au the Waimea Nature Park!

Cheryl Langton, President, Waimea Branch
For more information about the Waimea Outdoor Circle, please check their website at: Waimea Outdoor Circle.

Climate change means a kind of climate confusion here in Hawai‘i. Drought is a constant threat, though our former dry seasons are often very wet. Tropical rainstorms can become flash floods and hurricane season seems longer and more threatening. Despite of all these issues, we want to continue to grow beautiful, healthy plants. This leads us to seek ones that have proven hearty in adverse conditions. One of these is the moringa tree. This drought tolerant plant can grow into an attractive shape with pretty flowers as well as leaves and seedpods that have many uses.

Moringa oleifera is in the Moringaceae family. These trees have been grown throughout the tropics, for millennia, but are likely native to dry areas of India and Pakistan. Moringas are known by many different common names around the globe based primarily on their principle use in that region. In some countries, the roots of the Moringa are harvested and used in place of horseradish, thus the name horseradish tree. The size and shape of the moringa’s seedpod gives it the common name drumstick tree in other countries. Another common name is the ben oil tree named for the high-quality oil that some cultures extract from the seeds. This oil is comparable to olive oil in flavor and properties, but has been used historically to lubricate watches and clocks.

Dr. William Hillebrand planted the first moringa in Hawai‘i around 1860 on his property in Honolulu. Though his land later became Foster Botanical Garden, seeds from his tree did not survive. About fifty years later Jose Magpoing brought seeds to Hawai‘i from his favorite moringa tree in the Philippines. The trees from his seeds are the parents of most of the moringa trees growing in Hawai‘i today.

Moringa trees are most often grown for their edible leaves, pods and seeds but are also attractive and useful plants for a small landscape. The trees have a lovely slender form with drooping branches and small compound dark green leaves. Their delicate foliage provides a textured accent and light shade.

Moringa trees also produce clusters of slightly fragrant, small, cream colored flowers year-round. The flowers are followed by long, ribbed green seedpods. The young pods are often prepared like string beans and used in stews, soups and curries. If left on the tree they can grow up to twenty inches long as they mature and turn brown.
The trees rarely grow over thirty feet tall, but they are easy to prune to keep them small and encourage new leaf and pod production. They are also often pruned to harvest leaves or pods for consumption. Beyond pruning, moringa requires little care, as few pests are attracted to this tree. Insects or diseases that do occur can be easily treated with oils and soaps or sulfur.

New moringas can be grown from either seeds or cuttings. Harvest seeds from mature dry pods, place them in a potting mix that drains well but maintains moisture. Seeds will usually germinate within two weeks and grow rapidly. For cutting success, choose plant stems that are between ten inches and three feet long. Dip the bottom of the stems in a rooting hormone and place them in a media that you can keep moist until they produce a root system and new leaves appear.

Once new leaves begin to grow, your seedlings or cuttings can be planted out, preferably into a hot, sunny location with soil that drains well. Moringa trees grow best at locations below 1000 feet in elevation and away from salt spray or strong winds that can break their brittle branches. Moringa trees grown from seed will have a long taproot and are more wind resistant. To use them as windbreaks or living fence posts, it is best to maintain the tree at four feet tall or less thus encouraging strong lateral growth.

Moringa leaves and pods provide nutritious food in many cultures. The leaves contain 20 to 35 % protein as well as ample amounts of essential amino acids, vitamins A and C as well as calcium and potassium. You can buy the dried leaves at many health food stores or you can harvest and eat those you grow. Local homeowners often grow several moringa trees to provide an adequate supply of nutritious food. Some simply put the fresh leaves in smoothies or salads. In many cultures, the leaves are used in a variety of dishes either fresh or dried. Recipes including those for the young pods are available online especially from the cuisines of India, Thailand and the Philippines. In Malaysia, the seeds are roasted and eaten like peanuts.
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The National Institute of Health noticed the many favorable characteristics of moringa when in 2008 they named moringa the Plant of the Year. They declared, “Moringa has the potential to help reverse multiple major environmental problems and provide for many unmet human needs.”
 
Many of the uses of moringa including information on the ben oil that can be pressed from its seeds are available in the book edited by Craig Elevitch Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands. The 12-page chapter on moringa by the University of Hawai‘i’s Dr. Ted Radovich is very informative and is available as a pdf at www.moringainhawaii.org/background-information-about-moringa. In the article, Radovich compares ben oil to olive oil in taste. He also recommends seeking ways to press the oil for local use. The seed cake that results from pressing can be used as a fertilizer.
 
In some countries, Moringa leaves are added to animal feed, substituting for up to 45% of the feed. Moringa bark contains useful fiber for making mats, paper or cordage and the can be used to make a blue dye. Moringa also has medicinal qualities. For example, the seeds contain a natural antibiotic and moringa extracts have both antifungal and anti-bacterial qualities. That’s just the beginning of the story.
 
Several local nurseries carry moringa trees and moringa seeds and other products are widely available online and at local health food stores.
 
Whether you want to plant a small tree with many uses or are simply seeking an interesting and attractive specimen plant, you may choose to grow a moringa tree on your property. You will likely be happy with your choice.
 
​Diana Duff, Plant Adviser, Educator, and Consultant; Lives in Manoa Valley

Due to the continuing pandemic, the past year has been full of continuing challenges, not just for The Outdoor Circle, but for all of us collectively. I am pleased to report that, even with these challenges, The Outdoor Circle was able to maintain its ability to be proactive in many areas.
 
The Development Committee continued its efforts toward effective financial stability for the organization and how we can best meet our needs. We recently undertook a membership survey and marketing study with the aim of better meeting member needs and expectations. We hope some of the results will be an increased public awareness of The Outdoor Circle, growth in our membership, and offer more ways for community participation and involvement in the stewardship of our islands.
 
Much of our work this year was, as it often is, “behind the scenes” pushing for protection or promotion of green spaces and quality of life issues. This involved testifying to ban noisy and polluting leaf blowers, working with the counties to staff and constitute their Arborist Advisory Committees, and working with the Board of Water Supply to repair damage to Diamond Head and prevent it from being marred with garish fencing. We also testified against zoning variances, opposition to encroachments on setbacks, and exceeding maximum building areas, all of which impact the character of our neighborhoods. We worked with city and state agencies to oppose and prevent unnecessary removal of trees in houseless encampments, pressing for community clean up events and reclaiming parks for public usage.
 
As The Outdoor Circle was instrumental in enacting the strict statewide signage laws that banned the billboard, this effort continued in revisions made to our policy positions to include murals that are increasingly becoming a part of our visual landscape. We will see more work in this area to come, as the challenges to our visual landscape are never-ending.
 
We remain forever dedicated to trees, not just for all the environmental benefits they provide, but for the many ways they beautify our streets, our parks, as well as our own backyards. The relationship we have nurtured with the Arbor Day Foundation enabled us to do another substantial tree planting at Camp Palehua, hold another hugely successful tree giveaway in Hilo with the East Hawai‘i Branch, and allowed us to maintain trees we planted at Windward Community College in 2019, which are now thriving.
 
Our branches kept up safety precautions during the pandemic while continuing their beautification projects and advocating for preservation of areas across the state as we continued to work with them to ensure that activities were safe for all those participating.
 
I am grateful and appreciative of the work of The Outdoor Board of Directors and our dedicated staff: Winston Welch, Executive Director; Jackie Wah, Operations Director; and Myles Ritchie, Programs Director. Together we maneuvered through a year of starts and stops, which was felt acutely as we mourned the loss of one of our trusted Board members, Jennie Peterson, who will be especially missed for her kindness and grace.
 
I want to thank all our members and donors who helped sustain us this past year. You are an important part of our organization and your support has helped our Circle to expand and grow.

In July 2020, a mural artist painted a bold message on the side of a 16-story building in Honolulu to make a statement about the importance of voting. Immediately people started calling The Outdoor Circle wanting to know how such a billboard could be allowed in Hawai‘i where The Outdoor Circle worked to ban billboards over a hundred years ago!
 
As a result of this incident the Public Affairs Committee and TOC staff went to work researching and advocating for definitions, limitations and standards to make sure that outdoor murals enhance the built environment while protecting Hawai‘i’s natural beauty and scenic view planes.
 
Upon hearing our concerns, the artist kindly agreed to remove the mural in question for now. However, several additional large murals have been proposed or installed on public and private property within the last year highlighting the need for a policy framework to protect the scenic landscape from being overwhelmed with visual clutter the way many cities are overwhelmed with signs and billboards competing for public attention.
 
TOC’s Board has amended our Public Policy Positions to add our support for limits on the placement and number of outdoor murals to ensure that individually and collectively they aesthetically enhance the built environment while protecting Hawai‘i’s natural beauty, scenic view planes and urban view corridors. Additionally, TOC advocates for protecting the tranquility and natural beauty of public parks and recreational areas.
 
Kathy Whitmire, Treasurer, The Outdoor Circle

On November 20 and 21, 2021, The Outdoor Circle returned to Camp Palehua to partner with Malama Learning Center and planted over 900 native trees. The event was funded by the Arbor Day Foundation and FedEx and saw 14 species planted on two sites located on the property. The tree planting acted as an educational learning center for elementary and high school students.
 
This restoration project saw 905 native Hawaiian plants (301 trees, 253 shrubs and 351 ground cover) go into the ground and were selected based on the complementary and symbiotic functions they have with one another. While our original total was intended to be 250-300 plants, we were able to surpass this amount by nearly three times due to the hard work of all those involved and that the plants themselves were grown on site, rather than being purchased by a third party as was originally anticipated.
 
Additionally, the event featured immersive education sessions where each group of participants learned about each of the native species being planted, why they were selected and how they will improve the former pasture land they were being planted on. The education component went beyond botanical and environmental concepts to include the invaluable cultural benefits these species provide and how these future native forests will restore the ‘aina.
 
This was one of the first planting events conducted since the COVID outbreak began which forced volunteer events to halt. There were groups of up to four volunteers (usually from the same household) in two-hour sessions that amounted to over 40 volunteers planting at the site over the two-day span.
 
Volunteers indicated their joy at being able to not only enjoy nature once again, but also participate in this educational restoration event that met all County and State COVID requirements.
 
Without the support of the Arbor Day Foundation and FedEx this extremely successful event would not have been possible and we are extremely grateful for their support.

Myles Ritchie, Programs Director, The Outdoor Circle

The East Hawaii Branch held a planting event on March 6, 2021, Wailoa State Park in Hilo, to replant an area that had two beautiful healthy monkey pods cut down by the state because of complaints from the community.
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We partnered with the JROTC from Hilo High School and were able to put in 2 golden trumpet trees, 10 brunfelsia, and 36 mock orange. Once they become established, there will be beautiful purple, yellow and white blossoms for everyone to enjoy.

The 22 high school students and their Sergeant Ryan Taniguchi, who was quite enthusiastic because it was a good educational event for the students, are interested in doing another event, perhaps with students from the athletic department.

We gained 3 new members that day and a mention in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. And the ducks supervised!

Joan Gossett, Secretary, East Hawaii Branch
​For more information on the East Hawaii Outdoor Circle, visit their website at East Hawaii Outdoor Circle​.

On October 24, 2020, the East Hawaii Outdoor Circle conducted a follow-up tree giveaway with funds procured by The Outdoor Circle Statewide organization. The event provided trees to residents of the East Hawai‘i community as a direct response to the natural disasters 2018, while also beginning to address the widespread food insecurity caused by COVID. By giving away over 655 trees consisting of 14 desirable fruit and native species, the community will now be able to help replant following the volcanic eruption, hurricanes and flooding that took place three years ago, which has produced negative impacts that continue to linger to this day and have been exacerbated by COVID. These trees will be able to help mitigate future natural disaster impacts, especially when flooding occurs and begin to provide food security for residents of Hawai‘i Island who received these trees.
 
This event also allowed us to reach-out to numerous demographics in the community to let them know about the wonderful work The Outdoor Circle is currently undertaking, as well as that of the Arbor Day Foundation and International Paper who sponsored the event. A third iteration of the event is scheduled for November 2021, and will once again be supported by the two aforementioned entities.

Myles Ritchie, Programs Director, The Outdoor Circle

​Landscaping is a dynamic entity, and sometimes designs must change over time to meet the needs and challenges of the environment. The Pali Palms Triangle on the corner of North Kalaheo Avenue and Mokapu Road is a good example. That plot goes from full shade to extreme sun and is exposed to car exhaust due to its location on a busy thoroughfare. The Pali Palms Triangle landscaping was originally designed and installed by the Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle (LKOC) in 2011 to beautify this barren traffic triangle. Hele Mai Lawn & Garden has been maintaining the landscaping and irrigation for LKOC since then. LKOC is committed to making sure their projects continue to be sustainable and beautiful. In August 2020, over one hundred new bromeliads of three varieties were donated by our members and planted by Hele Mai in the triangle. Hele Mai also donated the mulch that they added in the planter beds to help the landscaping retain moisture. LKOC is happy to report that the drought tolerant bromeliads have been flourishing!

​Alala Point is the highest point at the entrance to Lanikai. In July 2019, LKOC completed a landscape refurbishment project in the upper parking lot across the street from the stone pillar overlooking Kailua bay. New lawn and wax ficus hedges were installed. The Community Service Workline (CSW) from the Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) had been continuing its long-standing maintenance of the entire Alala Point area under LKOC auspices. Then with the arrival of the pandemic, WCCC was forced into a lockdown, and the new landscaping at Alala Point suffered. In the interim, a small group of LKOC volunteers and community members kept the area weeded and mowed. A spraying of the invasive grasses by our contractor, Steve Dewald, was also extremely helpful, and as a result, the new wax ficus hedge and lawn continued to do very well. In November 2020, the CSW women were back on line, and the area is once again beautifully maintained.

​The Oneawa Street Tree Project is LKOC’s latest beautification venture. In mid-August 2020, at LKOC’s behest, a city crew installed eight new white Tecoma and silver buttonwood trees along Oneawa between Kawainui Street and Kuulei Road to replace those that had been removed over the past twenty years due to age and deterioration. Each tree was fertilized, mulched, staked, and a water bag was installed. Thanks to Island Landscaping and Maintenance who did the installation for the city. Now we can all look forward to a nice bower of trees along the street. 

During the pandemic, LKOC’s “Learning to Grow” (LTG) students at the Women’s Community Correctional Center were still able to produce hydroponic lettuce crops for sale at Foodland stores on Oahu, even though the facility was in lockdown for eight months, and our volunteers were unable to enter. This is a wonderful testament to the outstanding job the dedicated LKOC volunteers have done over the years in providing training and expertise to these students who maintain LKOC’s garden nursery on the prison grounds. The students have handled the whole planting cycle from seed to harvest, and LKOC volunteers have continued to deliver the boxes of lettuce to Foodland. 
 
In addition, the LTG students continued to grow vegetables for the prison cafeteria, as well as nurture and care for a small herd of four goats in LKOC’s “Goats in the Garden” program.
 
LKOC also owes a debt of gratitude to the prison staff for supporting the LTG program and the garden nursery in their absence. In November 2020, LKOC volunteers were once again allowed access to the facility on a limited basis, and they look forward to enhancing the program once pandemic restrictions are fully lifted.

​Despite the pandemic, LKOC continued its landscape cleanups on the grounds of Kalama Beach Park (the iconic Boettcher Estate) in Kailua, which it performs through the city’s Adopt-a-Park (Hoa Paka) program. In February, 2021, Pali Lions Club volunteers provided us with a workforce to tackle the removal of invasive elephant grass, as well as the removal of a large green-debris pile that had collected over time.  Four truckloads of green waste were hauled away. More cleanups are scheduled for late Spring.

Diane Harding, President, Lani-Kailua Branch
​For more information on LKOC, visit their website at Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle.

Pandemic Pivot  ​

Fourteen people of all ages volunteered at Kānewai Community Park on August 21, 2021, to pick up litter. Special thanks to everyone who helped, including our Mānoa Outdoor Circle board members Jackie Osumi and Gerry Ralston. I really appreciate them making time on a Saturday morning to join me at the park clean up.
​
Mālama pono,
Vanessa Distajo, Vice President, Manoa Branch

For more information about the Manoa Outdoor Circle, please check their website at: Manoa Outdoor Circle.

On July 15th, 2021, the North Shore Outdoor Circle had its first field trip since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. It was very exciting to be with a small, but devoted group.
​
Joe Wat, Kelly Perry, and Daniel, gave us a tour of their facilities, and the grounds. They told us how they are following their mission to provide students from grades K through 12 with hands-on experiences which will enhance their appreciation for and understanding of their environment.

The Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle's Community Garden has 72 - 10' X 4' garden plots. Several gardeners have more than one plot because it's hard to stop once you start planting. 
 
Although the gardeners try almost every known warm weather species of fruit and vegetable with varying degrees of success, several species grow best in our harsh environment. Most garden plots have windbreaks attached as the trade winds can gust up to 50 mph.
 
Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, Swiss chard, kale, herbs, moringa, pigeon peas and okra are successfully grown year-round. Lettuce, peas, cilantro and other cool weather loving plants do well during the winter months. 
 
One of our gardeners built a butterfly house, growing milkweed & crown flower to feed the Monarch caterpillars in a secure environment away from the deadly wasps. 
Liberated Monarchs fly drunkenly around the garden. 
 
Our perimeter hog-wire fence excludes the goats and pigs that frequent the area. So far, so good as long as no one leaves the gate open. 
 
Visitors are welcome to stroll about and often do. Only rarely do fruits and vegetables 'disappear.' Our garden is a pretty happy place where everyone seems to get along in spite of our differences.

In the early years of The Outdoor Circle, neighborhood groups of volunteers concentrated on planting shade trees in their parks and on their streets. They soon realized they could not do all of this planting by themselves, so, in 1922, lobbied the City to form the Shade Tree Commission to help. This group eventually transitioned to become the City Parks Board in 1931, with its work later incorporated by the Division of Urban Forestry in the Honolulu City and County Department of Parks and Recreation under the new city charter. Thanks to our efforts, shade trees line our city streets and grace our public parks.

In 1914, The Outdoor Circle also hired Honolulu’s first tree trimmer, Mr. Olivera, (for 25 cents an hour) to properly maintain the trees they had planted. It also became apparent that these trees needed protection, and in 1920, at the behest of The Outdoor Circle, a City ordinance was passed making “cruelty to trees illegal.” This ordinance is still in effect today, stating “It shall be unlawful for any person to injure or destroy street trees in any manner or by any means.” Thanks to our early efforts efforts, vandalism of trees along our streets is illegal and punishable by fines of up to $500.