The 2015 Full Circle and Annual Meeting was consolidated into one full-day event which took place on August 8, 2015 at Honey's Restaurant at the Ko'olau Golf Club. For those who missed it, the following is a report on the programs and discussions that took place.

Waimea Outdoor Circle held its Annual Luncheon/Meeting on Saturday, May 16th at the Waikii Ranch Clubhouse.  "Discover what you never knew about the Circle, its history and accomplishments" was the theme of the event.  A delicious buffet lunch provided by Red Water Café and awards were presented to special Nature Park volunteers.  Special guests talked about Hawaii’s Blue Zone and there was a short meeting with election of new officers for 2015-2016.

Waimea Outdoor Circle announces another volunteer day in Ulu La'au, the Waimea Nature Park, this Saturday, April 18, 9:00-Noon.

There are jobs for all ages and abilities, no knowledge of Hawaiian plants is necessary, we will happily train. Water, gloves and tools are provided as is a snack of fresh fruit and home baked cookies served at noon.

We have the 3rd graders from Waimea Elementary coming next week and in preparation for them mulching trees with mac nut mulch we need to weed the areas they will be working in before the mulch is applied. Co-chair Carol Hendricks will direct you to the places she needs worked on.

Regular mowing and weed eating will also be done as the rain has everything growing rapidly.  

Waimea Nature Park is a project of Waimea Outdoor Circle created joyfully by 100% volunteer work from everyone, including people like you. The park is open during daylight hours and closes at 5:30 PM. The park is located directly behind Canada France Hawaii Telescope offices on Mamalahoa Hwy. Look for the Hawaiian Warrior sign on the CFH lawn and turn into the no name road there that leads directly into the park. Please do not park on the CFH lawn, the Nature Park has plenty of parking available. For more information contact park co-chairs Carol Hendricks at 885-4453, Roz Wright at 885-2763 or park maintenance chair Ken Block at 885-4753.

Photo above is of one of the many memorial trees in the Park. This is Brigitte Rutger's ohia, located just above the waterfall in bed "G". It is full of liko and flowers, truly a living memory for a wonderful lady, one of Waimea Outdoor Circle's founders.  
Photo by Ken Block

Waimea Outdoor Circle announces another volunteer day in Ulu La'au, the Waimea Nature Park, this Saturday, December 13, 9:00-Noon. 
Jobs to do:
Taking down a multi-trunk mao hau hele which is leaning over a walking path in lower bed "E".
Taking down a dead koai'a in bed "D". 

There are jobs for all ages and abilities, no knowledge of Hawaiian plants is necessary, we will happily train. Water, gloves and tools are provided as is a snack of fresh fruit and home baked cookies served at noon.
    
Waimea Nature Park is a project of Waimea Outdoor Circle created joyfully by 100% volunteer work from everyone, including people like you. The park is open during daylight hours and closes at 5:30 PM. The park is located directly behind Canada France Hawaii Telescope offices on Mamalahoa Hwy. Look for the Hawaiian Warrior sign on the CFH lawn and turn into the no name road there that leads directly into the park. Please do not park on the CFH lawn, the Nature Park has plenty of parking available. See waimeaoutdoorcircle.org for a map and other information. Or contact park co-chairs Carol Hendricks at 885-4453, Roz Wright at 885-2763 or park maintenance chair Ken Block at 885-4753.

Photo credit: one of our banners mounted on Ken's truck, ready for the Christmas parade, photo by Ken Block

On Sunday, June 29th, eleven WOC volunteers worked for about three hours cleaning, weeding, trimming and sprucing up the center of town by taking part in Matson's Ka Ipu Aina community program.   We made a noticeable difference and it was a fun project.  This event raised $1,000 for Waimea Outdoor Circle!

Local woodworkers volunteered to turn trees killed by vandals into beautiful works of art, and donate the majority of proceeds to the Waimea Outdoor Circle. 20 years ago, WOC helped volunteers landscape and plant trees in the newly opened Anuenue Playground.  Two years ago, vandals stripped the outer bark from seven of the trees, ultimately killing them.  While WOC volunteers set to work re-planting the playground with Ohia trees, woodworkers set to turning the dead Koa trees into bowls, bracelets, and another beautiful works of art.  The woodworkers have generously given 75% of all proceeds from the sale of these pieces to WOC in support of keeping this amazing community clean, green, and beautiful. 

Read more:

http://northhawaiinews.com/sections/news/salvaging-something-positive.html

One of the first memorial trees Waimea Outdoor Circle volunteers planted in the Waimea Nature Park was to Christine Snyder, The Outdoor Circle's arborist that was killed in the plane on September 11th in Pennsylvania. 

Waimea branch members recently replaced the fading plaque with this new and larger one, which can be found at the base of a large Koai'a tree on the meadow, near the concrete bench. Members place an American flag and flowers there every September 11th and 4th of July.

 For almost 15 years, Waimea branch members have volunteered their time to maintain this 10-acre public, botanical park in the heart of Waimea Town. Click here to learn more about the "Ulu La'au Nature Park." 

Watch for your membership renewal postcard in the mail!

The Outdoor Circle will be mailing membership renewals for all members in the beginning of April.  

To be efficient, we encourage you to submit your membership form and annual dues online by clicking here.  This not only saves our trees, but reduces the costs of printing, postage, and data entry. 

Renew by June 1, 2014 to ensure you are on the list to receive important updates, including an invitation to our Annual Meeting and election of officers to be held in August and our next convention of members, "The Full Circle."  
 
If you have renewed your membership since the Fall, then your membership is current and you will not be receiving a postcard in the mail.  Your membership will be up for renewal on June 1, 2015. 

If you mail in your membership dues to the office (1314 S. King St. #306 Honolulu 96822), then please be sure to include a note indicating the branches you would like to join and your email address.  Click here to download a membership form. 

If you have any questions about the membership renewal process, call the office at 808-593-0300.

This is also a great time to help new members join The Circle. Ask your friends and family if they appreciate the natural beauty of Hawaii -- and if they do, then they should help support The Circle's work by becoming a member.