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LKOC Beautification & Educational Outreach Projects Continue During the Pandemic Pali Palms Triangle
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  Alala Point 2020 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. Oneawa Street Tree Project  Newly Planted Silver Trumpet Trees 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. Learning to Grow  Goats in the Garden 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. Kalama Beach Park Clean-Up
Before and After Photos of Kalama Beach Park Green-Debris Cleanup 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. Comments are closed.
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Welina!The Greenleaf is the online newsletter and blog of The Outdoor Circle. Here you will find updates on the projects and accomplishments of our many branches throughout the state, as well as programs with statewide impact. Archives
September 2023
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