 The North Shore Outdoor Circle has been offering these fabulous reusable shopping bags for sale. The bags hold a surprising amount. They can fit two gallon milk jugs, a bottle of wine, and various fruits and veggies. The handles are strong and comfortable, and it folds up small enough to easily fit into a purse. Cost is $15.00 each. Please contact Vera Stone at (808) 479-8502 for more information on purchasing a bag or if you are interested in having bags printed for your own branch. Mahalo! On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors, you are warmly invited to join us for one or both of our annual meetings: the Full Circle Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the membership.
2016 ANNUAL FULL CIRCLE MEETING | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM 2016 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING | 4:00 – 5:00 PM Saturday, August 27, 2016 Honey’s Restaurant at the Ko`olau Golf Club 45-550 Kionaole Road, Kaneohe, Hawai’i 96744 Please make your reservation by August 22, 2016 | Lunch is $25 per person At the annual meeting (4:00-5:00 p.m.) we will elect and install a new Board of Directors, as well as honor our longtime supporters. At the Full Circle meeting (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) members are invited to come learn about the actions and programs of our eight branches state-wide. Branches will share their accomplishments, and we will review our strategic plan, look toward future issues/needs, and envision our next year priorities. A no-host lunch will be served. You can make your reservation for the Full Circle Meeting Luncheon online by visiting our website at: www.outdoorcircle.org. On our website, you can also get more information about the meetings, including a map and a schedule of events. Please call us at 593-0300 if you have any questions. Otherwise, we look forward to greeting you at the meeting. Board of Directors 2016 – 2017 Steve Mechler, President TBD, Vice President Kathleen Bryan, Treasurer Paula Ress, Secretary Cheryl Langton, Branch Representative Josie Bidgood, Advisor Diane Harding, Advisor Kaui Lucas, Advisor Michael Moskowitz, Director Elizabeth O’Sullivan, Director John-Carl Watson, Director  The Outdoor Circle presented a magical evening at the historic Nutridge Estate on May 7, 2016. Guests were greeted by a trio of young musicians Usaburo Mendenhall, Kama Higa, and Toshio Mendenhall, then enjoyed the spectacular views from high above Tantalus with pre-concert music by Bradley Kawakami and Ellsworth Simeona. Everyone then enjoyed a magnificent luau buffet by Chef Chai before wonderful performances by Na Hoku Award winning musicians, Sean Na’auao, Waipuna, and HAPA. Thank you to all who joined us for our fundraising event and much appreciation to all the volunteers, venue staff, and musicians who helped create a very special evening.   Aloha TOC Membership, As we wind down this year I have been thinking a lot about ghosts. Good ghosts, the ghosts of our Outdoor Circle foremothers. There have been many times during my service as president that I have wished for access to their knowledge, desired greater courage in the face of the constant assault on what we believe in, but mostly the support and deeper understanding of the journey we have traveled as the oldest environmental organization in arguably the most beautiful place on the planet. I do not believe this desire to communicate with those connected with the TOC past is unique to me. The next board president(s) will no doubt encounter situations and have these same feelings and needs. For this reason, I have decided to start “The Presidents Club.” This will be an informal association of individuals who have served as President, Executive Director, or as an officer on the Board of Directors in the past. The core mission of this group would be to provide institutional knowledge and guidance on an “as needed” advisory level out of the limelight. This will give the current president something that I have coveted this year. It will grant access to past relationships and specific knowledge of events that have transpired in the past that they would not otherwise be privy to. To all the “living ghosts” of TOC reading this, if this kind of service appeals to you, please contact me through the TOC office. It would be an honor to begin this process of pooling our shared experience and knowledge. Last but certainly not least, I would like to take this opportunity to do something that all of us can never ever do enough of - to our entire office staff, Winston, Jackie, and Myles, you have been simply amazing this year. You were handed a very difficult task and performed beyond all expectations. It has been a pleasure working with you this year and I am honored to have had the experience. Mike McFarlane, President  Aloha Outdoor Circle!
I recently had someone describe our organization in this way: “An invisible and powerful force that protects our sense of place.” I thought about that description later and decided it was quite profound. Without much fanfare, and often without any recognition at all, The Outdoor Circle continues to protect our sense of place in a countless number of ways. So please allow me to begin by extending a well deserved mahalo to each and every one of you for what you do every day. Collectively, YOU are the powerful force that protects our sense of place. While our tag line keeping Hawai‘i “Clean, Green and Beautiful” will continue to guide us, we find ourselves in a period of transition at The Outdoor Circle. To steer us through this transition we have been blessed with our new Executive Director Winston Welch, our new Operations Director Jackie Wah, and of course, Myles Ritchie whose work you all are familiar with. Although our “Dream Team’s” efforts have been largely invisible to most of you, their hard work is now starting to show everywhere around The Outdoor Circle. All you need to do is to step foot inside of our offices to notice, and even feel, this transformation taking place. Thanks to your membership dues, some diligent fundraising, and a generous gift by The Sally Edwards Foundation, I can proudly report that we are once again on solid financial ground as an organization. Our board is now thankful for the opportunity to now consider investing in our core staff who have done a full-time job up until now on a part-time salary. Looking forward in the second half of this year, we will be turning our focus on finding ways that will allow us to refine our development and fundraising programs. These essential steps should set the foundation of stability for the next century, and beyond. Our Exceptional Tree Map is a continued source of organizational pride and also become a key component of our transformation. Since we completed the daunting task of collecting the data last summer, we have been talking a lot internally about our next steps with our map. With Myles in the lead, we are moving away from the Google Map platform to ArcGIS online. This is going to not only make the map far more user friendly with its mobile application, but this new cutting edge platform opens the door for the possibility of our map funding itself by allowing us to share our unique data with other online maps. I am very excited to announce that we have been approached by the City and County of Honolulu and are working on a memorandum of understanding. When complete, this will forge a partnership that would allow the Exceptional Trees to be pinpointed on their maps for planning and permitting. In turn, this partnership will open up funding sources for map development that have been previously unavailable to us. Lastly, I hope that you will join us at the Nutridge Estate on Tantalus for our first annual “Sunset in the Forest” concert on May 7th featuring Na Hoku Hanohano award winning musicians Sean Na‘auao, HAPA, and Waipuna. It will be an opportunity to listen to wonderful music under the trees and reflect on the past, present, and future of The Outdoor Circle. Please check our website at outdoorcircle.org to get more information and purchase your tickets. It is going to an amazing evening you will not want to miss! On behalf of our Board of Directors, it has been an honor to serve you for the past six months. A hui hou, Mike McFarlane  Source: Edward_Clifford_(1844-1907) "The Outdoor Circle is delighted to release this issue of the Greenleaf highlighting some of the events for this Spring planned by the state organization and its branches, showcasing two new branches, The Next Generation and Greater Waikiki Branch, and inform you of other news of interest from The Outdoor Circle.
At our state office headquarters on King Street, we have had two new additions to the staff. Jackie Wah has taken over as Operations Director, and runs many of the needed daily office functions, as well as coordinates with other staff, volunteers, branches and board members. Jackie brings a wealth of experience to this position and has been a long-time resident of Hawai‘i. Myles Ritchie, our Exceptional Trees map creator and with TOC for two years continues to take on other initiatives and works with outreach with branches and schools as well. I have been fortunate to have been offered the position Executive Director and have been becoming much more familiar with all of the facets and history of the organization, its current issues and challenges, and had the pleasure of working with an incredible staff, board, volunteers, and members. The excellent reputation of The Outdoor Circle and its amazing legacy of over 100 years of protecting and enhancing Hawai‘i's beauty is a main reason I wanted to work here, and that has been confirmed many times over by members of our community who relay their thanks for all that TOC has done over the years and the respect they have for the organization. That said, our work is never complete, and we have new initiatives and projects coming up, which include enhancing our Exceptional Trees map into apps for smartphones, working on walking tours of those trees and other heritage trees, following environmental legislative proposals, and working to increase public awareness of the organization and all that it does. We have an exciting "Sunset in the Forest Concert” fundraiser scheduled in Honolulu on Saturday, May 7th, at a beautiful rainforest venue, the historic Nutridge Estate, home to Hawai‘i’s oldest macadamia nut plantation. The concert will feature three Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning artists: Sean Na‘auao, HAPA, and Waipuna. Please come support the good work TOC does by attending this concert. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit outdoorcircle.org. April events at a few of our branches include the Waimea Outdoor Circle, which will had its Educational Pavilion Blessing Ceremony for the Waimea Nature Park on April 9th. The Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle will have its annual "I Love Kailua" Town Party on April 24th, from 11 am - 4 pm and, on the same day, the Manoa Outdoor Circle will have its "1000 Tree Giveaway" from 8 am - 12 pm. Please help support these branches by attending these wonderful events. Finally, thanks to you, The Outdoor Circle members, friends and supporters--without you, our work could not continue. Please get involved with your local branch in whatever capacity you can, join or renew your membership with TOC, gift a membership, "like us" on Facebook, and please remember The Outdoor Circle in your planned giving, leaving a legacy that will help Hawai‘i to remain clean, green and beautiful for years to come. Mahalo, Winston Welch Executive Director  Please join The Outdoor Circle for a sunset concert on Saturday, May 7, 2016, set at the majestic Nutridge Estate on Tantalus. We will be presenting three Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning artists: Sean Na‘auao, HAPA, and Waipuna,
The breathtaking venue is under a canopy of majestic trees in an intimate 250-seat covered theater in the rainforest. There will be pre-concert entertainment while you enjoy light pupus by Chef Chai at this one-of-a-kind venue that overlooks the leeward side of Oahu. The Nutridge Estate is home to Hawai‘i’s oldest macadamia nut tree grove and provides an extraordinary view of Honolulu and the coastline to the horizon beyond with spectacular sunsets. A no-host bar will be open until after the intermission between acts. This will certainly be an unforgettable evening so please reserve your tickets now. For more information or to purchase tickets, please go to www.outdoorcircle.org. Please Help Us Spread the Word We are working hard to fill the house and would appreciate your help. A table here, a ticket there all adds up! Here are some ways you can assist us in spreading the word: • If you follow TOC on Facebook, share every single new post about the May 7th concert. • If you don’t follow TOC on Facebook, please “like” our page today. https://www.facebook.com/TheOutdoorCircle/ • Email information about the series and the link to the TOC website to your personal contacts. • The cost of sponsorship or an individual table for the concert begins at $2,500. If your employer, friends or connections are interested in seeing a great show and supporting TOC, please direct them to our website for information. They can also call the TOC office at (808) 593-0300. • Individual tickets are $150 ($50 is tax deductible). We hope you will attend and direct your business colleagues and friends to the TOC website for complete information. We invite all of our members and supporters to come and enjoy an evenings of entertainment and beauty all while supporting a great cause!  LKOC volunteers were out in force at Kalama Beach Park, the historic Beottcher Estate in Kailua, to remove invasive species that had overrun parts of the landscaping there. In particular, the naupaka, which LKOC had replanted there 10 years ago, was being strangled by ivy gourd and other vines, as well as been invaded by Christmas berry and other unwanted shrubbery. Thanks to these dedicated volunteers, the naupaka on the makai side of the property has now been revitalized and should start to thrive again!
This effort could not have been done without the wonderful help of LKOC member Paula Ress, who coordinated the event with City and County Department of Parks and Recreation officials, and to Jay Floan from Pali Lanes Lions Club, for generously offering the services of their crew of volunteer members. By: Diane Harding, President, Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle  The Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle rang in the New Year with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement. In 2015, the Circle completed a number of projects such as an interactive children’s table at the Wiliwili Festival, the Blue Zone’s sign waving fundraiser, community outreach with the annual plant sale, participation in the Mauna Lani Charity Trees event, the first ever Waikoloa median Christmas decorating with invites to all Waikoloa non-profits and churches, plus a petition to Hawaii County Parks and Recreation to say “yes” to the Circle planting shade trees at Ho’oko St. Playground/Park. The Circle will continue this trend in 2016 with yet more activities and events. Volunteer numbers have grown substantially in the past few months. They are planning to enhance the Waikoloa community even more this year. Shade trees at Ho’oko St. Park: WVOC approached County Parks and Rec. for permission to plant shade trees at the park,and will continue to send letters to the County requesting that trees be planted there. In an effort to push for this, they had a table in front of the Waikoloa Village Market for three days in January, and were able to garner a significant amount of donations. As always, they are looking for volunteers to share their passion for keeping Hawai‘i “Clean, Green and Beautiful.” If you want to volunteer, they need you! Please contact Sally Mazzarella at 808-896-6967.  The Blessing of the Waimea Outdoor Circle's Educational Pavilion kicked off their Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 9th at Ulu La‘au the Waimea Nature Park. The education center has been a long range goal of WOC and was made possible through generous monetary and in-kind donations from private foundations and individuals. It will provide a much needed venue for a wide range of classes, workshops and community events at the nature park.
The plant sale offered free heirloom seeds and plants and complimentary Tropical Dreams ice cream and cake. Native plants and trees, fruit trees, herbs and vegetable starts, along with ornamentals, arts, crafts and more were also available for sale, as well as informational exhibits, including a demonstration on how to use GPS coordinates to map the trees in the park. Diana Duff, organic farmer, educator and writer assisted with a seed exchange fir members to share or trade. Members also learned more about the Ohia Wilt (Rapid Ohia Death) and how to keep the community Coqui free. Keiki activities included a free “paint a pot and plant a flower, participants took their creations home with them. The Nature Park is located behind Canada France Hawaii Telescope and plenty of parking is available. For more information email wochawaii@gmail.com or call 443-4482 and leave a message. By: Cheryl Langton  Dozens of Kailua restaurants and eateries are preparing for the 24th annual “I Love Kailua” Town Party, taking place on Kailua Road from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 24.
While the food is always a highlight of this annual gathering, the Town Party is also an opportunity for shopping, entertainment and family fun. Over 50 Windward artists and hand crafters will have their work on sale; there will be plants and orchid displays and sales; a keiki fun zone with rides and activities; and a variety of community groups will have information to share. The festivities will be opened by Michael W. Perry, followed by ongoing live entertainment all day at center stage. As the event approaches, to get the latest information, please go to http://www.lanikailuaoutdoorcircle.org/index/Kailua_Town_Party  1000 Tree Giveaway to be held in Manoa April 24 The Manoa Branch of the Outdoor Circle and Malama Manoa will host the “1,000 TREE GIVEAWAY” on Sunday, April 24 at Manoa Valley District Park Pavilion. More than 1,000 trees and plants will be given away, free of charge, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 12 noon. For information call 222-5235.
Why give away 1,000 trees? “Our urban forest is diminishing day by day,” said Dr. Jeremy Lam, chair of the event. “We hope the community will join us in this small step to increase the shade, diminish the glare, and make our island healthier and more beautiful.” Attendees will be given a choice from dozens of fruit, shade, and endemic trees including kukui nut, mountain apple, coconut, kamani nut, plumeria, sea grape, hau, monkey pod, papaya and avocado trees; as well as monstera, spider lilies, taro, aloe, valentine vines, staghorn ferns, dracaena and grape ivy—and more! Arborists will be on hand to answer questions and give advice on the care and planting of trees. Boy Scouts from Troop One will assist with loading. A few more benefits trees bring to urban areas:
The Manoa Branch of the Outdoor Circle was formed in 2014 and works to keep Hawaii clean, green and beautiful. Malama Manoa was founded in January 1992. Its mission is to promote community; to celebrate our cultural diversity and heritage; and to preserve, protect and enhance the special qualities of historic Manoa Valley. Both have websites: outdoorcircle.org and malamamanoa.org. By: Jeremy Lam, President, Manoa Outdoor Circle  Photo: Waikiki.com Waikiki is arguably the most beautiful destination in the world. It is also the economic engine of the State of Hawai‘i and the center of its thriving international tourism industry. Each day about 150,000 people are in Waikiki to work, play and live and roughly 40,000 residents call it home. Among the many reasons it is such an acclaimed paradise are its stunning heritage of trees and its freedom from the visual blight of billboards and most other forms of outdoor advertising.
Yet most people today are unaware that the foundation of much of Waikiki’s successful beauty lies in pioneering work by The Outdoor Circle (“TOC”) started nearly one hundred years ago. Many of the majestic heritage trees were planted or planned by TOC and the statewide outdoor advertising control laws were the result of more than a decade of diligent TOC campaigning. But this success can no longer be taken for granted as relentless commercial and political pressures continually challenge our unique environment with huge building developments and new forms of outdoor advertising. As a result, The Outdoor Circle recently approved the charter of our new Greater Waikiki Branch to raise awareness of the organization’s historic role in keeping the city and its parks “Clean, Green and Beautiful”. As the first urban branch of TOC we are aware that it needs to be quite different - with fresh ideas for its young mission, membership and methods. Our district includes Waikiki, from the encircling Ala Wai Canal to the beaches, and both Kapiolani and Ala Moana Parks. Our first priority is to complete the development of an entirely new online GIS mapping system that will allow users to view multiple maps of our trees, walks and historic structures - all right from their smartphones as well as home computers or laptops. Tree-loving watchdogs will also have information on what to do if you see a tree under threat. We will in addition provide the ability to check on your phone if a suspect advertising sign is legal and what to do if it not. We have recently begun working with a coalition of state, city, county and community organization partners to bring to fruition the “Lei of Parks” greenways from Diamond Head to Downtown. There is renewed focus on Livability as an essential quality of our life in Waikiki. Stay tuned for news of our forthcoming launch events. Please contact us if you would like to help by emailing: brian@outdoorcircle.org. By: Brian Bagnall, President, Waikiki Branch Outdoor Circle  For over 104 years, The Outdoor Circle has strived and successfully been able to protect Hawai‘i’s natural landscape from numerous threats. The organization is highly respected across the State and is a brand with immense power when mobilized against threats against keeping Hawai‘i clean, green and beautiful. Now there is an additional resource that TOC has aiding its cause, the Next Generation Branch (NGB), which formed in October of 2015.
Founded by Myles Ritchie (President) and Blaze Smith (Vice President), the NGB was designed to attract a different demographic than has been traditionally associated with The Outdoor Circle. Individuals aged 18-30 are the primary target members of this new branch with the hopes of bringing different perspectives to ongoing and hot-topic environmental issues. While this is merely the targeted age, no one will be turned away due to their age, and all are welcomed to join this branch. On top of bringing alternative solutions to problems threatening the environmental beauty of the islands, the NGB has been designed to carryout frequent hands-on activities and beautification events to better not only the environment itself, but also the greater Hawaiian community as a whole. Each month, the NGB holds at least one beautification event ranging from park and stream cleanups to tree plantings. As of now, there have already been three events put on by the NGB as seen with a cleanup/planting at the Manoa Public Library (in partnership with the Manoa Branch), a massive cleanup at Ala Moana Park and the latest being a stream cleanup on March 5th in partnership with the Honolulu Botanical Gardens at their Lili’uokalani location. As of yet, in only a few short months, The Next Generation Branch has had 80 members sign up to be apart of this newly formed Outdoor Circle branch focused on hands-on activities and events. With an overwhelmingly positive response from Next Generation Branch members, other TOC branches and various City and County departments (active partnerships are currently being formed to facilitate future events), there appears to be no limit as to how successful this new branch can be. As time progresses, the Next Generation Branch is excited to work with other TOC branches and community groups to help keep Hawaii clean, green and beautiful for generations to come. With that being said, it is time to get outside, protect the environment, plant new trees and make a positive difference for all who call our beautiful Hawaiian paradise home. Should you or anyone you know wish to participate in any Next Generation Branch events, please visit “The Outdoor Circle - Next Generation Branch” Facebook page, or contact Myles Ritchie (myles@outdoorcircle.org) or Blaze Smith (blaze@outdoorcircle.org) for more details. We look forward to seeing you soon at an upcoming event.  As a supporter of The Outdoor Circle, making a difference in keeping our islands beautiful and green is important to you. Charitable giving can be a way to extend your support by ensuring that the organizations and causes you care about today, like The Outdoor Circle, continue to survive and thrive well into the future. We are pleased to announce we have begun a partnership with the Hawai‘i Community Foundation to continue your relationship with The Outdoor Circle in a “Give Beyond Your Years” campaign. This effort involves 99 other selected non-profits in Hawaii. TOC will be working with HCF which will enable us to continue to do TOC's good work of keeping Hawai‘i "Clean, Green and Beautiful." The good news is you do not have to be Warren Buffet or Bill Gates to start a meaningful philanthropic legacy. In addition to supporting the work of The Outdoor Circle through cash donations, memberships, and fundraisers, consider making a planned gift. WHAT IS PLANNED GIVING? Planned giving is a win-win approach to philanthropic donations that supports The Outdoor Circle and can benefit you now or in the future. Simply put, “planned giving” is the transfer of assets to a designated nonprofit organization during a lifetime or as part of an estate plan. This forward-thinking approach to giving is “planned” because often these assets are not liquid, have tax consequences and are generally transferred via a trust, will or other written means. It’s easy. Planned giving is easy to do and you don’t have to be wealthy to do it. Whether it is naming The Outdoor Circle in your will or trust for a modest amount, or a gift of house and property, there is an easy option that is right for you. It can involve assets you might never think of. A life insurance policy. Real estate. Stocks. Business holdings. A checking or savings account. These are all assets that can be leveraged in planned gifts. It can generate an income stream. In return for the donation of real estate, stocks or other assets, donors can receive a series of regular payments. It can provide generous tax benefits. Depending upon the type of gift, short-term and/or long-term tax benefits may apply. Donors at a variety of income levels can benefit. Be sure to consult with your financial or estate planner for more specifics. It can work in tandem with other family priorities. Planned giving is not an “all or nothing” option. Gifts can exist side-by-side with other beneficiaries and personal priorities. It is long remembered. Your legacy gifts will allow you to ‘give beyond your years’ to an organization that you love and that you know does critical work in keeping Hawaii clean, green and beautiful. Please talk to your financial advisor or estate planning attorney today about including The Outdoor Circle in your planned giving.  Please note: The Hawai‘i Community Foundation nor The Outdoor Circle provide legal or tax advice. All donors and advisors should consult their tax advisors to properly determine the tax consequences of making a charitable gift.
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Welina!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. Categories
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