This weekend(1/28-1/30) we were able to get out to Hakalau 3 days. Here's what we got done.
Friday- I was able to meet with my co-worker who runs a cattle ranch. He was nice enough to come out to Hakalau and give me his opinion on using cattle to maintain the bottom section of the property. We decided that using electric fencing would not be a good idea and that we should wait until we have a high quality hog wire fence before using animals to graze. I was also able to cut and lay out a bunch of weed mat.
Saturday- Jake met me in the morning and we cut up some weed mat. We now have more than enough prepared for the 500 trees that we have ready for out planting. Kekua arrived with lunch and we went through the areas designated for kalo. We had a good time planting ~300 huli(30 piko uaua, the rest lehua). We have about 200 more huli that Kekua will plant some time this week. While planting we talked about goals for kalo production and the alternative farming methods that we want to employ. We are very excited about this endeavor. We hope we can succeed in collecting and maintaining 5-10 valuable maoli strains and starting a taro breeding program, all while producing the highest quality poi. I do not know of anyone else incorporating kalo into a native reforestation plan and kekua and I are thankful for the opportunity to try it out. We were lucky to get a good rain today to help the kalo get established.
kalo varieties kalo breeding
Sunday-Lahela and I drove out to Hakalau and layed out some weed mats. Mom and Uncle Timmy were nice enough to watch Hāwelelani so that we could get some work done. We prepared enough mats for ~300 koaiʻa. Earlier in the week I purchased wire to make some pins. I think we found the right length and design for pins strong enough to withstand some decent wind.
I hope to do a koaia out planting this Saturday 2/6. If I can lay out more weed mat I would like to plant 500 trees. I hope this date will work for everyone, but we can postpone if need be.
I am curious to see what the property looks like after our unusually heavy rains today. Hopefully there was not too much runoff with all the bare dirt. We are reforesting this ʻāina to prevent this very scenario, but are at the mercy of the rain until the trees get established.
Mahalo everyone for your help and hopefully we can have a successful planting day this Saturday.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Aloha ʻaina
Take care of the land and everything will be taken care of.
Since starting this blog I have had updates and pictures to post, but never really took the time to share manaʻo or a mission statement with everyone. In today's world no one seems to have the time or energy to care for the land. It is hard enough to cut our grass and maintain our yards, should we expect people to contemplate whether grass is what the land wants to have growing on it? In a better world we would.
It seems that everyone has been infused, consciously or not with the notion that God gave man "dominion" over the Earth and that the Earth's primary function is to provide us with what we need and desire. This differs drastically and is the antithesis to what the Hawaiians believed about the ʻāina. "O ka ʻāina ke aliʻi, ke kanaka ke kauwā." Our ancestors recognized the endless value of their natural resources and gave the ʻāina the respect and reverence that it deserves. In the Kumulipo, man is the youngest sibling to hāloa, the trees, the birds, the fish and even the dirt. The kanaka's kuleana was to be the caretaker for all the older ʻōhana. How has our view become so skewed? We must humble ourselves and realize that we need the Earth, the Earth does not need us.
Humans are dependant on the Earth for our water, our food and even our air; and what do we give the Earth in return? We cannot even take the time to consider the outcome of our lifestyles. Some estimate that prior to the arrival of Captain Cook the native population could have been as high as 800,000-1,000,000 kanaka maoli, an amount only slightly lower than today's population. Prior to western contact all the food consumed in Hawaii came from Hawaii. Today Hawaii imports 90 percent of our food!!! The truly sad thing is that back when our ʻāina supported all of our food needs our resources were far less strained than they are now that they only support 10 percent our food needs. Our fisheries have been decimated and many species of fish may never be able to recover. Most of the plants used in everyday life by hawaiians are on the verge of extinction if not already gone. How could this gross mismanagement of our resources have taken place under our noses. We have allowed ourselves to take what we want without heed to the natural cycles of life. It is hard to stand against the current of resource exploitation in this dog eat dog world, but with our global ecosystem on the verge of catastrophic collapse we must find a way to exist in a more pono manner. To me pono does not just mean righteous, nor is it a static state that we can remain in. To me it is pure intent in the pursuit of righteousness. In our lives we may make mistakes and do hewa, but if our intentions are pure and we see the folly of our ways we can remain pono. We must apply this manaʻo to our the way we manage our resources. We must see that every thing we do, everything we consume has a reaction. We must hold ourselves accountable and keep our intentions pono so that the reactions that we cause may be positive.
I said earlier that the Earth does not need us. By us I meant humanity as a whole and the effect that we cumulatively have on the Earth. What the Earth does need is enlightened individuals who can envision a better way of living. Kanaka with the courage to live true to their ideals of a better more sustainable world and can inspire others to follow.
Uluhou, new growth, like fresh shoots emerging from the stump of a once great tree. This is what I envision for Hakalau. After generations of being bent to human desire, thousands of gallons of chemicals, countless tons of soil loss, and the removal of diverse ecosystems to make way for mono culture crops, this ʻāina will have a chance to be heard. I pray that we might be receptive to her voice and that our actions will be in accordance with the desires of this land. How can we hear the voice of the ʻāina? The same way we hear the holy spirit, by faith.
Take care of the land first. This manaʻo will dictate all work done on this āina. If your main objective is to make money, go someplace else. Even food production will have to be done with the overall health of the ʻāina in mind. If we all end up broke, but the land is better off, we will have succeeded. In today's world this may seem illogical and absurd, but I believe this is the right direction for this ʻāina and for all of the world. This would not be possible without the support of our aunty Liz. There is no way that I could buy a piece of property and expect to make zero profit off of it. This project will take the same generosity from our whole ʻōhana in different forms to succeed. I know that we will make mistakes, but I hope that along our journey will 'imi pono no ka ʻāina and inspire others to do the same.
Since starting this blog I have had updates and pictures to post, but never really took the time to share manaʻo or a mission statement with everyone. In today's world no one seems to have the time or energy to care for the land. It is hard enough to cut our grass and maintain our yards, should we expect people to contemplate whether grass is what the land wants to have growing on it? In a better world we would.
It seems that everyone has been infused, consciously or not with the notion that God gave man "dominion" over the Earth and that the Earth's primary function is to provide us with what we need and desire. This differs drastically and is the antithesis to what the Hawaiians believed about the ʻāina. "O ka ʻāina ke aliʻi, ke kanaka ke kauwā." Our ancestors recognized the endless value of their natural resources and gave the ʻāina the respect and reverence that it deserves. In the Kumulipo, man is the youngest sibling to hāloa, the trees, the birds, the fish and even the dirt. The kanaka's kuleana was to be the caretaker for all the older ʻōhana. How has our view become so skewed? We must humble ourselves and realize that we need the Earth, the Earth does not need us.
Humans are dependant on the Earth for our water, our food and even our air; and what do we give the Earth in return? We cannot even take the time to consider the outcome of our lifestyles. Some estimate that prior to the arrival of Captain Cook the native population could have been as high as 800,000-1,000,000 kanaka maoli, an amount only slightly lower than today's population. Prior to western contact all the food consumed in Hawaii came from Hawaii. Today Hawaii imports 90 percent of our food!!! The truly sad thing is that back when our ʻāina supported all of our food needs our resources were far less strained than they are now that they only support 10 percent our food needs. Our fisheries have been decimated and many species of fish may never be able to recover. Most of the plants used in everyday life by hawaiians are on the verge of extinction if not already gone. How could this gross mismanagement of our resources have taken place under our noses. We have allowed ourselves to take what we want without heed to the natural cycles of life. It is hard to stand against the current of resource exploitation in this dog eat dog world, but with our global ecosystem on the verge of catastrophic collapse we must find a way to exist in a more pono manner. To me pono does not just mean righteous, nor is it a static state that we can remain in. To me it is pure intent in the pursuit of righteousness. In our lives we may make mistakes and do hewa, but if our intentions are pure and we see the folly of our ways we can remain pono. We must apply this manaʻo to our the way we manage our resources. We must see that every thing we do, everything we consume has a reaction. We must hold ourselves accountable and keep our intentions pono so that the reactions that we cause may be positive.
I said earlier that the Earth does not need us. By us I meant humanity as a whole and the effect that we cumulatively have on the Earth. What the Earth does need is enlightened individuals who can envision a better way of living. Kanaka with the courage to live true to their ideals of a better more sustainable world and can inspire others to follow.
Uluhou, new growth, like fresh shoots emerging from the stump of a once great tree. This is what I envision for Hakalau. After generations of being bent to human desire, thousands of gallons of chemicals, countless tons of soil loss, and the removal of diverse ecosystems to make way for mono culture crops, this ʻāina will have a chance to be heard. I pray that we might be receptive to her voice and that our actions will be in accordance with the desires of this land. How can we hear the voice of the ʻāina? The same way we hear the holy spirit, by faith.
Take care of the land first. This manaʻo will dictate all work done on this āina. If your main objective is to make money, go someplace else. Even food production will have to be done with the overall health of the ʻāina in mind. If we all end up broke, but the land is better off, we will have succeeded. In today's world this may seem illogical and absurd, but I believe this is the right direction for this ʻāina and for all of the world. This would not be possible without the support of our aunty Liz. There is no way that I could buy a piece of property and expect to make zero profit off of it. This project will take the same generosity from our whole ʻōhana in different forms to succeed. I know that we will make mistakes, but I hope that along our journey will 'imi pono no ka ʻāina and inspire others to do the same.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Land is cleared
The bulldozer is done! I went down to hakalau on Saturday morning 1/22 to see how things had turned out on the property. I am thankful that we had a dry week so that the bulldozer could operate effectively. I also thought that the upper(koai'a) section was pushed very nicely and had more dirt left behind than I thought there would be. Danny opened up 2 water diversion channels instead of 1, and he opened a driveway on the upper Hilo side of the property as we had discussed. On the negative side the bottom(orchard) section was only quickly smashed and looks messy. With the decaying plants it will make it hard to drive and we might not be able to mow it. The plants that were cleared from the top section were pushed into a 20-30 foot wide pile that runs about 500 feet from the top of the property. As the picture shows this is a massive pile. We will need to manage this pile so that we can somehow make use of this valuable dirt and organic matter.
Overall I am very pleased with how has been prepared for us. Enrique could have saved himself money and just smashed all of the plants, but he showed that he truly cared about leaving the land as good or better than it was when he first leased it. The upper section is clear and will make planting and mowing very easy, I just gotta plant some seeds to hold the dirt. The bottom section though messy is manageable. I am currently trying to figure out the logistics and the proper way to use portable electric fencing and cattle to keep the grass and weeds down until we have all of our orchard trees, our permanent fencing and our grazers. Even the draceana pile can be utilized. We need to find the right crop that could grow in such loose soil(forestry trees, sugar cane, neem, ho'io). On Saturday I planted about 50 slips of the Mokuau purple sweet potato variety in the pile just to see how they turn out.
I also finished surveying the land on Saturday. I borrowed Conrad's laser level again and flagged out the proper contours for each set of koai'a rows. It was easy enough, but showed me that the rows do not keep consistent spacing across the property and the rows will need to be tweaked a little to work. It is also evident now that the open area at the top of the koai'a section will be much larger and the open area at the bottom of the koai'a section will be much smaller than expected. We may need to remove rows from some areas and place them in others.
This week while camping at Kioloka'a I was able to collect and sow many seeds including
~500 'uki(dianella) seeds
~50 cuttings of Mokuau purple sweet potato with red skin originally from Moloka'i
1000+ mamaki seeds from a very nice tree selected for large leaves and dark red veins
100+ halapepe(p. hawaiiensis)
50+ maile seeds from dryland varieties in Manuka
~200 hoawa(p. terminaliodes) seeds from Lama unit(Manuka)
Germination rates and times for natives are hard to guess, so we'll just have to wait and see what pops up.
Kekua Is going to help us to plant kalo along with our koai'a. This will help us to complete our goal of having a food forest, and will help us tremendously in finding out what it really takes to grow kalo organically and sustainably in our new type of system. I hope that it will be fruitful and worth the work he will put in.
So Ben calls me on Tuesday night and asks me if I want 500 lehua hulis!!! At first I was scared to take on this kuleana because I had not seen the land cleared or surveyed the taro areas yet. But after talking to Kekua I accepted Ben's gift, and we agreed that over the next few week's Ben will give us more hulis totaling about 2000 which will be greatly appreciated.
This coming week I will be picking up and cutting more weed mat and purchasing more wire for pins.
Hopefully we can have planting sites prepared in 2-3 weeks for our remaining 800+ koai'a.
I will also meet with a coworker of mine on Friday out at Hakalau to see if grazing of cattle is a feasible option.
Mahalo ke akua for all the blessings. Even in a "slow" week for our Uluhou project a lot of good things were accomplished and I am enjoying riding this wave of momentum. When people see something positive happening it amazing to see the generousity that they show towards it.
1/22 - 4 work hours
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Alu ka pule i Hakalau.
I ka laʻiākea o ka uluhou e māpu mai ai ke ahe lau makani, e pā ʻoluʻolu mai i ka lihilihi o nei makamaka o ka ʻāina. Me ka ua nāulu e kupu ē a ulu ē, lau ē a lālā ē, kumu ē a paʻa ē ka ululāʻau o Hakalau, a lau aʻe a mau loa.
It is with great pride that I write to you all, kuʻu ʻohana, kuʻu kamaliʻi hiwahiwa, nā makamaka o ka ʻāina, with overwhelming support for the enormous endeavors Kualiʻi dreams for this ʻāina, ka Uluhou O Hakalau. Ua pā nō koʻu naʻau i ke ola nō o kona mauli. I am touched by his words of wisdom, I am humbled by his knowledge of pono land management and conservation and I am truly inspired by his vision for a sustainable, rich future for our Hawaiʻi and generations to come.
As the eldest Lindsey kāne of our generation, Kualiʻi has lived up to his name, not just to stand as an aliʻi, but moreover to take on the responsibilities of a beloved aliʻi who will sacrifice all to provide his people with a fulfilling life, ke ola pono, to care for the land as it has cared for us, mālama i ka ʻāina, and to always look to the higher source for enlightment and support, ke ao mālamalama o ka lani keha.
May we continue to be inspired by our ancestors who have come before us, may we remain firm in our aspirations for a prosperous life, may we fulfill our responsibilities to our children to pass on the knowledge that will provide them a firm foundation, grounded in the past with visions for a better future. May we do this always with loving hearts, thoughtful minds, and enlightened spirits.
Alu ka pule i Hakalau ē, ola kākou a mau loa ē!
Kaʻala Fay
It is with great pride that I write to you all, kuʻu ʻohana, kuʻu kamaliʻi hiwahiwa, nā makamaka o ka ʻāina, with overwhelming support for the enormous endeavors Kualiʻi dreams for this ʻāina, ka Uluhou O Hakalau. Ua pā nō koʻu naʻau i ke ola nō o kona mauli. I am touched by his words of wisdom, I am humbled by his knowledge of pono land management and conservation and I am truly inspired by his vision for a sustainable, rich future for our Hawaiʻi and generations to come.
As the eldest Lindsey kāne of our generation, Kualiʻi has lived up to his name, not just to stand as an aliʻi, but moreover to take on the responsibilities of a beloved aliʻi who will sacrifice all to provide his people with a fulfilling life, ke ola pono, to care for the land as it has cared for us, mālama i ka ʻāina, and to always look to the higher source for enlightment and support, ke ao mālamalama o ka lani keha.
May we continue to be inspired by our ancestors who have come before us, may we remain firm in our aspirations for a prosperous life, may we fulfill our responsibilities to our children to pass on the knowledge that will provide them a firm foundation, grounded in the past with visions for a better future. May we do this always with loving hearts, thoughtful minds, and enlightened spirits.
Alu ka pule i Hakalau ē, ola kākou a mau loa ē!
Kaʻala Fay
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Kanu hou, Ulu hou
Early this morning, 1/16/11, our ʻohana gathered together to plant the seeds of this great work.
It was a beautiful morning.
The area we were planting today was already cleared and prepared.
After a pule and some instructions from Kualiʻi, we got to work!
We dug each hole and planted each mea kanu with love in our hearts.
Everyone, from our Puna Lei, to our kamaliʻi were there to kōkua and kākoʻo.
Even our muli hope.
"ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia." - No task is too big when done together by all.
With happy hearts we say, "Out with the old...
...and in with the new!"
To our brother Kualiʻi, we are so incredibly proud of you - for your vision of a better future and your dedication to the work that is needed to achieve it.
We are so thankful for the opportunity to hoʻoulu hou in this beautiful place.
- Kuʻulani Muise
Ke Kanu Mua
Thank you Ku'ulani for the beautiful pictures and mana'o. You have a wonderful gift of capturing special moments and sharing them with everyone.
Today's outplanting was a great opportunity for the family to come together on the 'aina and plant the first of many trees. I hope that the children will forerver feel connected to this land. I also hope that through watching the koaia grow they will be inspired to do positive things for the 'aina and understand that with proper guidance great things can come from tiny seeds.
The more I walk and work this land the clearer the picture gets, and I hope that it will have the same effect on everyone. Everyone there today is a vital part of the success of this land and I hope that we all will feel free to share our mana'o with each other on what is important to each person and how it can be incorporated into our land management plan.
Today we planted
85 koai'a
~85 nanea
17 mamaki
2 loulu(p. affinis, p. forbesiana)
2 'iliahi
1 holei
It took 13 of us about 2 hours of light work to accomplish this
Yesterday Kekua and I used a laser level to layout and pin down the weed mat for the planting rows.
Doing this small section has shown me what it will take in terms of materials and work hours needed to complete the entire koai'a forested area. When the bulldozer is done with the land clearing we will use this experience to efficiently lay out and plant the rest of the rows. In between working(about 6 combined work hours) we talked story about how to incorporate kalo into the koai'a section.
This coming week I will be camping for work and will probably not be there when the bulldozing is done. Danny(the operator) and I have talked about what needs to be done and I feel that he will leave the land in a satisfactory condition. If not, I will need to follow up with him and Bob Shumacker.
Mahalo to everyone who help today and everyone who worked to get us to this point. We send our love and Mahalo to Aunty Liz, may we continue with her blessing. Today's planting symbolized a new start for this 'aina, a time for uluhou, new growth. May we find the strength to do the work that is needed to bring our vision for this 'aina into fruition.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Land clearing underway!!
I was also able to deliver enough weed mat to the property for this weekend's planting. Jake, Micheal and I were able to cut and prep enough mat for about 1800 linear feet or three rows. Preparing the mat took longer than I thought it would, but we figured out a good system and we should get quicker.
Tomorrow Kekua and I will go out to the property and flag out the contour of the land for the placement of Koai'a rows. Planting nitrogen fixing trees on contour is a practice done by permaculturalists to halt erosion, increase surface water absorption, add nutrients to the soil, provide infrastructure for other species and build up organic matter. Later, if we are able to encorporate swales, we will add to the effectiveness and efficiency of the system.
If all goes well we're going to try to put some trees in the ground Sunday morning. Seeing the land cleared give a true sense of how large the property really is. Today I felt a little uneasy about the daunting task ahead. Once the koaia are in and doing well I will feel a lot better and everyone's confidence will grow along with them. This has been a productive week and I hope to keep the momentum rolling. Mahalo ke akua for opening all the doors for us and mahalo everyone who has helped thus far.
Today: 8 work hourspermaculture water harvesting Nitrogen fixing trees
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
bulldozer reschedule
Today I met with Enrique and Bob Shumacker, the bulldozer owner. There was a miscommunication and the machine was not delivered to the property today. Nevertheless it was a good day. I got to meet bob's operator, an old hawaiian man named Danny. We went over the work to be done and they agreed to do all that I expected that they would and said the machine would reach the property on Thursday or Friday. When Bob and Danny left Enrique and I hung around and I told him a little about what we are planning for the property. We figured out that a flail mulcher that Enrique owns might be the best option for clearing the top of the property which has a smaller draceana than the lower part. We took a ride to California foliage growers facility and looked at their machines and operation. We drove to fields in Pepeekeo and looked at rows that had been mulched and I thought that it looked great and very clean. So after talking story for about 2 hours this is the plan that we came up with.
*The bulldozer will push/scrape the top 3 rows which are tall draceana cane to the Hilo side of the property and out of the way
*The next 30 rows are small draceana(minuta) and we will try to mulch them in place with a tractor and flail mulcher and save the organic matter for the koaia. If the mulcher does not work well the bulldozer will push the plants to Hilo side of the property. I have a good feeling about the tractor and flail working really well.
*All rows below row 33(about halfway down) are tall draceana cane and will be smashed in place with the bulldozer and left to decompose.
*An access road at the mauka Hilo corner will be opened through the sugar cane and leveled.
*A water diversion channel will be bulldozed through the burm that runs mauka to makai and splits the property, which in the future will be used to direct water away from Hakalau stream an toward a seasonal stream that is the property's Hilo boundary.
*The tractor and flail will arrive at the property sometimes before Friday pending some repairs.
*The forested areas of the property will not be bulldozed because they serve the purpose of erosion control and are stable in that they will not readily be invaded by weeds. This allows us to deal with these areas at a slower pace and remove only what is necessary to accomplish our goals.
*Bob and Enrique will work out a price for the bulldozer which will be paid by Enrique.
If we use Enriques machine it will save him money on the bulldozer which is charged by the hour. I also think that the mulch left on site will benefit the soil tremendously. So even though plans have been set back a little, I see it as a win win situation.
For some clarification the area occupied by the top 33 horizontally arranged rows(about 9 acres) will be used to grow ~2000 Koai'a, house a polynesian ethnobotanical garden, create habitat(koai'a) for other native species, and have land left open for short term agriculture or for future land use.
The land below row 33 that has been used for tall draceana(about 7 acres) will eventually be a grazed orchard. The Draceanas on the below row 33 are quite large and will create a lot of mulch when smashed. The planned land use determined the type of machine. Smashing and leaving the plants in the orchard area is acceptable, but the upper portion needs to be more neat and level, so it needs to be mulched or scraped. I feel that we have a plan that will use available resources efficiently and be in the best interests of all parties involved.
*The bulldozer will push/scrape the top 3 rows which are tall draceana cane to the Hilo side of the property and out of the way
*The next 30 rows are small draceana(minuta) and we will try to mulch them in place with a tractor and flail mulcher and save the organic matter for the koaia. If the mulcher does not work well the bulldozer will push the plants to Hilo side of the property. I have a good feeling about the tractor and flail working really well.
*All rows below row 33(about halfway down) are tall draceana cane and will be smashed in place with the bulldozer and left to decompose.
*An access road at the mauka Hilo corner will be opened through the sugar cane and leveled.
*A water diversion channel will be bulldozed through the burm that runs mauka to makai and splits the property, which in the future will be used to direct water away from Hakalau stream an toward a seasonal stream that is the property's Hilo boundary.
*The tractor and flail will arrive at the property sometimes before Friday pending some repairs.
*The forested areas of the property will not be bulldozed because they serve the purpose of erosion control and are stable in that they will not readily be invaded by weeds. This allows us to deal with these areas at a slower pace and remove only what is necessary to accomplish our goals.
*Bob and Enrique will work out a price for the bulldozer which will be paid by Enrique.
If we use Enriques machine it will save him money on the bulldozer which is charged by the hour. I also think that the mulch left on site will benefit the soil tremendously. So even though plans have been set back a little, I see it as a win win situation.
For some clarification the area occupied by the top 33 horizontally arranged rows(about 9 acres) will be used to grow ~2000 Koai'a, house a polynesian ethnobotanical garden, create habitat(koai'a) for other native species, and have land left open for short term agriculture or for future land use.
Uluhou O Hakalau project start!!!
Aloha, this is my first blog and I'm not to tech savvy so bear with me.
Tomorrow 1/11/11 the old leasee of this property owned by my Aunty Elizabeth Lindsey will remove the last of his property with a bulldozer and give us a clean slate to start our efforts to ho'iho'i and ho'onani this 'aina.
For more than a decade I have dreamt about what I would do If I could on this land and it seems almost surreal that the kuleana is passing on to me tomorrow!! I remember every time I would drive past Hakalau bridge I would look mauka and tell the land "no worry, I coming I coming." During this time my grand plans have changed and evolved from ridiculous to a plan that is solid, pono, and possible. Nevertheless I am excited but anxious to be starting out with such a large responsibilty and a budget of $0, with nothing but boundless good energy to carry us through. We will need to seek guidance and assistance from many diverse sources for this project to be successful. My family and I will bear the kuleana of planning, implementing, gathering resources, and of course labor. I have no delusions of this being easy, but as long as we stay pono, hiki no.
I am working on a master plan with a map of the different functioning sections of this 'aina to show how they will compliment and work with each other to create a cultural and conservation minded sustainable system that will nourish our bodies and spirits. But for now I will go over what we got and what is coming up for the next week or so.
1/11- KC(me) meet with Enrique(leasee) and his equipment operator to oversee removal of plants and land preparation. Bulldozer arrival @ 9 am, hopefully work will be done by 1/13.
*make sure plant removal is as complete as possible.
*designate areas for organic waste to be stored for decomposition.
*open access points and water diversion points.
*leave necessary material as mulch in strategic areas to halt erosion and run-off.
*maintain good relations with Enrique.
*~5 work hours(WH)
1/14- KC pick up and have brief orientation on bobcat from Kuulei.
*Mow areas not bulldozed.
*Develop an efficient system of doing so.
*figure out machine hours and fuel usage for each of the 8 annual mowings.
*work out price or work exchange for mower use.
*5 WH
1/15- KC+1 or more use laser level to flag out rows for koaia on precise contour.
*make flags of 3 different colors totaling about 200.
*gather and transport weed mat canvas from Jake if possible.
*precut 5 foot wide strips of weed mat with 4 inch holes centered every 6 feet.
*Layout and secure weed mat with pins in 600 foot rows using about 300 pins per row.
*6-8 WH
1/17- 'Ohana outplanting/groundbreaking.
*Plant 600 koaia
*set up tent and make lunch
*share mana'o and goals
*borrow 5 dibble sticks from NARS
*~10 WH
Planning and other small kuleanas such as plant and seedling care @ Kaumana house will be ongoing.
Here is what we got
Plants ready for the 'aina
600 koaiʻa, 200 nanea, about 100 random natives including hōlei, loulu, koʻokoʻolau, ʻōhāwai, ʻōlapa, kolea lauliʻi, halapepe, and alaheʻe.
Plants ready in 2-3 mos.
300 koaiʻa, 200 nanea, 100 hōʻawa, 50 māmaki, plus another batch of koaiʻa seeds started hopefully enough for 500 plants in 6 mos.
Orchard trees
3 mangosteen, 1 rare autia(tahiti) ʻulu, 1 lipet(micronesia) ʻulu, 1 kahaluʻu avocado, 6 wild avocados for rootstock, 1 tommy atkins mango, 9 wild mango for rootstock, 1 flame grapefruit, 3 samoan coconut
Other
*Unspecified amount(choke) of weed mat-mahalo Jake
*Use of Mower-mahalo Kuʻulei
*Use of planting tools-mahalo NARS
*Use of Laser level-mahalo Conrad
*10x20 tent
*trucks to move plants and people
Needs
*Weed mat pins 2000(~$150)
*Diesel gas 10 gal(~$45)
*A whole lot more stuff for future duties will be updated as they come up. A list of needs and costs will be included in master plan.
Any manaʻos let me know, aloha a hui hou
Tomorrow 1/11/11 the old leasee of this property owned by my Aunty Elizabeth Lindsey will remove the last of his property with a bulldozer and give us a clean slate to start our efforts to ho'iho'i and ho'onani this 'aina.
For more than a decade I have dreamt about what I would do If I could on this land and it seems almost surreal that the kuleana is passing on to me tomorrow!! I remember every time I would drive past Hakalau bridge I would look mauka and tell the land "no worry, I coming I coming." During this time my grand plans have changed and evolved from ridiculous to a plan that is solid, pono, and possible. Nevertheless I am excited but anxious to be starting out with such a large responsibilty and a budget of $0, with nothing but boundless good energy to carry us through. We will need to seek guidance and assistance from many diverse sources for this project to be successful. My family and I will bear the kuleana of planning, implementing, gathering resources, and of course labor. I have no delusions of this being easy, but as long as we stay pono, hiki no.
I am working on a master plan with a map of the different functioning sections of this 'aina to show how they will compliment and work with each other to create a cultural and conservation minded sustainable system that will nourish our bodies and spirits. But for now I will go over what we got and what is coming up for the next week or so.
1/11- KC(me) meet with Enrique(leasee) and his equipment operator to oversee removal of plants and land preparation. Bulldozer arrival @ 9 am, hopefully work will be done by 1/13.
*make sure plant removal is as complete as possible.
*designate areas for organic waste to be stored for decomposition.
*open access points and water diversion points.
*leave necessary material as mulch in strategic areas to halt erosion and run-off.
*maintain good relations with Enrique.
*~5 work hours(WH)
1/14- KC pick up and have brief orientation on bobcat from Kuulei.
*Mow areas not bulldozed.
*Develop an efficient system of doing so.
*figure out machine hours and fuel usage for each of the 8 annual mowings.
*work out price or work exchange for mower use.
*5 WH
1/15- KC+1 or more use laser level to flag out rows for koaia on precise contour.
*make flags of 3 different colors totaling about 200.
*gather and transport weed mat canvas from Jake if possible.
*precut 5 foot wide strips of weed mat with 4 inch holes centered every 6 feet.
*Layout and secure weed mat with pins in 600 foot rows using about 300 pins per row.
*6-8 WH
1/17- 'Ohana outplanting/groundbreaking.
*Plant 600 koaia
*set up tent and make lunch
*share mana'o and goals
*borrow 5 dibble sticks from NARS
*~10 WH
Planning and other small kuleanas such as plant and seedling care @ Kaumana house will be ongoing.
Here is what we got
Plants ready for the 'aina
600 koaiʻa, 200 nanea, about 100 random natives including hōlei, loulu, koʻokoʻolau, ʻōhāwai, ʻōlapa, kolea lauliʻi, halapepe, and alaheʻe.
Plants ready in 2-3 mos.
300 koaiʻa, 200 nanea, 100 hōʻawa, 50 māmaki, plus another batch of koaiʻa seeds started hopefully enough for 500 plants in 6 mos.
Orchard trees
3 mangosteen, 1 rare autia(tahiti) ʻulu, 1 lipet(micronesia) ʻulu, 1 kahaluʻu avocado, 6 wild avocados for rootstock, 1 tommy atkins mango, 9 wild mango for rootstock, 1 flame grapefruit, 3 samoan coconut
Other
*Unspecified amount(choke) of weed mat-mahalo Jake
*Use of Mower-mahalo Kuʻulei
*Use of planting tools-mahalo NARS
*Use of Laser level-mahalo Conrad
*10x20 tent
*trucks to move plants and people
Needs
*Weed mat pins 2000(~$150)
*Diesel gas 10 gal(~$45)
*A whole lot more stuff for future duties will be updated as they come up. A list of needs and costs will be included in master plan.
Any manaʻos let me know, aloha a hui hou
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