COM 0844.000 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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II. C. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Friends of Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (the Friends) are honored to be able to submit our first proposal to the County of Hawaii's Department of Parks and Recreation. Without the funding from several major providers, including commitments from Hawai'i County's Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resource Commission (PONC), the Friends' dream of owning the Garden may not have been achieved this soon. The long-term goal of the Friends is to restore and revitalize the Garden and the programs that made it so successful prior to being closed in 2016. With only one staff member (Bishop Museum) left to do the work that many did prior to closure, it was all that one person could do to keep the native plants thriving and the weeds mowed. Thankfully, the Garden has always had a dedicated core of volunteers to water plants during drought, to weed during years of heavy rainfall, and to ensure that the Garden's mission of perpetuating Native Hawaiian cultural traditions of land use and conserving the irreplaceable plants present at the Garden never diminished. Our volunteers worked thousands of hours over the four years, coming together regularly on weekends to do the work of staff the Garden no longer had. We owe a big Mahalo to those dedicated members who kept the Garden going during those difficult years. Our vision of the future includes providing a place for Hawaii's native plant species to grow and thrive; ensuring a place for recreation, education, scientific research; and offering a spiritual and cultural retreat to connect to nature. We especially need this connection now with the global Covid-19 pandemic is isolating us from friends and family. With deep gratitude to the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commission (PONC) and many other major funders, the Friends completed the purchase of the Garden on November 19, 2019. Now we the Friends, as owners of this land are in a position to undertake the major restorations, repairs, and land maintenance that was neglected for years. The Friends' Board of Directors has carefully reviewed the areas in the Garden that have the most pressing need of immediate attention. These are outlined below with cost totals. The Budget and the breakouts of each Budget Category have more detailed cost figures. 14