JARS v58n1 - 2004 Western Regional Conference

2004 Western Regional Conference
"E Komo Mai" (come on over)
Sherla Bertelmann
Keaau, Hawaii

Did you know that Hilo is less than an hour from Volcano National Park, that we are planning a nighttime lava walk in addition to lot of garden tours, or that September is one of the best months to visit our beautiful islands? Come on over to Hilo, Hawaii, for the Western Regional Conference and Board Meeting next Sept. 2004! "E Komo Mai."

We have blocked hotel rooms at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel for Sept. 23rd to Sept. 26th, 2004. You can call them at 1-800-367-5004 to reserve your room. We are most excited at this opportunity to share with our fellow ARS members our diverse island and fauna. Our chapter is referred to as the "Vireya Club" and our island is known as "the Orchid Isle" so, of course, vireya rhododendrons and orchids will be among the plants featured.

For conference information you can contact me, Sherla D.M. Bertelmann, President, Hawaii Chapter American Rhododendron, P.O. Box 1963, Keaau, Hawaii; Our registrar is Veryl Ann Grace. There will be an insert in the Summer ARS Journal for registration. We look forward to meeting you. "E Komo Mai" and Viva Vireya!

For those taking our post conference cruise, public and private garden tours are also being planned on Kauai, Maui the Big Island and Oahu. Details of some of the gardens are below.

Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, Kauai. Spanning 240 acres, Na `Aina Kai ("lands by the sea" in Hawaiian) is a rare combination of twelve diverse and bounteous gardens, a hardwood plantation, orchards, a moss- and fern-draped canyon, and a pristine sandy beach. A collection of more than sixty bronze sculptures accent nature’s beauty in this Garden Isle paradise.

Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Kona. The Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden supports native Hawaiian cultural traditions of land use and plants and conserves the plant resources of traditional Hawaiian cultural activities. To accomplish this, the garden discovers and shares knowledge of Hawaiian ethnobotany, maintains a repository for native Hawaiian and Polynesian introduced plants, works for native plant conservation, and preserves an archaeological remnant of the Kona Field System on the garden site. The 12 acres include 250 types of plants used by Hawaiians, including native and introduced plants, and include ten federally listed endangered species.

Kaloko Cloud Forest Preserve, Kona (private).

Maui Agricultural Research Center and a private Protea farm, "Upcountry Maui," on the slopes of Haleakala.

Lyon Arboretum, Oahu. This outdoor laboratory is a major resource center for tropical plants with a Hawaii/Pacific Basin/Asian focus. Other areas of emphasis are native Hawaiian plants, conservation biology, and Hawaiian ethnobotany.

Foster Botanical Garden, Oahu. Today, the garden covers over 13.5 acres and is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered, which have been collected from throughout the world’s tropics. Foster Botanical Garden traces its beginning to 1853 when Queen Kalama (wife of Kamehameha III) leased a small area of land to William Hillebrand, a young German doctor. The magnificent trees, which now tower over this area, were planted by him. The Hillebrand property was later sold to Thomas and Mary Foster who added to it and continued to develop the garden. Upon Mrs. Foster’s death in 1930, the 5.5-acre site was bequeathed to the City and County of Honolulu as a public garden. The Foster Botanical Garden opened to the public on November 30, 1931, with Dr. Harold Lyon as its first director. Over a span of twenty-seven years, Dr. Lyon introduced 10,000 new kinds of trees and plants to Hawaii. The Foster Garden orchid collection was started with Dr. Lyon’s own plants.

Cost of the post-conference cruise is $1,425 per person for balcony cabins, and $1,125 per person for ocean view cabins. These prices include port charges and taxes, but do not include airfare, transfers to/from Honolulu airport, bar drinks, gratuities, garden tours or cancellation insurance. A $500 deposit will hold your cabin and this early booking price. The deposit is refundable (less $50 service fee) for cancellations received in writing before May 26, 2004. Full payment required by June 10, 2004. To make a reservation or to receive more information contact Diane Weissman, tour organizer. Members are urged to sign up soon, as interest in the cruise is strong and the ARS has only 28 cabins reserved.