Whispering Winds was started in 2003 and purchased from its original owners in 2009 by employees Rich von Wellsheim, Ryan Zucco, and Seth Raabe, who incorporated the business as a worker cooperative. These worker-owners had the vision that timber bamboo grown in Hawai‘i could be used in commercial and residential construction. The Laulima Center is working with them on business planning and strategic marketing, as well as assisting them in writing grants to work with the University of Hawai‘i to test their bamboo and joinery to ensure it meets construction industry standards.

As an officially registered and recognized worker cooperative, Whispering Winds’ employees are the owners, board of directors, and managers. Cooperatives provide an empowering business structure that keeps profits with the workers and the local economy. There are two other worker cooperatives in the state of Hawai‘i: Paradise Home Care Cooperative in Volcano and Maui Aquaponics Workers Cooperative.

By offering an alternative to imported building materials, Whispering Winds provides yet another opportunity for Hawai‘i to become more self-reliant. Collectively, they’ve envisioned, planted, and nurtured twenty acres of twelve varieties of timber bamboo over the last decade. Whispering Winds’ timber bamboo are manageable clumping varieties, not invasive running bamboo that can be difficult to control. Timber bamboo is used around the world in construction—houses, agriculture buildings, flooring, carports—because it’s structurally sound, grows much quicker than other building woods, and yields a crop every year. In fact, Maui County was the first place in the United States to recognize bamboo as an acceptable material in its building code.

MORE: The amazing advantages of bamboo

Whispering Winds has the only pressure-treatment chamber on Maui. They treat their harvested bamboo with boric acid, making it impervious to insect damage or wood rot and thus capable of lasting a lifetime. They have begun to build custom kit-buildings on Maui and Kaua‘i with a unique strapping joinery system created by Yuliya Bentcheva. Many craftsmen, furniture makers, and builders are discovering Whispering Winds’ thick-walled blonde and black bamboo for their own production. Grown in Hawai‘i’s tropical climate, their timber bamboo has much thicker walls than many temperate-grown bamboos.

For fans of sustainable living, Whispering Winds’ products, operations, and philosophy are the “real deal.” Their diversified farm has been certified biodynamic organic since 2005. They also grow and sell produce at Maui’s Mana Foods, and make their own inputs from composted nitrogen-fixing trees, biochar from bamboo scraps, and indigenous microorganisms produced using Natural Farming methods. They sell a wide variety of clumping bamboo for landscaping and other timber bamboo operations, and they even teach sustainable tropical agroforestry through residential apprenticeships. Visit them online at whisperingwindsbamboo.com, or find them at their “bambooth” at local festivals.

Interested in forming a cooperative business, or perhaps transitioning a business to the cooperative model? The Laulima Center can help. Visit laulimacenter.org or call Rural Cooperative Development Specialist Melanie Bondera at 808-887-6411.

^ back to top

Cultivating the next generation of Hawai‘i farmers

An overwhelming majority of the food sold and consumed in Hawai‘i comes from outside the state. With an abundance of fertile agricultural land available—particularly on Hawai‘i Island—and a climate that lends itself to farming year-round, one would think Hawai‘i could produce more food locally. Among the primary barriers is a shortage of farmers, and a new program at The Kohala Center is changing that.

The shortage of farmers is not just a local challenge—it’s a national one. As older farmers retire and many of their progeny have waning interest in agricultural careers, the pipeline of trained farmers and ranchers is smaller than in generations past. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dispersed $18 million in funding in 2012 across twenty-seven states to support new farmer training and education programs. The Kohala Center received a grant from the USDA to create and deliver Kū I Ka Māna, a beginning farmer training initiative. The County of Hawai‘i provided the necessary matching funds to secure the USDA grant.

The challenges faced by citizens interested in becoming farmers, particularly in Hawai‘i, can be daunting. While a lack of knowledge or sense of “where to begin” is a significant barrier, the high costs of land and resources in Hawai‘i can make careers in farming seem unattainable. Infrastructure for preparing, packaging, and distributing agricultural products within the state is limited. And lack of access to capital can be discouraging to novice and experienced farmers alike. Kū I Ka Māna seeks to help beginning farmers overcome many of these barriers.

Serving as the program’s director is Hawai‘i Island kalo (taro) farmer and poi producer Jim Cain. Cain’s network of farmers and agricultural professionals across the state enables him to assemble an “A-List” team of local instructors to share their wisdom with the new farmers. “The idea of developing farmer training programs has been floating around for a long time, really since the closing of the sugar plantations,” Cain says. “Jobs were lost and agricultural areas across the islands, especially places on this island where a vast majority of the state’s agricultural lands are, were hardest hit. Our program envisions a new generation of farmers making up ‘a thousand points of green’ up and down the Hāmākua coastline and beyond. We have the land, the water, the expertise, and the demand. What we need now are more farmers.”

Starting in Hāmākua, Kū I Ka Māna aims to recruit, train, and support at least forty new farmers in 2013 and 2014. The program also helps these new farmers develop business plans, secure farm leases, gain access to farm equipment and materials, and successfully produce, market, and distribute their crops. As part of this program, The Kohala Center is leasing and transforming twelve acres of former sugar production land in Honoka‘a into Ka Hua ‘Āina, a site that’s being used to teach successful commercial farming practices. 
 
The first cohort of Kū I Ka Māna students—made up of twelve island families— completed sixteen weeks of classroom and field instruction in May. Students represented diverse interests in what they wanted to farm, ranging from kale and salad greens to poultry, taro, and orchard crops. The course covered a vast range of critical subject areas, such as measuring and building soil fertility; irrigation; how to create inputs like biochar, compost, compost tea, and indigenous microorganisms (IMOs); crop rotation strategies; pest management; pollination; and the “business” side of farming—marketing, accounting, budgeting, and record-keeping.

Most of the agricultural curriculum emphasizes organic, natural, and sustainable farming methods. Donna Mitts, a student in the first cohort who also serves as The Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network coordinator, currently leases two acres of farmland in Pa‘auilo managed by the Hāmākua Agricultural Cooperative. “The farmer training classes and instructors really spoke to my own desire to be a good steward of the land I farm on,” Mitts said. “Learning more about sustainable practices and natural alternatives to manufactured inputs and pesticides has shown me that I can farm responsibly and more traditionally, and still get good results in terms of yield and quality.”

Given the relatively high cost of farmland in Hawai‘i, capital is often perceived as a significant barrier for people interested in farming. While Kū I Ka Māna is designed to prepare participants to qualify for State of Hawai‘i or other land leases, beginning farmers are also finding other creative ways to access property with agricultural potential. 29-year-old Stephen Filipiak, also a graduate of Kū I Ka Māna’s first cohort, currently rents one of several homes on an 86-acre property in Nīnole. The land has a five-acre orchard of approximately 240 lychee trees and timber bamboo, and fallow sections of the property have significant potential to become productive farmland.

Filipiak was particularly inspired by the portion of the course that focused on Natural Farming methods for improving and maintaining soil fertility. “I have a small ‘test garden’ I set up a few years ago, and had been teaching myself primarily through trial and error,” Filipiak said. “The farmer training program broadened my perspective and taught me that I’ve got to complement and work with the natural processes that are already happening around me. The humble approach of working in partnership with this beautiful land, rather than trying to control it, was emphasized throughout the class and I’m thankful for that. Applying what I learned in the class is already yielding positive results, so now I’m more confident and motivated to apply the knowledge beyond the garden and on to a more sizeable portion of land. It’s really exciting.”

Kū I Ka Māna is currently recruiting applicants for the program’s second cohort, which begins on Friday, August 2, 2013 and runs through Friday, November 8, 2013. Land ownership or previous farming experience is not required. Classes are held Friday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the North Hawai‘i Education & Research Center (NHERC) in Honoka‘a, and Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Ka Hua ‘Āina farm site. For more information and to apply, please visit kohalacenter.org/farmertraining/home.html.

^ back to top

Waimea residents band together to combat coqui frogs

As dusk sweeps the skies of many parts of Hawai‘i Island, a most curious—and in some places, practically deafening—cacophony of high-pitched chirping fills the air. These are the mating calls of elusive and unwelcome coqui frogs, which hitched their way to Hawai‘i from Puerto Rico nearly a quarter century ago. Infesting over 60,000 acres of land and having no local predators, coqui frogs may seem like an unstoppable force, but the citizens of the town of Waimea are united and determined to keep them away.

Despite their tiny size—typically no larger than two inches in length—coqui frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui) are considered an “injurious species” by the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources. Some may view coqui (pronounced “ko-kee” after their two-note chirp) as cute, itty-bitty frogs that do us a favor by eating pesky insects. Yet in doing so, they deprive native birds, bats, and other beneficial species of their primary food source. They also threaten agriculture and food production by reducing essential pollinators. Additionally, the overwhelming noise coqui frogs make from dusk until dawn—measured as high as ninety to 100 decibels up close, or about as loud as a lawn mower—has adversely impacted property values in such areas as Puna and Hilo, and deterred some tourists from visiting or revisiting the island.

The economic and ecological impacts of coqui, if left unmitigated, have the potential to be devastating. Coqui-Free Waimea, a project of The Kohala Center’s Kohala Watershed Partnership (KWP), was formed by Waimea residents to halt the frogs’ encroachment into South Kohala. For many of the group’s members, maintaining Waimea’s tranquility is of utmost importance. For KWP Coordinator Melora Purell, stopping the coqui is personal.

“We’ve dedicated years to protecting and restoring the fragile and unique watershed on Kohala Mountain,” Purell says. “KWP staff and volunteers have logged tens of thousands of hours eradicating invasive plants and animals, planting native vegetation, and protecting indigenous species, some of which are found only on Kohala Mountain and nowhere else in the world. The mountain has never encountered an amphibian or a predator like this. If the coqui frogs get into the forest, we can’t predict how the ecosystem will respond. And we’d rather not find out.”

So how does a community keep these tiny nocturnal frogs out of their town? Through vigilance, communication, and…citric acid. Frogs don’t hop into a community, they hitchhike—on cars, building materials, nursery supplies, and potted plants. Hence the first order of business is to make residents aware that when they visit a frog-infested area at night or bring home a bag of potting soil from Hilo, they are likely to be bringing frogs home with them, too. 

Coqui-Free Waimea has established a growing base of volunteers who engage in community outreach and education, and who listen in the evenings for the dreaded coqui mating call. When a coqui is heard, the volunteer marks the approximate area of the frog with a ribbon or some other visible marker, and reports the location by calling 808-885-FROG. If the frog was heard on a property not owned or occupied by the volunteer, they are encouraged to establish friendly contact with the resident to seek permission or cooperation to try to locate the coqui, preferably at night when the frogs are active and calling. When a coqui is found, a dousing spray of food-grade citric acid solution will typically kill the frog, without harming other animals, vegetation, or soil.

Thanks to support from the Richard Smart Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and individual donations, Coqui-Free Waimea employs a part-time volunteer coordinator and owns several backpack and industrial-grade sprayers of varying sizes and capacities, making them available to neighborhoods where multiple coqui are heard.

But can the battle be won? “Yes, it can!” Purell says emphatically. “The residents of Kapa‘au in North Kohala faced a major infestation about ten years ago, and diligently sprayed for the frogs for eighteen months, and got them all. And they still remain vigilant. Over the years, they have treated over 150 different sites where coqui have been heard. It’s an ongoing effort, and it’s successful.” Community groups on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu have also succeeded in eradicating small populations before they spread, and efforts on Maui are containing and reducing coqui around plant nurseries and hotels.

^ back to top

High marks for HI-MOES

The Hawai‘i Island Meaningful Outdoor Experiences for Students (HI-MOES) program recently wrapped up another stellar season of field studies conducted by island intermediate and high school students. The year-long program brought all participants together at the HI-MOES Science Symposium, held April 25, 2013 at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo.

Spearheaded by The Kohala Center and the Kohala Watershed Partnership, HI-MOES provides place-based learning for students and critical support to twelve teachers from ten Hawai‘i Island intermediate and high schools. With the focus on watershed and bay science, the program also helps local teachers develop and implement field studies for their classrooms.

“Student representatives from each participating school classroom presented their findings for peer review at the Symposium, just like how it’s done in the real science world,” said Erica Perez, Expeditionary Learning Coordinator at The Kohala Center and coordinator of the HI-MOES program.

“The students were accompanied by their teachers and had the opportunity to engage in public speaking, get to know students from other schools, and interact with professionals involved in environmental studies. We wanted them to have fun and be able to present all their hard work so that others can see what they accomplished. Everyone had a great time.”

Island teachers apply for the program with the goal of building a foundation to incorporate continued field studies outside the classroom into their curriculum. “A number of teachers approached me after the conference, telling me they have a lot more confidence to do field studies on their own without having to rely on a coordinator from outside their school,” Perez said. “That alone is a huge accomplishment.”

Participating schools included Innovations Public Charter School, Kealakehe High School, Waikoloa Intermediate School, Honoka‘a High School, Laupāhoehoe Charter School, Kalaniana‘ole Intermediate School, Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy, Parker School, and Kea‘au High School. Studies took place at sites within four diverse ahupua‘a (mountain-to-sea land divisions) on Hawai‘i Island: Kahalu‘u Bay, Kohala Mountain, Hilo Bay Watershed, and Ka‘ūpūlehu.

“Hawai‘i offers such an incredible diversity of climates, geologic features, and ecosystems, making it the ideal place to study just about anything,” Perez said. “There are many challenges to coordinating a program like this, but our goal was met and exceeded in that we got so many students out into the field to conduct place-based science.”

Approximately 500 students participated in this year’s program, visiting such places as Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a, where they stayed overnight to learn about the dryland forest and the reforestation projects taking place there, and the Kohala Mountain Reserve, where members of the Kohala Watershed Partnership enlightened them about the mauka-makai (mountain to sea) connection.

In addition to teaching Western scientific methods, the program combined cultural-based knowledge imparted by esteemed Hawaiian cultural leaders, such as Ku‘ulei Keakealani, curator at Ka‘ūpūlehu Interpretive Center at Kalaemano.

At the Symposium, students met Laura Warman, a Postdoctoral Fellow of biology at the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo, who gave them insight on the life of a field ecologist. “The HI-MOES program helped students visualize a future career and learn about the many opportunities in environmental studies,” Perez concluded. “It’s really exciting to see all their hard work pay off and to witness their enthusiasm for science.”

For more information about HI-MOES, visit kohalacenter.org/himoes/about.html.

^ back to top

A job well done: Kumu Pa‘a I Ka ‘Āina celebrates its ninth year in Hawai‘i
By Alexandra Moore, Director
Cornell Field Program in Earth & Environmental Systems

Hawai‘i Island is the best place on Earth to examine the interaction of living earth, solid earth, ocean, and atmosphere, in the context of a human culture that has lived sustainably for 1,500 years. This spring, sixteen students from four U.S. universities spent the semester living in Waimea, working with Cornell faculty and our many beloved island mentors. Indeed, our partnerships with The Kohala Center and our extended ‘ohana continue to grow as we meet new partners and add new projects to our immersive learning experience.

Underlying our formal coursework is a continuing commitment to run a carbon-neutral program. Students monitor our group’s energy use, reduce carbon emissions wherever possible, and offset the emissions we cannot eliminate. Our offset strategy is to partner with island conservation groups to plant trees and help restore native Hawaiian forest ecosystems. This year we worked at four dryland forest sites, outplanting 1,975 native trees, shrubs and vines. These plants have the capacity to sequester more than 8,600 tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide. We also monitor the plantings from previous seasons, and we are happy to report that despite the severe drought of recent years, the dryland forests are healthy and strong.

Our efforts extend mauka to makai (from mountain to sea), and this year we added some new activities in ocean conservation. Students joined the Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund on a beach cleanup at Kamilo, removing 1,900 pounds of debris from the beach. We worked at Māhukona on an ocean floor cleanup, pulling tires and scrap metal from the reef. Several students participated in the Nature Conservancy’s ‘auwai (canal) restoration project at Kīholo Bay, and monitored the resident honu (green sea turtle) population.

My favorite part of the program is the year-end pā‘ina (dinner party), where we gather together to thank those who gave their time and expertise to help us learn, and to celebrate a job well done. This year, ‘ohana alumni from six of our eight previous classes were welcomed back to Wai‘aka House on the campus of Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy, which served as our home base in Waimea. They shared with us what I think was perhaps the most memorable moment of the semester—our hula hō‘ike (performance) in the pouring rain. The rain that we’d been hoping for in the forest came to bless the close of our ninth year for Kumu Pa‘a I Ka ‘Āina, the Cornell University Sustainability Semester.

Students share their thoughts on carbon neutrality

“One thing I will take away from the Carbon Neutral project is that simply planting trees really can make a dent in offsetting CO2 emissions. I always used to kind of roll my eyes at tree planting because it seemed so insignificant to me and I thought it gave people a false sense of being environmentally friendly. In addition to the hard science aspects, and maybe more importantly, is that planting trees makes people (read: us) more invested and connected with the area. I think this act of interacting and trying to improve the ecosystem can instill a sense of environmental consciousness into people, especially kids.”
Virginia Winkler, Natural Resources ‘14, Cornell University

“Making ‘little changes’ for a more sustainable lifestyle may not have the kind of impact we need to make to slow down climate change, but the ‘many hands makes light work’ principle, when applied to sustainability projects, can pack a real punch. We changed the landscape! And it’s going to keep changing! We’re restoring habitat, restoring the watershed, restoring threatened species of plants—if we could do these projects everywhere, we would not only cool down our cities but maybe even help cool down the planet a little.”
Sylvia Channing, Geology ‘14, Oberlin College

“Our work in Hawai‘i this spring has taught us the ‘how’ of small-scale change. It has showed us the tangible differences that individuals make every single day. But perhaps more importantly, it has showed us the ‘why.’ The pride, the importance, and the value of taking responsibility for practicing what we preach. Understanding that we as educated and moral citizens have not only the tools, but also the responsibility, to repair the tragedy of the commons rather than just describe it is no doubt one of the most valuable things we have gained from this semester.”
Nathan Greene, General Studies ‘14, Cornell University

^ back to top