Feb 15, 2012 | Environment
Maui filmmakers Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula set out to plant native trees in every state, and now they want to document the project. The husband-and-wife team founded the nonprofit “Plant a Wish” and embarked on a tour of all 50 states on Memorial Day 2010, planting native trees in each state and culminating Nov. 5, 2011, in Hawaii. A caretaker for each tree in each state was identified, and overall Imhoff and Tekula put in more than 1,000 native trees at dozens of community planting events across the country.
From Washington to Wyoming, Texas to Tennessee, the duo learned all things native and shared with others the story of Maui’s battle with alien species and loss of indigenous plants and animals. They also explained efforts to repair and restore the effects of trees on human health and the community’s overall environment. “Along the tour, it all began to make so much sense that every living thing has a purpose and those purposes are all connected. That was really meaningful for me,” Tekula said. Imhoff added: “I learned that the power of belief is very effective when doing good things for the world.” Their project was funded by donors who contributed varying amounts from $1 to $2,500. So far, they’ve raised approximately $20,000 for the project.
“What surprised me the most was how many doors of opportunity opened up for us as our mission evolved,” Imhoff said. He and Tekula got access to expert conservationists, educators and authors interested in tree planting and preservation and how they contribute to a healthy environment. “The biggest surprise I think I experienced was the unfortunate amount of sheer devastation we saw happening at the hands of our fellow human beings,” Tekula said. In some places, Tekula said they saw environmental devastation to mountaintops and toxic waste dumps. They found communities where people didn’t know which plants were native to their area. At the end, the couple collected reams of video and photos that recorded the story of their journey. They would like to share the information in a documentary and need public support to do just that. Go to: http://www.plantawish.org/donate.
Photo by Sean Michael Hower
Feb 8, 2012 | Community
Fire Chief Jeff Murray
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
The son of a retired corrections officer and preschool teacher, Maui County Fire Chief Jeff Murray is living a lifelong dream to serve his community in a very special way. “I love my job,” Murray said. In his position, Murray leads a staff of 300 uniformed firefighters and 12 civilians and oversees a budget of $29 million. A 1983 graduate of Maui High School, Murray began his career as a firefighter when he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1984 and served in places like Texas, Illinois, South Korea and Honolulu. He returned home in 1989 and has since worked in practically every fire station on Maui. Murray is married, has four children and enjoys surfing, diving, fishing and baseball.
He brings to work a number of values instilled in him while growing up on Maui. These include integrity, compassion, professionalism and a sense of community. Murray said he prefers to seek input from staff before making decisions. “I like to look at things from all aspects. For the most part, I like to have as much participation as possible.” But as a leader when he’s pressed, he’s not afraid to trust his experience and instincts and make timely decisions on his own.
Murray says the best thing that residents can do to assist firefighters and other emergency responders is to post visible signage on their homes and provide clear and specific directions to their addresses. He said he’s not aware of a situation when a delayed response caused major damage or any loss of life. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a situation like that. We always want to be proactive.”
The Maui County Fire Department responds to a range of calls from fires to ocean and mountain rescues to the safe containment of hazardous materials. Firefighters are also dedicated to educating the community about fire safety. They conduct regular safety briefings with private companies and they reach thousands of school-aged children every year with fire station visits and Fire Prevention Week activities.
Feb 1, 2012 | Community, Environment
The Maui Humane Society’s mission to forge lifelong bonds between people and animals through education, community outreach and the prevention of cruelty, resonated recently with members of the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance. Lahainaluna High School freshman Kaile Stockham was so impressed on a recent visit that she plans to enroll as an adult volunteer at the animal shelter when she turns 18. “I think it’s incredible the work that the Maui Humane Society does. They’re doing a good job to care for the animals.” With Kaile’s urging, the Youth Alliance toured the Maui Humane Society in January to learn about its mission and work for animals. “I learned a lot that I didn’t know about animals and how they’re treated,” Kaile said.
For their part, members of the Youth Alliance learned they could join the Junior Animal Advocate Group of Maui, a program of volunteers in grades 6 to 12 at the Maui Humane Society. They also got details on the Humane Society’s open admissions policy and commitment to finding homes for stray and abandoned animals. “They always want to get as many adoptions as possible,” Kaile said.
A four-year Youth Alliance member, Kelsie Chong, visited the Maui Humane Society with a new appreciation. “I thought it was a really fun place and very educational,” Kelsie said. Her family adopted a mixed breed dog about eight years ago from Maui Humane Society. The dog is part of a host of animals in the Chong residence. Kelsie also has four cats, a fish and 10 canaries. “I love them all. They’re innocent, they’re cute. They just make me happy.” Both Kaile and Kelsie said they were glad to see that the Maui Humane Society strives to seek all options for animals including shipping them off to less crowded shelters on Oahu. “I think it’s pretty sad the animals don’t have a home to go to, but the Maui Humane Society is doing its best to change that.”
Jan 25, 2012 | Small Business
From left: Sisters Gail Saito and Cindy Tasaka-Ing and their cousin, Kelly Kohatsu
A family business with nearly 100 years of history lives on today in Cindy Tasaka-Ing and her sister, Gail Saito. The two are the owners and operators of Tasaka Guri-Guri, a homegrown snack shop founded by their greatgrandfather Jokichi Tasaka. He created the store’s hallmark guri-guri, a frozen dessert featuring a cross between sherbert and ice cream. Guri-guri is served in scoops of two flavors — strawberry and pineapple. Tasaka’s son, Gunji, perfected his father’s recipe, and his sons, Setsuo and Henry — Cindy and Gail’s dad — kept the recipe secret and continued the thriving business for about 35 years until retiring recently when the operations were officially handed to Henry’s daughters.
Cindy and Gail have one other employee, their cousin, Kelly Kohatsu, and get a lot of help from Henry’s long-time friend, Tony Ishikawa. “It’s a small business, we’re doing okay, why change it?” Cindy Tasaka-Ing said. Aside from the secret family recipe for guri-guri, Cindy and Gail manage Tasaka Guri-Guri just like their great-grandfather, grandfather and father did — no computer, no fax, no copier, no Web site. “Our business comes from word of mouth,” she said. Tasaka Guri-Guri switched from its site at the old Kahului Center nearly 100 years ago to the Maui Mall where they’ve had the shop for about four decades now.
Tasaka-Ing said the store welcomes a range of people from loyal residents who stop by every day for a scoop of guri-guri to visitors from the Mainland and others who want to take a quart or two to the Neighbor Islands. Tasaka-Ing said the shop has been successful in part “because our prices are relatively low.” Two scoops of guri-guri in a cup is priced at $1.20 and rises up to five scoops for $2.85; it can also be bought by the quart. Tasaka-Ing said she and her sister aren’t interested in selling the family recipe and hope that one day, their own children — most of whom are 12 years or younger — will take over the business.
Jan 18, 2012 | Community, Environment
A community service project on Kaho‘olawe turned into a renewed appreciation for the Hawaiian culture and the value of giving back. That’s what Kevin Gavagan of the Four Seasons Wailea said happened to some 35 hotel employees and their families when they volunteered to plant trees on Kaho‘olawe. “We went to give and we got so much back, Kaho‘olawe enriched us,” said Gavagan, a Native Hawaiian employed as the assistant director of engineering at the Four Seasons. Gavagan spearheaded the volunteer effort, leading two separate trips to Kaho‘olawe toward the end of last year. Employees gave up their vacation time for a four-day journey that featured two full days of tree planting, an island tour and lessons on Hawaiian history. Their employer, the Four Seasons, picked up the access fees to the island, priced at $125 per person. In honor of the hotel chain’s 50th anniversary, Four Seasons set a goal to plant 10 million trees around the world. The Four Seasons at Wailea kicked off their contribution to the goal by planting some 250 trees on the hotel property on Earth Day in April of last year. Gavagan followed that up by coordinating the tree-planting project on Kaho‘olawe.
There is archaeological evidence that Kaho‘olawe, the smallest of four islands in Maui County, was occupied by Native Hawaiians since 1000 A.D. It was taken over by the U.S. military after the outbreak of World War II and used as a bombing range for more than 40 years. After a $400 million cleanup of unexploded ordinance of the island, it was returned to the state of Hawaii in 2003. Now, the island is overseen by the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission. There are plans to do more tree planting in 2012. Gavagan said his views of Kaho‘olawe have changed his visits. “You get a completely different appreciation for the island when you step foot on it,” he said. “It really was a transformation for me and got me closer to Hawaiian traditions. Everybody wants to know when they can go back,” Gavagan said.
Maui filmmakers Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula set out to plant native trees in every state, and now they want to document the project. The husband-and-wife team founded the nonprofit “Plant a Wish” and embarked on a tour of all 50 states on Memorial Day 2010, planting native trees in each state and culminating Nov. 5, 2011, in Hawaii. A caretaker for each tree in each state was identified, and overall Imhoff and Tekula put in more than 1,000 native trees at dozens of community planting events across the country.
