The East Maui Animal Refuge (EMAR), a kindhearted nonprofit, was established to care for any animal, domestic, farm or wildlife, in distress, when no individual or other organization is available to deliver the necessary care. “We provide this care at no charge to the individual or group who rescued the animal,” said Sylvan Schwab, EMAR Executive Director and co-founder. “Any financial assistance provided to us is given freely as a donation to support the mission of the Refuge.”
EMAR began in 1977 as a unique therapy program for Suzie Schwab, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sylvan, her husband, noticed that her caring for an injured bird gave Suzie the strength to fight her illness, and so he began bringing home more animals in need of her loving care. Consequently, her therapy program developed into EMAR, a unique rehabilitation center with 300-500 animals being cared for at any given time; 365 days a year. “Incredibly, for 41 years the love Suzie showered upon the animals contributed to her recovery from cancer until her passing in 2018,” Sylvan explained. “Suzie’s compassion and love for the animals inspired and sustained EMAR’s mission. Since most of the animals have come to us with injuries or ‘boo boos’ of one type or another, EMAR is also known as the ‘Boo Boo Zoo.’”
Licensed by the state to rehabilitate animals, EMAR continues to care for animals that are unwanted, have been abused or abandoned, or cannot be cared for properly. “We provide a sanctuary where they can live out their lives happy and loved,” Sylvan said. “Our committed volunteers work tirelessly to sustain our organization, many of whom have been with us for over ten years.” Sylvan’s vision is to one day start a Community Veterinary Clinic, with a veterinarian that lives on-site. He reflected, “Many people cannot afford emergency veterinary services, which are presently extremely expensive on Maui. I have always felt that if you do the right thing, the universe will support you. We are not about money; we are about life. We are doing what is pono and that’s what matters.”
I am grateful to all those in the community who help the animals in whatever way they can.” Visit us at: www.eastmauianimalrefuge.org for more information.
Sylvan Schwab, EMAR Executive Director and co-founder
Presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, was hybrid this year, having both in-person and virtual components. The premier technical conference in the nation devoted to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA), offered a cross-section of government, academic, and private-sector participation to help foster dialogue and international collaboration.
“Thanks to the meticulous health and safety planning by our MEDB Conference Team, we were able to move forward,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “The health and well-being of participants was our highest priority while maintaining the important dialogue and networking opportunities the AMOS Conference is known for. This year, having a hybrid conference allowed our international partners to participate in building collaborations, partnerships, and protocols for good actors in the space domain.”
In addition to the technical sessions, the AMOS Conference included keynote speakers, SSA policy forums, exhibit sessions, technical short courses and networking events. The policy forums, organized in collaboration with Secure World Foundation, were held after the keynote at the start of each day, of the 3-day conference. These sessions brought together the developers and implementers of SSA capabilities and the architects of SSA policy to explore international issues related to space sustainability.
In collaboration with the American Astronautical Society (AAS), the AMOS Conference provided participating authors the opportunity to be published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Astronautical Sciences. At the close of the conference, AAS recognized outstanding efforts by presenting an award for Best Student Paper to Shaylah Mutschler, University of Colorado, Boulder and Best Paper to Maui resident Dr. Channing Chow II, founder and CEO of Cloudstone Innovations LLC.
Chow reflected, “On behalf of myself and my coauthors, we were honored to receive the 2021 AMOS Conference Best Paper Award. We are humbled to be selected amongst a host of such high-quality papers. The AMOS Conference brings together a truly unique juxtaposition of academia, industry, and government working collaboratively towards space safety, security, and exploration. Every year AMOS provides the opportunity to share innovative concepts, challenge stagnant norms, and showcase the latest advances in research and development.”
Space is indispensable to every aspect of daily life. During a live virtual SSA Roundtable preceding the AMOS Conference, experts addressed the current growth of objects in space and the long-term sustainability of the space environment.
Maui lost one of its true characters and treasures this last June with the passing away of Peter Damon Baldwin. A scion of the longtime Maui Baldwin family, Peter was the fourth generation to head Haleakala Ranch and Dairy, and was actively involved in community and business leadership throughout his life.
In addition to his credentials as rancher – Peter was inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame — Peter was a family man, inveterate prankster, and consummate athlete. In his younger years he was a standout high school athlete in baseball, basketball and tennis, and at university his Cornell polo team won the Collegiate National title. He represented the U.S. in polo, won numerous national tournaments, and his Maui polo teams were a dominant force in the sport. Another passion was roping and rodeo, dating from his All-Round Cowboy title at the Makawao Rodeo in 1968 and competing in the Calgary Stampede. Peter even won the annual Maui Golf Championship four years a row in the 1960s.
The community contribution of which he was most proud was founding the Maui Youth Soccer Organization (MYSO) in 1976, the first organized soccer league on Maui. His Haleakala Dairy sponsored its inaugural year, providing uniforms and equipment for 600 youth participants. Soccer on Maui has never looked back. The Dairy also sponsored a week-long football camp for hundreds of keiki in the early 70s that featured Roman Gabriel, Merlin Olsen and several members of the LA Rams.
Another of his community accomplishments was a to lead the fundraising campaign for the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku. As a savvy and successful businessman, Peter held numerous company directorships, including Bank of Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, and Maui Land and Pine. He was also involved in developing the Kihei Safeway center, Piilani Villages, and the Maui Tech Park in Kihei. Peter was an expert delegator – he liked to say that his guiding principle was to hire people who were better than him and knew more than he did.
Makalapua Waring, the wife of Peter’s right-hand man at Haleakala Dairy, Dick Waring, sums Peter up best: “Peter treats everyone the same way. He’s been one of the good guys – he’s done so much for so many for so long.”
Hawaii residents contributed to key space-related discussions at the 4th annual EMER-GEN Conference. This year’s program, presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) was the first hybrid event, with both in-person and livestream components. A joint initiative of the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), the EMER-GEN experience offered mentoring, networking, professional development sessions and scholarships for university students and young professionals, ages 18-35.
“MEDB was honored to be a platform for dialogue for the 2021 EMER-GEN cohort,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “This experience provides a significant pathway into future careers.” The 2021 program was filled with critical-thinking exercises, including three pre-event webinars fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among the cohort. They were also challenged to solve problems through a hack-a-thon and consensus-building session to help create new opportunities for space-based technologies.
Along with MEDB, three young professionals helped shape the program. Two representatives nominated by SGAC, Quentin Verspieren, Space Policy Researcher with the University of Tokyo, and Christine Dubbert, a Project Engineer with York Space Systems, were joined by Maui resident Micah Nishimoto, an undergraduate student of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California.
“I was humbled to be part of the organizing team,” said Nishimoto. “EMER-GEN is a great opportunity to learn about space engineering, space policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our guest speakers, Ramsay Taum, Life Enhancement Institute of the Pacific, LLC, and Dave Baiocchi, Imaginative Futures, tied all of these important topics to native Hawaiian culture and values.”
Katlynn Vicuna, UH Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, added, “I enjoyed the interactions among the diverse cohort, and applaud the mentor session. Presently, I am not sure which career path I want to follow. It truly helped to talk to mentors from academia, military, and industry.
Mentor Tom Kubancik, Trusted Space, Inc., said, “EMER-GEN is important. Each year the program enriches the cohort’s effectiveness to work in a global environment. Our industry is strengthened when we are inclusive and incorporate the ideas of every age group and nationality. This cohort is bright and smart. I learned a lot from them!”
MEDB has successfully evolved the EMER-GEN program over the years. They keep it fresh while staying true to its roots in terms of development of the young intelligent people in our industry.
Tom Kubancik, EMER-GEN Mentor, Trusted Space, Inc.
A pair of Maui musicians, five-time Grammy Award winner George Kahumoku Jr. and KAOI radio host Cindy Paulos, a UNESCO Cross-Cultural and Peace Crafters Award winner, teamed with musician and filmmaker Rupam Sarmah to produce a special CD release titled Aum─Aloha Blessings. Kahumoku said, “Throughout the CD the aloha chant connects our ha (breath) with the aina (land) and the kai (ocean) creating lokahi (harmony) and peace between man, the creatures of the earth, the plants, and the fruits and vegetables that sustain us.”
Using music for uplifting, redirecting, and reflecting the emotions is vital to improve wellbeing during these challenging times. “The stress of Covid made me turn to the creative side within me to find something positive to do to counter the flood of bad news and fear that was present in the news,” said Paulos. “It felt so good creating this project in a time of such need. The results are direct and immediate.”
The new release, Aum─Aloha Blessings, is available in stereo and Dolby Atmos® on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Tidal, and other platforms. It has 154 minutes of eight tracks plus an additional eight instrumental tracks for meditation. “The divine sound is music for the soul,” Kahumoku emphasized. “The chanting and healing energies from around the world are over 7000 years old.”
Aum─Aloha Blessingswas inspired by Sarmah’s visit to Maui when he showed his film One LittleFinger at the McCoy theater. His feature film made history with a cast of over eighty persons with disabilities. “One Little Finger is not just a film,” said Kahumoku. “It’s a movement to promote inclusion and diversity to break the barriers of stigma in disability. I worked on the project long-distance during the pandemic with over 100 musicians to create the blending of Indian music with Hawaiian chant and spoken-word invocation.”
Sarmah reflected, “The aloha tradition combined with ancient mantras produces forward-thinking creations of sound. The music compositions will help in meditation, yoga, and healing our minds, with proceeds going to the nonprofit One Little Finger Global Foundation. Our work reflects the message of oneness, peace, and aloha.”
We get to know each other through music. It brings joy amid the pandemic and it is a wonderful way to connect us.
