Events & Education

Past Events and Talks

• Mobilizing Restoration through Art and Culture

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Jill Wagner

  

  When:

  Thursday, September 11th, 2025 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Jill Wagner is a forester, ethnobotanist, and seed banking specialist whose work has spanned three decades of conservation and education in Hawai‘i and beyond. She began her career in 1994 at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden and has since led forest restoration and seed banking projects with private landowners, the State of Hawai‘i, and community groups. She also teaches widely, sharing her expertise in native ecosystems and plant conservation with audiences around the world. In her talk, Mobilizing Restoration through Art and Culture, Wagner connects ecological restoration to the power of human cooperation and creativity. Drawing from the influential work Limits to Growth and the more recent International Cooperation Against All Odds, she explores how global networks and collective action can overcome paralysis in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change. Using the metaphor of Indra’s Net, she shows how art can illuminate the interdependence of all life and serve as a vehicle for transformation in the way humans live on Earth.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, September 10

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• A to Z of tropical fruit

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Ken Love

  

  When:

  Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Ken Love is a tropical fruit expert, long-time farmer, and Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG), a statewide nonprofit supporting over 2000 members. A former photojournalist, Ken’s agricultural journey began in Chicago and deepened after an assignment to Kona in the 1980s introduced him to the world of tropical fruit. His passion for exotic crops led him first to establish a 26-acre orchard in Opihihale. Since then he has downsized to a couple of acres in Kealakekua with over 300 fruit varieties, from where he promotes fruit diversity as a solution for sustainable agriculture in Hawai‘i. Ken is also the founder of Hawai‘i’s Master Food Preservers program and has taught preservation techniques statewide to help farmers add value to their harvests. He’s been featured in the book and documentary The Fruit Hunters, and has authored dozens of agricultural publications on crops like jackfruit, soursop, and finger limes. Through his research, education, and grant-funded projects—including repository orchards and a 10,000-tree distribution initiative—Ken continues to champion local food systems and small farmer success across the islands.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, August 20

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Measure of genetic diversity across populations of the Hawaiian endemic raspberry, ‘ākala or Rubus hawaiensis (Rosaceae).

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Rosalie Michot, MS in Botany

  

  When:

  Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  I am an intern at Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden through KUPU. I just completed my Master's in Botany at UH Manoa, focused on population genetics of 'ākala; I got my undergraduate in Biology at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. I grew up between there and France, with parents who taught me about our connection with nature and it's thanks to them that I have a deep appreciation for it and decided to focus on conservation for my career path.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, July 9

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Planting and Preservation of Coconut at the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park: A History

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  MaryAnne Maigret

  

  When:

  Thursday, June 12 at 5:30pm

  MaryAnne Maigret was raised in San Jose, California and came to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa in 1984 to pursue a Masters degree in Geography. While working in cartographic design and publication, she moved to South Kona in 1988 to delve into archeological field mapping and complete surveys throughout Hawai‘i for over a decade. She has been a lecturer in Geography at UH Hilo and Hawaii Community College and spent a year at the Amy Greenwell Garden working on a hala and wauke research project. Her career in public service began in 2002 as an historic preservation specialist with the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Divisions and an archeologist with the State Parks, and later as an archeologist at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. She started her time at and Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park in 2010 as park archeologist and is currently the Integrated Resources Program Manager, responsible for protection of the cultural landscapes, including the historic coconut groves.  She lives on the farm in Honaunau with her husband Mark where they raised their children and have fun growing things.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, June 11th

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Cotton Tales: Ma'o

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Jillian Scheibe

  

  When:

  Thursday, May 5, 2025 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6 pm)

  Jillian Scheibe spun the cotton tale in an interactive talk regarding the history and uses of cotton. Jill is a lifelong fiber and plant enthusiast who works with cotton from seed to yarn. She has a BS in Ag Science and works with commercial farmers through the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by May 14th

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Grow Hawaiian Festival

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  Grow Hawaiian Festival

  

  When:

  February 22, 2025 from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm

  The Grow Hawaiian Festival is an annual celebration hosted by Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook, Hawaii. This free, family-friendly event brings the community together to honor Hawaiian culture and ethnobotany through vibrant activities, including demonstra- tions, hands-on workshops, and guided garden tours.

  Where:

  82-6160 Māmalahoa HWY Captain Cook, Hawai‘i Island

  

• Native Pollinators for Native Plants

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Joe O’Brien

  

  When:

  Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  For the past 10 years, I have worked with Big Island Bees to educate the public about the importance of bees and pollination. This includes hands-on education about beekeeping and the critical role bees play in ecosystems. I am especially passionate about raising awareness of Hawaii’s native pollinators, including the endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus spp.), and promoting the planting of native Hawaiian flowers to create habitats and preserve biodiversity. These efforts are relevant beyond Hawaii to the whole US. We need to find simple, cost-effective ways to protect pollinators nationwide, such as planting pollinator-friendly plants, reducing pesticide use, and supporting conservation programs. By empowering communities with knowledge and practical steps, we can collectively help preserve pollinator populations and ecosystem health.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, January 8

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Grow Aloha: Nurturing Biocultural Connections one Plant at a Time

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  David Bryant

  

  When:

  Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  David Bryant is passionate about bringing people and plants together. He currently serves as the Director of Communications at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), where he guides public engagement to deepen relationships with plants and amplify the importance of biocultural conservation. Before NTBG, he served as the Director of Education & Engagement for the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) where he led public programs and campaigns for pivotal environmental issues in California, including wildfire, plant poaching, native plant horticulture, and Indigenous stewardship. In this talk, he will tell us about Grow Aloha, a statewide plant adoption program launched with the aim of restoring Hawaiian plants and their biocultural connections. Hear from David Bryant, Director of Communications at the National Tropical Botanical Garden, about this growing initiative that will include Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden next year!

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, December 11

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Finding a balance between cash crops , subsistence farming and restoring endemics

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Una Greenaway

  

  When:

  Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Una Greenaway is a longtime organic farmer from the ahupua'a of Kealakekua. She grows coffee, macadamia nuts and cacao as the major cash crops, and is committed to growing in the agroforestry style. She also grows many endemics and Polynesian introductions. Her farm, Kuaiwi Farm, has been managed organically for 47 years. She honors the people who cherished the land before her, and takes to heart the state motto, Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, November 13

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers

  

• Putting Back The Trees – From Overlogging to Restoration of Native Forest Species

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Lou Putzel

  

  When:

  Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  The Garden’s Lou Putzel steps in this month for a speaker who had to cancel. He will tell the story of shihuahuaco (Dipteryx spp.), an ecologically important timber tree species in Peruvian Amazonia overexploited for the international market. What hope is there for tree species that are too valuable and attract the attention of global buyers? Even in conservation areas, such species are subject to poaching, and people will go a long way through dense forest to get them. But also, local people go to great lengths to collect seed and seedlings from the natural forest and move them to a safe place on their farms. This story may resonate here in Hawaii, for example with the story of ‘iliahi (Santalum spp.), exploited long ago to satisfy demand for its oil and still vulnerable to various types of extraction including conversion logging. Here too, local residents are busy putting back the trees.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, October 9th

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Eating Aliens to Save Natives

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Dr. Nat Bletter

  

  When:

  Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6 pm)

  Nat Bletter has 25 years of experience in botany, documenting exotic fruits and vegetables, gathering food in the wild, herbal and traditional medicine, and exploring Asia, South America, Central America, and Africa. He has a Ph.D. in Ethnobotany from the City University of New York and New York Botanical Garden, where he researched medicinal plants of Peru, Mali, and the Guatemalan Mayans, ethnobotany, taste-modifying plants, and stimulant plants such as cacao, which spurred him to start the traditional-ingredient, high-antioxidant, artisanal chocolate company Madre Chocolate. He did a post-doc at UH Mānoa researching plants and migration in Thailand and Laos, and now runs the edible landscaping company Natty by Nature where he makes fruit cocktail trees for people by grafting many varieties onto one tree to squeeze higher diversity into small Honolulu gardens.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, September 11th

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Exploring the origins of Hawaiian agricultural plants

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Peter Van Dyke

  

  When:

  Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Peter worked at Amy Greenwell Garden from 1990 to 2023, starting in the nursery and then as manager. He has for a long time been interested in the early agriculture of New Guinea and Island South East Asia and the amazing spread of Austronesian languages and people. Since retiring he has become a regular Saturday morning volunteer at the Garden, tends his own farm in Honaunau, and gets into the ocean at every opportunity.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, August 14

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• Mai Ho'omāuna i ka 'Ai (Do nothing that mistreats our food): A deeper analysis into practices making up the macrocosm that is a mahi'ai

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Ka‘iana Runnels

  

  When:

  Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Ka'iana Runnels is a mahiʻai from the mokupuni of Moku o Keawe, in the moku of Hilo Akau, and the ahupuaʻa of Laupāhoehoe. He and his wahine have four kamali'i that help them grow and mālama 'āina. His passion is to collect, identify, document, cultivate, preserve, and spread the mea kanu of my kūpuna. His specific focus is on kalo, ʻawa, maiʻa, and kō. The ʻike he holds stems from a variety of kūpuna and hoa. He first and foremost recognizes all those kūpuna who gave freely of their time and priceless naʻauao. Along with his kuleana to these mea kanu Hawaiʻi, he works full time as the Mahiʻāina Supervisor for The Kohala Center where he manages a waihona of kūpuna crops. His passion is to educate ʻohana about food cultivation and the importance of ʻai pono in our everyday lives.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, July 10

  

• The ethnobotany of Hawaiian plants and ex-situ conservation tools to care for them

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Jill Wagner

  

  When:

  June 13, 2024 at 5:30 pm (Talk starts at 6:00 pm)

  Jill Wagner is a forester, ethnobotanist and seed banking specialist. She started her career in Hawaii at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in 1994 and has since conducted forest restoration and seed banking with private landowners, the State of Hawaii and community groups. She also regularly offers courses in these subjects to people in Hawaii and around the world.

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Followed By:

  Ethnobotanical Pupu Potluck

  If Can:

  Please bring an ethnobotanically-relevant pupu and be prepared to explain the origin and significance of the plant(s) to be devoured. May contain meat: a card will be provided to list main ingredients.

  RSVP:

  To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by To ensure there is room for all, please RSVP to info@amygreenwell.garden by Wednesday, June 12

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.

  

• History, the New Palamanui Forest Preserve and Botanical Garden, and Us

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  A Talk By Guest Speaker

  Dr. Richard Stevens

  

  When:

  May 9, 2024

  Dr. Richard Stevens is an author, teacher, tree-planter, and hunter and restorer of ancient trails. He has published on organic gardening in Hawaii, the role of nature in the Vietnam War, Hawaii's forest birds and ancient trails. A former Marine, Foreign Service OIicer, Refugee Advisor for the US Agency for International Development, and ancient trail hunter for the Hawaii State Division of Forestry and Wildlife, he served 3 years in both civilian and military roles in the Vietnam War, was wounded twice, missing once, and received several Vietnamese medals and the Purple Heart. He has taught history for over 30 years at Hawaii Community College/UH Center at West Hawaii in Kona. He has received many awards for teaching, native species reforestation, and ancient trail restoration. He lives on his in-laws' agroforestry farm in Kona, where he describes himself as the "volunteer hired man."

  Where:

  Hale Pulelehua, Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, 82-6160 Mamalahoa Hwy (please park at the Garden Visitor Center and walk in)

  Funding for this project provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden are equal opportunity providers and employers.