MEDIA RELEASE

The 10th Annual West Hawaii Seed Exchange is Nov. 1-3 at Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook.

This year the garden’s traditional event also includes an Arbor Day celebration, tree giveaway, expert advice, and a program for students.

The community seed exchange is 4–5 p.m. Nov. 1. West Hawaii home gardeners, students and their teachers saving seed in school gardens, and visiting gardeners are invited to bring saved seed — seed, roots, cuttings, and huli (part of taro used for planting) — of food, medicine, flower, or native plants that do well in home gardens and to share knowledge with the community.

Those sharing seed are reminded to bring envelopes and a pen for your seed, and to ID the seed you bring with name, date collected, and place grown.

The following activities are scheduled for all three days:

* 9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Native trees will be given away (one per person), while each day’s supply lasts. Parking is available in the grass lot above the visitor center Friday and Sunday.

* 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Woodworkers will be crafting poi boards and other objects.

* 1 p.m.: Arbor Day guided tours of the garden. Learn how to select, plant, and care for trees. Regular Garden admission will be charged for the tour, and participants will be offered a free tree at the end of the tour.

The student and teacher program is 2:30–6 p.m. Nov. 1. Students can choose to join a scavenger hunt in the gardens, prepare a seed mandala for the Amy Greenwell Garden, help prepare dinner for the students and teachers, or make origami seed packets. An optional garden tour will be offered at 1 p.m.

Student groups are asked to RSVP to Nancy Redfeather, program director of The Kohala Center’s Public Seed Initiative, by emailing nredfeather@kohalacenter.org or calling (808) 322-2801.

The Arbor Day event is supported by a grant from the DLNR Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and is sponsored by the Hawaii Public Seed Initiative, a program of The Kohala Center.

— Find out more:
www.kohalacenter.org