Monday, October 24, 2011

Royal Hawaiian displays final painting by Herb Kane


By Nina Wu, Honolulu Star Advertiser

Herb Kane's final painting hangs near the entrance to the Monarch Room in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Herb Kane's last painting, "Kamehameha Landing," now graces the wall by the entrance to the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
It was the last painting the artist-historian was working on before he died March 8. It remains incomplete and unsigned, though someone with an untrained eye might not notice.
The 5-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide oil on canvas depicts King Kamehameha I and his warriors in canoes preparing to land on the shores of Waikiki in great detail.
Commissioned by Kyo-Ya Hotels and Resorts, "Kamehameha Landing" will be officially unveiled Friday with a private Hawaiian blessing by the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.
Kane is also being honored by the foundation as the 2011 Kamaaina of the Year with a benefit dinner on Saturday in the Monarch Room.
"One of the marks of his greatness was his attention to culturally accurate detail, including the color of the water, the rigging and cordage on the canoes and the angle and slope of surf," said cultural consultant Peter Apo, his friend of more than 30 years. "Most people would just sort of draw waves, but if you're a surfer and you saw the waves, you would say, ‘I know where that is. That's the Waikiki swell.'"
Several years ago, Kane had already made a sketch of the scene but had not yet gotten to the full color painting, which he had always wanted to do.
As Kyo-ya was renovating the Royal Hawaiian, the company wanted a new piece of art for the hotel. Apo connected Kane with architect Rob Iopa.
Kane worked on the painting for about seven to eight months in his studio at Kealakekua Bay before he died.
"He fully expected to finish it," Apo said.
He also intended for it to be his last painting of that scale because his eyesight was deteriorating and he could paint only during the day.
After his death, Kyo-ya had the painting framed and transported to Oahu, according to Iopa, and decided it was best to leave the painting as is, with Kane's final touches rather than having someone else complete it.
King Kamehameha I's Waikiki landing in 1795 was a pivotal point in the history of Hawaii, Apo said, given that he would go on to conquer Oahu and unite the Hawaiian islands.
Some 2,000 war canoes stretched from Ala Moana Beach Park to Kahala, according to some accounts, he said.
"It's a beautiful depiction of a landing and preparing for battle," said Iopa. "Probably what stands out more than the painting itself was the knowledge behind what was being painted. It really celebrates a great man and what we believe to be a great piece."

Friday, October 21, 2011

Polynesian Voyaging Discussion - FREE Event!

Come join us on Sunday, October 23, 2011 for this free event:

Polynesian Voyaging Discussion

12 noon
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Free and open to the public

Join a Talk Story about Polynesian ocean voyaging and its rebirth in modern times and get to meet some of the original navigators!

ʻŌiwi TV - Herb Kane Article

Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation’s 2011 Kamaʻāina of the Year: Herb Kāne

Herb Kawainui Kāne will be honored at this year’s HHF event for his contributions in the revival of our Hawaiian culture.

The amount of detail and the amount of research that went into Herb’s paintings really are unprecedented in depicting Hawaiian scapes.

His paintings remain a rich source of Hawaiian history, including his last piece “Kamehameha Landing.”

It’s especially unique and special because Kamehameha set up his then united kingdom here on the grounds of the Royal Hawaiian in Helumoa

The Foundation is honoring Herb as the “Kamaʻāina of the Year” for his valuable contributions to Hawaiʻi’s history.

Our mission as (the) Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation is to preserve the elements of our culture. Herb accomplished this via his paintings and much more. I obviously know of him as an artist, obviously know of him as a historian, and obviously know of his instrumental participation and leadership in establishing the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Events will be held thru Sunday including a screening of Papa Mau, a talk story with voyagers, and canoe landings.

Visit http://www.oiwi.tv/live/article/historic-hawai%ca%bbi-foundations-2011-kama%ca%bbaina-of-the-year-herb-kane/ for complete article and video.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

How we deal with Natatorium will put our character to the test


Star-Advertiser
A 1973 aerial view shows the Waikiki Natatorium in better times.

Richard Borreca argues that 32 years of "dithering and delay on the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium has got to end" ("Natatorium is a problem that just won't go away," Star-Advertiser, On Politics, Oct. 4).
We agree.
But we do not agree with those who say that demolition or a change of use is in the public interest or the less expensive financial alternative to restoration.
The city, while led by Mayor Jeremy Harris, spent $4.2 million restoring the facade, bathrooms, bleachers and volleyball court and built a new district lifeguard office. Mayor Harris's and the Honolulu City Council's total $11.5 million appropriation for the project also would have paid for a re-engineered pool that would provide ADA access to the ocean for the elderly, and disabled. Had the so-nearly-realized restoration been completed, we would be celebrating its return to public use and swimming there today.
But the succeeding mayoral administration, under Mufi Hannemann, swept into City Hall with a passion to undo important major projects undertaken by Harris, beginning with a stunning reversal of a fully designed and permitted Natatorium restoration.
It not only stopped the restoration, but went into high gear to demolish the entire structure. It pursued demolition with a spirit of irreverence that dishonored the memory of more than 10,000 warriors from Hawaii who are memorialized by the Natatorium. Auwe!
We are as tired of sloshing through debate as some are of having to listen to it, but Borreca's column cannot be left unchallenged. To spare your readers from having to navigate a manifesto on the subject, let it suffice for us to say here that the real consequences of demolition lie far beyond what most people realize. The Natatorium serves as a sand retention revetment; it created San Souci beach. Demolish the Natatorium and San Souci is history.
Alternative uses like creating additional new beach or volleyball courts are not permitted shoreline uses and would have to survive a lengthy and daunting county, state and federal permitting process, not to mention court challenges.
The Hawaii Supreme Court has already ruled, in 1973, against demolition for any other use of the shoreline expect for a Natatorium (defined as a swimming pool in Act 15 of the Territorial Legislature, 1921). The cost of demolition to effect the new uses proposed, even if successful, rivals or exceeds the cost of restoration. So much for the argument that it's cheaper to demolish.
Further, the structure sits in a declared marine sanctuary. Demolition-triggered reef damage is a significant threat. A new beach, according to an Army Corps of Engineers study, would require replacing the Natatorium with the equivalent of a three-wall small boat harbor replicating the footprint of the Natatorium walls and its sand retention function to protect San Souci as well as the proposed added 100 feet of new beach. Go figure.
The proposal to "preserve" the arch by moving it is not an engineering possibility. It would have to be rebuilt as a reproduction. So much for preservation.
Finally, hundreds of pages of scientific and expert studies, including a $1.2 million environmental impact statement, show the least expensive, least environmentally harmful option is full restoration.
The idea of demolishing the Natatorium ranks up there with the attempts to demolish Iolani Palace for a parking lot and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for a new high-rise hotel. The Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium is the last of the great historic treasures of the Waikiki shoreline. How we respond to this challenge will mark the greatness or failure of who we are as a people.
———
Peter Apo is an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee; Steven M. Baldridge is president of BASE Structural Engineering; Brian Keaulana is a waterman; retired Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon is former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific; William M. Smith Jr. is an Olympic gold medalist and former director of the city Water Safety Department; and William Y. Thompson, is president of the 442nd Veterans Club.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Application Now Available for Battlefield Preservation Grants







Proposals are now being accepted for the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) Battlefield Preservation Grants. Non-profit groups, academic institutions, and local, regional, state, and tribal governments are encouraged to apply.

Types of eligible projects inlude:

* Archeology

* Cultural Landscape Inventories

* Cultural Resource Documentation

* GIS Mapping

* National Register Nominations

* Preservation Plans




Since 1990, the ABPP has worked with partners like you to help protect and enhance more than 280 battlefields. Project funding has ranged from $5,000 to $75,000. The ABPP encourages, but does not require, matching funds or in-kind services for these projects. Application form, deadline and complete guidelines are available on-line at: www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/
For further information contact Kristen McMasters at: 202-354-2037.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

“Aloha Buddha” to be shown at Film Festival Oct. 21



A documentary about Japanese Buddhism in Hawai‘i has been completed and will be shown at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival. The film is entitled “Aloha Buddha.” It covers the history of Buddhism and Japanese immigration and settlement in the Islands. Parts of the film are serious and unsettling, other parts are fun and lighthearted; the film shows the struggles of the Japanese population as well as the triumphs through the story of Buddhism.
The film has been selected to premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival 2011. There is only one showing – Friday, October 21, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. The venue is at the Dole Cannery.
Tickets may be purchased by going online at http://www.hiff.org/program/films/detail/aloha_buddha_2011 or call 808-447-0577.
The film was produced by Lorraine Minatoishi and directed by Bill Ferehawk and Dylan Robertson.

Friday, October 14, 2011

DLNR ANNOUNCES THE RECREATIONAL RESIDENCE LEASE AUCTION FOR KŌKE‘E AND WAIMEA CANYON STATE PARKS, KAUA‘I

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release
NEIL ABERCROMBIE
GOVERNOR
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WILLIAM J. AILA, JR.
CHAIRPERSON
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For immediate release: October 7, 2011
DLNR ANNOUNCES THE
RECREATIONAL RESIDENCE LEASE AUCTION
FOR KŌKE‘E AND WAIMEA CANYON STATE PARKS, KAUA‘I
LIHUE – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of State Parks is pleased to announce that seventeen (17) vacant recreational residence leases in Kōke„e and Waimea State Parks on the island of Kaua„i are now scheduled for public auction.
“This auction is a great opportunity for residents to bid on rustic recreational cabins and lots, in one of Hawai„i‟s most beautiful State Parks, that have not been available to the general public in decades,” said William J. Aila Jr., DLNR Chairperson. “The revenues from these leases will go to supporting improvements on public lands by restoring recreational areas in the Hawai„i State Park System,” Aila continued.
These 17 recreational residence leases will be sold by means of a three tiered public auction, as is required under Act 223 SLH 2008. The recreational lease is awarded to the highest bidder with a minimum upset price determined by appraisal.
Per the law, the first round of the auction will be offered to residents of a county in the state with a population of less than 100,000 (which includes Kaua„i County), the second round is then to be offered to statewide residents, and if there are any leases still available after this second round, a third round will be opened to non-residents. The minimum bids start as low as $2,500 per year and the lots are only for part time, recreation use only.
The deadline for applications is 4pm, November 7, 2011 and the first round of the auction will be held December 8, 2011.
For more detailed information and a Public Auction Bid Packet, visit http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/plans/index.cfm or call (808) 587-0505.
# # #
Page 2
Recreational Residence Lease Auction
for Kōke„e and Waimea Canyon State Parks
For more information, news media may contact:
Laura Stevens
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Phone: (808) 587-0320
45 second re-cap: The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks is pleased to announce that seventeen (17) vacant recreational residence leases in Kōke„e and Waimea State Parks on the island of Kaua„i are now scheduled for public auction. The deadline for applications is 4pm, November 7, 2011 and the first round of the auction will be held December 8, 2011.
For more detailed information and a Public Auction Bid Packet, visit http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/plans/index.cfm or call (808) 587-0505.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Court Ruling Defends Preservation Easements

By Preservation Action

Over the past several years, the Internal Revenue Service has been actively challenging the donation of preservation easements to non-profit organizations. Citing a range of issues including the actual value of the donation, whether or not the easement is "exclusively for conservation purposes," as required in the law, or whether placing an easement on properties already subjected to the restrictions of local preservation ordinances have any value at all, the IRS aggressively started auditing donors - resulting in a substantial drop in easement donations.
A recent federal appeals court decision in a Washington DC case, Simmons v. Commissioner, should help to put many of the IRS's claims to rest. The case involved a property owner who donated the facades of two 19th century Italianate row-houses in the Logan Circle Historic District to an easement holding organization - the L'Enfant Trust. Among the issues raised by the IRS was their claim that because the L'Enfant Trust could actually approve changes to the facade and not simply mandate it remain in its current condition in perpetuity, that it did not count as being "exclusively for conservation purposes." They also took issue with the actual easement deeds because they contained provisions that permitted the easement holder to abandon the easement, and they did not clearly outline a process by which the easement would be transferred elsewhere should the holding entity cease to exist.
On all counts the court ruled against the IRS. This, coupled with an earlier tax court decision that the IRS did not appeal that invalidated the argument that easements donated on properties located in protected historic districts have no value, should help to set a stronger precedent in future cases and help deter the IRS from pursuing its attack on donations made to legitimate organizations.
For more information, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has posted a more in-depth article here.

Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History Program 5th Annual Program

Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History Program will hold its 5th Annual Program to celebrate the rich history of Hawaii’s women. The celebration, presented by the Hawai`i Council for the Humanities, will be held on Saturday, October 29th at the Hawaii Convention Center. Our themes: ancient women of Hawai`i and women activists. Please join/register at http://www.distinctivewomenhawaii.org/

The program will include an amazing hula performance by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne with Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu interpreting the roles of nā wāhine kanaka maoli (native women). It has mythology, Hawaiian culture, extraordinary choreography, humor, and the excitement of well-told, fast-moving stories. Kumu Patrick is also a panelist in a follow-on presentation. Topics range from local female activists during the women's suffrage movement, Mormon missionary women, Princess Nahinu Kamehaokalani, and moving WWII era stories that include Korean activist Dora Moon, public health nurse Harriet Kuwamoto, and social worker Jennie Lee In. And there’s poetry, paying homage to women in transition with detours and mid-life reinventions.

The Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History Program has partnered with Mission Houses Museum to offer a 20% discount price to Mission Houses’ Spookilau, a unique paranormal event that evening in downtown Honolulu. The Spookilau 20% off discount is only available from the Distinctive Women web site.

For more information, contact
Jamie Conway
Program Director & Founder
events@distinctivewomenhawaii.org
www.distinctivewomenhawaii.org

HONOLULU LAND FUND CAN PRESERVE HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES

Applications Due September 30


August 30, 2011: Applications are now being accepted for projects under the City and County of Honolulu Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund.

For more information about the fund and the grant application process, please go to http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/cbc/cwnl.htm

The fund was established to protect land through acquisition of fee title or conservation easements on O’ahu. Applications are due September 30, 2011 at 4:00 pm. Applications must be submitted as follows:
• Submit one copy electronically via e-mail to cclbc@honolulu.gov
• Once you have submitted your electronic copy, you must also deliver two (2) hard copies of the completed application and a soft copy of the application (CD-ROM, diskette, flash drive) to the City Council’s Office at the following address:
Clean Water & Natural Lands Commission
Attn: Council Liaison
Honolulu Hale
530 South King Street, Room 202
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Applications will be reviewed by the Commission Clean Water and Natural Lands Commission, which will make recommendations to the City Council on projects to be funded by the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund. Final selection of projects to be funded will be made by the City Council as part of the annual budget process.
The Commission’s has established an application that ranks applications according to the purposes of the fund. These purposes include:
• protection of watershed lands to preserve water quality and water supply
• preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas and agricultural lands
• public outdoor recreation and education, including access to beaches and mountains
• preservation of historic or culturally important land areas and sites
• protection of significant habitats or ecosystems, including buffer zones
• conservation of land in order to reduce erosion, floods, landslides, and runoff
• acquisition of public access to public land and open space

The Commission also considers factors such as the degree of urgency, financial support from other sources, and how a proposed project relates to the city’s existing budgetary or other priorities.

Background In 2006, Honolulu voters approved a charter amendment that set aside a portion of real property tax revenues for land conservation. In 2007, the Council established the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund (Ordinance 07-18) and the Commission (Reso. 07-355 CD1). The Commission was established to advise the City Council on the use and expenditure of these funds.

Past Projects The City Council has approved a total of six outstanding Oahu land conservation projects in the first three cycles of applications to this Fund. The Council encourages the public to work with the Commission through the application process and to provide input that will assist it in making its recommendations to the Council. To date, the City Council has approved acquisition of the following conservation projects: Kukaniloko, Sunset Ranch, Honouliuli Preserve, Kunia Agricultural Research Station, the Fong Plantation, and the Hawea Heiau/Keawawa wetland. The Sunset Ranch conservation project received $600,000 from the fund in fiscal year 2010.

PUBLIC MEETINGS SET FOR KAWAINUI INTERPRETIVE PLAN

Community input needed on interpretation of Kawainui-Hamakua history and resources

For the past 6 years, Ho‘olaulima ia Kawainui has been gathering background information on Kawainui-Hāmākua marsh and park in Kailua on the windward side of O‘‘ahu to be used in the development of an interpretive plan.

The organization has inventoried the natural and cultural resources, developed some interpretive themes (messages), identified the potential audience, and gathered information about various interpretive techniques. The group plans to share this information with the community and seek input on the interpretive opportunities and ask the public to share what they would like to see at Kawainui. The input they receive will allow them to move forward with the interpretive planning process and communicate with the Department of Land and Natural Resources as it develops a master plan.

Six public outreach meetings will be held in the Kailua (O‘ahu) community in September-November. Please join one or more of these meetings to share your thoughts and explore ways to share the special resource of Kawainui-Hamakua with the community and visitors.

Meeting Schedule:
Maunawili - Pohakupi - Kukanono Communities -- Tues., Sept. 13, 7:00 p.m. at Trinity Church, 875 Auloa Road, Kailua
Keolu - Enchanted Lake Communities -- Sat., Sept. 17, 10:00 a.m. at Enchanted Lake Elementary School, 770 Keolu Drive, Kailua
Kalāheo - Aikahi -- Wed., Oct. 5, 6:30pm at Kalāheo High School Cafeteria
Keolu - Enchanted Lake -- Thurs., Oct. 20, 7:00pm at St. John Vianney’s Social Hall, 920 Keolu Drive, Kailua
Lanikai -- Thurs., Oct. 27, 7:00pm at Lanikai Park, A‘alapapa Drive, Kailua
Kainalu - Kailua Beach -- Tues., Nov. 8, 6:30pm at St. Anthony’s Church, Kalāheo Avenue & Makawao Street, Kailua

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Free Event to Honor Queen Liliuokalani

The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition will honor Queen Lili'uokalani as a world leader of peace and justice on September 4, 2011, at ‘Iolani Palace, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The organization said that the special event is a day to gather to remember this great leader, to reflect on the past, to look to the future. It's a family day where kama‘āina and malihini can gather to learn about Hawai'i's history, enjoy great entertainment, food, and cultural activities, see a play and walk on a tour.

'Onipa'a will feature:
- Entertainment by the Royal Hawaiian Band, Jerry Santos and Olomana, Ipo Kumukahi, Halau I Ka Wekiu (Michael Nalanakila'ekolu Casupang and Karl Veto Baker, Na Kumu Hula), and others
- Ecumenical Services at Noon with Kahu Van Culin and Nola Nahulu
- Presentation by Walter Kawaiae'a on the Queen's Music
- The Queen's Play by the Ka Lei Maile Ali'i Hawaiian Civic Club
- The popular Mai Poina Walking Tours (a re-enactment of the events leading to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy under the direction of noted playwright Victoria Kneubuhl.)
- Free admission to 'Iolani Palace
- Cultural and educational exhibitions

The event is sponsored by: The Hawai 'i Pono'i Coalition; the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Kamehameha Schools; the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center; and the Friends of 'Iolani Palace.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

DLNR Kaua'i Listening Sessions Aug. 20

DLNR Administration Team, including Chairperson William J. Aila, Jr., First Deputy Guy H. Kaulukukui, Ph.D. and Water Deputy Bill M. Tam will hold two Listening Sessions on Kaua‘i to hear community comments, questions, and concerns regarding topics under the Department’s jurisdiction. This is the first of a series of statewide listening sessions.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources is charged with protecting rare and endangered species, native ecosystems, watersheds, streams, aquifers, submerged lands, coral reefs, fisheries, other ocean resources, and historic and cultural sites, as well as managing state parks, harbors, boat ramps, etc. It is also oversees public hunting and game management.
Kaua‘i Public Listening Session
Saturday, August 20, 2011

North Shore Listening Session
10:30am – 12:30pm
Kilauea Elementary School
2440 Kolo St., Kilauea, Hawai‘i 96754

Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary School
3:30pm - 5:30pm
4319 Hardy Street
Lihue, Hawaii 96766

The Kaua‘i meetings are hosted by Senator Ronald Kouchi.

If you are unable to attend but would like to send your comments, questions, and concerns to the DLNR please e-mail: DLNR2011ListeningSessions@hawaii.gov

Individuals requiring special assistance or accommodations are asked to contact Senator Kouchi’s office at (808) 586-6030 at least four days in advance of the meeting.


NPS Announces Fiscal Year 2012 Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program

Beginning Thursday, September 1, 2011, applications for fiscal year 2012 will be available to assist private non-profit organizations, educational institutions, state, local and tribal governments, and other public entities in their efforts to preserve confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II and to educate and inspire present and future generations about the importance of these historic places.

For more information about the National Park Service grant program and grant application process, please visit the following website:

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/hpg/JACS/index.html

Applications must be received by: Tuesday, November 1, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact the Hawaii NPS regional office:
Contact: Suzanne Bott
Phone: 808-541-2693 ext. 737
Email: suzanne_bott@nps.gov

A & B Building Stars in Design Video

The architectural design and steel frame construction of the historic Alexander & Baldwin Building was the subject of a talk and video presentation at a monthly meeting of the Engineers and Architects of Hawai‘i earlier this year. Giving the presentation was Don Hibbard of Mason Architects, co-author of a book about one of the building’s designers entitled Hart Wood, Architectural Regionalism in Hawai‘i.
Wood and another notable Hawai‘i architect, C.W. Dickey, collaborated on the design of the A & B Building, which was completed in 1929.

View the video presentation of the building’s history at the Engineers and “Architects Channel link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/eahawaii1902

Mission Houses Museum presents: Huaka‘i: A Musical Journey

Saturday, September 17th, 5:30 p.m.
Featuring the music of George Kuo, Martin Pahinui, Aaron Mahi, Makana, and Kapena as we honor Kamaku ‘Ukulele on their 95th anniversary and raise funds to support the museum and its programs!
Tables and tickets on-line or 447-3922
www.missionhouses.org

Monday, August 8, 2011

PARTNERSHIPS HELP KEEP LAND IN FOREST CONSERVATION

Forest Legacy Program shines in “Year of the Forest”

HONOLULU — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) continues to partner with local land trusts and private landowners to successfully sustain forests through acquisition of conservation easement, which reduce conversion of forest land to other uses.

The Hawaii Forest Legacy Program, administered through DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, is now seeking new applications for funding assistance for forest conservation acquisitions in the federal fiscal year 2013.

The deadline for the next round of applications to the Hawaii Forest Legacy Program is August 22, 2011. Landowners and non-profit entities who are interested in participating in the Forest Legacy Program may contact Sheri Mann at the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife at 587-4172.

“Hawaii projects have been very successful in this nationally competitive program,” said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR chairperson. “Through the Hawaii Forest Legacy Program we have been able to protect our environmentally sensitive forest resources, preserve watersheds, shelter endangered species, and safeguard our culturally important sites.”

The Forest Legacy Program works with private landowners, states and conservation non-profit groups to promote sustainable, working forests. In the federal fiscal year 2010, the Forest Legacy Program was funded at more than $79 million to assist landowners across the country to conserve and manage their land while protecting environmentally important landscapes.

“Conservation easements are one of the best options out there for a conservation-minded landowner,” stated Kip Dunbar of Kainalu Ranch. “Not only do conservation easements allow landowners to retain and manage their family property -- they also can provide technical and financial assistance, as well as tax benefits for donors, to help with the ongoing cost of managing land for conservation in perpetuity.”

“Conservation easements are a relatively new tool that allows a landowner to retain ownership of the restricted title to their property while providing permanent protection from development or unsustainable uses,” said Paul Conry, Division of Forestry and Wildlife administrator. Easements are strictly voluntary, and the restrictions are binding to all future owners in perpetuity.

“Conservation easements allow the Forest Legacy Program to provide landowners with alternatives to selling their land to development companies,” Conry added. “With the help of land trusts, new cost-share and tax programs, and conservation-minded landowners, Hawaii is increasing the number of incentive programs which afford landowners a secure financial future and enhancement of natural resource that we all benefit from,” he said.

With the recent closing of a conservation easement on Hawaii Island, the Hawaii Forest Legacy Program has assured that an additional 9,000 acres on Kealakekua Heritage Ranch will be protected forever.

The Division of Forestry and Wildlife is also currently working to protect more than 600 acres of important forested watershed lands on Molokai with this program.

Roughly 57 percent of the nation's forests are privately owned yet the country has lost 15 million acres of private working forests in the last 10 years with an additional 22 million acres projected to be at risk in the next decade.

Nationally over 2 million acres of threatened private forests have been protected under the Forest Legacy Program, of which 45,000 acres have been protected under Hawaii’s program.

The Hawaii Forest Legacy Program has identified many forestlands throughout the state as important and in need of permanent protection. More about this can be found in the State’s Assessment of Needs (www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/hflp). The Hawaii program accepts both fee title and conservation easement acquisitions.

The North Shore Chamber of Commerce Historic Preservation Committee presents "Theaters of Hawaii"

The North Shore Chamber of Commerce Historic Preservation Committee presents "Theaters of Hawaii," an illustrated talk and book signing by Lowell Angell with a special appearance by Captain Haleiwa. Mr. Angell will talk about the rich history of theaters in Hawaii and Captain Haleiwa will speak about the history of the North Shore theaters as well as his gallant attempt to prevent the demolition of the iconic Haleiwa Theater.

WHAT:

Theatres of Hawai`i, Places of Performance in the Islands, 1847-1970, an illustrated talk presented by Lowell Angell with a guest appearance by Captain Haleiwa.

WHEN: Saturday, August 13, 2011, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Haleiwa Gym across from Haleiwa Post Office

ADMISSION: $10 pre-sale and $12 at the door (includes free popcorn)

TICKETS:

Available at the Kai Ku Hale, Strong Current, and Chamber office Monday to Friday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Phone:637-4558

August Trail Volunteering Day at 'Iole


We're pleased to invite you to 'Iole's Volunteer Day on Saturday, August 13th. Come help us maintain and improve 'Iole's beautiful trails. Stay for catered lunch! Bring friends and spread the word!

Where:

Bond Historic District Homestead 53-496 'Iole Rd.
1/2mile past Kapa'au Town's King Kamehameha statue
Turn right (mauka) up 'Iole Rd.
'Iole's offices are below Kalahikiola Church
Kapa'au, HI

When:

Saturday August 13, 2011 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM HST



Mahalo nui for your support and kokua. We look forward to seeing you on 'Iole's trails!

Sincerely,

Kerry Balaam
'Iole
kerry@iolehawaii.com
808-889-5151

Monday, June 13, 2011

Census data gleaned from ancient farm walls

By Jim Borg, Honolulu Star Advertiser

WAIMEA, Hawaii » A study of a network of ancient earthen berms or windbreaks in North Kohala has led scientists to conclude that the population of the area quadrupled as farming intensified between 1400 and 1700.

The walls were built to protect crops, mostly sweet potatoes, from the strong prevailing trades, says Julie Field, an assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Field and colleagues from California and New Zealand studied ancient farmlands and abodes in five ahupuaa (land divisions) in what they call the Leeward Kohala Field System.

Their findings suggest that practical decisions made by individual households were eventually adopted by the alii (chiefs) as a means to improve agricultural productivity.

"Archaeologically this kind of research is really hard to do in most places since there is rarely a ‘signature' for the agricultural activity or a strong connection between the remains of a house and a plot of farmland," says Field. "Our study is unique in that we can trace the activities of very, very small groups of people and, from that, try to glean the larger processes of society."

IN North Kohala the signature consists of stone or earthen berms or walls that run parallel to each other along the slope contours. Their archaeological importance was first noted in 1970.

Most likely the system was put in place by individual households that produced crops for their own consumption, Field said.

"It was then appropriated by the chiefs and turned into more of a surplus production system, where they demanded that the land be put into production and more people would produce more surplus food," she said.

The windward valleys of the Kohala peninsula were settled about A.D. 1100 to 1200, and the leeward coast about 1200 to 1400, the researchers estimate.

Forty-eight radiocarbon dates from 43 residential features indicate an "exponential increase" in the number of households over the next few centuries, says the research paper, published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As the field system grew, more berms were built to subdivide the acreage, the scientists found.

"Within a 300-year period, 1400 A.D. to 1700 A.D., the data suggests that the population at least quadrupled, as did the number of houses," Field said. She had no estimate for the pre-1778 population.

From 2007 to 2009 the scientists mapped and excavated a range of residential features within two zones of the field system. Larger abodes were identified by terraces with sturdy stone walls on the upslope sides of the berms, which served as windbreaks and anchored more fragile thatched roofs, they report.

The researchers said that the next question is whether the field system was modified seasonally.

"That's what it looks like happened, but we need more dating of different features at the sites to be able to figure that out," Field said.

State Initiates Changes to Hawaii Historic Preservation Division to Meet Federal Compliance

June 8, 2011, HONOLULU– The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) took action to improve operations at its State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) and ensure federal compliance. The Department awarded a contract to Solutions Pacific, LLC to implement recommendations of the National Park Service’s Corrective Action Plan.
In March 2010, the National Park Service (NPS) issued the NPS Report on Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division Operations, determining that the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division did not comply with several provisions of its federal grant and deemed it a “high risk grantee.” The NPS identified significant operational problems in several non-discretionary federally-mandated activities. Loss of its status would have significant and devastating impacts on both heritage protection and timely processing of federal actions in Hawaii.
“The State Historic Preservation Division has a critical mission for the State of Hawaii,” said DLNR Chairperson, William J. Aila, Jr., “One of the first tasks starting as Chairperson was to assess the Division’s progress in meeting mandatory requirements of the National Park Service’s corrective action plan.”
“We found that with limited staffing together with a multitude of tasks to complete that we wouldn’t be able to meet the timeline alone. The Department determined it is in the State’s best interest to contract a consultant to meet the NPS timeline.”
Solutions Pacific, LLC and its blue ribbon team of experts will focus on compliance issues. The team will provide great insight in revising operational procedures to meet federal requirements and help develop an evaluation and retention plan for SHPD staff.
“The Team members have a deep interest in historic preservation honed over many years of experience in the field. We all believe that a well functioning SHPD office is important to everyone who touches the land in Hawaii, whether as stewards, managers, developers or preservationists. We look forward to working with the DLNR management and with the National Park Service to enable SHPD’s efficient performance,” said Mr. Ray Soon, principal of Solutions Pacific, LLC.
Mr. Soon brings nine years of experience as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and twelve years of experience with DHHL, four of those as the Director of the Department. In addition, the team of sub-contractors include a national award winning architectural firm, Fung Associates, Inc., and Cultural Survey’s Hawaii who has expertise in archaeological, cultural and historical research, and has completed thousands of studies on all the major Hawaiian islands over 29 years.
Additionally the principals at each firm include individuals with past working experience at SHPD such as Ms. Tonia Moy and Dr. Don Hibbard from Fung Associates, Inc. Ms. Moy formerly served as Architecture Branch Chief on SHPD’s staff and continues to work closely with Historic Hawaii Foundation, and SHPD. Dr. Hibbard, worked in the State Historic Preservation Office from 1978- 2002, and served as its Administrator for twenty of those years.
Cultural Survey’s Hawaii is led by its president and founder, Hal Hammatt, Ph.D. Dr. Hammatt has extensive experience with planning and historic preservation regulation compliance, having been active in the field of archeology and historic preservation for over 40 years. He is joined by Christopher Monahan, Ph.D., a former Lead Archaeologist for SHPD and has over 20 years of research experience in anthropology and archaeology, including more than seven years of experience in Hawaii.
“We are fortunate that Solutions Pacific can focus on critical components, such as staff recruitment, which has been an area we have had difficulty,” said SHPD Administrator, Pua Aiu.
“Working with Solutions Pacific, LLC provides the Department the chance to collaborate with a team of highly qualified professionals,” said DLNR Deputy, Guy H. Kaulukukui, Ph.D., “We are encouraged by their willingness to help resolve our compliance issues, and are grateful for the opportunity to benefit from their combined experiences in the field of historic preservation.”
The award is based on responses to a Request for Proposals issued in April 2011 for implementation of select portions of the National Park Service’s March 2010 Corrective Action Plan. This contract is specifically for the portions of the Corrective Action Plan relating to the National Historic Register procedures, Inventories and Surveys, and the Review and Compliance procedures for National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 compliance and Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 6E compliance. The contract also calls for assisting with a recruitment and retention plan, and providing guidance and senior leadership mentoring to the SHPD administrator.
The NPS report, Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division Operations, March 2010, includes the Corrective Action Plan and timeline. This report is posted on the SHPD website at http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/hpd/

Monday, June 6, 2011

ADVISORY COUNCIL RELEASES SUSTAINABILITY GUIDANCE FOR HISTORIC FEDERAL BUILDINGS

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has released a set of guidelines designed to assist federal agencies in their efforts to fulfill the requirements of Executive Order 13514 (2009), which mandates the establishment of an "integrated strategy towards sustainability in the Federal Government." The Order also requires that the "rehabilitation of federally owned historic buildings utilizes best practices and technologies in retrofitting to promote long-term viability of the buildings."

The guidance was developed with the support of the President's Council in Environmental Quality (CEQ), and via a work group that included representatives from the ACHP, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the General Services Administration.

The primary objective of the document is to help bridge the twin goals of achieving energy efficiency while preserving our existing federal building stock. Chapters on Integrated Planning and Design, Reusing Historic Buildings, Reinvesting in Historic Districts and Property Disposition are among the highlights.

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR ISSUES ILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES ON SUSTAINABILITY FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS

The National Park Service’s Technical Preservation Services has issued Guidelines on Sustainability stress the inherent sustainability of historic buildings and offer specific guidance on “recommended” rehabilitation treatments and “not recommended” treatments, which could negatively impact a building’s historic character. Illustrations of both types of treatments are included. The Guidelines are designed to assist building owners in planning rehabilitation projects that will meet the Standards for Rehabilitation.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings are available at http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/download/guidelines-sustainability.pdf

These are the first set of official guidelines on how to make changes to improve energy efficiency and preserve the character of historic buildings. The Guidelines are an important addition to current discussions about sustainability and achieving greater energy efficiency, which have focused primarily on new buildings to date.

Technical Preservation Services is the nation's leading provider of information and guidance on the care of historic buildings. Technical Preservation Services provides the tools and information necessary to take effective measures to protect and preserve historic buildings, ranging from historic masonry and window repairs to lead paint abatement to accessibility for people with disabilities.

Friday, May 27, 2011

National Trust To Close Save America's Treasures Office

After twelve years of serving as the principal private partner of the Save America's Treasures historic preservation grant program, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that it will be closing the office.
Facing the fact that the Administration proposed zero funding for the program in FY 2011 and in FY 2012, and Congress’ decision to eliminate funding in FY 2011, and despite strong support and advocacy by preservationists around the country, it became clear that the funding for the program is not likely to return.
"The National Trust is proud of our role in establishing SAT and our subsequent work with three administrations...SAT is a program that has demonstrated its value many times over, as a generator of economic activity and as a symbol of our country's commitment to ensuring that future generations understand the foundations on which our institutions and freedoms rest," said National Trust President Stephanie Meeks in the letter making the announcement.
The office is expected to be closed by June 30th.

FOUR GRANTS AWARDED TO PROTECT LEGACY LANDS

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Legacy Land Conservation Program will award four grants to nonprofit organizations and county agencies for the protection of lands having important cultural, natural, and agricultural resources.

“During a time when we are focused on the current economy, it is important to also remember our responsibility to future generations and the sustainability of Hawaii’s agricultural, natural, and cultural heritage,” stated William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR chairperson.

The total amount of $4.45 million in State funding will secure approximately $7.6 million in matching federal, county, and private funding towards securing the protection of these lands.

The Legacy Land Conservation Commission, a nine-member commission composed of cultural, agricultural and natural resource experts and representatives from each county, advised the Board of Land and Natural Resources on this year’s project selections. Governor Neil Abercrombie released funding for the Commission’s recommended projects in late April.

“When private lands having such valuable public resources become available for sale, it is key to do what we can to protect them – sometimes these opportunities do not come again for decades, if ever,” stated Commission Chair Dale Bonar.

The approved project awards were made to:

County of Hawaii for Kaiholena, in North Kohala, Island of Hawai‘i, at $1,650,000 for the acquisition of 76.55 acres, to protect of open space, cultural and archeological sites, and coastal resources;

Livable Hawai‘i Kai Hui for the Hāwea Heiau Complex and Keawāwa Wetland in Honolulu, Island of O‘ahu, at $325,000 for the purchase of five acres to preserve native bird habitat, wetlands, and cultural sites;

Maika‘i Kamakani ‘O Kohala for Kauhola Point in North Kohala, Island of Hawai‘i, at $975,000 for the acquisition of 27.546 acres, to preserve cultural sites, recreational areas, and coastal lands; and

Trust for Public Land and North Shore Community Land Trust for Turtle Bay Mauka Lands in Ko‘olauloa, Island of O‘ahu, at $1,500,000 for a conservation easement over 469 acres, to protect productive agricultural lands.

LLCP projects are subject to a consultation process with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the approval of the Governor. Grant funding for projects that protect lands having value as a resource to the State is awarded through the Legacy Land Conservation Program on an annual basis, subject to the availability of funds.

For more information on the Legacy Land Conservation Program please visit http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/llcp or call (808) 586-0921.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Historic Kaumakapili Church Celebrates 100th Anniversary With a Series of Events Scheduled This Summer

HONOLULU, HI – Kaumakapili Church, located in the Kalihi-Palama district of Honolulu, will be celebrating a series of events over the summer to mark the Keoneʻula Sanctuaryʻs 100th Anniversary Celebration.

The Protestant Church of Kaumakapili, located on the corner of King and Palama Streets, was dedicated in June 1911, and is the third structure built by the congregation. Notably, Mason Architects, who oversaw the recent restoration efforts, received an Award of Merit from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation in 2004, and the church was added to the National and State Historic Register in the same year.

The church, founded in 1838 by makaʻainana (commoners), was a thatched-roof adobe structure located on the corner of Smith and Beretania Streets. In 1881, the adobe building was torn down to make way for a new brick edifice, and in 1888, the two-steepled structure was dedicated. In 1900, when health authorities took drastic measures to eradicate the spread of the bubonic plague on Hawaiʻiʻs shores by igniting parts of Chinatown, stray sparks caused the church to be engulfed by flames, leaving only the brick walls standing.

Since its humble beginnings in 1838, the church has tirelessly served the Hawaiian community and beyond, and has expanded to include health services, human services programs, and worship services conducted in both Hawaiian language and English.

Upcoming celebrations include:

• June 8-9th – Annual ʻAha Na Kai ʻEwalu all-state Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches Conference

Kaumakapili Church



• June 25th – Sanctuary Centennial Celebration

E Pauahi, Aʻole Paulele ~ The fire is done, the journey continues

6pm-9pm – Sheraton Waikiki Resort Ballroom



• July 16th – 40th Annual Benefit Luʻau

8am-2pm – Kaumakapili Church


Also planned this summer are special Sunday worship services honoring past ministers and Hawaiian church choirs.

ONLINE LINKS
www.kaumakapili.org



Kaumakapili Churchʻs mission is to glorify God by bearing the fruits of God's aloha and gifts, and so proving to be faithful disciples of Christ, who are equipped for the work of the ministry of proclaiming the good news to all people, by witnessing in word and deed, by serving those in need, by welcoming and receiving all people into the church fellowship, and by nurturing and equipping the church members for the growth of the Body of Christ.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

DLNR ANNOUNCES NEW STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ARCHITECTURE BRANCH CHIEF

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) announces the appointment of Angie Westfall as architecture branch chief. Ms. Westfall joins the team from her work as an architectural project manager at Conceptual Motion in Santa Barbara, California. She is a graduate of Kailua High School and the University of Hawaii.

“We are pleased to announce Ms. Westfall’s appointment as SHPD architecture branch chief,” said William J. Aila, Jr., Chairperson, “Her education and work experience are needed to improve the division’s ability to maintain its core functions and preserve and sustain reminders of earlier times which link the past to the present.”

SHPD’s three branches, History and Culture, Archaeology, and Architecture, strive to accomplish this goal through a number of different activities.

The architecture branch reviews all requests for building modifications and assesses the impact of these changes on historic properties. SHPD is the official keeper of the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Properties.

The architecture branch is responsible for maintaining the register and assisting in the nomination procedures for both the Hawai‘i and National registers. The Hawai‘i Register formally recognizes districts, sites, structures, buildings and objects and their significance in Hawai‘i’s history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture.

# # #


For more information, media may contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public information specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320

Monday, April 25, 2011

Margaret Sloggett Fisher Scholarship 2011-2012

The Margaret Sloggett Fisher Scholarship is available for students concentrating in historical preservation, museum studies, history, anthropology, Hawaiian studies, ethnic studies, and American studies.

The memorial scholarship honors Margaret Sloggett fisher who was born in
Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i in 1906. She was the daughter of Henry Digby Sloggett and Lucy Etta Wilcox, and married Gerald Marriman Fisher in 1930. The granddaughter of Samuel Wilcox and Emmas Lyman Wilcox, Mrs. Fisher was also the great-granddaughter of Hawai‘i missionaries Abner and Lucy Wilcox of Hanalei, Kaua‘i and David Belden and Sarah Joiner Lyman of Hilo, Hawai‘i, and was a founding museum trustee of Wai‘oli Mission House in Hanalei.

The Trustees of Wai‘oli corporation, which oversees Wai‘oli Mission House, Grove Farm and Mahamoku museums on Kaua‘i, encourage graduate students and college juniors and seniors who are residents of the state, studying in Hawai‘i or on the mainland, to apply for the $1,000 scholarship for the 2011 – 2012 school year. Preference in selection will be given to students who are Kaua‘i residents.

You may be considered for the scholarship by providing the following by May 15, 2011
• A completed application form
• A short letter outlining your educational background and goals
• College transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation

Mail the application, letter, transcripts, and letters of recommendation to

Margaret Sloggett Fisher
Scholarship Committee
Post Office Box 1631
Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i 96766

For more information please call (808) 245-3202 or email grovefarm@hawaiiantel.net.


Application should include the following:




Margaret Sloggett Fisher Scholarship 2011 Applicant Information

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Telephone:
Fax:
Email:
School:
Financial Aid Office address:
Major:

Friday, April 8, 2011

"The Complete History of America: (Abridged)"

Now at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel in Kapa'a.
Dinner at 5:00. Laughter at 7:00. Every Tuesday.

Oceanside Productions is a theatrical production company moving to the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel next week and will run every Tuesday with dinner at 5:00 and show at 7:00with their 90-minute comedy about the history of the US.

Interesting reading behind the story line (3 actors rapidly portraying numerous character depicting the past 500 years of US history) and can provide fun photos.

Cass Foster
www.OPtheater.com
808.212.4511

2011 Diversity Conference Scholarships Available

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting applications for Diversity Scholars to attend the National Preservation Conference. The program provides financial assistance to community leaders from diverse social, economic, racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Applications must be submitted electronically by Wednesday, June 1, 2011. For program and application information, please go http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/diversity-scholarship-program/ or contact scholarship@nthp.org

The Diversity Scholarship Program (DSP) supports and strengthens the work of diverse grassroots leaders by sharing with them a broad range of preservation tools and networks. Scholarship recipients and alumni also receive preservation news and training resources, firsthand, throughout the year.

DSP has welcomed over 1,100 participants to the program and has helped enrich the overall Conference experience by incorporating diverse perspectives in the Conference’s programming and providing opportunities for conference attendees to learn from these dynamic community leaders.

The National Trust seeks culturally diverse applicants whose attendance at the Conference will benefit their communities and whose commitment to historic preservation will be reinforced by their participation. Recipients will have an opportunity to express their perspectives during the Conference and to take advantage of National Trust programs after the Conference.

Questions? Please contact the Diversity Scholarship Program at scholarship@nthp.org.

Historic buildings preserve Chinatown legacy

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

For 20 years, Spencer Leineweber ran her architectural practice in the Mendonca Building, which she owned with her husband, Michael. Constructed in 1913 at the corner of Smith and Hotel streets, the building measures just 980 square feet on each of its levels; a basement, first floor and second floor.

"It's small, but it worked well for my firm's needs," recalled Leineweber, who is a professor and graduate chairwoman of the University of Hawaii's School of Architecture. For one thing, it had high arched windows, which provided really good natural light. It also had a basement for storage. Back then, both were important for an architect's office, although they're less so today with the advent of computers for drawing." When a friend, who was a Navy nurse during World War II, learned the Leinewebers had purchased the building, she chuckled. "During the war she waited outside the building for more than an hour, thinking she was in a ration line for bread," Leineweber said. "When she finally got to the front door, she found out the building was a brothel. There were a lot of men standing in line, but she hadn't paid attention to that - and none of them told her what the line was for!"

Participants will pick up intriguing tidbits like that during a two-hour, two-mile walking tour of Chinatown that the Hono lulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects will be hosting Saturday as part of its fifth annual observance of Architecture Month. The tour will spotlight more than a dozen architecturally significant buildings in Chinatown, the oldest intact commercial area on Oahu. Constructed between 1854 and 1965, the buildings on the route include the Kamehameha V Post Office, Yokohama Specie Building, Nippu Jiji Building, Oahu Market, Wo Fat Building and Hawaii Theatre.

About 20 members of AIA Honolulu, including Leineweber, will be serving as guides and "building docents" for the tour. As a historical architect, Leineweber has worked on numerous conservation projects in Hawaii as well as new structures in historic preservation areas such as Chinatown. The two-story "main" Mendonca Building is across from the building she and her husband sold in 2002. Built in 1901, it covers a full block on Hotel Street, which makes it the largest historic building in Chinatown. "Joseph P. Mendonca was a luna (supervisor) for Kaneohe Ranch," Leineweber said. "He owned a lot of property in Chinatown, all of which had windows with either red frames or red brick around them. That was his building identity, to let everyone know how many properties he owned. At one time there were more than 10 buildings in Chinatown with that signature red trim." Two devastating fires swept through Chinatown in 1886 and 1900, reducing the majority of its wooden structures to ashes.

Today, Honolulu's oldest buildings are clustered at the edge of Chinatown, around the intersection of Merchant and Bethel streets where the fires didn't reach. The two-story Kamehameha V Post Office, built in 1871 on one corner of that intersection, is one of Leineweber's favorite buildings. "Initially you picked up your mail 'by language' - Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, English and 'other' at individual windows," she said. "In the 1890s brass mailboxes were added under the covered arcade. There's still a small window on the Diamond Head side where you just bought stamps. From the second-floor lanai, you could watch all the activity on the street, which was then the center of town. Also notable are the Tuscan columns and the curved balcony whose wood jigsaw work sunshade was added later."

In 1976 Leineweber was a member of the team that restored this elegant Honolulu landmark, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. "It was one of the first restoration projects that I worked on as the project architect for the firm Anderson and Reinhardt," she said. "There's so much more I can say about this building; in fact, that's where I'll be and what I'll be doing during the walking tour on Saturday."

CHINATOWN WALKING TOURS » Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011 departing every five minutes beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Check in 15 minutes early in the lobby. »
Meeting place: Stangenwald Building, 119 Merchant St. »
Cost: Free »
Reservations required: Accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at http://www.aiahonolulu.org/, or call 545-4242. »
Notes: Groups limited to 10. Participants should be mobile and fit, bring water and snacks, and wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat. Children under age 10 are usually too young to appreciate this tour. Families with young children are encouraged to attend Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday instead.

OTHER FREE EVENTS »

Architecture Firm Crawl: Several downtown firms welcome visitors to their offices, 4 to 8 p.m. April 15. Register on AIA Honolulu's website, http://www.aiahonolulu.org/, to receive a map and list of firms. »

Bank of Hawaii Family Sunday: Architects will lead children in an art design project using milk cartons to help celebrate the Honolulu Academy of Arts' 84th birthday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 17 (galleries open until 5 p.m.), Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. »

Film Night: Screening of "How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?," which explores architect Norman Foster's ideals about sustainability and his quest to improve people's quality of life through design;
6:30 p.m. April 20, the ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave. Seating is limited; register at http://www.aiahonolulu.org/.

Royal Hawaiian Hotel to make history

The “Pink Palace” will be the first hotel in Hawaii to become a member of the Historic Hotels of America

By Allison Schaefers, Honolulu Star Advertiser


When the Royal Hawaiian opened in 1927, a crowd of more than 1,200 gathered to take part in the hotel’s historic debut.

Some 84 years later the iconic “Pink Palace of the Pacific” has become the first hotel in Hawaii to gain membership in the Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It was one of 39 historic properties selected for the program from more than 130 across the nation that were nominated.

A trip to the Royal Hawaiian, which just concluded a multimillion-dollar renovation this month, is like walking back in time. Despite the high-rises, busy streets and bustling shopping centers that surround it, guests say that it still is the same bright beacon bathing Waikiki in a warm pink glow that it was for the well-heeled travelers of the Roaring ’20s who arrived by steamship from faraway shores. There was only one other hotel, what is now called the Wes¬tin Moana Surfrider, on Waikiki Beach when the Royal Hawaiian opened amid much fanfare. But even today the Moorish visage of the 528-room hotel stands out from the beachfront density.

“If I look out to the ocean, I can picture those long-ago guests coming,” said Lawrence P. Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels Worldwide. “As I’m walking these halls, I like to imagine what it was like in those days. You can still experience that gracious hospitality, that aloha spirit here today.”

To be chosen for the National Historic Hotel Trust, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized locally as having historic significance, Horwitz said. The historically significant haven for celebrities, leaders, top business people, prominent families and other important guests was a natural fit, he said.

Among its guests, the Royal Hawaiian has counted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Shah of Iran, aviatrix Ame¬lia Earhart and movie stars Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, Mary Pickford, Doug¬las Fairbanks, George Burns and Gracie Allen. It was a home away from home for influential families like the Rockefellers, Fords and Du¬Ponts.

Wanda Grant, who has been coming to the hotel every March for nearly three decades and was at the celebration marking the hotel’s historic designation, also is part of the resort’s history. The Grant family of Burlington, Ontario, were such frequent visitors to Waikiki and to the Royal Hawaiian that they had a ball cap with the letters “TGIM” emblazoned on the front for the head of the family, Alden Grant, to wear.

“The letters stood for ‘Thank God It’s March,’” Grant said. “My Dad wore it proudly every time he was here. He passed away in 2007, but I still bring it here in memory of him.”

Resort staff also has found ways to remember one of their most frequent returnees, she said.

“When I came back to the Royal the following year after Papa passed away, I went down for breakfast that first morning, and one of the staff came out and put a lei on the chair across from me. She said for Papa,” Grant said. “Everyone here is like family; that’s why I keep coming back year after year.”

Grant, who is 57 now, said over the years she and other family members became part of a group of guests that would vacation together, staying months at a time.

“We would all meet in the old lanai and sit there on the couches and chairs as a huge group and talk story,” she said. “One year we even had songbooks, and we’d sing songs at night.”

Grant has celebrated her birthday in Waikiki for more than 20 years, she said. The staff usually surprises her with a cake poolside, she said. One year, Grant said that they even put a chocolate poodle on it so that her beloved dog could be with her in Hawaii.

“The staff doesn’t change much here. Over the years they get to know you,” she said. “You really feel that the time that you are here that you are privileged to be part of their friendship and aloha. It’s an amazing feeling.”

By joining with this national program, the Royal Hawaiian will become part of a booking network that connects travelers seeking out historic hotels, said Frank Haas, dean of hospitality, business and legal education at the University of Hawaii’s Kapiolani Community College.

“Hotels in this world of Travelocity and Orbitz are looking for a way to promote themselves in a way that is not just based on rate,” Haas said. “Historic travelers are willing to be a higher rate. They value experience over price. They tend to be more active, too.”

Hawaii needs to grow the tourism sector that appeals to heritage travelers, who are those who make a visit to a historic site or cultural attraction a centerpiece of their trip, said Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, which nominated the property for the historic designation.

“Without the historic, cultural and natural resources that make Hawaii unique, it would be confused as just another commodity, without appreciation for its true value,” Faulkner said.

A portion of all travel booking fees from Historic Hotels of America goes back to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Horwitz said.

“We help preserve America’s treasures,” he said, adding that he hopes to sign another eight to 10 historic Hawaii hotels shortly.

While there are a lot of historic hotels east of the Rockies, Historic Hotels of America’s members are asking them to add more properties in the West, including Hawaii, said Roberta Rinker-Ludloff, whose firm Concept Designs LLC represents Historic Hotels of America.

“They are eager to experience the history of the islands,” Rinker-Ludloff said.

Monday, March 28, 2011

US Congress passes Sixth FY 2011 Continuing Resolution; SAT and Preserve America Funding Eliminated

By Preservation Action

In a blow to preservationists, after months of advocacy, on March 17 the Senate approved the short-term Continuing Resolution (CR), (H.Res. 167, sponsored by Rep. Harold Rogers, R-KY) passed by the House at the end of last week that eliminates approximately $6 billion in FY 2011 funding. At the end of the day, legislators used the list of programs the President proposed for elimination as the basis for a number of their cuts. Among these programs, as Preservation Action and its partners has been following, is Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America. Together the programs represent approximately $30 million in funding.

This comes after more than 250 preservationists descended upon the Hill last week for “Advocacy Day.” Funding for preservation programs was one of the key asks.

While the authorization for the programs remains, zeroing out funding does not bode well for their future. Despite significant support for the programs among legislators, it may be next to impossible to get funding for FY 2011 restored in any future CR given the focus on both sides of the aisle on spending cuts.

Based upon last week’s visits on the Hill, however, legislators may be open to providing some funding for SAT and PA in FY 2012, albeit at greatly reduced levels. The ask being made by preservationists for FY 2012 is $50 million for State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), $11 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs), and $9 million for Save America's Treasures and Preserve America (combined), funded out of the Historic Preservation Fund. This represents 10% less than the combined funding for these programs in FY 2008 - a strategy that has been extremely well received.

By far, however, the greatest interest seems to be in preservation tax credit legislation - another key agenda item delivered during Hill visits last week. To learn more about the legislative agenda delivered during Advocacy Day, visit www.preservationaction.org/lobbyday.htm.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Workshop

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Workshop

Aloha community members! Join us in a free workshop to explore the NAGPRA law and implementing regulations as they relate to Native Hawaiian Organizations and Lineal Descendants on Tuesday, March 15th at Hālau o Haumea at the UH Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. This workshop will feature Ms. Jan Bernstein of Bernstein & Associates – NAGPRA Consultants.

We believe that access to information empowers us to care for our kuleana and advocate for our people. For this reason, we are hosting this informational workshop to assist Native Hawaiian community leaders involved in the management, preservation, and stweardship of our cultural heritage.

Registration is free and includes all workshop materials and meals (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack). An electronic certificate of completion will be issued to all participants. Seats are limited and registration is required.

Event: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Workshop

Where: Hālau o Haumea at the UH Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
(2645 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822)

When: Tuesday, March 15, 2011: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

If you would like to attend this workshop, please email the following information to nhliaison@gmail.com or by fax at (808) 655-6654, or by mail to: 5019 Po‘ola St., Honolulu, HI 96821.

Workshop Registration Information

Name
Organization & Title
Address
City
State & Zip Code
Telephone
E-mail

Should you have any questions, please contact us at (808) 655-9694. Upon receipt of your registration form, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to you.
Mahalo!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

HELP IDENTIFY ENDANGERED LANDSCAPES

The Cultural Landscape Foundation is seeking nominations of significant at-risk parks, gardens, horticultural features and working landscapes to be featured in the 2011 Landslide: The Landscape I Love.

Go to http://tclf.org/annual-spotlight/landslide-2011-landscape-i-love to learn more about this year's Landslide and submit a nomination of an individual and landscape. The deadline for nominations is March 31.

Since its inception in 2003, the Landslide initiative has spotlighted more than 150 significant at-risk parks, gardens, horticultural features, and working landscapes. This year's theme will again do so by calling attention to the places that embody our shared landscape heritage and the people that work tirelessly to preserve, interpret and protect them. Help us bring attention to individuals and the sites they love-nominate an at-risk cultural landscape and the person working to preserve it to the 2011 Landslide.

Researchers find whaling ship from 1823 wreck

By Audrey McAvoy
Associated Press / February 11, 2011

HONOLULU—A fierce sperm whale sank the first whaling ship under George Pollard's command and inspired the classic American novel "Moby-Dick". A mere two years later, a second whaler captained by Pollard struck a a coral reef during a night storm and sank in shallow water.

Marine archaeologists scouring remote atolls 600 miles northwest of Honolulu have found the wreck site of Pollard's second vessel -- the Two Brothers -- which went down in 1823.

Most of the wooden Nantucket whaling ship disintegrated in Hawaii's warm waters in the nearly two centuries since. But researchers found several harpoons, a hook used to strip whales of their blubber, and try pots or large cauldrons whalers used to turn whale blubber into oil. Corals have grown around and on top of many of the objects, swallowing them into the reef.

"To find the physical remains of something that seems to have been lost to time is pretty amazing," said Nathaniel Philbrick, an author and historian who spent more than three years researching the Essex -- and its fatal encounter with the whale -- the Two Brothers and their captain. "It just makes you realize these stories are more than stories. They're about real lives."

Officials from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument -- one of the world's largest marine reserves -- were due to announce their findings at a news conference Friday, exactly 188 years after the Two Brothers sank.

Kelly Gleason, the maritime archaeologist who led the discovery, first saw the ship's anchor in 2008 while surveying French Frigate Shoals. The anchor could have belonged to any one of three 19th century whaling ships that sank at this atoll. But additional artifacts found by Gleason's team over the next two years -- like the cast iron cooking pots scattered around the wreck site -- were unmistakably from the 1820s, while the other two vessels sank in 1859 and 1867.

The sinking of the Two Brothers was relatively uneventful compared to the Essex's epic run-in with the whale. After the Essex capsized, Pollard and fellow crew members drifted at sea without food and water for three months before they were rescued. To survive, Pollard and others resorted to cannibalism, including eating one of the captain's cousins.

Still, Thomas Nickerson, a crew member who served under Pollard both on the Essex and the Two Brothers, later described his boss as being in a daze as they had to abandon ship for the second time. "Capt. pollard (sic) reluctantly got into the boat just as they were about Shove off from the Ship," he wrote. Fortunately, the Two Brothers was sailing with a fellow whaling ship, the Martha, which had taken shelter near a rock. When the sun rose, the 20 or so crew members of the Two Brothers rowed over to the Martha which picked them up. They all survived. Pollard gave up whaling, though he was just in his mid-30s, and returned to Nantucket, Mass., where he became a night watchman -- a position of considerably lower status in the whaling town than captain.

While the sperm whale attack inspired Melville to write "Moby-Dick," the author isn't believed to have used Pollard as the basis for the book's notorious Capt. Ahab.
Melville actually didn't meet Pollard until about a year after his novel was published, some three decades after Two Brothers sank. Philbrick said the meeting left a strong impression on the author, whose creation hadn't been an immediate critical or commercial success.

"He was a man who had the worst cards possible dealt to him but was continuing on with nobility and great dignity," Philbrick said. "He is the anti-Ahab. Ahab is enlisting the devil and whatever to fulfill his crackpot schemes. Pollard was someone who had seen the worst but was quietly going about his life with the utmost humility."

The Two Brothers wrecked in water only 10 to 15 feet deep, and would have likely been stripped clean had it wrecked closer to a populated area. But the isolation of French Frigate Shoals means the site has been untouched. "We had the opportunity to find something that's probably as close to being a time capsule as we could get," Gleason said.

The Two Brothers was like other New England whaling ships of the time, in that its crew sailed thousands of miles from home hunting whales to harvest their blubber. They boiled the fat of the massive marine mammals into oil used to light lamps in cities from New York to London and to power early industry.

The appetite for whale blubber oil, however, meant the ships quickly exhausted successive whale grounds. The Essex was far off the coast of South America when the sperm whale rammed into it. The Two Brothers was passing through poorly mapped waters northwest of the main Hawaiian islands on the way to recently discovered whale grounds closer to Japan when it hit the reef.

"It was kind of like this ship trap of atolls," Gleason said. "It went from about 40 feet to all of the sudden they were in about 10 feet of water."

For Hawaii, the discovery is a reminder of the great upheaval the whaling industry brought to a kingdom still adjusting to life after the first European travelers arrived.

The hundreds of whaling ships that called on Hawaii's ports starting in 1819 boosted the kingdom's economy, but this mostly benefitted a few men who became suppliers to the vessels, said Jonathan Osorio, a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. The arrival of thousands of outsiders -- some of whom claimed Hawaiian law had no jurisdiction over them because they were American or European -- challenged the young monarchy.

Gleason said the artifacts are due to go on display at the marine monument's Discovery Center in Hilo and she hopes the exhibit will travel to Nantucket. The archeologists also have more surveying to do: there's still no accounting for another five whaling ships that sank in the atolls that now make up the Papahanaumokuakea monument.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Kona Historical Society to Offer Free Workshop on Recording Oral Histories

Do you know of some family stories that you’d like to preserve for future generations? Do you have a relative with a story to tell? Do you have a story to tell? Warren Nishimoto from the UH Manoa Center for Oral History and coauthor of the book Talking Hawaii’s Story will be presenting a workshop in partnership with the Kona Historical Society on how to record oral histories. The workshop is free and will be held on Thursday, March 24, 10:00am - 2:00pm at Christ Church Community Center, Kealakekua.

This will be a 4 hour workshop geared toward the community member with no previous training and is a step-by-step, “hands-on” instruction for the layman who wishes to document their community’s or organization’s stories or family members’ life experiences. Bring a bag lunch and an optional recorder for practicing, everything else will be provided. The number of spaces is limited for this opportunity, so reserve yours soon by calling 808-323-3222 or emailing khs@konahistorical.org


Kona’s Oral History Readings, Book Signing & Membership Meeting

Kona Historical Society will hold a meeting on Thursday, March 24, 5:00 - 7:00PM at Christ Church Community Center, Kealakekua. After a short membership meeting, Warren Nishimoto from the UH-Manoa Center for Oral History will introduce readings of oral histories he and his co-editors compiled in their book, Talking Hawaii's Story: Oral Histories of an Island People.

Featured will be the oral histories of plantation worker/boxer Severo Dinson , farmer /entertainer Martina Kekuewa Fuentevilla, road worker/farmer John Santana, and Kona cowboy William "Willie" Thompson-- all of whom were interviewed about their lives in Kona by the Center for Oral History in 1980 and included in Talking Hawaii's Story. The readings will be done by Nyla Fujii-Babb, Wayland Quintero and William Ha`o.

This book will be available for purchase and signing, following the presentation. Refreshments will be served and potluck pūpū are always welcome. Not a member? No problem, come anyway, we'd love to meet you! For more info call us at 808-323-3222 or email at khs@konahistorical.org

Please visit the website: www.konahistorical.org

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

HDOT ACCEPTING SCENIC BYWAYS NOMINATIONS

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation has issued a call for nominations for potential Scenic Byways statewide. An informational teleconference about applications and the process is scheduled for February 28 at 1 p.m. To register for the teleconference, contact David Zevenbergen at 808-587-6341. Completed nomination applications are due March 31.

Scenic Byways is a state and national program to recognize highways with special intrinsic qualities in one of more areas of natural, scenic, archaeological, historic, cultural or recreational assets. Once accepted into the program, a designated scenic byway is eligible for federal grants to help with planning and transportation improvements that enhance or protect the intrinsic qualities and the traveler experience.

For more information, see http://hawaii.gov/dot/highways/scenicbyways

LAHAINA: ENDANGERED HISTORIC SITE?

By Theo Morrison, Executive Director, Lahaina Restoration Foundation
Reprinted from The Lahaina News

LAHAINA — This January, Lahaina was named to the 2011 list of most endangered historic sites in Hawaii by the statewide Historic Hawaii Foundation.

“We recognize that even when we think that a place is protected, it can still be at risk,” said Kiersten Faulkner, Historic Hawaii Foundation executive director.

“Hawaii is a place that cherishes its history and has adopted laws to help protect it, yet sometimes the system fails.”

On Maui, there are excellent systems to preserve and protect the historic qualities of Lahaina; and yes, these systems have failed.

Lahaina was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It’s the highest rating a destination can obtain from the National Park Service. Locations with this rating are so designated because they provide exceptional value to the nation as a whole, in addition to their value to the local community.

Also, in 1962, in an extraordinary, pioneering effort, the County of Maui created the first Historic District in Lahaina and in 1969 added a second historic district to the town. Today, these districts run from 505 Front Street on the south to just past Hard Rock Cafe to the north, from the ocean to Luakini Street. The Historic Districts have a unique set of rules (Title 19, Article III) in the County Code that were created to protect the authenticity and historic value of Lahaina.

Lahaina has outstanding examples of historic preservation in the Baldwin Home, Masters Reading Room, Wo Hing Museum, Old Prison, Seaman’s Hospital, Hale Aloha and the Old Lahaina Courthouse. Most recently, the Pioneer Mill Company smokestack was restored.

One of the most important Hawaiian sites, Moku‘ula, is located here in Lahaina. Significantly, Lahaina was the first capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Today, Lahaina has more museums than any other town in the State of Hawaii except Honolulu.

So what is wrong?

“The threat (to Lahaina) is a long-term pattern of incompatible renovations and loss of historic fabric,” the Historic Hawaii Foundation noted.

“It is the cumulative effect of countless individual decisions that start to change the authentic sense of history and identity that characterize Lahaina.”

Multiple plastic banners are strung on walls, bright Caribbean paint colors adorn storefronts, and fiberglass “wood” signs hang above doorways. Historic small window panes disappear in favor of large plate glass.

The County of Maui, in defiance of its own laws, installs metal street signs with “puka poles” instead of the wooden posts and carved wood signs mandated for the Lahaina Historic Districts.

The community supported update of the Lahaina Design Guidelines has languished in draft form since 2003. A 40-page “Documentation of the Deterioration of County Signs in the Lahaina Historic Districts” was presented to the county in October 2005.

Unfortunately, six years later, many of these broken public street signs still line historic Front Street.

Individually, these are all “little things.” Yet cumulatively, over time, these “little things” are a real threat to Lahaina’s historic integrity, authenticity and cultural fabric.

For years, Lahaina Restoration Foundation has been publicly testifying about the lack of enforcement and the resulting deterioration of the Lahaina Historic Districts.

LRF welcomes Lahaina’s new “endangered historic places” designation, which will hopefully help Lahaina get the attention it needs to fix the problems that have been undermining the town for so long.

Lahaina Restoration Foundation welcomes input, suggestions and volunteers from the community, as the organization works to put Lahaina back on the very top of the list of most historic places in Hawaii.

E-mail Theo Morrison, executive director of Lahaina Restoration Foundation, at theo@lahainarestoration.org with your input and suggestions.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bishop Museum Offers Hawaiian Hall Training

Training course for prospective cultural docents begins on April 12

Bishop Museum's Certified Hawaiian Hall Docent program begins its rigorously fascinating training for Hawaiian Hall Docents on April 12 at its Kapalama campus. The six-week training required for all Hawaiian Hall docents, meets twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00- 6:00 p.m.

For more than a century, Hawaiian Hall has housed the Museum's most sacred and beloved artifacts, those closest to the ali'i roots of the Museum. To enrich the experience of the thousands of visitors who visit this special place each year, Bishop Museum's Hawaiian Hall Docents take the visitors on a journey where they emerge with a deeper understanding of Hawai'i, the Hawaiians and the events that make our community what it is today. To ensure that the Hawaiian Hall docents are well prepared to share their knowledge and experiences with adults as well as school children, Bishop Museum offers the Certified Docent Program annually to any interested volunteers.

Bishop Museum 's Culture Education Staff designed the program to provide a deeper understanding of native Hawaiian life, culture, history and traditions through the Hawaiian worldview lens of the Hawaiian Hall exhibits. Afternoon classes take place twice a week and are led by Rona Rodenhurst and the cultural educators from the Museum. The 36 classroom hours will be followed by shadowing and participation in daily and school programs with final certification by the Cultural Education staff.

Upon completion of the program, certified docents begin the rich and rewarding experience of volunteering at the Museum as Hawaiian Hall docents. Volunteer docents are asked to volunteer a minimum of two hours per week or eight hours per month.

Anyone interested in the Hawaiian Hall Docent Certification Program should contact Athena Sparks at 847-8239 or by email at athena@bishopmuseum.org by April 1.

The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last direct descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum is recognized as the principal museum of the Pacific, housing the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific artifacts and natural history specimens. More than 340,000 people visit the Museum each year, including over 50,000 schoolchildren. For more information, please call (808) 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Italy Summer 2011 Field School - Historic Preservation & Restoration

We would like to inform you about our summer 2011 field school, the San Gemini Preservation Studies Program, now in its 12th year, which is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage and offers students the opportunity to study and travel in Italy. This year, we continue with our courses on architecture, ceramics and art restoration, and have added a course on paper restoration.


Courses offered:
Introduction to Art and Building Restoration in Italy
Surveying and Analyzing Historic Buildings
Introduction to Conservation of Archeological Ceramics
Introduction to Paper Restoration
Traditional Painting Methods and Restoration Techniques
Restoration Issues and Theory in Italy
Field Projects:
Restoration of the Porta Burgis
Surveying the 12th Century San Giovanni Battista Church complex
Surveying the Church of Santo Gemine
Archaeological survey of the public baths in Carsulae
To find out more about our program and review the syllabi, please visit our website: HTTP://SANGEMINISTUDIES.ORG
Our courses are open to students from various disciplines, both undergraduate and graduate. All lessons are taught in English.

If you know any students, scholars, or others interested in this type of study, please inform them about our program. We would appreciate it if you could list our program on your organization's website as an available educational resource.

We have a 2011 flyer that you may wish to post on your department notice board or forward to interested parties. You can print this from our website, on our About Us page (http://sangeministudies.info/contac-us/about-us). Please let us know if you have any problem printing and we can email you the PDF.

Thank you very much.

Cordially, Max Cardillo

Director, San Gemini Preservation Studies Program
International Institute for Restoration & Preservation Studies
US Tel: (718) 768-3508
www.sangeministudies.org

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Hawaiian Railway Society - Evening with Randy Hees

The Hawaiian Railway society invites you to an evening with Randy Hees. Randy is one of the Country's pre-eminent experts in the field of wood railroad car restoration.

When: Feb 4, 2011
Where: Ewa Train Yard, 91-1001 Renton road, Ewa Beach, HI 96706
What: Mr. Hees will be lecturing on the subject of Historic Railroad Car
preservation and restoration
Time: 7:00pm

Light refreshements will be served.

Those wishing to attend should contact Tom McCarthy at tom@hawaiianrailway.com or call (808) 681-5461.

President Obama Announces Three Appointments To Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama announced his intention to appoint three new members to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), including two citizen members and the mayoral representative. The ACHP is a 23-member, independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation’s historic resources and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.

“The ACHP is delighted to receive new members with such outstanding expertise and experience,” said Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, ACHP chairman. “With the increasing importance of historic preservation in regard to energy, sustainability, economic development, environment and educational attainment, they will enhance the ACHP’s ability to provide greater historic preservation benefits for the nation while safeguarding its physical heritage.”

The new appointees, as announced by the President, are the following:

Michael B. Coleman was elected Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, in 1999 and was reelected in 2003 and 2007. As mayor, he has focused on rejuvenating downtown Columbus by initiating Neighborhood Pride, a proactive effort to engage residents and businesses to fix up thousands of homes and clean up their neighborhoods. Coleman also created the Affordable Housing Trust Corporation to provide more housing options to inner-city residents and led the restoration of the historic Lincoln Theatre and the landmark Lazarus Department Store building in downtown Columbus. He received his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati and his J.D. from the University of Dayton Law School.

Horace Henry Foxall, Jr. recently retired as Manager of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Center of Expertise for Preservation of Historic Structures and Buildings. For more than three decades, Foxall assisted the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies in developing historic preservation projects and programs, advising staff, architects, engineers, and outside consultants in the execution of historic building preservation. Foxall currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He received his M.Arch. in Architectural Design and Urban Design from the University of Washington and his B.S. in Urban Development and B.Arch. in Architectural Design from the University of Oregon.

Bradford J. White is a principal of Brad White & Associates in Evanston, Illinois, providing development consulting on affordable housing and historic resources. He is the former Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development at The Habitat Company LLC. Prior to joining Habitat, White was Vice President of Related Midwest LLC, where he was responsible for the acquisition, financing and development of affordable and market-rate housing. He serves on the board of the Illinois Housing Council and is past chair of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois and Preservation Action. White received a B.A. in economics from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from DePaul University.

The new members will be sworn in at the ACHP’s business meeting on February 17 in
Washington, D.C.

For more information on the ACHP and its responsibilities, please see www.achp.gov.