Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Look Ma! I made the paper!
An excercise in Spin. (photo above is of the land that's "not being farmed") Here is the Honolulu Advertiser article from today.
And here is my take on things. At least, here is one of my perspectives: A letter I sent to the Waimanalo Agricultural Association and the president of the Hawai'i Farmers Federation-
INTRODUCTION
My name is Big Time Farmer Man (not actual name I used in this document), founder of Alchemy Nursery. We are an organic commercial nursery located in Waimanalo. To our knowledge, we are the only organic commercial nursery in the state, specializing in native and non-invasive trees, climate specific landscaping, and recycling. In September, 2005 Alchemy Nursery began a cooperative business partnership with All Tree Services to build a nursery based on sustainability, organic principles, and inter-business cooperation.
When a nursery partners with a tree trimming company to manage their waste, everyone wins; environment included. Tree growing, tree planting, and tree trimming are three aspects of the business of trees. In the short time we have been working together, all parties involved have been excited by the good work our partnership has fostered, by the economic possibilities of what this collaboration can accomplish, and by the opportunity to serve the ecology that we live in.
Alchemy recycles the by products of All Tree Services, using the mulch as weed control and soil amendment. The purpose is to foster a symbiotic relationship between the business of growing trees and the business of trimming trees. We also provide the opportunity for the tree trimming company to transplant trees to the nursery rather than destroy them.
THE BATTLE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
This flagship operation was immediately threatened by the DLNR to revoke the lease for running a “base yard.” The DLNR has been prompted to move swiftly on this issue by the attorney for the Waimanalo Agricultural Association. The Attorney for the WAA seems to be willfully ignorant about the nature of our operation. The whole case seems to be more of a personal attack by a handful of the WAA members than an actual concern for the right use of the land. The nursery is not even a year old yet. The development of the operation as been stymied by the daily harassment of an overzealous WAA member in the neighborhood who seems to spend more time harassing local farmers and businesses than minding his own business.
I, as much and more than anyone, can understand community concern for the right use of state land. The general assumption seems to be that the “base yard” in question is unrelated to agricultural practices. This could not be further from the truth. This effort to build a better nursery is dependant on the use of all aspects of the tree trimming business. They are interdependent. But the DLNR board does not recognize the connection in spite of the obvious and clearly articulated evidence. The innovation and community benefit of this endeavor is not being regarded as a factor in the equation.
On March 13th the DLNR board met to decide the fate of the All Tree lease.
The charge against All Trees is that they are running a “base yard” to park equipment unrelated to the nursery operation. We have shown conclusively that the equipment parked on site is directly related.
The DLNR board voted on the termination of the lease. One member stated that termination would be a “draconian” move and a decision was made to postpone the decision for 30 days.
An attorney for All Trees wrote a letter to the board to inform them that I, as the operator of the nursery, had existing plans to be out of town and would not be available to be present at the meeting. A DLNR board member, Steve Molman replied, stating that they were satisfied that a viable nursery was being developed, and that the main issue was with the All Tree equipment.
The next meeting on April 16th was held to decide if All Trees had stayed in compliance during the 30 probation. It was clear that All Trees had stayed in compliance regarding the trucks and equipment. The attorney for Waimanalo Agricultural Association portrayed us as “Big Business” abusing state ag land for non ag purposes. The meeting was three hours long and full of oppositional statements rallied by the opposition attacking the veracity of the nursery operation. I was not there to defend it, due to the board members assurance that the issue was the use of the tree trimming equipment.
It was claimed that we were not organic, that we could not possibly utilize the mulch in our operation, that it was impossible to grow plants in the manner that we are in fact doing. In spite of the fact that we are organically farming in ways deemed impossible, only made possible by the relationship between All Trees and its equipment, the board took a vote to not only cancel the lease, but foreclose on the lease. This means that All Trees and Alchemy nursery would forfeit all investments and improvements made in the creation of the nursery, including all plant material. A unanimous vote was needed. The result was four in favor of foreclosure, one against.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
If canceling the lease is draconian, as one board member had said, than what word can be used to describe an unwarranted foreclosure?
We have been given another 30 days of probation, even though we had no violation in the first thirty days. How can we be expected to invest further in the development of our operation when the very real risk of losing it all is looming? This is a clear case of harassment.
If the well funded visceral opposition is allowed to manipulate the State Agency of the DLNR, a terrible president will be set. I do not doubt the good intentions of the DLNR board. I do question their ability to serve in the best interests of Hawai’i’s agricultural future when they allow themselves to be swayed by vehemence over facts.
The board will meet again May 12th to decide the fate of Alchemy Nursery. This decision affects everyone concerned with sustainable agriculture in Hawai’i. We need all the support we can get at the DLNR board meeting telling them that you support the effort of developing responsible agriculture.
If you would like to tour the nursery, or find out more about this issue, please contact me at xxx-xxxx, or e-mail at AlchemyNursery @ Yahoo.com
Thank you
Big Time Farmer Man
Co-Owner
Alchemy Nursery.
Friday, May 26, 2006
In the middle of negotiations...
Organic Landscape Nursery: Out of Business Sale
Reply to: serv-165017943@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-05-26, 10:56AM HST
Looking for a land canvas to paint with plants. Must move my nursery, everything far sale, everthing must go. I have trees, groundcovers, shrubs, and more. I am looking for someone who wants to buy it all, for resale or instalation on site. Let me give your place a face lift. Everything is still available. I have not made a big push to unload everything yet. I can send a plant list with prices, and pictures,but the thing would be to come and see the nursery.
The nursery is the only one like it in Hawaii. It's a commercial landscape nursery based in organic principles and sustainable practices. I have plant combonations and instalation techniques that are climate specific, designed to use little water, no chemical fertilizer, no herbicides.
My operation has only been in Waimanalo for ten months so the model gardens have yet to fully come into ther own, though they still look great.
I have a green thumb and a natural talent for landscape design. I started the whole operation with no capital. If I only had to move the place once, I would've been able to last. But my new operation is on a piece of property that has recently become the site of political shenanagans, corruption, and bad blood between neighbors. The problem is with the lease holder, not me. I just happen to be in the middle of this debacle. Oh that magic feeling : no where to go.
So maybe you can own a piece of the dream before I bring in the other nurserys to pick the place clean.
If you would like to make an appointment to see it before it's uprooted, or if iterested in lots of plants and/or a land scaped, e-mail me for a list of plants and photos.. First come first served.
Mahalo
-D
* this is in or around Waimanalo
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
HOW TO KILL A BLOG...
When does it end, the blogging. What does one do when they are through with blogging on their blog? I wanted to be a writer, not a blogger. Such an unfortunate name, Blog. Web Log. On Line Journal. Glow in the Dark Psychologist. Un-Official Source of Information. Last Bastion of Free Speech. Cyber Den of Iniquity. Incriminating Evidence. Ego Fluffing Device.
I started writing on this Web Log because it was free. And because my notebooks were molding in the jungle and my hard drives had a habit of crashing. An effort to preserve my writing. And to juxtapose photos with words.
Among other things.
How personal can I get here, really. People sometimes tell me that they read my blog. Sometimes I forget that. Remembering now.
Hello.
There was some kind of motivation in the begining. I thought that I would exploit a public forum and insert my two cents worth of humanity into the information stream. I have to admit, in the beginning I had thoughts of becomming a popular figure in the blogoshere, but I didn't have photo capacity.
I only had words. I didn't think people would read just words with no pictures. So I stopped thinking about an audience and just wrote, like I had a habit of doing. Just write. No agenda necesesarily. Not trying to make a point, primarily. It was more about what was between the lines and behind the letters than what I was saying directly. For me. I was less interested in Obviously than I was Essentially. Until Recently. Obviously has taken Immediacy hostage and won't let it go until I pay Attention.
When does it end, the blogging. What does one do when they are through with blogging on their blog? I wanted to be a writer, not a blogger. Such an unfortunate name, Blog. Web Log. On Line Journal. Glow in the Dark Psychologist. Un-Official Source of Information. Last Bastion of Free Speech. Cyber Den of Iniquity. Incriminating Evidence. Ego Fluffing Device.
I started writing on this Web Log because it was free. And because my notebooks were molding in the jungle and my hard drives had a habit of crashing. An effort to preserve my writing. And to juxtapose photos with words.
Among other things.
How personal can I get here, really. People sometimes tell me that they read my blog. Sometimes I forget that. Remembering now.
Hello.
There was some kind of motivation in the begining. I thought that I would exploit a public forum and insert my two cents worth of humanity into the information stream. I have to admit, in the beginning I had thoughts of becomming a popular figure in the blogoshere, but I didn't have photo capacity.
I only had words. I didn't think people would read just words with no pictures. So I stopped thinking about an audience and just wrote, like I had a habit of doing. Just write. No agenda necesesarily. Not trying to make a point, primarily. It was more about what was between the lines and behind the letters than what I was saying directly. For me. I was less interested in Obviously than I was Essentially. Until Recently. Obviously has taken Immediacy hostage and won't let it go until I pay Attention.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Politics of Farming
“Confidence is the feeling that precedes understanding the situation.”
-foutune cookie fortune found in Weekly World News
Had a State Senator show up to the hearing on Friday. And two District Representatives. A head of a State Farming Federation. Among others. The Senator was wearing board shorts. He came to advise the Department of Land and Natural Resources board to vote their conscience and to not be swayed by the threat of a lawsuit. One District Rep. testified that one of his constituants had called him to see if he could assist in a case of a friend who was facing eviction from State Ag Lands. He motioned to me and mentioned that he hoped I wasn’t the person he was supposed to help. He said that he felt Agricultural Lands should be used for agriculture.
Neither the Senator nor the District Rep. have been to the nursery.
Defending attourney turned on the power point and instructed me to explain the nursery layout and plan. A board member interjected and asked “Haven’t we already seen this?”. I replied that I didn’t think it was understood the first time, really understood, or we wouldn’t need to be in a hearing for the third time in three months. I stated my understanding of a “base yard”(the original accusation) as a place where machines or equpment unrelated to intensive agriculture are stored on Agricultural lands. The board agreed to the definition. I then demonstrated that all the by-products of the Tree Trimming operation were an integral part of the nursery design and concept. Therefore the chippers, the trucks, the boom trucks and the crane were all directly related to the functioning of this particular agricultural operation.
(to be cont….)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
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