KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - A Hawaii department has signed off on a $750,000 grant to help a nonprofit group purchase a garden that supports traditional Hawaiian land use and plants on the Big Island.
The board of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources approved the grant for Friends of Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, West Hawaii Today reported .
The Bishop Museum announced in 2016 that it would divest of the 13-acre garden, leading to the formation of the group that advocates for the garden’s preservation and reopening. The garden has remained closed to the public since the museum’s announcement.
“This success is kind of a linchpin,” said Maile Melrose, the group’s president. “It’s a big whack of money. The museum needs it and we need it to purchase the garden.”
The grant issued through the Legacy Land Conservation Program still requires approval by the state Legislature, Melrose said. The Legacy Land Conservation Commission had recommended to the state board in December for the group to receive the grant.
“I believe we have support from our legislators, everybody loves the garden,” Melrose said. “Everyone wants to see it open.”
The garden is home to rare plants and conserves the plant resources of traditional Hawaiian activity.
The group has estimated the total cost of acquiring the property to be $1.6 million. The group is raising the remaining amount and is expecting $400,000 from the Hawaii County Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission for a conservation easement, according to the group’s application for the grant.
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Information from: West Hawaii Today, http://www.westhawaiitoday.com
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