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A museum that evolves with Koke'e
History and nature blend on Kauai
By Judith Nede
Special to the Advertiser
In 1982, on my first Neighbor Island trip ever, I drove my rental car up to Waimea Canyon on Kauai, marveling at the beauty of the canyon and mountains. I discovered Koke'e State Park by accident, only because it's where the road goes.
After casing out the Lodge restaurant, I peeked into a nearby building housing the Koke'e Natural History Museum. There were a few old-fashioned exhibits of local flora and fauna, books and crafts and a welcoming store manager —the one-room schoolhouse approach to visitor information.
Over the years, Koke'e has become a favorite retreat. After Iniki, panicked that everything might have been wiped out, I went up as soon as I could and discovered to my relief that not only had the park survived, but the museum had changed!
There was a new, second room. There were upgraded, informative, attractive exhibits. There was a really good video presentation about the hurricane. There were lots of lectures coming up and workshops I would have loved to play hooky to attend.
The, museum had develiJped into a creative, vital center for the natural history of the neighborhood. A couple of weeks ago, another visit's discoveries inspired me so much that I joined Hui O Laka, "Friends of the Forest,. the museum's membership support group.
"It's all due to Marsha—she's worked miracles," one of the local cabin owners said admiringly. He was referring to Marsha Erickson, the Hawaii-raised executive director, a nonprofit administration expert who formerly directed the Volcano Art Center. Her 1987 arrival and subsequent leadership of a stalwart staff of four has pointed the museum toward the 21st century with a burst of passionate community involvement and a total eommitment to the interpretive mission of the museum.
The main building has ex· panded again and the executive offices have moved to a volunteer-renovated building, ~the first of six in the old Civilian Conservation Corps camp.
"We need interpretive museums in the '90s," Erickson says firmly. "We must identify and ,provide the artists, scientists land resource people who give voice to important issues. ;Those issues affect us and our future, so we at least should ,know what they're about. We .help the community under;stand the research. We'll introduce people to the science of the mountains, but what really matters is that they should go out and love the mountains!"
The museum is making a variety of informative sources available, including a well-conceived newsletter' "At Canyon's Edge." In the latest issue, with a salute to the Chinese Year of the Pig, there's an article about pigs' effect on Hawaii's forests and the ecosystem, another on strategies for managing pig and goat damage, a third on ancient Hawaiian beliefs relating to pigs.
At the museum, there's an enticing series of lectures and demonstrations and an in-depth interpretive training program for local docents who lead hikes and give lectures.
This year, they'll dedicate Souza Center, named for former State Parks director Joseph M. Sooza Jr., a co-founder of the museum. It's part of the CCC camp that has functioned in the mountains since the 1930s and they're tracking down everyone they can find who was involved in the project, to invite them to a dedication Aug. 19.
The Banana Poka festival on May 28, a "forest education fair," involves residents and visitors in removing the alien encroaching banana poke vines from the trees— then making beautiful baskets from the things they've gathered. October sees the Pacific Storytelling Festival. The annual Bird Count comes in December. From May to September, there are guided theme hikes, basket workshops, and, in the spring, interpretive programs for schoolchildren.
Koke'e is currently threatened by cutbacks in the state budget and the museum is launching a community campaign to urge legislators to help prevent the closing of park-maintained sites on Kauai, including the Russian Fort and camping areas on the Na Pali coast.
At Koke'e this month, the comfort stations at Waimea Canyon will close, trails will not be cleared and road repairs will be curtailed. This despite the fact that there are now many more visitors to Koke'e than ever, more than 100,000 annually.
I treasure Koke'e. And now we have a vital museum right where we need it— to inspire, educate and marshal all of us who care about the mountains and the forests, never want to stop learning about them, and continue to stand in awe at the beauty and excitement. Go, enpy, learn and relax.
Eat a strawberry guava (another evil alien!). Attend a Saturday morning lecture. Take a hike. The Alaka'i Swamp boardwalk is wonderful and the birds are incredible! Drop by the administration offices at the CCC camp and introduce yourself to Marsha Erickson and the staff. They're doing a terrific job.
The Honolulu Advertiser
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