ASLA NATIVE-SCAPING AT DONKEY MILL ART CENTER, KONA, HAWAI`I AUGUST 17, 2025

Native Planter Group at the Donkey Mill Art Center, Kona, Hawai`i August 17, 2025

A wonderful event took place at the Donkey Mill Art Center on Kona, Hawai'i on August 17, 2025. Dominic Riolo, ASLA Member at Large, organized this talk story and native planting workshop to share and promote landscape architecture to our outer islands ASLA members. Dominic introduced JJ Cook Trip and his wife Wai`ala Ahn to a group of 18 people present about their experiences planting natives, "the importance of prioritizing re-nativization in landscape design". invasive species, and a little history about Kona. ASLA Hawai i and Hawai`i Land and Garden works generously donated plants for this event. It was wonderful to meet sweet program director, Miho Morinoue, daughter of the one of the founders of the Donkey Mill Art Center, Setsuko and Hiroki Morinooue The native Hawaiian Plants were grown by Jill Wagner. After the talks and questions JJ demonstrated planting natives to replace non-native species around the Donkey Mill property.

ASLA members, Dana Anne Yee, Dominic Riolo, Nancy Cassandro, and Jason Umemoto, Kona, Hawai`i August 17, 2025

Landscape Architects from O`ahu who attended the event were Past President Nancy Cassandro, Trustee, Dana Anne Yee, FASLA, and Jason Umemoto, ASLA Member. It was happy uplifting event and you could feel the excitement in the air of the native planting direction for this Kona, Hawai`i. group. We worked together and made many new friends. Thank you Dominic for planning and organizing this excellent memorable event. And the sushi lunch, Dragon Fruit and Papaya platter, and Mamaki Tea were delicious. Big Mahalo's for the warm welcome from all of our Kona friends.

AND THE KONA TRIP WITH WILLIAM AUGUST 17, 2025