The University of Hawaiʻi’s Harold L. Lyon Arboretum hosted CTAHR Day at Lyon Arboretum in March, bringing together students, faculty, staff and their families from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR) to see what treasures the arboretum’s grounds hold.
People participated in guided tours and hands-on activities led by arboretum staff. Devon Gordon, micropropagation lab manager, and Nate Kingsley, seed lab manager, provided a tour of Lyon’s Hawaiian Rare Plant Program’s Micropropagation Lab, showcasing efforts to conserve critically endangered native plants.
Lyon Grounds Arborist Tylor Schwarze and Arborist Assistant Nate Kamaka led participants on a scenic hike to ʻAihualama Falls. They later did a tree-climbing demonstration, allowing participants to try their hand at using the climbing gear. Visitors also explored the Ethnobotanical Garden with Lyon docents and toured the main greenhouse with the Horticulture Department staff, who later hosted a planting activity.
Keiki and adults enjoyed other interactive experiences, including making newspaper pots to plant sunflower seeds, designing custom button pins and playing educational games with the Lyon Education Department.
In addition to the tours and activities, CTAHR units set up outreach tables highlighting ongoing research efforts on invasive species, such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle and the raime moth—both of which have been spotted at the arboretum. It is an area CTAHR has been actively supporting efforts to prevent their spread.
Lyon Arboretum’s Interim Director, Don Drake, who helped organize the event, shared, “Lyon Arboretum and CTAHR have a long history of collaboration, and we hope that this event will inspire new connections that foster even greater mutual support in the future.”
The event celebrated the strong partnership between Lyon Arboretum and CTAHR, reinforcing a shared commitment to education, research and environmental stewardship.
