ULUPALAKUA – Ulupalakua Cares, a celebration of agriculture and open space hosted by Maui’s Winery and Ulupalakua Ranch Store, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 5.
This free community event will have local music, walking tours by environmental leaders and informational exhibits by local conservation groups, set against a backdrop of the winery’s historic grounds and the ranch’s pastoral beauty.
Ukulele virtuoso Derick Sebastian and singer/musician Joshua Kahula will play from noon to 3 p.m. Polihua, a Lanai band, will play from 3 to 4, both at the winery.
Across the road at the ranch store, Bradda Francis Koahou will play slack key from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At 12:30 p.m., a talk titled “A Voyage Back in Time: The Natural Treasures of Ulupalakua Ranch” will be given by Art Medeiros, a research scientist with the Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the head of the Auwahi reforestation project, on Ulupalakua Ranch land.
The 150-year-old trees of Maui’s Winery will be showcased on a “Walking Tour of Trees” led by Ernest Rezents, professor emeritus of agriculture at Maui Community College. He will give a talk on “How to Determine the Value of a Tree.” The walk and talk will be from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ulupalakua Ranch, Maui Coastal Land Trust, the Maui Invasive Species Committee, Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership and other groups will present informational exhibits.
Ulupalakua Ranch has a long history of conservation, including its recent conservation promise of 11,000 acres of ranch land to be protected through the Maui Coastal Land Trust. More than 50 species of endangered or rare native trees are being nurtured on the ranch, with the help of dedicated volunteers and partner organizations.
According to Sumner Erdman, Ulupalakua Ranch president, the goal is to restore the remains of what was once a vast and biologically diverse ecosystem found only in the Hawaiian Islands. Erdman describes “Ulupalakua Cares” as “a chance to share the work that we do and that these outstanding organizations do throughout the year to ensure the health of the environment for many years to come.”
The daylong event also includes free wine tasting in the King’s Cottage Tasting Room, and lunch specials at Ulupalakua Ranch Store Deli & Grill from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ulupalakua hosts quarterly Sunday Drive events to share and honor different aspects of this unique historic area. In the spring, it’s “Ulupalakua Remembers,” in summer “Ulupalakua Inspires” and in winter “Ulupalakua Sparkles.”
