Greenwell family pleased with community rallying to keep soon-to-be closed garden open

KAILUA-KONA — Kealakekua Ranch’s CEO said the Greenwell family is pleased to see the community rallying to keep their soon-to-be closed garden open.

Rhonda Kavanagh told West Hawaii Today following a community meeting that they have been in communication with people about possible ways to keep the 15-acre Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden accessible to the public, and that Saturday’s meeting was another positive step.

“We were very pleased today with the meeting as well as discussions with community members over the past weeks,” Kavanagh said on Saturday following a meeting where roughly 30 residents gathered at the iconic garden in Captain Cook to brainstorm ways to keep it open. “I’m very pleased the community has taken such a passionate interest in seeking solutions to secure the future of the garden.”

The garden is set to close Sunday as its steward, Bishop Museum, looks for a new owner/steward for the land as well as hundreds of acres in Waipio. Together, it’s selling more than 500 acres, valued a couple of years ago at around $10 million.

The meeting focused on ideas such as creating a nonprofit to take over the garden. News of its closure has left many on the island upset.

Kavanagh told West Hawaii Today that Bishop’s decision to put the garden up for sale surprised the Greenwell family. Amy Greenwell was a botanist who worked for the museum and resided on the property, which she transformed to feature pre-contact flora. She gifted the land upon her death in 1974 to the museum.

“We were very surprised by Bishop Museum’s sudden announcement of their intent to sell the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden,” she said. “Kealakekua Ranch and Amy Greenwell made substantial gifts of land and monetary instruments to the Bishop Museum over the years to ensure the garden would be preserved to protect the unique plants it holds as well as be a resource for the community and a place for people to come and enjoy those unique plants.”

Bishop Museum President and CEO Blair Collis said recently that following the closure, the museum will continue to maintain the property while looking for the next steward. He said a sale wasn’t pending but couldn’t be reached for comment over the weekend.

Kavanagh said Kealakekua Ranch and the Greenwell family are happy to see the community exploring ways to keep the garden open.

“We’re very interested in finding the right steward for this important resource,” she said.