Cherry blossoms at ‘Iliahi Neigbhorhood Park The cherry blossoms have just begun blooming their season arrives early in Hawai‘i with the delicate pink and white flowers typically in bloom mid-January through early March You might be unaware that O‘ahu even has cherry blossom trees as they seem to be relegated to just a few parts of the island and bloom for such a short period SEE ALSO: Where to Find Mochi and Other Sweet Treats for Girls’ Day in Honolulu Here’s a little background: According to the Japanese American National Museum, O‘ahu’s first cherry blossom trees were brought from Okinawa to Waipi‘o Acres in the early 1950s with hundreds of seedlings distributed and planted throughout Wahiawā Trees were planted at Leilehua High School in 1985 as part of a celebration honoring Japanese immigrants in celebration of the centennial anniversary of Japan gifting the U.S Mānoa Valley District Park received several trees—three Oshima zakura trees can be found along Mānoa Stream though they aren’t in the right state to bloom this season while there are smatterings of cherry blossom trees in several parts of O‘ahu the largest concentration—once reported at 500 trees—still seems to be in Wahaiwā and you’ll spot them in residents’ yards fronting buildings and at the following spots: A cluster of trees stands along the Buddhist temple’s fence line along California Ave The 27-acre garden has five large sakura trees one of which was donated by the Fukuoka Lion’s Club around five years ago You’ll find them across the foot bridge from the garden’s parking lot Free admission, 1396 California Ave., Wahiawā, (808) 621-5463, honolulu.gov, @honolulubotanicalgardens We counted 16 trees large enough to put forth blooms and a handful of saplings along the park’s perimeter were planted near the school’s softball field in 2024 SEE ALSO: This New Hidden Botanical Shop in Kaka‘ako Is Brimming with Cool Plants Privacy Policy | About Our Ads The Hawaiʻi State Senate and House of Representatives announced Friday the passage of House Bill 427 aimed at strengthening the state’s biosecurity system to combat invasive species and protect the islands’ environment and agriculture Yamashita (House District 12 – portion of Keahua “By increasing resources for biosecurity through this bill we are ensuring that Hawaiʻi can continue to thrive as a leading agricultural state while protecting our natural resources from the growing threat of invasive species.” “We’re in a state of crisis for biosecurity. Last year, we passed a landmark bill (Act 231); this session we’re sending another bill to the Governor to continue our commitment to fighting invasives whether it’s coconut rhinoceros beetles We have to step up our game in keeping these critters and invasive plants out of our islands Mike Gabbard (Senate District 21 – Kapolei who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment “Laulima – many hands – have led us to a compromise everyone can live with we took another important step forward in safeguarding Hawaiʻi’s environment He thanked Agriculture & Food Systems House Committee Chair and all the stakeholders who collaborated on the bill Kirstin Kahaloa (House District 6 – Hōnaunau “HB 427 is a bold and necessary step to protect Hawai‘i’s environment By renaming the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity we are centralizing our efforts and giving biosecurity the focused leadership it demands and provides the tools we need to keep invasive species out of our islands With over $36 million in funding secured across the bill and the state biennium budget Hawai‘i is sending a clear message: we are serious about biosecurity and we are ready to lead the nation in protecting our natural and agricultural resources.” “By bolstering the State’s biosecurity efforts this bill is a reflection of our commitment to increase environmental and economic resilience,” said Sen Dela Cruz (Senate District 17 – portion of Mililani chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee “Feeding our people starts with supporting our local farmers and enabling our local business to expand exports I am proud to stand beside my colleagues and constituents who have helped advocate for this important legislation.” The bill now heads to the governor for signing Senator Donovan Dela Cruz joined Kamehameha Schools, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and numerous community organizations to announce that Senate Bill 2482, now Act 209 creating the first statewide-legislated Office of Wellness & Resilience in the nation “Trauma is often referenced as the ‘Hidden Epidemic’ and has directly contributed to the suicide Trauma does not discriminate; it affects individuals and communities of all ethnicities and socio-economic statuses across our state,” said Senator Dela Cruz (Senate District 22 – Mililani Mauka 34.7% of Hawai‘i women and 24.1% of Hawai‘i men experience intimate partner physical or sexual violence and intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes 5,973 people across our islands are experiencing homelessness In a recent survey of identified sex trafficking survivors here in Hawaiʻi 23% reported that they were children when they were first sex trafficked 25% reported that their first sex trafficker was a family member (parent By sponsoring legislation for the Statewide Trauma Informed Task Force (ACT209) in 2021 and introducing SB2482 (ACT209) to establish the Office of Wellness & Resilience Dela Cruz said the legislature is committed to creating a “trauma-informed state” that will better serve families and improve community health and wellness outcomes “This office will ensure that every keiki and resident of this state have access to safe caring individuals and vital resources to live a healthy and thriving life here in Hawaiʻi,” he said Trauma-informed care is an approach based on the growing knowledge of the impact of psychological trauma and how common it is in our communities It aims to ensure a welcoming and engaging environment and services for service recipients and staff Examples of trauma include experiencing or observing physical and emotional abuse; neglect; having a family member with a mental health or substance use disorder; experiencing or witnessing violence Research shows that experiences in the first few years of life build change into the biology of the human body that Trauma can lead to incalculable human and economic costs if not appropriately treated Lifelong impacts include increased risks for poor physical and mental health and alcoholism and drug abuse and increased state spending across multiple programs linked to lifetime costs of approximately $200,000 per person “We’ve known the suffering many of us struggle with has very real effects on our health status individually and as a whole,” said Tia Roberts Hartsock chair of the Act 209 Trauma Informed Care Task Force “We better understand how long-existing traumas as well as newer community traumas like COVID-19 and we are striving to map out ways we can connect our state’s workforce and the families we serve to practices that promote wellness and build resilience.”  This new Office of Wellness & Resilience will: establishing the Office of Wellness & Resilience was supported by the Departments of Health and Human Services and more than 30 Hawai‘i child and family-serving organizations who provided testimony around the need for a statewide response to prioritize wellness and build resilience for all communities in Hawaiʻi “Prioritizing the well-being and resilience of our kids and families signified by the establishment of this office is something for Hawaiʻi to be very proud of,” said Lauren Nahme vice president of Strategy & Transformation at Kamehameha Schools “When the hearts and minds of our keiki are well-supported it places them in the best position to thrive in school “Establishing the Office of Wellness & Resilience is a transformative act that will help to unify public agencies and community organizations and leverage governmental and community resources and expertise to address adversity and toxic stress for all that need it—from keiki to kūpuna,” said Michelle Kaʻuhane senior vice president and chief impact officer at the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation there has been added stress to Hawaiʻi’s families The Office of Wellness & Resilience catalyzes a third way of working to alleviate that stress through increased collaboration to ensure all individuals and families have access to the trauma-informed support they need Undoubtedly this type of public-private solution will benefit the overall health and wellness of the people of Hawaiʻi.” The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges held a ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday June 23 to mark the beginning of construction on the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center The facility will house training programs that will provide participants an opportunity to create new and unique food-related products while learning critical entrepreneurship skills such as marketing product development and business management so they can develop their value-added products Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz (District 22 – Launani Valley, Mililani Mauka Whitmore Village and portion of Poamoho) helped secure monies for the project in 2017.   “Products that are made-in-Hawai‘i are highly desired worldwide and we have a huge opportunity with the WVAPDC to capitalize on that global demand Value-added entrepreneurship is critical for economic recovery as we look to strengthen the agricultural industry and diversify our economy to be less reliant on tourism,” said Senator Dela Cruz “Wahiawā welcomes this community investment and looks forward to working with the University of Hawai‘i in the years to come.”    Participants will have access to state-of-the-art equipment that will help take their idea to a marketable product Developable products include but are not limited to baked goods These products could benefit farmers as entrepreneurs utilize off-grade produce in their recipes and minimize food waste Farmers can build their customer base outside of traditional outlets such as farmers markets and grocery stores and sell directly to food manufacturers or expand their businesses.   “The WVAPDC will be instrumental in supporting the diversification of our local economy by adding value to Hawai‘i’s agricultural and food sector industries,” said University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges Vice President Erika Lacro. “It will take the knowledge and uniqueness Hawai‘i offers to the next level creating a robust workforce pipeline and providing the tools and skills for local farmers and entrepreneurs to take their value-added food products to market and beyond.  Bringing this to the heart of Oahu achieves a critical milestone for our state in food security and sustainability.”  The Wahiawa Value Added Product Development Center is scheduled to open for classes in Spring 2023.