KALAHEO One of the greatest challenges facing the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo is the need for increased social capital. <\/p>\n
We want our community to fully understand and value who we are, said Chipper Wichman of his goal to build awareness of the need to preserve tropical plants. <\/p>\n
Wichman, who is the CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), recently returned from a trip to India with a delegation from Hawaii led by department of Land and Natural Resources Chairman William J. Aila Jr. <\/p>\n
The NTBG was founded in the 1950s by a group of visionaries in a time when the word biodiversity didnt exist, Wichman said, adding, The extinction crisis wasnt on anyones radar. <\/p>\n
The group was granted a congressional charter as a privately funded nonprofit organization with a national and international need. <\/p>\n
Its rather amazing that an organization having an impact on the world is headquartered here, in downtown Kalaheo, said Wichman, who became CEO in 2003. <\/p>\n
However, the facility is often overlooked on Kauai because much of its funding and board members come from the Mainland. <\/p>\n
That said, Wichman would like to see 5,000 or 10,000 card-carrying members of the NTBG here on Kauai. He notes that while it wont mean a huge financial benefit to the organization compared to the millions of dollars in operating expenses the NTBG spends annually, there is a strong need to build social capital and support from the community. You cant put a price on that, he said. <\/p>\n
Were working to become a stronger community resource, not just an international resource, Wichman said. And this whole McBryde Garden expansion is a great example of that. <\/p>\n
The success of two expansion projects in the McBryde Garden depends, Wichman said, on the communitys understanding, participation and support of them. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Read this article:<\/p>\n
\u2018Islands are the canary in a coal mine\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KALAHEO One of the greatest challenges facing the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo is the need for increased social capital. We want our community to fully understand and value who we are, said Chipper Wichman of his goal to build awareness of the need to preserve tropical plants. Wichman, who is the CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), recently returned from a trip to India with a delegation from Hawaii led by department of Land and Natural Resources Chairman William J Continue reading