Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and Peter Van Dyke enjoy the surroundings at Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. (Hawaii 24/7 photo by Margaret Masunaga)

Reporting by Margaret Masunaga

Rep. Mazie Hirono toured Bishop Museum Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook during a Labor Day weekend visit to the Big Island.

The garden was founded in 1974 to support Hawaiian cultural traditions of plants and land use and conserve the plant resources of traditional Hawaiian cultural activities. More than 300 types of native and Polynesian introduced plants and 27 federally listed endangered species are featured at the garden located at 82-6188 Mamalahoa Highway.

A Visitor Educational Center is slated to be completed in fall 2011. Hirono walked through the future building site and examined some of the endangered plants, we well as meeting with small Kona coffee farmers to understand the future of local farms, some of which have been in the same family since the early 1800s.

Farmer/owners like Gail Masunaga have resorted to working other part-time jobs to supplement their income. Most local families use their coffee income to provide extra money for their children’s educational expenses or extracurricular activities.

Peter Van Dyke has coffee land and told Hirono he’s lucky to break even after expenses. It is estimated 100 lbs of cherry coffee – once washed, dried, graded, roasted, and ground – will net 21 lbs of actual brewed coffee to drink.

Hirono said she enjoys 100% Kona coffee and will work to see the next generation of keiki are able to continue the family coffee business.