It was 10 a.m. on a crisp December morning at UH Mānoa’s Lyon Arboretum. Tall, gangly weeds were being pulled near an overlook of the New Hawaiian Garden by about 15 undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff from the College of Social Sciences’ Department of Geography and Environment (GEO).
But this was no ordinary community service project. The occasion was to honor Lyndon Wester, GEO emeritus professor, for offering a loulu palm tree scientifically known as Pritchardia remota Becc. to the Lyon Arboretum. The tree is significant since it is an endemic plant – found only on the Island of Nihoa in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – that is listed as endangered. The donation was accepted.
“It needed a forever home, and I knew that it would thrive here,” said GEO Chair Dave Beilman. “Similarly, the department thrives on the connection that we have through generations of students and faculty. And one thing we’re really excited about today is to help celebrate some of that legacy with our retired faculty.”
Wester has always had an affinity with nature and the study of geography. Born 80 years ago in Adelaide, Australia, he earned his undergraduate degree there and later his master’s and PhD at UCLA. Wester was hired at UH Mānoa in 1972, and taught Physical Geography 101, now known as The Natural Environment. His field of interest was biogeography, specifically plant geography. Later Wester also taught classes in Southeast Asia geography, and conducted seminars for graduate students.
“I came here not really expecting to stay, and originally intended to return to Australia. But I fell in love with this place immediately,” said Wester. “And, of course, for someone who is interested in plants, it’s the equivalent of Disneyland.”
He has always had a particular interest in invasive species – plants that were either brought into Hawaiʻi by accident or which came from cultivated plants that escaped. “It was a subject that most local scientists weren’t interested in, as they were more into native flora. But I was fascinated by the whole issue of invasive plants that were dominant below the 2,000-foot elevation. Most of the forests you see today on Tantalus or most of the hiking trails are all introduced species.”
Wester relished his almost 40 years of academic service at CSS, including as department chair. He served as PhD advisor to many doctoral students and, at one particular dissertation defense, was given a loulu palm seedling by his graduate student.
“I started growing it in a pot but I could tell it really wanted to be in the ground,” said Wester. “So one day, when I believed I’d need to leave my house and garden, I thought about giving the plant to Dave (Beilman), who also has an avid interest in biogeography. He was the one who initially suggested gifting the tree to Lyon Arboretum.”
That plan was just fine with Wester, because some of his former students worked there. “I’ve had a long admiration for that place. One of my students was on the staff, Ray Baker, and he became an institution there. In fact, he came to UH Mānoa as a graduate student the same year as me,” said Wester. “In those days, we took all the students to the Big Island for a field trip for a week to 10 days. Also in that class was Ken Nagata, who took care of the herbarium at Lyon Arboretum and was involved in studies of the medicinal qualities of plants. The current director, Don Drake, is even a former student of mine.”
Once the donation plan was in place, it was a natural idea to simultaneously hold a community work day at the arboretum, so GEO students, faculty and staff could be present at the significant event. It was a chicken skin moment when the GEO students carefully lifted the tree from its burlap bag, gently placed it into the ground, and patted the soil around the roots.
“I’ve always loved Lyon Arboretum, it has a sort of wild quality to it. There are large sections that look like an untouched forest,” said Wester. “It’s a wonderful teaching resource and now the palm has a proper permanent home.”
