Merwin Conservancy Inc

WE INSPIRE INNOVATION IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES BY ADVANCING THE IDEAS OF W.S. MERWIN. PLEASE SEE FULL MISSION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE O. ............................................................ MISSION STATEMENT: ROOTED IN THE CONVICTIONS OF RENOWNED AMERICAN POET W.S. MERWIN, THE MERWIN CONSERVANCY IMAGINES WAYS OF ENGAGING WITH PLACE, POETRY, AND PRACTICE. WE CARE FOR THE THRIVING, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PALM GARDEN ON MAUI THAT WILLIAM MERWIN AND HIS WIFE PAULA PLANTED ON LAND DEPLETED BY EXTRACTIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES; OFFER A RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN THE MERWINS' HOME TO WRITERS AND ARTISTS WHO MAKE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR LANGUAGE AND LAND; AND FOSTER ATTENTION TO NATURE AND THE IMAGINATION THROUGH PROGRAMMING AND STORYTELLING.

TENDING THE MERWIN PALM TREE COLLECTION: SINCE ASSUMING STEWARDSHIP OF THE MERWIN PALM TREE COLLECTION IN 2020, TMC HAS EMPLOYED CONTRACT GARDENERS TO CARE FOR, PROTECT, CATALOG, AND REPORT ON A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF PALMS. THE COLLECTION IS WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST DIVERSE PRIVATE PALM COLLECTIONS. IT IS A CORE TENET OF OUR ORGANIZATION'S MISSION TO ENSURE THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THIS COLLECTION, AND TO SAFEGUARD THE HEALTH OF SPECIES WITHIN IT. IN 2023, WE MADE SEVERAL IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GARDEN CARE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROCESS. BIOLOGIST AND PALM EXPERT DR. BILL BAKER HELPED TO IDENTIFY SEVERAL PALM SPECIES IN THE GARDEN AND PLANTED A NATIVE LOULU (PRITCHARDIA) PALM DURING HIS RESIDENCY, A TRADITION WE INVITE ALL THE ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND SCIENTISTS IN OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAM TO TAKE PART IN. AS WE CONSIDERED HOW WE MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO RECOVERY EFFORTS IN LAHAINA AFTER THE MAUI FIRES, WE BEGAN PLANNING AN EFFORT TO CULTIVATE NATIVE WEST MAUI PALM SPECIES FOR REPLANTING-INSPIRED BY W.S. MERWIN'S "OUTLINE OF A PROJECT TO SAVE THE HAWAIIAN PRITCHARDIAS."

CONTINUED KEY REPAIRS & RESTORATION OF THE MERWINS' HOME: AS WE BECAME STEWARDS OF THE PROPERTY, WE CONTINUED REPAIRS TO THE TWO-STORY HOME, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 40 YEARS OLD, READYING THE HOME AS THE SITE OF OUR RESIDENCY AND ARTS AND ECOLOGY PROGRAMMING.

ARTS AND ECOLOGY PROGRAMMING. THIS YEAR, THROUGH OUR LONG STANDING PUBLIC PROGRAM SERIES THE GREEN ROOM, WE PRESENTED THE WORK OF BIOLOGISTS AND AUTHORS DURING IN-PERSON GATHERINGS ON MAUI AND OAHU. WE ALSO OFFERED VIRTUAL BROADCASTS OF OUR GREEN ROOM EVENTS WITH OUR GROWING GLOBAL COMMUNITY, AND PRESENTED A VIRTUAL SCREENING OF A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT W.S. MERWIN'S LIFE. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE OPENED THE GARDEN IN INTIMATE, MINDFUL WAYS TO GUESTS DURING OUR OPEN GARDEN DAYS.

RESIDENCY PROGRAM: OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAM, LAUNCHED IN LATE 2021, OFFERS THE MERWINS' HOME AND GARDEN AS A SANCTUARY FOR WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND SCIENTISTS WHO MAKE NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR LANGUAGE AND LAND ACROSS DISCIPLINES. OUR RESIDENTS ARE SELECTED BY A COMMITTEE OF NOMINATORS WORKING ACROSS AND BETWEEN FIELDS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FIRST FIVE RESIDENTS INVITED DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE RESIDENCY, WE REFINED THE RESIDENCY EXPERIENCE AND EVOLVED THE HOUSE TO SERVE AS A SITE FOR IMAGINATION AND PRACTICE. IN 2023, WE WELCOMED YET ANOTHER RESIDENT, BIOLOGIST AND PALM EXPERT DR. BILL BAKER, WHO HELPED US IDENTIFY AND CATALOG SEVERAL NEW PALM SPECIES IN THE GARDEN, AND BEGAN PLANNING TO HOST FOUR RESIDENTS IN 2024.