Hawaiian company agrees to help seabirds more

From U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service press release:

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative entered a plea agreement today in federal court in Honolulu to resolve violations of the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. KIUC pleaded guilty to count one and count 16 of a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in May 2010.

Count one charged a violation of the ESA by knowingly “taking” at least 14 Newell’s shearwaters, a federally protected threatened species, at or near Keālia Beach. [Newell's Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis newelli) is a subspecies of Townsend's Shearwater. --WB] Count 16 charged a violation of the MBTA by the “taking” of at least 18 Newell’s shearwaters, also protected as a migratory species, at KIUC’s Port Allen facility.

Under the ESA, “take” means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.

“The Department of Justice sought a criminal prosecution of KIUC only after a long history of attempts to resolve ongoing violations,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The resolution of this case will set an example for others and help in the successful recovery of the Newell’s shearwaters, a threatened native species that is part of Hawai‘i’s cultural and natural heritage.” ...

KIUC admitted in its plea agreement that since June 2005, at least 14 Newell’s shearwaters were found dead near KIUC power lines near Keālia Beach and Donkey Beach. At least ten more shearwaters were found since 2005 near other KIUC power lines, including lines in and near the Wailua River Valley, Waimea River Valley, Eleele, and Kapaa. Necropsies of some birds concluded that they died from blunt force trauma consistent with a collision with a power line or other solid object. Eyewitnesses have observed such collisions with KIUC power lines.

The utility cooperative's press release about its responsibilities appears here.

Three Hawaiian seabirds at risk from utility cooperative

Three seabirds in the Hawaiian Islands prompted a utility cooperative on Kauai to submit a draft Habitat Conservation Plan and an Environmental Assessment for public review. The HCP and EA are part of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's application for an incidental take permit for bird species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The public may review and comment on the documents until Nov. 29.

The three species are Hawaiian Petrel (endangered, right), Newell's Shearwater (threatened, below) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (a candidate for listing). According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

The three seabirds breed on Kauai, feed in the open ocean and spend the majority of the year at sea. Adults generally return to their colonial nesting grounds in the interior mountains of Kauai beginning in March and April and depart beginning in September.

Fledglings – young birds learning how to fly – travel from the nesting colony to the sea in the fall. Both adults and fledglings are known to collide with tall buildings, towers, powerlines, and other structures while flying at night between their nesting colonies and at-sea foraging areas.

These birds, particularly fledglings, are also attracted to bright lights that disorient them. Disoriented birds are commonly observed circling around exterior light sources until they fall to the ground or collide with structures, resulting in possible injury or death.

KIUC has requested an incidental take permit because its lawful activities - generating and distributing electricity - will cause the occasional death of a bird during the operation and maintenance of its facilities during the next five years. The draft HCP describes KIUC's plans to "minimize, mitigate and monitor" incidental take.

For many more details about the draft HCP and EA, visit the link above.

Hawaiian Petrel, top, courtesy of Jim Denny/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Newell's Shearwater courtesy of Brenda Zaun/USFWS

Free entry to Kilauea Point NWR on Sept. 25

Will you be in The Aloha State, specifically on Kauai, later this month? You can receive free admission to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Sept. 25 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in honor of National Public Lands Day and Nene Awareness Day.

National Public Lands Day celebrates the 655 million acres of forests, parks, refuges and open spaces that all of us own. At Kilauea Point NWR, visitors can check out the Kīlauea Lighthouse restoration project and also learn about native coastal plants and migratory seabirds.

Nēnē Awareness Day recognizes Hawaii's state bird. “The nēnē is an icon of Hawai‘i’s past, holding their own on fragments of their original habitat,” said Shannon Smith, refuge manager for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex. “We’re working with a cadre of committed partners to restore habitat and give this species a real chance to make a comeback.”


Designated Hawaii's State Bird on May 7, 1957, the endangered nēnē (Branta sandvicensis) struggles against extinction. Conservationists began breeding the birds in captivity in hopes of preserving a remnant of the declining population and, some day, successfully re-establishing them in their native habitat. Today, there are more than 800 nēnē on Kauai and approximately 1,950 nēnē statewide.

Photo courtesy of StateSymbolsUSA.com

Progress at Maui bird sanctuary

Following up on last week's post about Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Maui, news arrives that officials broke ground this week for the new refuge headquarters and visitor center.

After a traditional Hawaiian blessing of the land, Senator Daniel K.
Inouye, Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares and other officials turned the first shovels of earth to initiate construction of a new headquarters and visitor center at Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui. The 7,500-square-foot building will replace a small 672-square-foot trailer the refuge staff currently occupies.

“This has been a long time coming, but through everyone’s cooperation and influence, especially Senator Inouye’s, this building is coming into fruition,” said Mayor Tavares. “As a teacher, I know when children learn about nature, they grow up with a new consciousness of the environment. The refuge will truly be an outdoor classroom.”

The event included a Hawaiian blessing by Kimokeo Kapahulehua and the hula halau Maui Nui o Kama. Approximately 50 invitees participated in the groundbreaking at the building site off the entrance road to Keālia Pond.

The facility, which is expected to be completed in June 2011, will include a 1,358-square-foot lobby and exhibit hall, 1,043-square-foot multipurpose room, eight offices, a small conference room, and other workrooms. The energy-efficient building is expected to meet Silver LEED standards, one of only a few such projects in Hawai‘i.

Refuge on Maui will receive new visitor center

With the promise of a new visitor center at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui, the birds and other wildlife at the wetlands stand to receive more attention from tourists and island residents. Located north of Kihei, the refuge includes 691 acres and hosts the endangered Hawaiian Stilt (ae'o) and Hawaiian Coot ('alae ke oke'o). [In the Hawaiian language, most vowels are pronounced separatedly and not blended. --Ed.]


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The Hawaiian race of Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) nests at the refuge; the black around the neck and face extend farther than on mainland birds, according to Hawaii Audubon Society. Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai) used to be considered a subspecies of American Coot (F. americana) but was "split" in 1993 and received full species status from American Ornithologists' Union.

At the refuge, construction plans include a 7,500-square-foot building to be used as a visitor center and refuge office, an exhibit hall, a multi-purpose room, a reception area and a lobby/bookstore. The facilities will replace the current single-wide mobile trailer used by refuge staff.

“We are currently open to the public, but with our single trailer we really have no way of adequately serving them,” Keâlia Pond NWR Manager Glynnis Nakai said. “We have never had a building attached to the ground, and certainly we have never had a facility where we can educate and interact with the school children and other visitors. This is a very exciting time for us.”

5 endangered Hawaiian birds up for review

The Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing 103 species in Hawaii with federal protection via the Endangered Species Act. More than 40 birds appear on the list of endangered species in the Pacific Islands.

Five endangered birds appear on the current list of review species:
* Nihoa Finch (Telespyza ultima) on Nihoa Island, northwest of Kaua‘i
* Hawaiian Goose or Nene (Branta sandvicensis) on Hawai‘i (also known as the Big Island), Maui and Kaua‘i
* Crested Honeycreeper (Palmeria dolei) on Maui, shown right courtesy of Jack Jeffrey
* Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) on Maui
* dark-rumped Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) on Hawai‘i, Maui, Lana‘i and Kaua‘i

From the U.S. FWS website:

To assist in its reviews, the Service is opening a 60-day public comment period for the submission of scientific and commercial information relevant to their listing status under the Act. The public, government agencies, tribes, industry and the scientific and conservation communities are asked to submit information by May 15, 2009.

Periodic status reviews of all listed species are required by the ESA at least once every 5 years to determine whether a species’ classification as threatened or endangered is still appropriate. If the best scientific and commercial data produced since the time of listing are not consistent with the current classification of any species, the Service will recommend a change in the species’ federal classification. A species could be recommended for reclassification from endangered to threatened (downlisting), from threatened to endangered (uplisting), or for removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species (delisting).

The Pacific Islands office says, "Hawai‘i has the highest number of listed threatened and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of Hawai‘i, of which 294 are plants."

Hawaiian bird affects digital TV

According to an article distributed by the Associated Press:

HONOLULU (AP) -- Hawaii will switch to digital TV faster than the rest of the country to make way for an endangered, volcano-dwelling bird.

Most of the state will switch to digital TV on Jan. 15, more than a month ahead of the nationwide mandatory conversion Feb. 17. Federal wildlife officials recommended hastening the transition so that the Hawaiian petrel's nesting season on the slopes of Maui's Haleakala volcano won't be disrupted by the destruction of the old analog transmission towers nearby.

The nesting season starts in February, and the towers are being torn down before then, with new towers set up at lower elevations on the island for the early switch.

The Hawaiian petrel is a nocturnal, seafaring bird with a chirp that has been compared to the sound of a yapping puppy. Wires injure the rare petrels and city lights disorient them, contributing to their decline.

Biologists don't have an accurate count of how many of the species remain, but they estimate that little more than 1,000 nest on Haleakala, their primary nesting area. The birds don't breed outside of Hawaii.

I'm glad to see that accommodations are being made for the endangered bird. Hawaiian species have faced so many challenges to their survival that it's reassuring to see these efforts.

The Hawaiian Petrel link above goes to the Audubon WatchList, and the profile shows a red dot in the upper-left of the page. That red dot indicates "species in this category are declining rapidly and/or have very small populations or limited ranges, and face major conservation threats. These typically are species of global conservation concern."

News roundup

From American Bird Conservancy: On Sept. 17, Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), George Voinovich (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced Senate bill S. 3490 to increase funds for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) introduced a similar bill, H.R. 5756, in the House of Representatives.

Want to contact your political representatives? Here are the senators, and here are the representatives.

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From Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "Little Green Places" contest deadline is Oct. 31. The "Celebrate Urban Birds" program invites birders to send photos, drawings or links to videos that show small urban spaces that provide shelter, food or water. You can send your Littel Green Place to urbanbirds AT cornell DOT edu. Many details appear here.

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Again from ABC, on a topic dear to my heart:

A new study has found that federal and state funding to conserve and recover Hawaiian birds species listed under the Endangered Species Act is much lower than for mainland birds, and is insufficient to recover the many declining bird species on the islands.

The study found that on average, endangered bird species on the mainland received 15 times more funding than endangered Hawaiian birds. Of the total spent toward recovery of listed bird species between 1996-2004, the 31 birds unique to Hawaii received only 4.1% of the recovery funds available from all sources, which included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal sources, and the state, even though nearly one third of all U.S. endangered birds are found exclusively on Hawaii.

Nearly one-third of all U.S. endangered birds live on the Hawaiian islands?!
Do mainland birders support the conservation of Hawaiian species?
Are they talking to the agencies and individuals who control recovery funds?
Or is this a long-term case of "out of sight, out of mind"?

Hawaii's endangered birds finally get attention

From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

Hawaii's at-risk wild birds might get a dose of national attention -- and money -- with a new publicity push by the nation's two largest bird conservation groups.

The American Bird Conservancy and the Audubon Society jointly issued a list last week of the American birds they agree are most in danger.

The new Audubon/American Bird Conservancy WatchList identifies 59 continental and 39 Hawaiian "red list" species of greatest concern, and 119 more mainland birds in the "yellow" category of seriously declining or rare species.

"Neither of us had Hawaiian birds on the list before," said David Pashley, the Bird Conservancy's vice president for conservation and co-author of the list. "Historically, we've been as guilty as anyone" of overlooking the 50th state's birds."

Endangered Hawaiian bird thrives

From KHNL:

HILO, Hawaii - The smallest chick ever hatched in captivity is doing well three weeks after coming into the world at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center on the Big Island.

The tiny endangered akepa weighed about as much as two Q-tips at hatch. The bird's weight has since grown more than sevenfold as it has been eating cricket guts, papaya, worm meal and nectar, along with vitamin and mineral supplements.

A Conservation Center official says the challenge with such a small chick is getting the food in its mouth and down the right hole so it doesn't choke. It's also a challenge to the proper liquids balance.

From a research associate's blog:

We slowly add several mineral and vitamin supplements along the way, items like calcium, vitamin B1, bone meal, and a special tonic. We’ll be feeding this chick until it is about 50 days old, slowly decreasing our feeding schedule as the chick learns to feed on his own. His (her?) adult diet will soon be mostly nectar and insects.

Read more about the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation program here.

Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo

Honolulu names city bird

The Aloha State's capital on Oahu now has an official city bird. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced that White Tern (Gygis alba rothschildi), also known as Fairy Tern, received that honor. The threatened species nests in Honolulu.

Hawaiian Army base receives conservation award

U. S. Army Garrison-Pohakuloa on Hawaii's Big Island recently garnered the 2006 Military Conservation Partner Award, bestowed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The service created the award to recognize "significant natural resource conservation achievements through cooperative work with the Service, state and local government, and other organizations. Such achievements may include the conservation, protection, and restoration of important habitat for a variety of species - including endangered and native species - on military lands."

The service's director, H. Dale Hall, said, "The service applauds Pohakuloa's cooperative conservation achievements, especially their proactive habitat restoration and endangered species monitoring program, which exemplifies positive cooperation between government and private-sector partners."

The 131,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area - located on the island of Hawaii between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and the Hualalai Mountains - is the largest Department of Defense installation in Hawaii. The area extends as high as 9,000 feet on Mauna Loa and is a mosaic of unique ecosystems. Pohakuloa's natural resource staff helps protect 19 federally listed species - 15 threatened or endangered plant species, 3 bird species, and one mammal. Several of these endangered plant species exist only at Pohakuloa and their numbers are critically low due to threats that include over-grazing, competition from invasive plants, and wildfires.

Pohakuloa's natural resource staff has developed an impressive array of community partnerships through groups such as the Hawaii Community College and the Junior Sierra Club. These partnerships seek to educate the public about resource protection and land stewardship through Earth Day Activities and other community events. Pohakuloa also works with organizations to decrease over-grazing by allowing controlled hunting of feral sheep, goats, and pigs. In addition, the natural resource staff has also exceeded expectations concerning the protection of listed plant species on rare Hawaiian sub alpine tropical dry land forest habitat by restricting grazing by these animals. To prevent grazing damage, Pohakuloa has gone to great effort and expense to erect over 7,000 acres of exclusionary fencing and plans to fence a total of 33,000 acres. This exclusionary fencing also benefits the Hawaiian hoary bat by allowing mature shelter trees used for roosting and breeding to regenerate.