After multiple rounds of testimony from students across the state, the Hawaii State Legislature designated 8.08 as Hawaii Honeycreeper Celebration Day. Events to celebrate our honeycreepers are taking place across the state this month. For a full list of events, you can check out the event listing on the Birds Not Mosquitoes website, where you can also learn more about the testimony given by our own Kaua’i students.
Kaua’i’s forest birds are disappearing right in front of our eyes. Five of 13 species have vanished in the last 40 years, and three others, the puaiohi, ‘akikiki, and ‘akeke’e, are critically endangered.
Species disappeared with no records of song, behavior or appearance, making this loss even more devastating not only to scientists, conservationists and cultural practitioners but to all of us.
Join us for a Presentation by KFBRP project leader Dr. Lisa “Cali’ Crampton and
Hula performance by the Ka `Imi Na`auao O Hawai`i Nei Institute
When? Thursday, February 2, 2023 @ 5:30 p.m.
Where? Meeting Room, Hanapēpē Library
(4490 Kona Rd, phone 808 335-8418)
ANNUAL HAWAIIAN BLESSING MARKS BEGINNING OF CRITICAL KAUA‘I FOREST BIRD FIELD SEASON
(Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i) – The Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) is holding its annual Hawaiian blessing for the 2023 field season, which for at least two species of Hawaiian honeycreepers is a critical year.
Of the eight remaining forest bird species on Kaua‘i, two face imminent extinction. The ‘akikiki and ‘akeke‘e, are threatened by mosquito-borne avian malaria. Warmer climates in recent years have allowed non-native mosquitoes to move to higher elevations, increasing the risk of disease to native forest birds. During this field season, KFBRP will collect as many of the the last remaining ‘akikiki as possible and place them under human care until mosquito control efforts can be implemented to ensure their survival in the wild.
Kumu and haumana of the Ka ‘Imi Na‘auao O Hawai‘i Nei Institute, and staff and volunteers from KFBRP will gather to bless the upcoming field season with songs and dances to invoke the protection and good will of the gods and the elders for Kaua‘i’s native forest birds and their habitat.
Forest bird recovery projects are a collaboration between the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the University of Hawai‘i Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit.
All events are free and open to everyone. Prepare for cold, windy and/or rainy weather conditions at Kōke‘e.
Due to the presence of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death on Kaua‘i, participants are asked to clean all boots and equipment before traveling to Kōke‘e.
Hawaii Invasive Species Awareness Month is an event designed to raise awareness of the impacts of invasive species while also recognizing the work being done to protect against them. HISAM is hosted by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), with both agencies serving as co-leads of the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC).
*****************IMPORTANT********************
To be able to ride down to the Pohaku Site in our state vehicles you MUST fill out this form and submit to us by 3/4/2020! https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/volunteer/files/2013/06/DLNR-Volunteer-Service-Form.pdf
It is also ok to drive in your private vehicle to the pohaku hula site.
Join us in Kōke`e for a spring season blessing and a conservation workday.
Ka `Imi Na`auao o Hawai`i Nei Institute, the Kaua`i Forest Bird Recovery Project, Kōke`e Resource Conservation Program and the Kaua`i Invasive Species Committee invite you to participate in the blessing, followed by a few hours of clearing invasive species from the historic site known as Pōhaku Hula. Information will be provided for decontamination of equipment and boots for rapid ōhi`a death fungus.
Meet at the pavilion at Kōke`e Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow at 8:30 am on Wednesday, March 11th to 4-wheel-drive-pool to the Pōhaku Hula site. Bring lunch, water, work gloves, rain gear, small yard cleaning tools, and wear covered shoes or boots. Kōkua i nā mea kanu maoli!
Photo Credit: Mike Teruya
Join KFBRP for the Annual Christmas Bird Count and Potluck. December 21st, 2019. Meet in the meadow next to Koke’e Lodge.