KAUAʻI AVIAN RESCUE AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS MOVING TO SINGLE SITE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 10, 2025

HONOLULU – The cancellation of a decades-long set-aside of land from the state of Hawai‘i to the County of Kaua‘i has paved the way for Kaua‘i’s renowned forest bird and seabird recovery and protection programs to move into a joint facility.

Today, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), approved Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami’s request to cancel Governor’s Executive Order (EO) 4045. The first EO, in 1955, was issued to the county as the Hanapēpē Dog Pound site.

The Kauaʻi Humane Society utilized the property for 46 years and subsequently, in 2015, the BLNR approved the use of the premises for Hawaiian stewardship programs.

In the DLNR Land Division submittal to the land board, Mayor Kawakami indicated the site is no long being used for stewardship and while the county has tried to maintain it and fenced it off, squatters have moved in. The county will remove the squatters and their personal effects before the cancellation takes effect.

The property will be utilized for the benefit of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU) on behalf of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP), the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP), and the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH). The term of the no-cost lease is 25 years.

Dr. Shaya Honarvar, PCSU Director and Principal Investigator for KFBRP and KESRP said, “Our mission is to protect and restore Hawaii’s native species, ecosystems, and cultural resources. The forest bird and seabird recovery projects on Kaua‘i epitomize this mission by combining research and conservation of federally and state protected native birds; some of which would already be extinct without the intervention of the project’s talented and dedicated teams.”

From the BLNR submission, “Due to the recent dramatic declines in forest bird populations on Kaua‘i and new advances in technologies to address their primary threat, mosquito-borne diseases, KFBRP’s budget and staff have recently increased almost two-fold. KFBRP has outgrown the small commercial real estate property it has rented since 2011. Meanwhile, KESRP has been occupying a small container at the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) base yard but needs to find a permanent home.”

Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, KFBRP Project Leader, said, “This allows us to share staff knowledge and skills more easily. A major synergy will be having space for cross- training, not only with our seabird partners, but also with our DLNR colleagues. There are many overlaps between various types of avian research and conservation, so being together provides great learning opportunities.”

The property is very close to where DLNR/DOFAW is developing a westside base yard. DOFAW Kaua‘i Branch Manager Sheri S. Mann said, “We hope to break ground in the next six months. The proximity of these projects, who we already collaborate with frequently, is going to enhance our shared endangered bird protection mission.”

“With the extinction crisis we’re facing, having a shared baseyard will allow us to streamline field operations, share equipment, vehicles, and other resources. Having a united front allows us to expand our outreach to the community. It’s not just about doing the critical conservation work—it’s about showing how important our native species are to the health of our ecosystems and the cultural heritage that makes our island so special,” said Dr. Julia Diegmann, KFBRP planner.

 

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RESOURCES

(All images/video Courtesy: DLNR)

 

HD video – Media clips of KFBRP and KESRP (various dates and locations on Kaua‘i):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7fe886zda85n5lfgwgf66/kauai_seabirds_and_forest_birds.mp4?rlkey=vckpffwlbjguy7dcer70u26h6&st=f0gsn8e4&dl=0

 

Photographs – KFBRP and KESRP (various dates and locations on Kaua‘i):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gd9qzrukfz3niz7a3tcct/APDglozg1kLAQ41OGINCU7g?rlkey=c0fsbu8xxgvdm3ss5m7qsepl2&st=y3j2qxgf&dl=0

 

Media contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai‘i

Phone: 808-587-0396

Email: dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

YEAR OF THE FOREST BIRDS MARKED CHANGES FOR BIRDS, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

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YEAR OF THE FOREST BIRDS MARKED CHANGES FOR BIRDS, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Wild Populations Faced New Threats and Saw New Opportunities in a Momentous Year

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 19, 2024

HONOLULU – 2024 was “Makahiki o nā Manu Nahele: Year of the Forest Birds,” officially proclaimed by Governor Josh Green, M.D., in January. An estimated 47,000 people engaged in bird-related education events over the year with the goal of raising awareness about Hawaiian forest birds and their plight. But for the birds themselves, it was a complicated year filled with both troubling declines and new rays of hope.

The most critically endangered forest birds continued to experience declines. Kauaʻi’s ʻakikiki is now considered functionally extinct in the wild, with five or fewer wild birds remaining. Declines in wild populations of Kauaʻi’s ʻanianiau and ʻakekeʻe and Maui’s kiwikiu spurred additional collections of birds for captive breeding populations which attempt to prevent extinctions. On Hawaiʻi Island, the population of palila has declined to around 500 individuals, driven largely by invasive predators like cats, rats and mongooses.

2024 was also a year of inspiring persistence for forest birds. Five ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) were released into the forests of Maui in recent weeks, marking a historic return to the wild after years of existing only in captive breeding centers.

On Kauaʻi, one of the last remaining wild ʻakikiki, a female named Pakele, was seen with a potential mate named Liko. On Maui, a kiwikiu known as MAPA1 continues to be seen in Maui’s forests years after researchers thought the bird had disappeared due to disease.

As these birds cling to existence, new developments in conservation tools are providing hope for a healthier future.

Conservation crews with the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project spent 2024 implementing the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to reduce the number of mosquitoes in forests, thereby reducing the threat of avian malaria.

The tool is set to expand to Kauaʻi in 2025, hopefully in time to save Pakele, Liko and any offspring they might have. The partnership Birds, Not Mosquitoes released a new documentary in 2024 titled Vanishing Voices, which details the threat of avian malaria and the hope presented by the IIT. The documentary is now available online (see link below).

Another sign of hope for forest birds is an increase in awareness among Hawaiʻi residents. A recent pair of surveys by the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species and American Bird Conservancy found that the proportion of Hawaiʻi residents who could not name a Hawaiian forest bird dropped from 59% in 2017 to 24% in 2024.

As the Year of the Forest Bird closes, students from across Hawaiʻi submitted video messages to DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) sharing how they learned about birds in their classrooms and why they hope that these birds will continue to be part of Hawaiʻi for generations to come. Those videos will be shared on Instagram by accounts from DOFAW and partners in the Year of the Forest Birds campaign, which include the Kauaʻi and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Projects, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Museum, Birds Not Mosquitoes, The American Bird Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and others.

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vmnoi2lyzt24tbdyrfjae/ANnxDP5bkHqd2iIHwNQ_D5M?rlkey=8tts5ux1sj5hv7recoegfcmm5&st=9br6pajy&dl=0

 

Photographs – Year of the Forest Bird Proclamation (Jan. 12, 2024): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/msjtfidcts72m2x3fvpva/AIUSXYplt_fTrIOzqTU-BQ4?rlkey=2ps68vyzjeejq5p28b3p0cf0e&st=hi5kqi2s&dl=0

 

Year of the Forest Bird education resources and partner connections: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/manu

 

Vanishing Voices documentary and IIT information: https://birdsnotmosquitoes.org

 

 

Media Contact:

Patti Jette

Communications Specialist

Hawaiʻi Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Communications Office: 808-587-0396

Email: dlnr.comms@hawaii.gov

KFBRP WINTER Newsletter 2024

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Hot off the press: Our 2024 KFBRP Winter Newsletter!

2024 has been a monumental year for KFBRP and our forest birds, filled with challenges, progress, and hope. As we look ahead to 2025, our mission to protect Kauaʻi’s precious native forest birds remains more urgent than ever. Join us in the fight to prevent further extinctions and celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved together.

Click here to read the newsletter online or download a printable version here.

Mahalo to our Mosquito Field Associate Jennifer Jackson for this year’s layout!

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside:

2024 in Review
Exciting Plans for 2025
Celebrating Makahiki o nā Manu Nāhele
Safeguarding the ‘Anianiau
A Closer Look at Saving Kauaʻi’s Puaiohi
New Conservation Actions for Kauaʻi’s Rapidly Declining Avifauna
Advancements in Malaria Control for Kauaʻi’s Birds
Protecting Native Birds Through Mosquito Management
Meet Our New Team Members
Shop Our New KFBRP Merchandise
Mahalo and Gratitude for Your Support!

Mahalo nui loa for standing with us in 2024. We couldn’t do this work without your incredible support and dedication. Together, we are making a difference!

PBS Hawai’i broadcast of “When Silence Becomes The Song”

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As you may know, ‘Forest Calls’ (and its main media project, the documentary film titled “When Silence Becomes The Song”) wrapped up over a year ago. After a lengthy re-edit (based on the comments the film director received during the various islands’ virtual and in-person screenings) and months of conversation with PBS Hawai’i, we finally have a date for the television premiere broadcast. It is scheduled for this week, Thursday, November 21st at 8:30pm (HST). There will also be a re-broadcast on the following Sunday (November 24th at 1:00pm (HST)).
PBS Hawai’i has already uploaded the film online, so if you want to see the latest/final version of the documentary before/after any of these dates, you can go to:
Furthermore, PBS Hawai’i put the film on the cover of their November program guide. Here’s a link to that guide:
An important component of ‘Forest Calls’ is its website, as it explains how the various media projects came about, who was involved, etc. The website also provides a ton of very useful information about conservation work, biodiversity, and the importance of resisting extinction. The interviews in the ‘Resources’ page are particularly interesting and insightful. The link for the website is:
 
Mahalo to everyone who has been part of this important endeavor. And please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and/or comments.

Wings and Woodland – A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests – RSVP and SIGN UP

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YOU ARE INVITED!  Wings and Woodland – A Tribute to Native Birds and Forests

Forest Bird Art Exhibit with Special Events

Date: November 2-8

Location: KSA Gallery at Kukui Grove Center

Opening Hours: 11/2 9am-3pm, 11/3 12pm-6:30PM, 11/4 12pm-6:30pm 11/5 12pm-6pm, 11/6 10am-6:30pm, 11/7 10am -6pm, Nov 8 Art Pick-up by 3pm

Join us as we celebrate the beauty of our native birds and forests. These events will take place at the KSA Gallery at Kukui Grove Center

REGISTER NOW!

Opening Reception:

Date: November 1st Time: 6:00 PM Cost: FREE

Refreshments will be provided.

RSVP here by 10/25

Documentary Showings of Vanishing Voices: Saving our Hawaiian Forest Birds (during the Community Climate Fair)

Date: November 2rd  Time:  11am, 12&1pm Location: near the food court Cost: FREE

Plants for the Birds: Native Plant Show & Tell with NTBG

Date: November 3rd Time: 1-3pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: FREE

FREE plant for all attendees! LIMITED SEATING,

Register bere,

Mana I Ke Mele Kāhea – Power Of The Calling Song

Date: November 3rd Time: 4-6:30pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: FREE
Presented by ‘Ōiwi Artist and Kumu Hula Kēhaulani Kekua

LIMITED SEATING,

Register here.

Culture to Canvas- Make your own native bird art!

Date. November 4rd  and November 6th Time: 4-6:30pm Location: KSA Gallery Cost: $50/$55

LIMITED SEATING,

Register here.

Kahili Pa’a Lima Workshop

Date. November 6th  and November 7th Time: 10am-12pm  Location: KSA Gallery Cost: $40
LIMITED SEATING,

ART SUBMISSIONS DUE 10/25.  Submission guidelines here.

Invitation to Documentary Screening: “Vanishing Voices – Saving Our Hawaiian Forest Birds” with Expert Panel Discussion

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YOU ARE INVITED!
American Bird Conservancy is hosting a special screening of the documentary “Vanishing Voices – Saving Our Hawaiian Forest Birds”** at the **Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center (KCC PAC)** on **Monday, September 30th at 6:00 PM. 
This captivating film explores the critical efforts to save Hawai‘i’s unique and endangered forest birds, featuring Kaua’i Forest Bird Recovery Project among others.  Following the screening, there will be an expert panel for Q&A with:
– Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton, Project Leader, Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project
– Justin Hite, DLNR/DOFAW Mosquito Control Project
– Graham Talaber, Naturalist and Photographer
This is an excellent opportunity to learn about these rare species and the innovative strategies being employed to protect them. We hope you can join us for this inspiring event.
We look forward to seeing you there!

AERIAL WAR AGAINST BIRD-KILLING MOSQUITOES ON KAUA‘I AND MAUI

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(ALAKA‘I PLATEAU, KAUA‘I) — An airborne war against avian-malaria-spreading mosquitoes is actively underway on Kaua‘i, and on Maui.
In the 2013 film “Planes,” audiences of all ages became familiar with a crop duster named Dusty.  On Kaua‘i conservationists are flying a helicopter version of Dusty to spread a harmless bacterium in native forests inhabited by near-extinct honeycreepers, like the ‘akikiki.
BTi, short for the larvicide Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis, is a bacterium naturally occurring in soils and waterways. The beauty of using BTi to suppress populations of the species of mosquito that carries avian malaria is that it is harmless to other creatures, including people.
“It won’t affect any vertebrates like fish or birds, or your dog or your pig, or even you if you happen to drink water that this bacterium is found in,” explains Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, project manager for the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP).
Since last fall, twice each month for three days at a time, a helicopter equipped with a boom with dozens of nozzles has flown up to a 1,200-acre parcel on the vast Alaka‘i Plateau to spray BTi over the forest and streams.
During a June briefing for the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Lindsey Nietmann, the forest bird recovery coordinator for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, noted, “BTi has been used globally for public health and nuisance control of mosquitoes. It’s EPA-approved, and you can buy it over the counter. It can be applied by truck, handheld broadcast sprayer, or aircraft. We’re using a helicopter because we’re trying to target the millions of little pools of water in Hawai‘i’s rainforests, where mosquitoes can breed.”
The second phase of BTi work on Kaua‘i is underway now. The first phase last fall showed that water with BTi killed mosquito larvae at far greater rates than water without the bacteria. BTi applications are scheduled to begin on Maui after the first of the year.
Crampton said, “Like most mosquito control treatments, this is year-round suppression. We want to keep their numbers down to decrease disease transmission rates, so birds will not get infected as often by mosquito-borne diseases like avian malaria.”
She added that once you take the foot off the brake, the mosquito train will roll on. “So, we have to keep applying that brake.”
The Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) is another tool currently being used to control mosquito populations on Maui. It will join the BTi arsenal on Kaua‘i next year.
“I think the tricky question in conservation right now is that there is such a crisis and there is such a demand on financial and other resources, we’re all trying to figure out the best way to deal with our huge problems,” Crampton said.
Is it BTi combined with IIT? “Is it bringing all remaining individuals of at-risk species into captivity until we can get landscape-scale mosquito suppression,“ Crampton wondered. “We need people to understand the importance of these tools and backing initiatives to employ all available tools.”
If “Chopper Dusty” has any say, it would be to throw everything possible at controlling mosquitoes in Hawai‘i’s native forests.
“It is to our benefit to do everything humanly possible to protect these birds. The tiny cost of this helicopter operation is worth it, compared to the catastrophic losses, economically and culturally, we would experience if we lost our native forest birds,” Crampton concluded.
Graham Talaber

KAUA‘I FOREST BIRD PROTECTION AWARDED GRANTS TO RESEARCH AVIAN MALARIA IN HAWAIIAN HONEYCREEPERS

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(HONOLULU) – The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has announced a $644,758 grant to the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) to support on-the-ground efforts in its battle against avian malaria. The grant was awarded Tuesday.

A like amount of grant funding was also awarded to the University of Hawai‘i and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for continued research to improve mosquito breeding to create non-viable offspring to reduce the disease transmission to Hawaiian honeycreeper forest birds.

Dr. Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, KFBRP Program Manager said, “We are very excited to be involved in this effort to use top-notch science to help us advance conservation of critically endangered forest bird species through reduction of mosquito-borne disease. Funding from the Partnership to Advance Conservation and Practice (PACSP) program will allow KFBRP to better monitor and refine the application and efficacy of a new tool, the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT), to suppress mosquitoes in Hawaiian forest bird habitat.”

This research is one of 10 projects receiving funding under the PACSP program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the NSF and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Now in its second year, the program is designed to catalyze deep collaboration between researchers advancing basic science and conservation partners engaging in on-the-ground conservation.

The projects focus on a range of species, from Hawaiian honeycreepers to grizzly bears and Venus flytraps. The outcomes will have far-reaching implications for biodiversity and conservation, policy, and the economy.

“The fundamental knowledge these projects create, even though related to specific species, will unlock innovative conservation efforts across a broader range of threatened species and ecosystems,” said Lara Littlefield, executive director for programs and partnerships at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “For instance, studying whether mosquitoes infected with bacteria can limit the spread of malaria among birds in Hawaii could ultimately limit disease spread among other animals more broadly.”

Each project extends basic science into on-the-ground conservation to address critical knowledge and data gaps, enabling greater real-world impact to benefit species and ecosystems.

“The unique partnerships this program creates forge a roadmap to broader conservation action by uniting the skills, expertise and tools needed to address the most urgent threats to our natural world,” said Susan Marqusee, NSF assistant director for biological sciences. “These projects also will engage the public, policymakers, law enforcement and others in conservation through education, outreach and other broader impacts.”

David Smith, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Administrator commented, “This grant builds on the strong multi-partner collaboration already in place to combat avian malaria as the single-largest threat facing native forest birds, like the honeycreepers. Every little bit helps, particularly currently, when we are facing the strong likelihood of one or more species of honeycreepers going extinct in the very near future.”

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

HD video – ‘Akikiki egg collection, Kaua‘i (May 10-11, 2023):

https://vimeo.com/1001383557

Photographs – ‘Akikiki egg collection, Kaua‘i (May 10-11, 2023):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ub9d8rq35b1zu4z/AACSUGGUfBdknMOC_iK9ea8Aa?st=2rdp779x&dl=0

Learn more about the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice program and view the full list of awards and awardees: https://www.nsf.gov/

 

Media Contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

808-587-0396

DLNR.comms@hawaii.gov

 

Birds, Not Mosquitoes Partnership Receives Hawaiʻi Conservation Innovation Award

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The Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) partnership  received the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance’s (HCA) Conservation Innovation Award on July 31 during the 31st annual Hawai‘i Conservation Conference in Honolulu. The award recognizes new technologies or techniques used in conservation activities that lead to significant advances to the structure or nature of environmental conservation in Hawai‘i. In choosing BNM for the award, HCA noted the speed, cooperation, strategic thinking, and community engagement that characterizes this unique alliance of federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations.

“The Birds, Not Mosquitoes coalition has shown exemplary collaboration that embodies the collective spirit and innovation needed to tackle Hawaiʻi’s toughest conservation challenges,” said Emma Anders, HCA Director. “Thanks to their teamwork and application of cutting-edge science, we are now giving native forest birds a chance at survival. This award is especially significant as it is taking place during Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele, the Year of the Forest Birds.”

Each of the BNM partners have been working to restore habitat and combat non-native mosquitoes and avian disease, but the rapid collapse of four bird species — the ʻAkikiki and ʻAkekeʻe on Kauaʻi and the Kiwikiu and ʻĀkohekohe on Maui — catalyzed the formation of the partnership focused on suppressing mosquito populations to stop avian malaria from killing them. Since its inception in 2017, the BNM team has collaborated to develop and safely deploy an innovative tool called the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT). While IIT has been used safely around the world for mosquito-borne diseases that affect human health, this is its first application for conservation.

Following years of rigorous study, analysis, and technological innovation, BNM has successfully and safely conducted releases over the last eight months of more than 15 million nonbiting, infertile male mosquitos across several thousand acres in remote conservation areas on Haleakalā, Maui. Planning is underway to begin deployment over a few thousand acres of remote forests on the Alaka‘i Plateau, Kauaʻi in early 2025.

This work could not have been accomplished without funding support from the Department of Interior’s Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and substantial additional funding from the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is also a major supporter, along with several private foundations, private donors, and nonprofit organizations.

The BNM partnership includes the following organizations:

The Last ‘Akikiki

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PAYING HOMAGE TO THE LAST ‘AKIKIKI IN THE WILD

Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton was featured on KITV, after the following DLNR press release was by Dan Dennison:

 

Dr. Lisa "Cali" Crampton

Click on the image to view the featured video on KITV

When a group of men hiked into a remote mountain valley in April, they knew it could be the last time they saw an ‘akikiki in the wild.

“This was kind of a trip to say goodbye. ‘Akikiki are down to at most, a handful of individuals, maybe even fewer,” said Justin Hite, a longtime field supervisor for the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP), now working on mosquito control planning with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

“What do you do at the end of a species? They don’t take any solace from us coming to visit. It was much more about us wanting to be able to say goodbye and to get around them one last time,” Hite added.

Once numbering in the thousands in the stunning valleys and ridges of native forest, their decline in recent years has been predicted and precipitous.

Just when the broad collaboration of government agencies, nonprofits, and countless individuals seemed to be making inroads in protecting the birds from predators like cats and rats, avian malaria upset the equation. Global warming has forced disease-carrying mosquitoes to the higher elevation habitats of the ‘akikiki and other Hawaiian honeycreepers. One by one the deadly disease has picked them off.

“That is the tragedy, right?” asks Dr. Lisa “Cali” Crampton of the KFBRP. “We are seeing this climate disaster, so I apologize (to the ‘akikiki) for what we have done as people. I do want the ‘akikiki to know that we really appreciated getting to know them. You know, were it not for this crisis, I don’t think people would have gotten to know ‘akikiki as well as we have and come to love them as well as we have.”

Photo: Dan Dennison – DLNR

Their plight has reached far and wide. School children in India named an asteroid after ‘akikiki.

During the recent trip, the team kept an eye out for one female bird, named Pakele. Hite said, “We met her in 2020 and she was exceptional from the start.” In Hawaiian, Pakele means to escape. Three seasons in a row she had successful nests, possibly while being infected with malaria. “She’s like, it doesn’t affect me. She’s kind of this incredible individual.”

For more than a decade, field teams forged personal connections with the birds by naming them and instantly knowing who they were from their multi-colored leg bands.

“This is much harder to talk about than I thought it was going to be. Just recapturing the emotions that we felt, as we know these birds. In my case I spent ten breeding seasons up on the Alaka‘i,” Hite added.

The spiritual connection, as Crampton describes it, is one layer of the extinction of the ‘akikiki. “That’s represented now by one bird like Pakele still being out in the wild. That’s enormously important to my staff. I think it’s enormously important to the public and to cultural practitioners who look at Pakele as representing the hope we have, because she just keeps going. Hopefully she’ll find a mate. Even though they cannot sustain a wild population, they can sustain our hope and that’s critical at this juncture.”

Despite the existence of one, two, or three birds remaining in the wild, the species is considered functionally extinct. The best and only chance for a viable future lies with captive ‘akikiki at bird conservation centers operated by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Perhaps one day, after the threat of avian malaria is stamped out, ‘akikiki can be released back into the high plateau, mountains, and deep valleys of Kaua‘i.

“We did our best, given our knowledge and the available science,” Crampton said. “I want us to understand that we’re all in this together. The fate of all these species is collectively the responsibility of humans everywhere in this world. It is our actions that have led to the situation our planet is in. I’d like everyone to just champion the environment wherever they are.”