Despite the catastrophic environmental impact of decades of ranching and agricultural deforestation on the Big Island, there is cause for hope in the work going on at the Hakalau Forest Refuge. At this remote location 6500 feet up Mauna Kea a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service team and volunteers are working to reclaim native forest and save several endangered species of birds, which live only in this unique habitat.
On Wednesday widely respected Senior Biologist Jack Jeffrey, Fish & Wildlife Biologist Donna Ball and Office Automation Clerk Clara Tsang allowed me to film their routine duties at the Refuge, Mauna Kea's stark cinder cone summits, and observatories looming right above us. Just as in Jason's tract of cloud forest at Pu Mu, here native O'hia and Koa are regaining a foothold through replanting and protection from roaming "feral ungulates," the technical name for wild cattle, sheep and pigs who have escaped from ranches over the years and now roam over the terrain wreaking havoc on the native environment.
At the Administrative Complex greenhouse on site, the FWS staff nurtures starts of native flora for replanting by volunteers who make the trek up the mountain each weekend—Jack says this program is so popular that it is booked well into 2010. In this clip he shows us some of the specimens and explains how the plants and birds have evolved into an intricate symbiotic relationship between food source and pollinator.
Among the most charismatic residents by far, however, are the Nene or Hawaiian Geese, the Hawai'i state bird. Due to human activity (like running over them with cars) and non-native predation by mongoose, feral cats and others, the Nene (pronounced "Nay-Nay") is on the brink of extinction with only a handful of populations of a few hundred individuals each on the Big Island and neighbor islands.
These beautifully plumed characters showed lots of personality during our visit, and the team carefully recorded which individuals were present, and banded some of them who had not yet been tagged. Once caught, the biologists expertly place the goose's head under its wing, and the bird becomes totally calm for banding. It was amazing.
If there is ever an opportunity to visit this extraordinary spot I highly recommend it. Jack explained with pride that over his 30 years working on the Refuge he has witnessed how as the forest is reclaimed, the endangered species return and thrive. If you plant it, they will come!
For permitting and more information visit the Hakalau Forest Refuge Unit website.
;)
On Wednesday widely respected Senior Biologist Jack Jeffrey, Fish & Wildlife Biologist Donna Ball and Office Automation Clerk Clara Tsang allowed me to film their routine duties at the Refuge, Mauna Kea's stark cinder cone summits, and observatories looming right above us. Just as in Jason's tract of cloud forest at Pu Mu, here native O'hia and Koa are regaining a foothold through replanting and protection from roaming "feral ungulates," the technical name for wild cattle, sheep and pigs who have escaped from ranches over the years and now roam over the terrain wreaking havoc on the native environment.
;)
At the Administrative Complex greenhouse on site, the FWS staff nurtures starts of native flora for replanting by volunteers who make the trek up the mountain each weekend—Jack says this program is so popular that it is booked well into 2010. In this clip he shows us some of the specimens and explains how the plants and birds have evolved into an intricate symbiotic relationship between food source and pollinator.
Among the most charismatic residents by far, however, are the Nene or Hawaiian Geese, the Hawai'i state bird. Due to human activity (like running over them with cars) and non-native predation by mongoose, feral cats and others, the Nene (pronounced "Nay-Nay") is on the brink of extinction with only a handful of populations of a few hundred individuals each on the Big Island and neighbor islands.
These beautifully plumed characters showed lots of personality during our visit, and the team carefully recorded which individuals were present, and banded some of them who had not yet been tagged. Once caught, the biologists expertly place the goose's head under its wing, and the bird becomes totally calm for banding. It was amazing.
If there is ever an opportunity to visit this extraordinary spot I highly recommend it. Jack explained with pride that over his 30 years working on the Refuge he has witnessed how as the forest is reclaimed, the endangered species return and thrive. If you plant it, they will come!
For permitting and more information visit the Hakalau Forest Refuge Unit website.
