Save Our Seabirds! Simple steps to reducing light distraction.

Each fall, the keiki of Hawaii's native seabirds begin to fledge and fly to the ocean for the first time using the moonlight on the sea to navigate their way. These young birds are leaving the land for the first time and traveling to the ocean to find food and begin their adult lives. The light of the moon is their primary navigational tool.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus)

 

Unfortunately on their way to the sea, they cross lands covered with glaring lights. 

 Full moon behind Poipu Resort

These threatened and endangered birds are attracted to lights and often end up circling them until they are exhausted, and they can be injured by their fall to the ground.

Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis)

This sad story can have a happy ending, though, and you can do your part, simply by making sure that your outdoor lights point DOWN instead of up!  

Uplighting creates a large amount of unnecessary light pollution. By simply changing light fixtures so they point down or are shielded, you can make a big difference for these special endangered birds. 

Visit the Seabird Protection and Impact Reduction webpage for more information about lighting strategies, examples of light fixtures that reduce light distraction, and info about fallen seabirds.

Click here to read "Turn Off the Lights for the Birds" on the Maui News website from December 2009. Check out the section with tips for "what to do/what not to do" if you encounter a fallen bird.

This Week in Nature: The last week in December - Fin whale

What's Happening in Hawaii
during the last week in December:

Fin whales pass the islands about now, en route to the warm waters of the equatorial region.  Second only in size to blue whales, fin whales average 65 feet in length and may attain swimming speeds as high as 20 miles an hour. Usually they keep to the deep sea, but occasional sightings and strandings have been reported in Hawaii. A fin whale spotted off Hale'iwa was apparently enjoying a meal of 'ōpelu.

Their passage through Hawaiian waters coincides with fin whales' peak calving and mating period, so newborns - 19 feet long at birth - are likely to be among our visitors. Mating may occur here as well. Recordings made off Ka'ena Point indicate that females swim south first, followed by males singing courting songs.

To learn more about fin whales, visit the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources' Marine Mammals page. 

Taken from "Hawaii: A calendar of Natural Events" 

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

Forest Reserve System News

On November 19, 2009, the Board of Land and Natural Resources approved new management plans for three Forest Reserves; Na Pali-Kona, Puu Ka Pele, and Molokai.
For more info about the Forest Reserve System, click here and use the navigation bar on the right side of the page.

Koa (Acacia koa)

With its inception in 1903, the Forest Reserve System represented a public-private partnership to protect and enhance important forested mauka lands for their abundance of public benefits and values.  Though this original partnership has evolved over the decades, today the tradition is carried on by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) for public Forest Reserve lands.

This Week in Nature: The 4th week in December - Koloa maoli

What's Happening in Hawaii 

during the 4th week in December:

 
Koloa maoli
Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS

Koloa maoli, the Hawaiian duck, (Anas wyvilliana) can now be seen making vertical flights that indicate the onset of mating. Courting pairs fly virtually straight up from ground level to an altitude of one hundred feet and chase one another in tight circles. Sometimes a second male joins the chase, trying to approach the female, but is ritually driven off. Courtship resumes on the ground, where eventually as many as ten eggs will be laid and hatched in a large, well-concealed nest. Koloa appear to mate throughout the year, but their main breeding period begins in December.

Once plentiful on most of the main islands, koloa is now an endangered species, and is fighting for survival against threats like predation by foreign animals, draining and filling of marshes, and breeding with feral and domesticated mallards.

Koloa maoli means "indigenous duck," distinguishing this native from six North American species that visit the islands in the winter. The only other native duck is a resident of Laysan, toward the northwest end of the archipelago.

To learn more about koloa maoli, visit the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy koloa fact sheet. 

For lessons and activities about the native Hawaiian duck, visit Malama Hawaii's koloa webpage.

Taken from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"

published by the Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989

Ten Things You Can Do To Reduce Marine Debris

DOFAW asks you to remember: what happens mauka can effect the health of ecosystems makai. There are so many things we can all do to help protect the unique and beautiful natural resources in Hawaii. Here are 10 ways to help reduce marine debris. This list was compiled by the Hawaii Wildlife Fund.


1. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Choose reusable items and fewer disposable ones. Please visit www.opala.org website to discover more recycling options (e.g., batteries, cans, cell pones, computers, fishing line).

2. Place all rubbish in trash cans with lids so it doesn't blow away. Keep streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and storm drains free of trash as they empty into our oceans. Throw all cigarette butts and bottle caps into refuse containers!

3. Encourage your tackle shops, docks, marinas, and fishing piers to provide adequate trash cans and recycling bins for used line and other trash. Bring your oil cans, food wrappers, and ciggerette butts back to shore to throw in the rubbish can. Visit the Berkley Fishing page and the Florida Conservation website for more info about monofilament recycling programs.

4. "Paper or plastic?" Neither! Remember to use your re-usable shopping bags when you go to the store. Also remember that "Less is more." Be mindful to select products with minimal packaging.

5. Instead of continually purchasing plastic-bottled water, use water filters, water coolers, and refillable stainless steel bottles instead. Visit www.takebackthefilter.org for more info.

6. Buy soft drinks and juice  in aluminum cans or glass bottles which can be redeemed and recycled, as opposed to plastic bottles, which are often "down-cycled" rather than "recycled."

7. Encourage restaurants to use biodegradable (or at least #1 and #2 recyclable plastic) take-out food containers and utensils. Better yet, bring your own!

8. Avoid over packaged merchandise and disposable products like plastic lighters, razors, cameras and other throw-away items. Visit www.ecocycle.org for more info.

9. Avoid body care products that contain tiny plastic "micro-scrubbers" that wash down the drain and into our ocean.

10. Serve as an example to others. Practice 1-9 above and participate in local beach clean-ups. To learn more about marine debris in Hawaii, visit www.hawaiiwildlifefund.org.

In addition, be sure to write and speak to your elected officials and encourage them to support policies that protect our ocean, and all of our natural areas.