HANALEI Ducks Unlimited, a national hunting and conservation organization, will describe its programs and plans in an informational meeting today at 5 p.m. at the Hanalei Courthouse. Ducks Unlimited has a conservation plan for Hawaiis wetlands that will focus
HANALEI Ducks Unlimited, a national hunting and conservation
organization, will describe its programs and plans in an informational meeting
today at 5 p.m. at the Hanalei Courthouse. Ducks Unlimited has a
conservation plan for Hawaiis wetlands that will focus on
protecting and restoring core habitats totaling 5,807 acres, or 35 percent of
the states remaining marsh habitats. Of these habitats, 510 acres
including Opaekaa Wetland, Hanalei National Wildlife Reserve,
Huleia National Wildlife Reserve and Lumahai Valley are situated on
Kauai. There are 1,200 acres are on Niihau.
While much of the organizations focus is on setting up habitats and
building up populations for hunting, Ducks Unlimited which is in
partnership with the state, the Marine Corps, the Navy and the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service has no hunting program in Hawaii. Our
mission is more broad in Hawaii, said Sharon Reilly, Ducks
Unlimited Hawaiis wetlands conservation manager. The non-profit
organization says its goal in Hawaii is to protect and restore key wetland
habitats that are essential for the recovery and maintenance of native,
endangered waterbirds, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Hanalei, one of
the biggest wetland areas in the state, is a key area, Reilly said. Ducks
Unlimited has already been working with the Fish & Wildlife Service in the
Hanalei National Wildlife Reserve. Tom Alexander, refuge manager, will also
be present at tonights meeting. Ducks Unlimited said the reserve in
Hanalei Valley is of particular importance because of the koloa, stilt, coot,
moorhen, migratory waterfowl and migratory shorebirds that inhabit the area.
But Reilly said the community will have a big say in what the nature of its
relationship with Ducks Unlimited will be. Ducks Unlimited has planners,
engineers, wetland specialists whatever is needed to put together
a project. And its up to the community to decide what that is,
Reilly said. Ducks Unlimited is also looking for a partnership with the
Hanalei River Hui in trying to compile all Hawaii wetlands information into one
educational Web site. There are lots of options with Hanalei, Reilly said.
Ducks Unlimited can bring in funds, do research and come up with wetland
designs geared to help certain species. But much of the work is
restorative.
There was a large number of managed wetland areas by the Polynesians long
before Ducks Unlimited came around, Reilly said. The Fish and Wildlife
Service estimates over 22,000 acres of wetlands existed within coastal plains
of Hawaii in the 18th Century. In 1990, the service estimated only
around 15,000 acres remained, a decrease of 31 percent.
Many of those remaining have become overgrown with alien plants.
Deputy editor Brandon Sprague can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) or
bsprague@pulitzer.net
