Hawai‘i Public Radio’s decision last month to not air a Long Haul Productions story on coqui frogs while it ran on National Public Radio stations across the rest of the country has fueled an ongoing public debate over the noisy
Hawai‘i Public Radio’s decision last month to not air a Long Haul Productions story on coqui frogs while it ran on National Public Radio stations across the rest of the country has fueled an ongoing public debate over the noisy invasive species.
Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer, co-directors of Coqui Hawaiian Integration and Reeducation Project, sent an open letter Monday to HPR Board Chair Josie Bidgood.
The Big Island pro-coqui couple claim the station censored the 20-minute “Oh, Coqui!” story because it paints a balanced picture of a species the state has labeled a pest and provided millions of dollars to eradicate.
“It’s ridiculous to keep people coqui-phobic,” Singer said yesterday. “If you can’t get rid of the frogs, learn to love them.”
HPR News Director Kayla Rosenfeld flatly denied the censorship allegation, adding that she has received several calls about it.
“The long-form feature that was pitched to me was inappropriate for Hawai‘i audiences and did not advance the already covered information that HPR has presented its listeners,” she said Friday.
The story was “too simplistic,” she added, noting HPR’s plan to air a different coqui piece Monday.
“Oh, Coqui!” is a feature about the seemingly paradoxical life of a dime-sized tree frog that lulls residents to sleep in its native Puerto Rico, but keeps many Hawaiians awake and angry.
The tiny animal with no natural predator in Hawai‘i has proliferated on the Big Island and efforts are underway by the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee on the Garden Island to purge a Lawai infestation site.
While some scientific evidence presents the coqui as a threat to native birds and animals, other studies show the species causes limited environmental damage.
Since Singer’s letter went out, bloggers have posted daily comments on the controversial issue.
“(Singer) is correct in his statement that the frogs are here to stay.
So is global warming, but that doesn’t make either one any less an environmental disaster.”
“Lots of coqui, not much mosquitos.”
“I would take the 20 coquis per square inch not to hear … tractors clear-cutting this beautiful island.”
The previous are merely a few opinions online visitors voiced this week on hunterbishop.com.To listen to “Oh, Coqui!”, visit www.longhaulpro.org. For more information, visit www.hawaiipublicradio.org; www.hear.org/kisc; or www.hawaiiancoqui.org.
