HANALEI — Slow down, rare Hawaiian birds might be crossing the road. After receiving numerous phone calls from concerned citizens regarding at least one endangered nene family feeding near the edge of Kuhio Highway in Hanalei, the Hanalei National Wildlife
HANALEI — Slow down, rare Hawaiian birds might be crossing the road.
After receiving numerous phone calls from concerned citizens regarding at least one endangered nene family feeding near the edge of Kuhio Highway in Hanalei, the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge staff installed two temporary signs Wednesday to alert drivers to the situation, wrote Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex Project Leader Shannon Smith in an e-mail Thursday.
Temporary, three-foot-high plastic fences were also installed March 8 to “encourage the nene family to feed in safer areas on the refuge and stay off the highway,” said Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge biologist Kim Uyehara. But, the fences “will probably come out within the next month, as their effectiveness is uncertain because one nene family continues to feed roadside.”
The warning signs are also “considered temporary because permanent signs require approval by multiple entities including the Hanalei Roads Committee and Hanalei to Ha‘ena Community Association,” she said. At this point in time, they “may or may not become permanent.”
The area has had previous encounters between endangered birds and vehicles, especially last year following the epic November flooding which drew many moorhen, or ‘alae ‘ula, close to the highway in search of food, said state Department of Land and Natural Resources Aquatics Division aquatic biologist Don Heacock. Several of the native water birds in Hanalei were hit by cars for a number of days, according to reports, including a pickup truck which allegedly intentionally swerved to hit one.
“These birds are really scarce now and the reason is because taro fields are really scarce,” Heacock said Wednesday regarding the moorhen dwindling population.
It was estimated that less than 300 moorhen remained in the state as of 2005, with most of them residing in the Hanalei and Wailua River valleys, according to Hawai‘i’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy report. The same report estimates the current population of nene to be between 1,300 and 1,500 across the state, with around 700 on Kaua‘i.
Even though the new signs are a “short-term measure,” other methods are being explored to protect native species in the area long-term, according to Uyehara.
In fact, the Kaua‘i Refuge Complex continues to develop the Comprehensive Conservation Plan and is seeking “public input and feedback on this topic,” as well as others to work toward “more comprehensive solutions,” Uyehara said. Plans to meet with the community in the near future are also in order to discuss “longer-term measures to protect nene and other Hawaiian water birds.”
