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Endangered bird found in large numbers on Lanai
By: Associated Press - | ∞
HONOLULU -- Wildlife biologists say they've discovered an unexpectedly large population of the endangered Hawaiian petrel, or ua'u, in the remote mountains of Lanai.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Friday it deployed a team of biologists to the island to learn more about the birds and their conservation needs after the discovery was made last year.
"The Lanai Hale watershed had not been surveyed for petrels since the 1980s, so we didn't know what to expect," said Scott Fretz, DLNR wildlife program manager. "We assumed there would be few, if any, birds remaining on Lanai, but once we started the surveys we immediately realized that we had found something special."
"We don't yet know the total number of birds on Lanai, but there appear to be hundreds, if not more, which would make this one of the biggest populations known in the state," Fretz said. "This discovery indicates that the population there has grown significantly in the last 20 years."
Once common throughout the islands, the petrels were decimated by such predators as cats, rats and barn owls, as well as the loss of native habitats that the birds depend on for nesting. They had all but disappeared from Lanai by the 1980s.
The birds spend most of their lives at sea, returning to land only part of the year to breed and to fledge their young. Even then, they only return to the upland nesting areas after dark and then fly to sea to feed before dawn.
To study the elusive species, biologists employ special methods, such as thermal imagers, night vision technology and marine radar to gather the information needed to develop conservation programs to protect the birds, the DLNR said.
Allan Smith, DLNR interim chairman, said the state is working with landowner Castle & Cooke to develop new phases of the work that will protect larger areas of the watershed.
"We appreciate this collaboration between Castle & Cooke and DLNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and University of Hawaii that is allowing biologists to conduct surveys across the watershed to determine the extent of the birds' breeding colony," Smith said. "They have also begun to control introduced predators that could kill the young nestlings in their burrows before they are able to fly," he said.
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Michael D. wrote on Jun 11, 2007 8:26 AM:Thanks to the increasing use of politically driven junk-science, it's a safe bet that these same so-called experts are wrong about a lot of human impacts on plant and animal species, as well as their chicken-little global warming scheme. The truth is, most of the rules and regulations promulgated under the guise of environmentalism are nothing more than scams designed to transfer wealth and power from people whose labors and ideas are valued by society (i.e. most people) to people whose "skills" and self-serving fear-mongering theories are of little to no practical value (i.e. college professors, no-growth activists and trust-fund babies). After all, humans and their impacts are all part of nature and mother nature is far more powerful than any animal, plant or disease. To assert that mother nature can't survive without a bunch of arrogant pointy-heads and academics getting paid to spew their specious theories is the height of lunacy. Follow the money and find the real motive behind the enviro-wacko lies.
foursquare wrote on Jun 11, 2007 7:50 PM:As adults, to begin, we must agree that people say and do stupid things, but some people more than others. Attacking the messenger has long served as a tactic of the stupid ones for their dislike of the message. Yet, after all, humans may harm the environment even to the detriment of themselves, never mind other species. A simple example may suffice: Humans will pour poison liquids on the surface, and these liquids will seep into the ground to pollute the sub-surface water that others may pump out later for drinking water. Another example may help: In the past, humans introduced DDT into the environment. Fish absorbed this poison. Birds ate these contaminated fish. In turn, these birds laid eggs with fragile shells made so by the presence of DDT. The egg shells collapsed early, killing the chicks. The bird population declined sharply. No rational person may explain away these negative impacts to the environment from human activity. In short, responsible people understand the connection between their own actions and the results of these actions. Unfortunately, some individuals need a statement of the obvious: Human activity can bring disastrous outcomes to the natural environment, affecting all life. A rational response here involves a change in human activity to reduce if not stop this harmful activity.
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