Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)

Māmalu Poepoe Project traps and monitors invasive pests

Posted on by

Crews from island-based invasive species committees from across the state receive training on signs of a coconut rhinoceros beetle. The training is done as part of the Mamalu Poepoe project, an interagency working group designed to increase the monitoring capacity at airports statewide. — LEYLA KAUFMAN photo

Since Polynesian times, people have unwittingly carried plants and animals with them as they traveled to Hawaiʻi. Ants and skinks were among the first of these hitchhikers inadvertently brought to the Islands. The natural barriers of isolation that prevented so many plants and animals from reaching the Islands have been wiped out.  

Every day, between 25,000-30,000 people fly to Hawaiʻi from throughout the world: In 2016, 655,000 tons of air cargo and mail arrived through the airports across the state. The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture inspects much of this cargo for hitchhiking pests. But pests could slip through: species that stowaway in cargo holds, or between airline shipping containers—species inadvertently picked up at one destination and carried to another, from international airports to interisland airports.

The Māmalu Poepoe project is designed to address that puka. Māmalu means protected, Poepoe is an acronym for point of entry, point of exit – the name connotates a “lei of protection.” According to Leyla Kaufman, coordinator of the Māmalu Poepoe project, the main goal of the project is to increase monitoring capacity at the airports. “In most instances, the agencies involved have some level of monitoring going at airports, [Māmalu Poepoe] fills in any gaps.”

The seed for the project was planted in 2013: with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health so low on funding they had no capacity to trap and monitor mosquitos around the airports, then-deputy Gary Gill reached out to interagency Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council.  They started planning for the Māmalu Poepoe project.

This coordinated working group leverages the expertise and manpower of multiple state agencies:  primarily the Departments of Health, Transportation, and Agriculture under the umbrella of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council. The University of Hawaiʻi provides a flexible umbrella for funding between multiple agencies.

Work occurs in the restricted access areas of 6 airports statewide: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Hilo, and Kona. Traps and surveys are designed to target mosquitos, ants, coconut rhinoceros beetle, and honeybees. These insects are selected because they are notorious hitchhikers that have an impact on agriculture and human health. By monitoring, the Māmalu Poepoe project can better address both the interisland spread of pests as well as the introduction of species to the state. “Hawaiʻi has 6 species of mosquitos but there are hundreds out there,” says Kauffman. One of the species found on Big Island but not the rest of the state is Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that is the optimal carrier for dengue and zika, it can also transmit chikungunya and yellow fever.”

Agency specialists from the state agencies design the monitoring and survey methods, but given scarce staffing and travel funds, they rely on a crew from the island-based Invasive Species Committees to do the groundwork of checking traps and surveying for ants. Crew go through species-specific trainings (as well as background checks for security authorization) —then visit the airport every 4-6 weeks to check the swarm traps for honeybees, the lure traps for coconut rhinoceros beetles and mosquitos, or survey for ants.

“Rather than starting from scratch….It (Māmalu Poepoe Project) has allowed us to tap into much more expertise than we would have had otherwise, and is helping support a much larger network of folks working on a piece of the monitoring puzzle.”

Māmalu Poepoe project is flexible enough to fill gaps in the research: “Things have changed quite a bit since the Department of Health was monitoring for mosquitos at airports,” says Kauffman. She started a research project evaluating mosquitos to enhance trapping efforts of vector control.

In the three years from the proposed idea to actual implementation, the landscape around invasive species changed: Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle arrived in the State and the dengue outbreak triggered the legislature to restore funding for vector control. Josh Atwood, Program Supervisor of the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council feels it is a boon for the project:  “Rather than starting from scratch….It has allowed us to tap into much more expertise than we would have had otherwise, and is helping support a much larger network of folks working on a piece of the monitoring puzzle.” Learn more about the project online: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/mp/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on November 12th, 2017, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

Yellow-faced bees defenseless and vulnerable to predatory ants

Posted on by

Female bees lack the yellow faces that lead to the common name of the yellow-faced bees. Once common, many of these bees are now on the endangered species list. — JASON GRAHAM photo.

Somewhere between 400,000 and 700,000 thousand years ago–about the time Haleakalā was forming–a tiny bee arrived in the Hawaiian Islands.

This bee was about the size of a grain of rice and prepared for a life of self-sufficiency. Though we think of bees as living together, working together, and providing honey, approximately 75% of the bee species in the world lead a solitary life. Simply pollinating flowers – an essential ecosystem service— they are often overlooked by people.

Little is known about the first bee to reach Hawaiʻi, but in a remarkably short amount of time, her descendants evolved into 63 unique species found only in Hawaiʻi. They were successful, living from the coastline to the mountain top, pollinating everything from naupaka to silverswords. They were so common in 1913 that entomologist R.C.L. Perkins called them “almost the most ubiquitous of any Hawaiian insects.”

The last hundred years have brought dramatic changes to Hawaiʻi and seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees have since landed on the federal endangered species list. According to Dr. Jason Graham, a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher, the other Hawaiian bees may not fare much better. “There is the potential that others are endangered or extinct,” he says, “there hasn’t been much work on them.” Habitat loss and invasive species are the unique bees’ primary threats.

With few exceptions, Hawaiian bees rely on native plants for food. They are not found in areas dominated by non-native plants. The decline in food sources has led to a decline in population.  Introduced bees and wasps compete with the native bees for food and nesting sites. Exotic ants also take a toll.

An endangered yellow-faced bee visits a native beach naupaka. Endemic yellow-faced bees rely mostly on native plants for food and nesting sites. — JASON GRAHAM photo.

Yellow-faced bees don’t sting, which often leads to the death of a bee. “If a honeybee worker dies, the hive continues,” explains Graham. But a solitary bee isn’t expendable – she wonʻt pass along her genetic material.  “She’s the single mom of the insect world,” says Graham.

It’s up to her to find a nest, typically a hollow stem or hole in a rock or coral. She builds a little apartment for each egg, stocking the cupboards with pollen, food for when the larvae emerge. She seals the opening with a waterproof coating to protect her young from the elements and off she goes – her caregiving role complete.

But the neighborhood has changed in 200 years; now her unattended young are vulnerable to multitudes of invasive ants that easily pierce the cellophane-like barrier to the nest. Years of evolution in isolation have left the yellow-faced bees defenseless and vulnerable to non-native predatory ants that crawl inside the nest and devour the young.

“Years of evolution in isolation have left the yellow-faced bees defenseless and vulnerable to non-native predatory ants that crawl inside the nest and devour the young.”

Some Hawaiian bees, such as the highly endangered Hylaeus anthracinus, are limited to small populations along the coastline. “Climate change and rising sea levels are a definite threat to the future survival of this species,” says Graham who is investigating artificial nesting sites for the bees. Since yellow-faced bees rely on existing holes for nests, Graham drills into blocks of wood and line them with plastic tubing so he can pull the nest out and monitor success. He can use an insect barrier to keep ants out.

Understanding Hawaiian bee biology is essential to protecting them. You can help:

  • Use native plants in your landscaping.
  •  Bring your own kindling: For some of the most endangered coastal species, nest sites can be destroyed when people collect wood for bonfires. What looks like a dried naupaka twig may actually contain a tiny bee’s nest.  
  • Entomologists are in the beginning stages of research but they will eventually need assistance – if you want to help monitor nests and find native bees, follow the Hawaiian Yellow-Faced Bees page on Facebook and check the discoverbees.com website.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on July 9th, 2017, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

The little fire ant (LFA) has been detected on the campus of Lahainaluna High School

Posted on by

Date: May 05, 2020  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lissa Strohecker, Public Relations and Educational Specialist
Adam Radford, MISC Manager, Maui Invasive Species Committee
PH:  (808) 573-6472
Email: miscpr@hawaii.edu

  • Little fire ants climb along a hibiscus flower.
  • Little fire ants are approximately 2 mm long
  • Test any material coming from an area infested with little fire ants. Preventing the spread of pests to new areas and finding infestations early is critical to achieving eradication. Photo by Masako Cordray
  • Don't confuse the little fire ant with the much larger and widespread tropical fire ant
    Don’t confuse the little fire ant with the much larger and widespread tropical fire ant (above). Photo courtesy of HDOA
  • Little fire ants, Wasmannia auropunctata, on a penny. Photo by Zach Pezzillo
    Little fire ants, Wasmannia auropunctata, on a penny. Photo by Zach Pezzillo.
  • Little fire ants seen on a taro leaf for scale. These tiny terrors have huge impacts. Photo by Masako Cordray

A report of little fire ants on the campus of Lahainaluna High School has been confirmed by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC). This is the first detection of the invasive little fire ants at a school in Maui County. Though schools on Hawaii Island are burdened with addressing the stinging ants on school grounds, MISC is able to help on Maui.

“Proactive efforts on the part of the Lahainaluna staff – in recognizing little fire ants and submitting a sample – resulted in early detection of a relatively small infestation. Finding them early is the key to successful and timely eradication,” says MISC manager, Adam Radford.

Based on initial inspection, the infestation is just over one-quarter of an acre and limited to a section of potted plants brought to the campus several years ago as part of the school’s agriculture program. Staff suspected little fire ants were present in December and collected and submitted a sample of the pests to the Maui Invasive Species Committee in January. Two comprehensive treatments of the infestation have already occurred. The next treatment is scheduled for mid-June and treatments will continue for one year.

Once identified, this site posed little risk to the community and is the smallest infestation detected on Maui in recent years. The infested material has been quarantined on-site since detection. Without human involvement, little fire ants spread slowly, particularly in dry arid regions as the ants are a rainforest species native to South America. Moving soil and plants that have little fire ants are how they are able to spread quickly over large distances.

The school conducts occasional plant sales. The Spring Plant Sale was held in May 2019, at the Lahaina Cannery Mall. Another plant sale was held on campus in November of 2019.  There is a chance that Infested plants were sold.  “I encourage anyone who may have recently purchased plants from Lahainaluna High School, to test your yards or garden areas,” says Jeri Dean, TA Acting Principal of Lahainaluna.

Community assistance – testing for little fire ants and reporting stinging ants – have led to the majority LFA detections on Maui.  

MISC recommends that Maui residents survey their yards for little fire ants once per year. Additionally, quarantine new plants, mulch, or soil before planting or distributing throughout the property and test for little fire ants. Moving construction equipment and building material is an additional vector for LFA throughout the state. Any material stored outside for months or more should be tested.

Small red ants, particularly those that fall from overhanging vegetation, stinging people on the back of the neck, warrant immediate collection and reporting. Ant samples can be collected for identification by smearing a thin layer of peanut butter on a stick and leaving it outside near where ants are found for 45 minutes.  Bag the sample and place it in a freezer for 24 hours, then mail the sample to the Maui Invasive Species Committee at PO Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768, including contact information. Samples can also be mailed to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture at 635 Mua St, Kahului, 96732. If you have questions, please call 573-MISC (6472).

This latest detection brings the total number of infestation sites on the Valley Isle to 16. Seven sites are being actively treated.  The remaining nine sites are regularly surveyed to ensure the ants have been eradicated at those locations. 

The only other known site on West Maui is in Kapalua. Originally covering 12 acres, the stinging ants were reported by an area resident in 2016. The Kapalua site is now in a monitoring phase and there is no known link between the Lahainaluna infestation and the one in Kapalua.  Visit stoptheant.org to find out more information on collecting samples of ants and the status of LFA on Maui and throughout the state.

Tiny golden butterfly could help halt miconia invasion

Posted on by

Caterpillars of the golden miconia butterfly can only survive on miconia and related plants. The caterpillars get together in clumps and devour the leaves. In doing so, they may reduce the damage miconia can cause in the rainforest. — PABLO ALLEN photo

In the hills above Hāna, Nāhiku, and Keʻanae, the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) crew hikes day in and day out looking for and pulling miconia plants. The team is about to grow as a kaleidoscope of golden yellow butterflies descends to assist with control.  

Miconia is a notorious invader of Hawaiian forests. A single plant can produce 8 million seeds. Miconia seeds grow quickly into large plants with huge leaves that block out the sunlight preventing other plants from germinating. Miconia’s shallow roots do little to stabilize the soil. Eventually, miconia becomes the only plant in the forest; invaded sites are known for landslides and erosion that muddies streams and buries reefs.

Sam Akoi III pulls miconia from the ground in 2003. The shallow roots make the plant easy to pull but miconia does a poor job holding soil. Invaded forest slopes are prone to erosion–MISC file photo

When biologists first found this invasive plant growing in Hawaiʻi, it was a call to action. Retired state forester Bob Hobdy helped address miconia in East Maui in the early 1990s. Initially, crews focused on the area above Hāna known as “the core,” but reports started pouring in from multiple locations across East Maui. “The idea of eradication [removing every plant from the island] was set aside,” says Hobdy. “It was not feasible.” The shrubby tree was scattered from Huelo to Kipahulu, with two major infestations in Nāhiku and Hāna. Too widespread to eradicate, but too damaging to ignore, the long-term solution was biocontrol: the researched introduction of a natural enemy specific to miconia that could lessen the impact and spread of the plant.

Over the last 27 years, crews have worked to contain this invader in the field. It’s been a success: miconia never reached the West Maui mountains and it’s rare to find a plant along Hāna Highway. Meanwhile, researchers in Hawaiʻi and South America have sought out and tested insects and plant diseases in hopes of finding something that will permanently undermine the plant’s invasiveness.

In 1997, ecologists released a fungus that eats holes in miconia’s large purple leaves. In Tahiti, this fungal natural enemy opened up the canopy so that other plants could grow, but fungus didn’t have the same effect here in Hawaiʻi. The search continued.

Tracy Johnson of the U.S. Forest Service has worked to find miconia’s natural enemies for 20 years. He’s hopeful about another miconia pests, a tiny yellow butterfly that lays its eggs on the leaves. The caterpillars hatch out and to dine on the umbrella-like leaves until they become adults. “Itʻs very specific to miconia,” says Johnson. “We know from observation in Costa Rica and in Hawaiʻi that it’s one of the most damaging insects to leaves of the plant.”

Artistic representation of water running off a miconia leaf.
Miconia leaves are enormous – easily 1.5 to 2 feet in width and 3 feet long. These giant leaves shade out understory plants and collect water like a tarp would, increasing erosion as water runs off the plant. The caterpillar of the golden miconia butterfly eats the leaves, potentially lessening the impacts.

Miconia’s huge leaves are major problems: they act like tarps, shading out the understory, collecting raindrops and funneling them to the ground. In comparison, native ōhiʻa and koa trees have clusters of little leaves that break up rainfall into small drops that gently water the understory. The raindrops that roll off of miconia leaves are some of the largest measured They hit the ground with extra force—and since the ground beneath miconia is bare—they contribute to increased erosion. In fact, scientists have found that erosion is greater in a miconia-invaded forest than if the rain fell on bare soil.

“Itʻs (the golden miconia butterfly) very specific to miconia,” says Johnson. “We know from observation in Costa Rica and in Hawaiʻi that it’s one of the most damaging insects to leaves of the plant.”

Though only the size of your fingernail, the golden miconia butterfly could have a big impact on invasive miconia. Native to Costa Rica, these butterflies could be a welcome addition to miconia control efforts here in Hawaiʻi. — KENJI NISHIDA photo

Enter the golden miconia butterfly, Euselasia chrysippe, —a voracious leaf eater. Johnson and colleagues from the University of Costa Rica tested E. chrysippe with 73 different plants to see what the caterpillars would feed on. In a process called no-choice testing, caterpillars are placed in a petri dish with a leaf of the plant being tested. When forced to feed on other plants, they died; only Miconia calvescens and closely related plants in the melastome family can sustain them. This is good news since Hawaiʻi has no native melastomes.

After gorging on miconia, E. chrysippe caterpillars metamorphose into butterflies and seek out another miconia plant on which to lay their eggs. Like the MISC miconia crews, they’re really good a finding the pesky plant.

The golden miconia butterfly could help halt Hawaiʻi’s miconia invasion. But there is still more to be done. Johnson is investigating other potential natural enemies, particularly an insect that eats miconia seeds. Until a suite of effective and safe natural enemies exists to control miconia, crews from MISC will continue combing the hillside in search of miconia. Any sightings of miconia can be reported to MISC at 808-573-6472.

April 2020 Update: The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture is soliciting comments on the draft Environmental Assessment for the release of the golden miconia butterfly. Comments are accepted through May 26, 2020. HDOA press release

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on July 8th, 2018, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

Why can’t you keep rabbits on the ground? “Rabbit fever” affects people

Posted on by

Laws require rabbit owners in Hawaii to keep their pets caged and off the ground. This keeps pets from escaping to start wild populations and keeps them away from ticks that could spread a potentially deadly bacterial disease: tularemia.

Several years ago, a researcher working with sparrows at a rabbit farm on Maui fell ill. He was feverish and tired, then started getting sores on his skin. Doctors weren’t sure what it was and although he was never officially diagnosed, he responded to treatment for tularemia, a disease caused by bacteria carried by rabbits, rodents, and other animals.

Officially, tularemia has never been documented in Hawaiʻi. It’s difficult to culture the bacterium and handling it poses a significant infection risk to lab workers. “If not here, there is a real threat that tularemia could, at any time, be introduced into Hawaiʻi. It affects so many animal species, and once here, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking arthropods could spread it,“ says Fern Duvall, head of Maui’s Native Ecosystem Protection and Management program with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

On the mainland, where tularemia is widely present, the disease is rare among people. They are exposed to the disease if they handle infected animals, or if bitten by ticks or another insect that fed on an infected animal. When bacteria come in contact with the skin, they cause ulcers that spread through the body, eventually reaching the lungs. If the bacteria is inhaled, the results can be deadly.

Occasionally, there are serious localized outbreaks of the disease. The summers of 2000-2001 saw nineteen cases of tularemia on Marthaʻs Vineyard, Massachusetts– one proved fatal. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) came to investigate. An unusually high number (14 out of 19) were pneumonic (the bacteria had entered the lungs) and many involved landscapers. What the CDC suspected was that lawnmowers or other cutting tools struck the carcasses of dead, infected rabbits, the bacteria went airborne.

In 2015, there were outbreaks in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The CDC theorized these outbreaks may have been triggered by increases in rabbit populations, which grew in response to more vegetation, caused by higher than normal rainfall.

If you see a rabbit running wild, report it: 643pest.org

Vegetation, rainfall, and landscapers are plentiful in Hawaiʻi – what we don’t have are populations of rabbits running wild–at least not yet.

According to state law, people can keep rabbits but they must be contained. If kept outside, rabbits must be in a cage off the ground. The penalties for noncompliance may reflect the seriousness of the threat: loss of your pet, fines, or even jail time.

Duvall says the natural predators of rabbits in Hawaiʻi–cats, rats, or mongoose–are unlikely to keep populations of wild rabbits in check. Rabbits evolved with a multitude of predators:  weasels, coyote, bobcats, owls, hawks, snakes, foxes, and raccoons. To survive high mortality rates, they breed like, well, rabbits. The female (doe) can become pregnant with her first litter at 3 months of age, and again just a month later, within days of giving birth. One pair of rabbits can produce 100 kits (baby rabbits) per season, and up to 1,000 in a lifetime.

“We know they can become invasive,” explains Duvall. In 1989, six illegally released rabbits quickly became 100 at Hosmerʻs Grove in Haleakalā National Park. On Laysan, a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, free-roaming rabbits ate the island bare in the early 1900s, likely causing the extinction of three bird species– Laysan miller bird, Laysan ʻapapane, and Laysan rail. 

Beyond environmental impacts, rabbits running wild increase the risk of tularemia. “Rabbits are more often in contact with people,” explains Duvall. Whether as pets kept outdoors or released to the wild, more rabbits mean more rabbit-human interactions. Other pets can be affected: dogs, cats, and livestock can get tularemia from ticks or direct contact with an infected animal. Early treatment with antibiotics is critical.  

You can help protect Hawaiʻi. If you have a pet rabbit, spay or neuter it. If you raise rabbits, keep them contained. If you see a rabbit running wild, report it. Call the Maui Invasive Species Committee at 573-6472 or report online through 643pest.org.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News June 11th, 2017, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Find more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

Just the act of observing can help us and our island home

Posted on by

The Hawaiian language reflects a close tie to the land. Connecting to nature can benefit both the health of the environment and the quality of life. — BRYAN BERKOWITZ / Maui Invasive Species Committee photo.

I ka nānā no ka ‘ike.
By observing, one learns.

‘Ōlelo No’eau #1186- Mary Kawena Pukui

The Hawaiian language includes over 200 words for rain with a subset of names specific to a place. Hawaiian rain names recognize that what falls from the sky can be delicate (lilinoe, kili, uaoa); windblown (lelehuna); showery (ua nuālu); cold (kili hau or ua ‘awa); or rainbow-hued (uakoko). The reddish ulalena rain falls on Haʻikū. Uakea mists Hāna. Winds can also be place-specific: the ʻakipohe wind nips Waiheʻe; the ʻimihau wind brings storms to Lahaina.

The language of Hawaiʻi reflects the deep relationship between people and nature. The original naturalists and resource stewards of Hawaiʻi – Hawaiians–have a keen understanding of their surroundings, from the terrain and weather to local plants and animals. This understanding is also reflected in place names. Hāiʻimaile translates to the blanket of the maile vine. Kanaio recalls the shrubby naio trees that once dominated the forests of the area.

Understanding of place was essential to the survival of the first island residents. And yet today, with the distractions of modern life, it’s easy to forget that a relationship to nature is still essential: both for our well-being and the health of the environment.

Recent research on the Japanese practice of shirin-yoku or “forest bathing” has demonstrated the health benefits of intentional time in nature. Observing the natural world elevates immune response and lowers blood pressure and stress levels.  Forest bathing began in Japan in the mid-1980s and is now an integral preventative health activity there. Interest has spread to the United States, with forest bathing clubs forming in urban areas. Forest bathing is not hiking, nor does it have to take place in a forest. Practitioners go out into nature to experience, with all senses, their surroundings –the range of colors, the scents and sounds in the air, the feeling of sun or breeze on their skin.

Essentially, tuning into nature as a naturalist would.

Forest and Kim Starr, early detection specialists with the University of Hawaiʻi, are self-taught botanists, entomologists, and ornithologists. They often conduct inventories of a defined area, identifying the species of plants, birds, animals, spiders, snails, and insects present.

The view from Hana’ula looking towards ʻIao Valley. Pu’u Lio is the summit between Kapilau and Kalapaokailio ridge.

“When we are out there, we’re using all our senses,” says Kim. Cued in to bird calls while simultaneously scanning for the next plant species to add to the list, the Starrs are intently focusing on their surroundings. They often return to the same place repeatedly, documenting changes. Their efforts help resource managers find invasive species before they are widespread and causing harm in the environment.

What the Starrs do – tune into the world around them and note the changes – can be done by anyone. Like forest bathing and Hawaiian practice it simply requires paying attention to our surroundings and being curious. Training is not necessary, but repetition enhances the experience, both in better understanding what belongs and does not belong in the area and achieving the health-related benefits.

Spend time outside, it’s good for your health and Hawaiʻi.

Learn more about the names of the winds and rains near your home. This list of weather names from The Ka’imi loa o ka hihi Project is a good place to start. Discover a forest bathing practice of your own—find resources and information at www.natureandforesttherapy.org. As you deepen your connection with the natural world, you can help protect Hawaiʻi from newly arrived pests; report changes in your surrounding from potentially invasive species to www.643PEST.org.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on January 13th, 2019 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

Fountain grass threatens dryland ecosystems

Posted on by

Jared Clapper with Hāna Lima Land Management, working on behalf of Haleakalā Ranch, was part of a team responding to an infestation of invasive fountain grass in proximity to Pu‘uokali above Kīhei. Fountain grass has a reputation for fueling a cycle of brush fires and is one of the greatest threats to the remaining dryland forest ecosystems.

On the leeward slope of Haleakalā above Kīhei rises a red dirt cinder cone named Puʻuokali.  Puʻuokali means “the hill of waiting,” and is said to be one of several mo‘o (lizard deities) who were transformed into cinder cones on the summit. From her prominent vantage, Puʻuokali watches over her daughter, Puʻuoinaina on the island of Kahoʻolawe. As visible as Puʻuokali is to Maui residents, she also has her secrets. Inside the cinder cone is an intact dryland forest – a representation of the most diverse and most threatened ecosystem in Hawaiʻi. This native oasis was forgotten about until the early 1980’s when a brush fire broke out nearby and biologists rediscovered the forest.

Dr. Art Medeiros, program manager for the Auwahi Forest Restoration Project, was one of those biologists. “Puʻuokali is amazing. It’s almost the only place from Makawao to Kaupō that looks like it did when Hawaiians were the only people here.” Wiliwili, lama, naio, koaiʻa, and ʻohe are the dominant trees of this forest – these plants were essential for early Polynesians but are virtually unknown today. Dryland Hawaiian forests are the most diverse of Hawaiian forests, yet they are virtually lost: an estimated 90 to 95% of dryland forest is gone. What remains is critical: 25% of endangered Hawaiian plant species are found in these tiny refugia. 

In July of 2018, Byron Stevens of the Hawaiʻi Natural Area Reserves System passed over Puʻuokali in a helicopter and saw something that didn’t belong: a two- to four-foot-tall bunchgrass with wiry leaves and purple bottle-brush flowers. Fountain grass. He sounded the alarm to multiple conservation organizations.

Fountain grass starting to invade the sacred grounds of Puʻuokali on Maui. This area is one of the few remaining places that show how Hawaiʻi looked prior to western contact.

Fountain grass is an invasive weed rarely found on Maui. Native to North Africa, it’s targeted for eradication by the Maui Invasive Species Committee. The drought-tolerant grass is able to survive in some of Hawaiʻi’s driest areas; it poses a serious threat to native dryland forest. While rare on Maui, the alien grass now covers much of the leeward coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Introduced as an ornamental in the early 1900s, fountain grass has completely transformed the Kona side of Hawaiʻi Island, turning what was once bare lava with patches of native forest into fields of grass.

“Introduced as an ornamental in the early 1900s, fountain grass has completely transformed the Kona side of Hawaiʻi Island, turning what was once bare lava with patches of native forest into fields of grass.”

Dominating arid, bare lava is one thing, but this wiry bunchgrass can also advance into intact forest, in part because it survives brushfires. Fountain grass is fire-adapted; it can regrow after flames pass over then quickly flowers and set seeds to recolonize the area. In contrast, Hawaiian forests are not adapted to fires—native plants generally donʻt survive. Fountain grass is notorious for fueling and increasing fire. At one site on Hawaiʻi Island, fountain grass (ignited by humans) has increased fire frequency from once every 500-1,000 years to once every 6-8 years.  

 “Fountain grass is a direct threat to the Maui County sanctuary forests such as Puʻuokali, says Medeiros. Though surrounding areas have burned, Puʻuokali has not had any wildfire, hence why so much remains. This hidden forest survived over the years partly because the surrounding landscape was so barren. There was no fuel for brushfires, and less incentive for goats and deer to cross the cinder to reach the crater. “The last refuges [of dryland forest] are in these rocky areas,” Medeiros explains. The intrusion of fountain grass changes that.

Fountain grass is almost never found on Maui, but is extremely widespread on the leeward side of Hawaii island, where it has transformed the landscape and continues to spread. Any sightings of this invasive bunchgrass should be reported — identified by its purple bottle-brush flowers that turn white as they age. MISC file photo

With that in mind, crews from multiple organizations – Auwahi Restoration Group, Haleakalā Ranch, the Maui Invasive Species Committee, and the Plant Extinction Prevention Program – came together to remove over 1,000 fountain grass plants from Puʻuokali. Completing the work will take several years. Grass seeds cover the ground and recent rains will bring a flush of seedlings. But now that the infestation has been detected, it can be managed and eradicated.

You can help. Fountain grass is often used as an ornamental landscaping plant, and people sometimes plant it on Maui by accident. Seeds can be unwittingly transported interisland on hunting or golf gear. If you see fountain grass, take a photo and report it. You can contact MISC directly at 573-MISC (6471) or the statewide pest hotline at 643-PEST, or 643PEST.org.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on September 12th, 2018, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles. Find more information about fountain grass:

COVID-19 and MISC

Posted on by

Aloha kākou,

One of the joys of working at MISC is the close ties we have to our community. Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees, their families, and those with whom we work. We wanted to provide you with an update on our response to COVID-19 and what it means for our work in the short term.

We are following the social distancing guidelines and shelter-in-place measures set forth by Mayor Victorino and Governor Ige. MISC and MoMISC have temporarily closed their baseyards to the public, although some staff may be  present to perform maintenance and other work that can be accomplished without public interaction or threat to their well-being. Our field crews are working away from each other during this time and our capacity to respond to reports may be delayed. 

If you participate in the coqui community resiliency program, we will provide more specific details on ways to support you in quieting the coqui in your neighborhood.  

Consider taking this opportunity to check your yard for invasive pests.  If you detect a MISC target species, such as little fire ants, new locations of coqui frogs, ohia trees suspected to have Rapid Ohia Death, or others, send us your report and we will follow up when we can. Send reports through: 

  • Voicemail: 808-573-6472
  • Online: 643PEST.org
  • Snakes: call 911

Given the dynamic nature of the situation, we will provide updates on MISC’s response on our website and our Facebook page. Significant changes will be sent through email updates. 

For now, please know how much we value your support and partnership in protecting Maui Nui from harmful invasive species. Mahalo nui and take care of your health and your family.

All the Staff at the
Maui Invasive Species Committee

Help protect the fragile and amazing anchialine pools of Hawaii

Posted on by

Anchialine pools are not tide pools — they have no direct connection to the ocean. Each pool is unique, both in the salinity of the brackish water and the species that live within them. — JEFF BAGSHAW photo.

Amidst a black canvas of young lava, plant-like bacteria grow…..painting a gold border that divides the brilliant green plants from the crystalline blue waters. A diversity of shrimp, from nearly translucent to ruby red in color, float through the water while tuxedo-wearing stilts, ae’o, wander the shoreline plucking their meal from the water.

Such is the scene at a healthy anchialine pool, one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. A mix of freshwater and saltwater, these are not tide pools—anchialine pools are landlocked with no direct channel to the ocean. They are fed by seawater that seeps in underground through porous rock and mixes with surface water. The depth of the pools fluctuates, influenced by the tides, but delayed by the rocks the ocean filters through.

Anchialine pools exist in only a few places in the world and the largest concentration is in the Hawaiian Islands, where most occur on the relatively young lava fields of Big Island and Maui. Unique as they may be, these pools and the species that reside within them are vulnerable to the same threats that plague the rest of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources: invasive species, climate change, and the trampling of too many feet.

Anchialine pools can be as small as a soup pot or as large as a parking lot and no two are alike: “Each one is like a complete universe,” explains Jeff Bagshaw, Natural Area Reserve Specialist at the ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve.

ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu has 12 groups of pools; one is the only home in the world for a tiny swimming crab. Measuring only an inch long and shy, this little creature is rarely seen. It took over 50 years before researchers could finally capture the tiny critter and identify it. Along with the swimming crab, the pools at ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu provide habitat for 10 species of shrimp, five of which are candidates for being listed as endangered species.

Elsewhere in Hawaiʻi, introduced trees such as kiawe and milo suck up water that would otherwise fill pools. Pickleweed, a salt-tolerant introduced plant, crowds out algal mats that feed the shrimp, which in turn feed native shorebirds. Feral goats and people wander among the pools, trampling plants and defecating along the shoreline, changing the chemistry of the pools.

Endangered waterbirds known as stilts enjoy their environment alongside an anchialine pool. Any introduction of invasive species could be extremely detrimental to this very delicate habitat. — Jeff Bradshaw photo.

The pools at ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu are now protected from animals by a fence around the preserve. People have been restricted from accessing the pools since 2008 but footprints are still visible in a mat of cyanobacteria, the plant-like bacteria lining the pond that adds such spectacular color. Volunteers and state crews from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources have taken on the invasive species, cutting back trees from the shoreline and lying on boogie boards to pluck out pickleweed from the native plants. This work to keep the pools and species within them healthy may help as climate change starts to affect these tiny universes.

As sea levels rise, the pools risk being swamped by the ocean. But there is hope. “If they have an undisturbed space to go to,” says Bagshaw, anchialine pools have potential to move, filling recesses in the lava field upslope as sea level rises. “So it is important to protect potential new habitat in trying to manage pools for the future.”

You can help. The ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve is looking for volunteers to educate visitors about responsible behavior in the reserve. Contact Bagshaw at jeff.w.bagshaw@hawaii.gov

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on August 13th, 2017, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

The efforts to keep pests out of your Christmas tree

Posted on by

By December 3rd of this year (2019), near the end of the shipping season, 93,000 Christmas trees had arrived in Hawaiʻi – this according to Chris Kishimoto, Oʻahu-based entomologist with the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA). The trees will be adorned with ornaments and sheltering packages in time for Christmas, but the preparations to ensure the trees are not harboring unwanted pests began months earlier.

Staff from the Oregon state Department of Agriculture inspect items shaken from pine trees to make sure no unwanted pests are hitchhiking on trees destined for the Hawaiian Islands. Preventing pests from hitchiking to Hawai’i in Christmas trees begins before trees are even harvested. — OREGON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE photo

Most of the Christmas trees imported to Hawaiʻi come from farms in Oregon, with the remainder coming from Washington State. As fall starts to sweep the mainland, Kishimoto reaches out to the Christmas tree growers to get weather reports from the area – a long, extended summer or a cool and frosty fall. This helps him to determine how active potential hitchhiking pests may be before the trees are harvested. Inspectors from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) inspect trees that are vigorously shaken over a light-colored barrier such as a white tarp or sheet, looking for pests before they are loaded into containers. The trees are then carried by train to California and loaded onto barges destined for Hawaiʻi.

Every year, in the weeks before Christmas, an average of 160-180 containers of trees arrive after a two to three week voyage. All containers arrive in Honolulu where Kishimoto and HDOA inspectors inspect the trees again.  Once a container is opened, HDOA inspectors will check for proper paperwork and ensure there are no apparent signs of a pest infestation.  They will then randomly select trees from each container, unwrap them, and gives each tree a vigorous shake over white tarps for the second time. If what falls out should not be in Hawaiʻi, the container is quarantined until the importer can have all trees subjected to an appropriate treatment, shipped out of the State, or destroyed. If no pests are detected and everything is in compliance, the containers are released and sent to their final destinations.

At the end of the shipping season, Kishimoto talks with his colleagues at ODA and WSDA to relay the various species that HDOA intercepted. If needed, the ODA, WSDA, and the Christmas tree industry revise practices and standards based on the feedback.

Kishimoto thinks the collaborative efforts with the Department of Agriculture in Oregon and Washington are effective and have greatly reduced the number of rejected shipments. “Christmas trees are not necessarily any higher risk than cut flowers or foliage” he says. Ultimately, any time material is imported there is a risk a pest or hitchhiking animal may slip through – take for example the southern alligator lizard found by a Hilo resident on Thanksgiving weekend.

The best decoration for your home regardless of the time of year is the locally-sourced option. Local purchases support local farmers; the material is fresh– therefore, longer-lasting—and won’t be carrying a pest new to Hawaiʻi. There are locally grown options for Christmas trees on Maui  –  both from a Christmas tree farm in Kula as well as volunteer options to remove invasive pines. And if you do find that your holiday decorations come bearing unwanted presents, capture the pest and report it, either through the statewide pest hotline: 643-PEST (7378), online: 643PEST.org, or the Maui Plant Quarantine Office at (808) 872-3848.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on December 14th, 2019 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles.

PCSU logo

Contact Us

Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)
Office: (808) 573-6472
Press and Media Inquiries: (808) 344-2756
Mailing Address:
PO Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768

Acting Manager / Public Relations: Lissa Strohecker
E-mail: miscpr@hawaii.edu

Special Projects: Teya Penniman
E-mail: miscmgr@hawaii.edu

Statewide Pest Hotline: 808-643-PEST
Report a Pest Online