Lissa Strohecker

Turn Off Lights at Night to Help Protect Seabirds From Invasive Predators

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Like many seabirds in Hawai’i, wedge-tailed shearwaters, ʻuaʻu kani, nest on the ground in rock crevices or in burrow. Once this chick’s adult feathers grow in, he will leave his burrow at night, navigating by the moon and stars. Artificial light can disorient young birds. Photo by Forest & Kim Starr.

“At one time there were so many seabirds in Hawaiʻi they blackened the sky” says Jay Penniman, manager of the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project.

Seabirds have been in Hawaiʻi for a long time, first arriving around 70 million years ago. The earliest colonists nested on what’s now known as the Emperor Seamount, the northwestern-point of the archipelago that has since eroded below sea level. These ancestral residents mated and reared their young, leaving behind nutrient-rich guano – seabird poop – that helped create soils. Guano nourished and promoted the growth of coral reefs, helping to develop a healthy marine ecosystem. Seeds of flowering plants arrived, sometimes carried in the feathers of the seabirds themselves, and the life on the Hawaiian Islands continued to develop.

As new islands emerged, seabirds continued to colonize them. Some species burrowed into cinder atop Haleakalā, others into dunes and the sandy soil along the coastline, still others in the dense tangle of uluhe fern in the rainforest. Isolation led to the evolution of unique species found nowhere else in the world. Clouds of seabirds helped lead Polynesian navigators to Hawaiʻi.

Once numbering in the milions, seabird populations today are a mere fraction of that. Seabirds nest in burrows, on the ground, or in the branches of low shrubs. After invasive predators – cats, rats, and dogs – began to roam the islands, the adults, young, and eggs too often became lunch or worse—killed for play. Young birds that survive to leave their nest face a different threat: artificial lighting.

For millennia, the night sky was lit only by the moon and stars. Fledgling seabirds would leave their burrows after sunset and navigate to sea using the reflection of the moon and starlight on water. Young birds remain at sea for four to five years until they return home to mate and raise their young.

Now, every fall, young seabirds fledge into an illuminated world. Man-made lighting shines into the night from streett lamps, porches, and stadiums, confuseing the inexperienced birds. They may circle for hours until they fall from the sky exhausted. Blueish-hued lights are particularly disorientating. For millennia, the light in the cooler blue wavelength meant schools of myctophids (lantern fish), the bioluminescent prey for the fledgling birds.

Seabirds played a crucial role in the natural history of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing seeds and nutrients that supported the colonization of life on and near the isolated islands. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr.

Penniman and his team work to tell local residents about the seabirds and respond to reports of downed birds during the fall-out season. One year he was at the Maui Raceway, picking up an petrel, that had crash-landed in the back of a pickup truck. As he gathered up the first bird, bystanders saw another one circling lower and lower. “It fell right at my feet,” says Penniman. “The bird was panting and its heart was racing.” Though able to wing across thousand of miles of ocean, the fledglings are exhausted and unable to move, making them easy prey for predators and at risk from passing cars.

Recovered birds typically spend the night in a pet carrier, then researchers weigh the bird and place a numbered metal band on its leg. In the light of day, they release the birds at the shore, where they fly out over the ocean to safety. Penniman has been working with these birds for 15 years. Those bands can help tell a happy ending: heʻs seen rescued fledglings return as adults, wise now to the distraction of man-made lights.

Cecelia “Cece” Frisinger lets a young ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel) fly out to sea.

You can help. If you find a seabird, call 573-BIRD (2473) and someone from the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project will come to pick it up. Always keep pets contained and away from seabird colonies. Also, check your lighting. Penniman recommends the following to prevent outside lights from distracting fledging seabirds:

Lessen the intensity — use the minimum brightness necessary, measured in lumens,
Turn it off — use lights only when needed and consider installing a motion detector,
Point light down, away from the sky. Shields can direct light towards the ground where it’s needed most
Use warmer temperature, long-wavelength light, above 550nm.

Learn more about seabirds and the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project at mauinuiseabirds.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 December 12, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Community urged to help protect yellow-faced bees

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Hawaiian yellow-faced bees rely heavily on an intact community of native plants to thrive in their communities. Often times they are avoidant of areas with a large population of non-native species. Photo Lahaina Photography

The adage “the more you look, the more you see“ is the basis for the “Pollinators in Paradise” project, a new approach to researching Hawaiʻi’s most important native pollinators: the yellow-faced bees.

As the primary pollinator in the Hawaiian Islands, these bees were once exceedingly common and found from mountain top to coastline. As they collected pollen to eat, these bees pollinated everything from silverswords to naupaka. Today, the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee populations are in decline and likely to become endangered unless the impacts of habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change can be addressed. Researchers are looking to the community for help in learning more about Hawaiʻi’s only native bees.

“Today, the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee populations are in decline and likely to become endangered unless the impacts of habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change can be addressed.”

“There are only a few researchers looking for yellow-faced bees,” says Dr. Jason Graham, one of the researchers and part of the “Pollinators in Paradise” project – a collaboration between Bishop Museum and Graham and funded by a Disney Conservation Grant. The goal of the project is to further Hawaiian yellow-faced bee conservation efforts through education and community involvement. “We hope to have more eyes out there looking for Hawaiian yellow-faced bees.”

The Maui Invasive Species Committee urges the general public to keep their eyes out for this native bee. Community members are also encouraged to download the iNaturalist app to track bee sightings in order to guide future conservation efforts. Photo Lahaina Photography

Built into the “Pollinators in Paradise” project is training: an interactive exhibit will be housed at Bishop Museum for visitors, there are educational kits available for teachers, and Bishop will use webinars to connect visiting school kids with scientists in the field. The ultimate goal is to have school kids and the community reporting sightings of yellow-faced bees through the online social networking application, iNaturalist. Anyone interested can participate.

Through iNaturalist, community reporters can submit photos of pollinators like the yellow-faced bees. Researchers will review and identify the pollinators. If yellow-faced bees are found, the sightings will be shared with resource managers to help guide future conservation efforts, and these bees need it.

Unlike honeybees, which form large social colonies with a queen and workers doing many tasks, including caring for young, yellow-faced bees are solitary nesters. Solitary bees lay relatively few eggs, stashing only a few dozen young inside a dead twig or in a hollow piece of coral on a rocky shoreline. They leave their young provisioned with food but unprotected from predators. This strategy served them well enough for the millions of years they spent in Hawaiʻi isolated from predators. Since human arrival in the islands, some 50 species of ants have made their way to Hawaiʻi (there are no native ants in Hawaiʻi). When ants find the vulnerable eggs and larvae, they feast.

There are over 60 species of yellow-faced bees native to the Hawaiian Islands. While some may not yet be listed as endangered, all species are in decline, with certain species not seen for 20 years. In October of 2016, seven species of yellow-faced bees gained protection under the Endangered Species Act. To protect what’s left, the scientists need to know more about them, a task that citizen-scientists can help with, once they know where to look.

Graham offers these tips for finding Hawaiian yellow-faced bees:

Look for native plants: The bees rely on native plants – with much of the islands’ native flora lost to development, agriculture, or taken over by invasive plants, their habitat is fractured. Yet they persist, and sometimes in the most unlikely of places – a patch of native plants growing on the shoreline near a resort for example.
Look for black bees: Yellow-faced bees do not look like the more familiar honeybee. Yellow-faced bees are slender, smooth, and mostly black, and much smaller than the pure black female carpenter bee, another conspicuous non-native bee common in the islands. Some but not all species have yellow on their faces that help identify them and lead to their unique moniker.

Anyone can participate in the “Pollinators in Paradise” project by downloading iNaturalist and joining the project through the app. Then start snapping photos of pollinators. Graham says cell phone cameras are sufficient for capturing images of the bees — videos work well because they can be paused to show the face of the bee, the key to determining the species. There are special lenses for photographing that clip onto the cell phone camera.

Learn more about the project through the Pollinators in Paradise Facebook page or the page on the iNaturalist application online.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on December 9th, 2018, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Invasive jellyfish removed from Kaunakakai harbor

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Crews from the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee and the Division of Aquatic Resources remove invasive upside-down jellyfish from the swimming area at Kaunakakai Harbor. They visit several times a year to keep the community swimming area free of these stinging pests. — Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee photo.

Back in 2009, a father and his two kids, still wet from the beach, walked into the office of the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee. The kids were covered in welts. Dad carried a bucket containing a flat brownish thing. “This is stinging my kids,” he said.

He had captured an upside-down jellyfish, a relatively new creature in Hawaiʻi. The species anchors itself to the ocean floor upside-down, tentacles waving in the shallow water. “They look like big pancakes,” says Lori Buchanan, manager of the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC).

For the jellyfish, this wrong-side-up strategy works: they use their bell as a foot to anchor themselves in place then, like coral, they partner with symbiotic algae that feed the jelly through photosynthesis. But these gelatinous blobs can pose problems for people in their midst: like many of their upright relatives, these jellyfish sting shooting harpoon-like nematocysts into the water when touched. When a single upside-down jelly stings, it can trigger the same reaction in his neighbors, leaving a stinging nematocyst floating in the water—a nightmare for snorkelers and swimmers.

The jellyfish delivered to Buchanan’s MoMISC office came from Kaunakakai Harbor–specifically, the roped-off swimming area that teemed with kids that summer. This was an urgent problem and Buchanan and her crew sprang into action to solve it.

Upside-down jellyfish arrived in Hawaiʻi hitchhiking on the bottoms of boats or in ballast water. They rest on the ocean floor, favoring shallow calm areas like lagoons and fishponds. Without predators, they can completely cover an area. — Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee photo.

With nets and buckets, the crew went to work, scooping jellies from the wharf. That first year, MoMISC crews removed 200 stinging jellies. They’ve kept at it, sometimes partnering with the crews from the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources. Visiting two to four times per year keeps the population down. Since their initial trip, they’ve removed 400 more of the squishy stingers.

These invasive jellyfish probably hitched a ride to Kaunakakai on the bottom of a boat – but that was not the first time they were seen in Hawaiʻi. First reported from Pearl Harbor in 1914, then in Kāneʻohe Bay, they likely arrived on the hull of a visiting ship, or as larvae in ballast water. They’ve invaded several places throughout the state, favoring shallow lagoons and fishponds where the water is calm.

Scientists believe the various populations resulted from at least two different introductions from far-flung places. Looking at the genetics of the different colonies, they traced one to Papua New Guinea and another to the Atlantic.

These spineless invaders are sometimes called mangrove jellyfish, for good reason. The two species are often found together. Here in Hawaiʻi, mangrove trees are invasive, and their presence can influence the population of upside-down jellyfish. As mangrove leaves break down in the water, they release chemicals that trigger larval jellyfish to settle down. The alien invertebrates then flip themselves over and rest in the shallow, clear water around mangroves. During MoMISC’s drive to remove the upside-down jellyfish, the crew noticed mangroves lining the wharf and removed them as well.

Without natural predators, these aquatic aliens can quickly cover an area. Buchanan says a fishpond on Molokai’s east end is so infested you can’t see its bottom.

Upside-down jellyfish have migrated from Pearl Harbor to Coconut Island in Hilo. So while Buchanan’s team won’t be able to remove them completely, it’s worth the effort to keep them suppressed in swimming areas. “The wharf is the most popular place on Molokai,” says Buchanan. “Especially in the summer, it’s like the mall.”

Aquatic invaders are no fun. You can help prevent them from spreading by keeping your boat free of hitchhikers. If you are interested in the role of hull-fouling and ballast water contamination in the spread of invasive species, check out this web page: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ais/ballastwaterbiofouling/ballastwaterdetails/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on September 10th, 2017, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

ʻŌhiʻa’s genetic diversity may contribute to disease resistance

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

The natural genetic variation in ʻōhiʻa may translate to some resistance to Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. To both preserve the genetic diversity present in ʻōhiʻa and test for disease resistance, there are seed banks established throughout Hawaiʻi. — Masako Cordray photo

ʻŌhiʻa is both a pioneer – the first to grow on new lava– and a protector—hosting and sustaining birds, insects, and plants throughout Hawaiʻi. ʻŌhiʻa is at home in nearly every terrestrial ecosystem in the islands, from the wettest rainforests to the leeward slopes of dryland forests. Its flowers range from cool yellow to fiery red. Leaves can be small, curled and fuzzy, and snuggled together along the stem, or stretched, shiny and drooping. The tree may crawl, bonsai-like on mountain tops, or assume a stately, spreading pose above the rainforest. The plant’s scientific name, Metrosideros polymorpha, only begins to reflect the “many morphs” of ʻōhiʻa. ʻŌhiʻa exhibits so much variation that taxonomists have classified the tree into different species and varieties, seven of which occur on Maui.

While ʻōhiʻa is amazingly adaptable, the reliance of so much native biota on its existence exposes a vulnerability. Without ʻōhiʻa, our forests – dryland to mesic to the rainforest – and the species within them are in peril. Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, the fungal disease that has killed ʻōhiʻa across 135,000 acres of Hawaiʻi Island, and counting, makes this abundantly clear. The discovery of this pathogen on Kauaʻi in 2018 further underscores the risk, even though it is not yet known from the other islands.

“The goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of ʻōhiʻa naturally present in the landscape,” says Dr. Marian Chau.

Ripe ʻōhiʻa seeds being grown on the Hawaiian Islands for the preservation of the native species. —

One source of hope is that ʻōhiʻa’s high degree of genetic diversity could contain the key to disease resistance. Across the state, foresters and conservation groups are partnering on a project to collect and store seeds in ʻōhiʻa seed banks. “The goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of ʻōhiʻa naturally present in the landscape,” says Dr. Marian Chau, seed lab manager at Lyon Arboretum on Oʻahu. “The seeds can be used for current research on potential genetic resistance to Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, and for future restoration.” ʻŌhiʻa produces plentiful seed that can be stored for up to 18 years. To preserve and represent this variation, the seed collection campaign has a lofty goal of obtaining seeds from 10,000 different trees of fourteen different species.

Each island is divided into seed zones and collectors record the zone where they harvest seeds. If there is no representation from a particular zone, Chau and her colleagues reach out to those working in the area. The Laukahi Hawaiʻi Plant Conservation Network, a voluntary alliance focused on protecting Hawaiʻi’s rare plant species, created the seed zones and manages the data.

Throughout Hawaiʻi, partnerships have been made to collect wild-grown ohia seeds. There are currently more than four million seeds in the collection — Laukahi Network photo

With support from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, Chau has traveled across the state offering free training on how to properly collect ʻōhiʻa seeds. Her workshops cover identifying the variety; determining if seeds are ripe; cleaning and packaging ʻōhiʻa for storage; and recording and submitting collection data. The trainings are empowering community participants to help stop the devastation of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. The workshops are open to the public, but only naturally-occurring ʻōhiʻa are candidates for seed banking, not landscape-planted trees. To collect seeds from ʻōhiʻa in the wild, landowner permission and necessary permits for state or federal land are required.

To guard against inadvertent destruction (e.g., from a tropical storm), the seedbanks are scattered throughout the state, with redundant banks in different locations. Hawaiʻi Island seeds are stored on that island due to concerns about the accidental spread of the disease.

You can find more information about seed banking efforts online at http://laukahi.org/ohia/ including ʻōhiʻa identification information, seed collection guidelines, data collection, and needs. Learn more about Lyon Arboretum’s Seed Conservation Laboratory at http://manoa.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/seed-lab/. Stay up to date on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death at rapdiohiadeath.org and through the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Facebook Page.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on June 9th, 2019 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Press Release: Haʻikū residents report stinging ants, uncovering a small population of invasive little fire ants

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Date: November 19, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lissa Strohecker, Public Relations and Educational Specialist
Maui Invasive Species Committee
PH: (808) 573-6472
Email: miscpr@hawaii.edu

Thanks again to the backyard efforts of Maui residents, a recently-detected population of little fire ants will be eradicated. This infestation is in Haʻikū, off Kaupakalua road. The Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) estimates the ants have spread across four acres.

Maui residents Janet Mercer and Patti Hawkins reported the ants to MISC in late September. After several months away they returned to their home to find a new tenant: tiny, orange ants had spread throughout their yard and house. Initially, Mercer and Hawkins tried to control the ants with liquid ant baits from the hardware store but the ants ignored the household pesticide. The pests however, did not ignore the couple; even inside their home, they were getting stung.

Little fire ants form supercolonies by cooperating with each other. They effectively outcompete other ant species and take advantage of all possible habitat, colonizing trees and the ground. While they prefer to be outside, once they are established they start to explore new environments – including those occupied by people.

Hawkins is highly reactive to insect stings “I seem to be the canary in the coal mine,” she jokes. But even she was surprised by the pain delivered by these tiny ants. “It was like a bee, it kept going for 10-15 minutes or more after it stung. Then they would welt up,” she explains.

Hawkins told the story to a friend who suggested they might be little fire ants and that she should collect and submit a sample. “I put a little peanut butter out there and, wham. I couldn’t believe it. … I came back less than an hour later and the sticks were swarmed.” She brought the sample to an employee with the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) who confirmed that the ants were indeed the little fire ant.

MISC and the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA) have surveyed the couple’s home and surrounding properties. The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture has done trace-forward testing – looking at places where potted plants or material had been moved from the infested area to see if any ants may have hitchhiked a ride. Based on their findings, the infestation is contained to four acre, but the source of the infestation is not known. Given the spread, it’s likely that ants have been present for several years.

Coincidentally, the infestation was detected just before little fire ant awareness month, an annual event where Hawaiʻi residents are encouraged to collect and submit samples of ants from their homes to find infestation of little fire ants and other invasive ants while they can still be controlled. Community efforts have led to the detection of 11 of 17 known infestations of little fire ants on Maui. Once detected, each infestation is treated for approximately one year, then monitored. There are only eight sites, including Kaupakalua, where little ants are still present and under active control.

“If people keep paying attention, and collecting and reporting suspect ants, we can stop the little fire ant from becoming established on Maui,” says Adam Radford, manager of the Maui Invasive Species Committee. “The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture is able to inspect incoming material for LFA and other pests, MISC crews conduct surveys, but public reporting is critical to finding these invasive ant populations and eliminating them.” On Maui, funding from the County of Maui and the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council supports control efforts.

Little fire ants have become widespread on Hawaiʻi Island. Animals often leave the areas where ants are established as do hikers and hunters. When little fire ants invade yards and homes, pets can be blinded.

Community efforts are essential to keeping invasive ants from becoming widespread. MISC recommends collecting ants for identification at least one time per year. It only takes a few minutes:

Smear a tiny bit of peanut butter (or mayonnaise if peanut allergies are a concern) on several sticks, coffee stirrers, or pieces of cardboard, and place them in shady places in your yard. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, collect the ants, place them in a plastic bag labeled with your name, address, and contact information, and freeze them overnight.
Mail them to your local Invasive Species Committee. On Maui, send them to MISC, P.O. Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768.

Visit stoptheant.org to find out more information on collecting ant samples of ants and the status of LFA on Maui and throughout the state. Contact MISC with concerns, questions, or reports at 808-573-6472 or miscants@hawaii.edu. Reports can also be submitted through 643PEST.org.

Plant Crew – September 2020

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death response:

In response to community reports, Mike Ade collected two samples for possible Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death: one in August at Kalama Middle School in Makawao and another in early September from a residence in Wailuku. Both samples were sent to the Hilo USDA/ARS Lab through HDOA Maui Plant Quarantine staff.

Help protect ʻōhiʻa. Clear gear before going in the forest and report any ʻōhiʻa tree showing symptoms of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death: sudden browning and death with leaves “frozen” in place.

No Ceratocystis, the fungal pathogen that causes Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, was detected at the Kalama School location, results are not yet back from the September sample.

Hāna – based Miconia Crew:

The crew surveyed for and removed miconia plants along the Hāna Highway and set up a trail system from Makapipi to the Puaʻa Kaʻa and Upper Nāhiku area.
In response to public reports, they surveyed and controlled miconia plants in Lower Nāhiku, Keʻanae, and Kīpahulu
Aja Early caught a calling coqui in a kalo loʻi at Wailuanui.

Makawao – based plant crew:

A community report led to the detection and removal of a pampas grass in Kula.

The crew has been hiking through Haleakalā Ranch, Polipoli, and Kaʻonoʻula Ranch controlling pampas grass plants found by aerial helicopter surveys.
For three weeks in August, the crew flew West Maui by helicopter, surveying for and controlling pampas grass. Weather sometimes causes delays and so helicopter surveys on East Maui are a backup option.
A homeowner reported a flowering pampas grass in Kula and the crew immediately responded and removed the plant.
The latest re-visit to the Puʻu o Kali fountain grass infestation site led to the detection and removal of six plants (one mature with dispersed seed heads). This is the only known fountain grass infestation remaining though the crew continues to follow up at other sites to monitor for seedling recruitment.
Along the north shore near Waiheʻe, the crew has been surveying and controlling ivy gourd in the coastal strand and golf course areas. Visits to residential sites known to have ivy gourd are on standby due to Covid-19 restrictions for staff public engagement.

September Updates on other species here:

Plant Crew – September 2020

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death response: In response to community reports, Mike Ade collected two samples for possible Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death: one ...
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Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee -September 2020

Removing upside-down jellyfish from Kaunakakai harbor sometimes takes partners, as when DLNR divers helped out several years ago. The Molokai ...
Read More

Coqui Crew – September 2020

From July through September, the coqui crew worked throughout Haʻikū on populations of frogs near the Kauhikoa Reservoir, the Five ...
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Community Coqui Control Progam – September 2020

All four of the Haʻikū neighborhoods involved in the MISC Community Coqui Control Program held work weeks during August. One ...
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Early Detection, Outreach, and Education – September 2020

Early Detection:No news is good news, at least from the early detection team. Forest and Kim Starr surveyed the Kahului ...
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Little Fire Ant Crew – September 2020

Little fire ants can climb and so can our crew. Paul Moneymaker scales a steep hillside while surveying for little ...
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All Updates

Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee -September 2020

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Removing upside-down jellyfish from Kaunakakai harbor sometimes takes partners, as when DLNR divers helped out several years ago.

The Molokai Crew at MoMISC has been working hard to continue their surveys for early detection species including little fire ants and coconut rhinoceros beetle. Target species, rubbervine and Barbados gooseberry are on the brink of eradication with only seedlings found on recent visits.

Early Detection

Wasmannia auropunctata (little fire ants): The crew conducted LFA surveys at various ports of entry including the Kamalō and Kaunakakai Harbor areas and the Pukoʻo beach access, a port of entry commonly used for inter-island commuting by resident boaters.

Oryctes rhinoceros (coconut rhinoceros beetle): MoMISC crew actively monitors and maintains coconut rhinoceros beetle traps at the Hoʻolehua Airport. So far, so good! No beetles were captured in traps or reported by the public.

Priority Species-

Prosopis juliflora (long thorn kiawe): The MoMISC crew has been actively controlling the long thorn kiawe population along the remote southwest coast of Molokai. With landowner consent, the crew was able to access existing control sites where they continue to find and control new growth.

Cryptostegia Madagascariensis (rubbervine): Past and current efforts of aggressive survey and control of this species have been successful in managing and containing the spread. Crew frequently returns to past control sites to inspect for new growth and recently surveyed a swath of the southeast coastline for potential spread. In the second quarter of 2020, a total of 129 acres were surveyed and just 3 immature plants were found at an old control site!

Cyathea Cooperi (Australian Tree Fern): In cooperation with DOFAW, the MoMISC crew surveyed 138 acres for ATF in the North Central forest area on Molokai, controlling a total of 79 ferns.

Cassiopea Andromeda (Upside Down Jellyfish): This pest species is found at several sites along the south and south/east coast of Molokai. MoMISC routinely surveys and controls this stinging pest species at the Kaunakakai Harbor, an area of high recreational use by residents and a popular swimming area for kids. In the second quarter of 2020, 7 acres were surveyed and 31 jellyfish were controlled.

Pereskia aculeata (Barbados gooseberry): The crew spent two days in Hālawa Valley revisiting control sites and surveying surrounding areas. This species appears to be under control with only one juvenile being found at an old site.

Learn more about the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee on their website: molokaiisc.org.

September Updates on other species here: