In Maui County contact the Maui Invasive Species Committee at 573-6472 to confirm and control infested plants. Always get banana plants locally (like from your neighbor!) to minimize risk of spreading BBTV to an uninfested area.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” —the Once-ler from “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss
In anticipation of “The Lorax” movie opening March 2, a national restaurant chain has been giving away bookmarks with seeds of blue-spruce and Canadian white pine.
A press release dated February 21st 2012 explains the program: “In keeping with the animated adventure’s theme that one person can make a difference, IHOP is distributing three million limited-edition bookmarks embedded with seed paper that can be planted to flourish across a range of climates and forest condition.”
It’s great to encourage kids to plant trees. Unfortunately these aren’t the Truffula trees that the Lorax fought to protect. Planting alien trees in Hawai‘i can be tricky. The characteristics of the bookmark trees that allow them flourish across a range of climates and forest conditions can also help them invade and outcompete native species. In Hawai‘i pines have a reputation of escaping cultivation into high-elevation ecosystems. Think twice before planting these pines in our forests. As the voiceover from the movie trailer says when the boy receives the last seed of the Truffula tree, “It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.”
After concerns were raised, distribution of the seeds was discontinued in Hawaii.
Make the Lorax proud and plant a tree that is regionally appropriate to the area. Find suggestions of native Hawaiian plants here: www.nativeplants.hawaii.edu
And on a final note: ever notice how a lehua blossom on an ‘ōh‘ia looks a bit like a Truffula tree?
A Truffula tree for Hawai‘i (‘ōh‘ia photos by Forest & Kim Starr).
Teachers and environmental educators: get your hands on hot new Maui-based science tools!
Workshops participants experience lessons as students would, preparing them to teach the lesson in the classroom.
The Ho’ike o Haleakala Steering Committee will be hosting a series of one- and two-day teacher’s workshops starting in January 2012.
Join us in exploring exciting new lessons that spotlight native and invasive species issues on Maui. You will leave with innovative tools for teaching native Hawaiian science in the classroom and field. Commit to testing these materials in your classroom and receive a $75 stipend.
One day workshops:
January 14
March 10
Two day workshop:
February 18-19
R.S.V.P required. Workshops run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) Headquarters in Pi’iholo. Space is limited; call 573-6472 or email miscpr@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot and for directions.
The one-day workshops will include hands-on experience and demonstration. The two-day February workshop adds a native Hawaiian forest hike and participants will receive an advance hard copy of Ho’ike o Haleakala’s new Invasive Species Module, including multimedia components and game pieces.
A sampling of the activities we will cover:
- “Raindrops and Watersheds.” In this lab, students recreate the effect of miconia leaves on rainfall and watershed functionality. Can the size of a leaf change the health of a forest? Find out!
- “Pathways and Vectors.” Students employ Google Earth technology to investigate the wiliwili gall wasp invasion of 2005, that threatened Maui’s native wiliwili forest. Working in small groups and using real-life data, students predict how the wasp spread and how it was ultimately controlled.
- “Hotel Manager Scenario.” Students grapple with the economics of invasive species while balancing the budget for a hotel overrun with coqui frogs. This multidisciplinary activity incorporates math, problem-solving, and delegation.
- “What’s in a Name?” This creative writing and drawing activity uses naupaka as a platform to discuss the usage of scientific, common, and Hawaiian names.
- “Mascots, Icons, & Amakua.” This thought-provoking lesson asks students to investigate state and national symbols, such as the American bald eagle, and the qualities they embody. Why are so many Hawaiian schools represented by non-native mascots? In answer to this, students craft arguments for or against changing their school’s mascot.
- “Weed Risk Assessment Bingo.” This fun, fast-paced game mimics the official Weed Risk Assessment tool, helping students determine which characteristics make a plant a potential weedy threat.
- “Introducing Invasives.” What makes one plant native and another invasive? Why do biologists call Hawaii “an unparalleled showcase for evolution?” Students gain a basic understanding of how island ecosystems formed and how they work today by watching a dynamic slide show and completing a crossword.
- “Timeline.” When did the first mosquito hit Hawaiian shores? Students identify key points in the natural history of the Islands, from the emergence of Kure Atoll to today. They create a visual tool for assessing the dramatic increase in biological “traffic” to the Islands.
Come learn how to use Hawaii as a perfect natural laboratory for your students.
Mark your calendar!
If you can’t attend the workshop, but would like to test these activities, email miscpr@hawaii.edu or call (808) 573-MISC.
Asking albizia to go-Moloka‘i style
Tackling a giant albizia
How does a two-person team control 850 invasive trees? If you’re MoMISC, you ask for permission first—from the landowner, the ancestors, and the trees themselves.
When Lori Buchanan of the Moloka‘i/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) learned that albizia trees were invading a steep gulch in Nā‘iwa, she started strategizing. Native to the Indonesian archipelago, albizia rapidly monopolizes disturbed mesic and wet forests in Hawai‘i, and can rise to over 120 feet tall with wide, interlocking canopies. Because albizia trees fix nitrogen in the soil, they alter Hawaiian forests to favor non-native plants.
The Nā‘iwa discovery was the only albizia population on Moloka‘i—making it a good candidate for eradication. But controlling the trees would be a huge project, requiring the cooperation of many stakeholders.
These giants reach over 120 feet tall.
First Buchanan approached the landowner, who granted access to the site. Land and air surveys revealed a fifteen-acre patch of mature trees, some with trunks measuring seven feet in circumference. Before rounding up extra hands to help with control work, Buchanan consulted kumu Mikiala Pescaia, who has genealogical ties to the area.
“It’s a good idea to ask permission before you do anything,” says Buchanan. “Every place is sacred, or has some history, and so it’s always a good idea to consult the indigenous culture.
“Nā‘iwa is makahiki and hula grounds. The crew needed to know why it’s special before working there.”
Pescaia agreed to ask her ancestors to bless the project and to share the importance of the site’s numerous platforms and heiau with the crew. She explained how killing during the makahiki season would be inappropriate, since it was a time of peace and rest.
- Kumu Mikiala Pescaia and the crew at the edge of Kalaupapa.
“She took us to the edge of Kalaupapa and said, ‘This is where the spirits leap off,’” says Buchanan. “After that, the crew was hyped. We knew we were going to sweat and work our butts off, but people would appreciate what we were trying to do. It put our work in a whole new light.
“Mikiala sees all her cultural sites being taken over by invasive species. Our work is important to her, to her ancestors, and to future generations. It’s a step in restoring a whole genealogy.”
Mikiala Pescaia asked her ancestors for permission before entering the work site. She outlined appropriate behavior for the crew to observe while working: no swearing, negative thoughts, smoking, or removing anything from the area.
Kumu Mikiala Pescaia and the crew at the edge of Kalaupapa.
Then, says Buchanan, “She went to the edge of the gulch and said to the trees, ‘You guys have to go. Thank you for what you’ve provided—oxygen, shade, etcetera, but you have to go. Lori and MoMISC are going to come and take you out.’”
Actually, it was Lori, MoMISC, and a small army. Kamalani Pali, the other half of MoMISC, helped organize crews from The Nature Conservancy, Maui Invasive Species Committee, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. John Neizman from the Department of Land and Natural Resources assisted with clearing the access road. Two retired foresters volunteered to cut and treat trees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Materials Center donated ninety pounds of native kāwelu, ‘a‘ali‘i, and ‘āweoweo seed mix. Before controlling the trees, Pescaia and the crew spread the seeds throughout the site, to repopulate the forest with native plants and suppress albizia regrowth.
Scientists and cultural advisors agreed that the best time to start work was the first week of March, after makahiki had passed. The crew girdled massive trunks, scraping the bark off with chainsaws to get to the heartwood and swabbing the cuts with small amounts of herbicide. Despite the heavy labor—three days of wielding chainsaws and rappelling to reach cliff-side trees—no one was injured.
Local businesses pitched in, too. Moloka‘i Community Federal Credit Union and Ron Kimball of Kamehameha Schools helped feed the workers. Mac Poepoe and Kanohowailuku Helm, local fishermen who have published a Hawaiian moon calendar, gave a pau hana workshop on how to be a pono fisherman. Realtors Diane and Larry Swenson accommodated visiting crews in their roomy warehouse.
A year later, only four of 850 albizia trees required re-treatment. The project brought together community members, field staff, and cultural practitioners. Work crews valued the opportunity to practice traditional protocols while working to free the island’s native forests from invasive pests. There’s no arguing that involving the community and asking for permission resulted in resounding success. The lessons learned during the albizia project will be applied to future control efforts on Moloka‘i and Maui.
“So many components had to come together. Everybody had to be on board,” says Buchanan. “But that’s our job: to make it easy for people to help us.” •
By Shannon Wianecki
MISC Editor and Curriculum Writer
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2010 edition of Kia‘i i Nā Moku o Maui Nui, the newsletter of the Maui Invasive Species. Find the full newsletter at www.hear.org/misc/newsletter/.
Pampas Gone Wild-Haipua‘ena Part 3
In the final installment of the “Pampas Gone Wild” series, we’ll cover some of the key identification features of pampas grass that differentiate it from the native sedge, Carex. These features can also be used to identify immature pampas in other habitats.
There’s an immature pampas grass in this photo…any guesses?
Zoom in for a closer look.
A young pampas closely resembles a native sedge, Carex. First look for the flat leaf of pampas.
Compared that with the "corrugated" leaf of Carex.
Another key feature of pampas is the razor sharp serrated leaf edges, shown clearly in this photo. This feature is easy to find by running your finger carefully along the edge, even on very young seedlings.
This series was brought to you with the help of the above members of the MISC field crew, Summer 2011: Paul Gonzalez (SCA), Brooke Mahnken (GIS and Data Specialist), Chris Radford (Crew Leader), Matt Fairall (SCA), Frank Ritenour (SCA), and Abe Vandenberg (Field Crew and Outreach). Thanks for your good and muddy work out there!
If you think you have seen a pampas grass in Hawaii, please contact your local Invasive Species Committee. Many Mahalos!
Pampas Gone Wild-Haipua‘ena Part 2
Here’s a young, but mature, pampas grass in a mostly native rainforest…pulling this guy up will leave a big hole in the groundcover, a hole means a foothold for another invasive species, in many ways doing more harm than good.
But if we leave the plant alone we’ll continue to loose our watershed and native species to this high-threat invasive plant. How can we remove it? Keep reading…
1. Remove the seed-heads.
2. Tie the pampas in a knot. this is what we refer to as the “ponytail” method; bringing all the pampas leaves together makes it easier to treat and marks the plant as one we’ve treated.
3. Bury the seed-heads deep within the plant. This keeps the seeds from dispersing on the wind, likely how this plant arrived here in the first place.
4. With the seed-heads tucked away and the plant tied together crews can apply a low-concentration herbicide directly to the plant (another benefit of the ponytail method-no over-spray). Within a month the plant will be dead and beginning to decompose and native vegetation will be intact and poised to reclaim this patch of invaded rainforest. The location of each plant we control is recorded with a GPS so it can be monitored in the future to ensure no seedlings have germinated.
There you have it-how to control invasive pampas grass a native rainforest on Maui.
Stay posted to learn how to spot a pampas grass.
The sun sets on another day of field work in the remote rainforest of East Maui
Pampas Gone Wild-Haipua‘ena part 1
Pampas grass or Cortaderia jubata with it’s wind-dispersed seeds readily escapes cultivation. Tackling established populations far from civilization takes some work…check out the work in one of our remote field camps–Haipua‘ena.
Helicopters bring the gear and materials out for both the crew and for building a new platform out of the mud.
The crew prepares to start hiking in. Along the way they’ll be searching for pampas.
The boardwalk running along the Waikamoi flume…the easy part.
A dead pampas grass…excellent!
A not-so-dead pampas grass…not excellent.
Very lively and seeding pampas grass…euuuwwh
Check back to see how we treat pampas grass in this kind of environment!
Get involved! Help survey for Little Fire Ants Saturday, October 22.
MISC staff assist the Hawaii Department of Agriculture surveying for little fire ants. MISC file photo.
Little fire ants (LFA) are devastating communities across the Pacific. Passive and deceitfully small in size, these South American imports pose a grave threat to Hawaii. They can deliver a painful sting, blind animals, and reduce biodiversity.
A cat on the big island blinded from a fungal infection, the likely outcome of little fire ant stings. MISC file photo.
You can help! We’re conducting a neighborhood survey for the LFA Saturday, October 22, from 8:30 am to 12pm. The little fire ant has been found once on Maui, and because the infestation was small it was eradicated. However, the source of the infestation has never been determined and there’s a good chance LFA are somewhere else on Maui. Your help in getting the word out is greatly appreciated!
Please contact us at miscpr@hawaii.edu by October 19th if you are interested in participating. We’ll contact you with more details.
More about the little fire ant…
If LFA were to become established in Hawaii, they would become the state’s most devastating pest. Throughout the Pacific, LFA has overwhelmed communities. If we do not stop the spread of the little fire ant we stand to lose much of our agricultural industry. We will lose our ability to grow our own food, enjoy our yards, and hike through the forest. Ground nesting seabirds and sea turtle hatchlings will be attacked, along with many of our rare insect species. Once little fire ant is established, there is little hope of eradication. Learn more through the postings on this blog under the category invasive animals.
I thought we already had fire ants here?
Don’t confuse the little fire ant with the much larger and widespread tropical fire ant (above). Photo courtesy of HDOA
Yes, the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, has been in Hawaii since the 1940s. While the tropical fire ant is a serious and unpleasant pest, it pales in comparison to the little fire ant. LFA are ½ the size of the tropical fire ant, only as long as a penny is thick. LFA typically sting people on their necks as they rain down from trees. Learn to tell the difference at www.reportapest.org.
To report a suspected infestation of the little fire ant in Maui County call MISC at 573-6472.
Lāna‘i
MISC work trip to Lāna‘i, camping at Hulopoe
Lāna‘i i ke ‘ehu o ke kai.
Lāna‘i stands among the sea sprays.
About once a year, MISC tries to get all staff (including those usually chained to their desks), out on a work trip and Lāna‘i is usually a good option. We can pitch camp at Hulopoe Bay at no cost thanks to support from Castle and Cooke and play in the surf after hot dusty days looking for fountain grass. Super-long sweep lines make logistical sense across the open red-dirt slopes of Kanepu‘u – it’s easy to see everyone and cover a lot of distance over just a few days. And it’s a great opportunity to bring all the field crews and office staff together in a different setting.
This year’s trip in May was one of the best. Everyone seemed in sync, with the load and laughter shared by all. Staff from Castle and Cooke and from Lāna‘i Native Species Recovery Program pitched in as well. Hardly any fountain grass was detected in the Kanepu‘u area, indicating that our strategy is working. Another strategy that seems to be working – training staff on multiple targets – was also in evidence. Vertebrate crew member, Dennis Green, brought the sweep line to a halt when he found a suspicious flowering plant. Lissa Fox immediately identified it as the elusive downy rose myrtle, a species previously reported as having been planted on Lāna‘i , but never before found. Although we didn’t turn up any more, we now have a point from which to conduct future searches.
I’m not sure about the kaona, or hidden meaning, if there is one, of the Hawaiian proverb about Lāna‘i . But if I were to make up my own, I’d say that our staff stands tall among the sea sprays. Trips like our recent one to Lāna‘i help bring that image home.
by Teya Penniman, MISC manager
