Kia’i Moku Column — Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)

The plant with a spiky ball with orange flowers? That’s lion’s ear. What it is and how you can control it.

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

It’s easy to see how lion’s ear got its name, the distinctive orange flowers bloom in the spring. Photos courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr.

Lion’s ear: it’s six feet tall with a globular orange flower arranged on the stem like oranges and tangerines skewered on a shish kabob. It’s hard to ignore. From upcountry pastures to West Maui roadsides, this distinctive plant leads passersby to do a double take, both because of its appearance and abundance. Lion’s ear—sometimes called lion’s tail—is known to science as Leonotis nepetifolia and is invasive in Hawai‘i.

This plant owes its successful colonization to three factors: plentiful seeds, a range of habitat types, and the ability to thrive in human-modified landscapes. In a single growing season, the spiky seed heads release an estimated 1,400 seeds per plant. While most seeds will fall around the parent plant, some spread downstream along waterways. Once the plant germinates and sets seeds the population continues to grow.

The spiky seed heads persist even after the plant is dead keeping people and animals from knocking them down. Each plant can release 1400 seeds in a year and after several years, thickets form. Photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr.

Lion’s ear thrives in the mesic and dry areas of Makawao, Kula, Ulupalakua, and Kaupō allowing it to spread along roadsides and into drought-stressed pastures. It grows in lower elevations as well and is now found in Kīhei, Mā‘alaea, Olowalu, Lahaina, and Honokōwai. Tolerant of shade or sun, the winter rains trigger germination and its spiky seed heads discourage grazing and activity that would knock the plants down. Other favored locations include places where vegetation is altered and bare soil is present: grading, grazing, or erosion create the conditions for seeds to germinate. Plants sometimes show up along gulches after floods carry seeds down to eroded banks.

Native to tropical regions of Africa, the plant’s unique appearance led to its popularity as an ornamental as early as the 17th century. As European colonization spread, so did the lion’s ear, escaping cultivated gardens and becoming naturalized (self-sustaining wild populations) in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Hawai‘i, a student at Kamehameha Boys School on O‘ahu collected the first documented specimen in 1938.

On Maui, lion’s ear has become more abundant in the last decade as the once-scattered populations fused. Thickets of plants in pastureland and abandoned fields are now a common sight. While too widespread for an island-wide eradication program, problematic patches can be removed. As with any invasive plant removal, control efforts timed to disrupt the seeding cycle will be the most efficient and effective; persistence over multiple years is necessary to exhaust the seeding cycle. Recommended control actions include:

Physical/cultural control: For small populations, hand-pulling works because the roots are shallow. For larger populations, mowing or dozing is an option. Any seeds should be removed (bagged and thrown away) or tilled deep into the soil, followed by planting with a crop or pasture grass. Infested areas should be monitored for several years to eliminate the seed bank.
Chemical control: In Australia, land managers use picloram + triclopyr diluted with water as a foliar spray. Always follow the label when using herbicide.

If you’re noticing lion’s ear in new areas, share your observations. The online citizen science program iNaturalist is a great way to learn and document what plants (and animals) are in your area, including those that stand out – like a spiky orange flower – as well as those that are less obvious or that you’ve never seen before. Your contributions to the larger understanding of where invasive species are and help resource managers understand impacts and anticipate future invasions, and sometimes, these observations turn out to be a pest that can be stopped before it becomes widespread.

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 June 13th, 2024 , as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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From the ancient Kumulipo to a 1930s British ecologist to today, all agree that relationships in nature matter. What’s our role?

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

Relationships surround us – family members and friends, casual acquaintances and familiar faces. The people we know through work, school, or church and those we see in passing at the grocery store and post office. We swim in a sea of relationships; we shape and are shaped by all the interactions in our lives. Each of us is part of an ecosystem of relationships that has grown and evolved since our first breath.

The term ‘ecosystem’ was coined in 1935 by British scientist Sir Arthur Tansley, who urged fellow ecologists to consider the ‘whole system’ and not just the components. He promoted an understanding of the interactions between plants and animals, the minerals in the soil, the climate, and everything connected to them. Ecologists studying big-picture interactions began using the term as a framework, looking at how energy flows through the entire system, from the producers that transform the sun’s energy to food, through all the layers of consumers and decomposers.

Tansley’s terminology stuck, but the concept was hardly new. Over thousands of years, humans have observed and studied relationships and interactions in their surroundings. The Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, emphasizes the interconnectedness of the earth, sky, ocean, plants, animals, and humans. So do ancestral narratives from cultures worldwide. Like our own origin stories, there is a beginning—a first arrival, from which all relationships flow. In Hawai‘i, the connections were forged over the millennia, with new species successfully established once every few thousand years—finding or creating new places within the larger fabric. The pace of arrivals has erupted over the last two hundred years, and each new arrival exposes our environment to a potential risk. When a plant, animal, or microorganism has a disruptive or destructive impact, we label it invasive.

Hawaiian soils are naturally low in nitrogen. The ability to thrive in nutrient-poor soils helped ancestral plants colonize the islands, slowly creating forests from bare lava. The invasive albizia tree increases nitrogen in the soil, modifying the ecosystem to support non-native plants. Unfortunately, the excess nitrogen stunts the roots of some native plants, literally throwing them off balance. Invasive plants disrupt other relationships, with impacts cascading throughout the ecosystem.

Invasive species like albizia do more than displace native species, they can disrupt the relationships throughout the ecosystem. For example, albizia increases soil nitrogen content, facilitating other invasive plants’ growth. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr.

Invasive grasses are ecosystem modifiers. Soil moisture is affected by these invasive grasses, as well as the composition of microbes and nutrients that affect the growth of other plants. Often drought tolerant, the grasses grow vigorously over a few months. Then, leaves die back but don’t decompose, and, after a season or two, the leaves accumulate and create a mass of fuels ready to burn.

When fire does happen, native plants generally don’t survive. Of all the amazing forces that shaped the natural history of Hawaii, fire is notably absent; before humans arrived, there was no ignition source (other than lava flows). In contrast, non-native grasses are adapted to seasonal fires, often triggered by lightning strikes. They quickly recolonize a burn scar, from a seedbank, from nearby plants, or sometimes thanks to deep underground roots. Over time, invasive grasses reduce the growth of native plants in Hawaii, and the plant community shifts. Grasses have transformed an ecosystem where fire is rare into a fire-prone one, waiting for a spark.

guinea grass — Guinea grass and other invasive grasses alter soil moisture and an accumulation of dead, dry leaves that don’t decompose, creating a fire-prone landscape. Subsequent grass fire cycles creep farther into the native forest. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr

Even without fire, these altered ecosystems don’t return to native plants. Researchers who examined sites on Hawai‘i Island found that an area that had burned twice was already beyond the threshold for natural recovery, even after 20 years of fire suppression. Plants in these historical burn sites included grasses and invasive woody shrubs.

Like the individual relationships we forge over our lives, most are positive—or at worst annoying. Most non-native plants are desirable for their food or beauty, and either play well with the rest of the clan or can be kept in check with regular maintenance. But some are simply incompatible. Native plants and animals can’t uproot and move elsewhere. Without vigilance, more disrupters will arrive, establish, and forever alter the ecosystems they and we call home.

Sir Arthur Tansley and his peers don’t always include people as a part of the ecosystem. The Kumulipo emphasizes the place of kanaka in the ecosystem. People are not separate from the environment; we are of it. Our relationships are as interwoven with places, plants, and animals as with other humans; as a community, we have he pilina wehena ‘ole – an inseverable relationship – to our environment. When we care for the land, we benefit as well.

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For healthy reefs and productive watersheds, resource managers are turning to AI

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

_{The computer program identifies miconia in aerial photographs using visual cues such as leaf size and shape (see miconia plants circled based on the computer identification). Each plant is linked to GPS coordinates giving crews a location so they can then remove the plant. Photo credit, Spatial Data and Visualization Lab.}

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work—not just for chatbots in customer service or conjuring fake images. AI excels at repetitive and redundant tasks; it can increase workflow efficiency and speed up data analysis. These types of tasks aren’t limited to office work; even the work of protecting natural resources from invasive plants can benefit from AI.

The invasive miconia plant infests thousands of acres across East Maui. Its huge leaves shade out other plants, allowing it to dominate the landscape. The loss of understory plants and miconia’s shallow root system disrupt the forest’s ability to capture and store water, causing increased erosion and sedimentation that threaten the health of near-shore environments. The Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) has been working to keep miconia from spreading into higher-elevation watersheds. But to stop it, MISC first has to find it.

For decades, MISC used helicopters to search low-elevation forests for the telltale green and purple leaves. A pilot and a team of three “spotters” methodically flew back and forth, low and slow, heads hanging out of the ship, searching for miconia plants and recording locations on a GPS. Exciting at first, the thrill wore off after a few hours, replaced by sore necks and sometimes nausea. It was tedious and expensive, but the best way to survey large swaths of land for miconia.Until now.

Similar to how software in your phone can recognize faces in photographs or act as a secure login, computer software can be used to identify plants from images. Ryan Perroy and Roberto Rodriguez with the Spatial Data and Visualization Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi – Hilo (SDAV) have developed a process to collect footage of Hawaiʻi’s forests and identify miconia.

The process still involves a helicopter and flying back and forth in a lawnmower-like pattern, but instead of relying on human spotters, a digital camera mounted on the outside of the helicopter captures imagery destined for a computer in the lab. Small video cameras and equipment record the location, orientation, and speed of the helicopter. Rodriguez has trained the software to recognize miconia. The same visual cues that alert field crews to a miconia plant—leaf size and shape, the distinctive vein in the middle—cue the software to the presence of a plant. The computer then assigns GPS coordinates to the plant using data collected during the flight. A map is born.

_{Roberto Rodriguez from the Spatial Data and Visualization Lab at UH Hilo on a test flight collecting aerial imagery of East Maui forests. Rodriguez developed a computer program that identifies invasive miconia from photographs, saving field crews hours of work. Photo credit Adam Knox, MISC.}

“The software can recognize a single leaf poking through the forest,” Perroy explains. How do the two approaches hold up when compared against each other? The limits of the software are similar to those for a human spotter in some ways: leaves hidden by overhanging trees will go undetected using either method. But in trials comparing the overall speed and ability to detect miconia, the computer bested the humans—perhaps because it doesn’t get tired, bored, or airsick.

The software developed by the SDAV Lab for East Maui is looking for miconia; by training it on different characteristics, it can be used to find other invasive plants, such as pampas grass, or trees that show symptoms of rapid ohia death, a fungal pathogen not known to be present on Maui. Perroy has already done this on Hawaiʻi Island. “In the past we had a person review footage looking for symptoms of rapid ohia death. It was tiring, grueling work. A computer can do it in only a few hours.”

For Maui, initial efforts will focus on finding miconia along the borders of its known range—west of Hāna to Huelo, upslope towards Hanawi, and around the southern edge to Kīpahulu.

Woody Mallinson, Natural Resources Program Manager with Haleakalā National Park, explains why the National Park Service is helping to fund this project. “Protection of forest bird habitat is the number-one natural resource priority for our park,” he says. “The threat of miconia getting into Kīpahulu Biological Reserve is a concern.”

After some additional fine-tuning, the technique will be used to create a snapshot of miconia across East Maui—information that will help guide future work to ensure the long-term health of our forested watersheds.

AI and technology can’t replace our natural resources but these tools can help us in our efforts to support the healthy environment on which we rely.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on March 9, 2024, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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When does a species become invasive? A 1920’s scientist showed us, partly by accident

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

_{Bingabing is an invasive plant found on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Documented evidence of its spread in Hawaiʻi helps inform efforts to address invasive species. Photo courtesy of Forest and Kim Starr}

In 2000, Forest and Kim Starr, biologists with the University of Hawaiʻi, accepted an unusual challenge: drive all the roads of Maui at 5-10 miles per hour to look for plants that might be good targets for eradication. On the side of Olinda Road, they spotted a lone tree with large, umbrella-like leaves. It was bingabing, or Macaranga mappa.

If you’ve been to Hilo, you may know the plant; it lines roadsides and low elevation forests. But even after driving all the roads of Maui, the Starrs only found the lone plant upcountry. Why hadn’t it invaded the roadsides here?

Bingabing could have spread, it was just early in the process; the Starrr’s were in search of plants like bingabing, invasive species that were still early in their invasion and hadn’t yet started spreading.

_{An invasion curve illustrates the feasibility of eliminating an invasive species and highlights the importance of finding pests early on. Graphic by University of Florida, IFAS}

An invasion curve shows how a species spreads after its initial introduction and also illustrates the feasibility of eliminating a species. “If there are only a few individuals, it will take time before the population starts to increase dramatically,” explains University of Hawaiʻi professor and researcher Curt Daehler. Daehler studies what factors contribute to a plant’s invasiveness. “There are thousands of introduced species present in Hawaiʻi that aren’t invasive,” he says. “The goal of a plant is to thrive, so what keeps them from spreading? Certain species have a missing pollinator, or the plant is in the wrong location,” explains Daehler.

Stopping an invasive species early— during the lag phase— is an important factor for eradication. But it’s also the most difficult time for detection because their numbers are so low. Having better information about how quickly a species might start to spread can help with prioritizing targets. Estimates of lag time for introduced plants were once presumed to be very long, more than 100 years in some cases. These early estimates were based on indirect evidence and didn’t focus on plants from a tropical environment. To better understand lag times, Daehler says you’d need to intentionally plant a species and watch for its spread. It turns out the Lyon Arboretum in Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu had done exactly that.

*_{Harold Lyon planted hundreds of trees in what is now Lyon Arboretum in an urgent attempt to protect the watershed above Mānoa. Photo courtesy of University of Hawaii.}*

A hundred years ago, the slopes of Mānoa Valley were bare. For decades, feral cattle had grazed the slopes, causing rain to run off the land rather than fill the aquifers; sugar plantation owners were justifiably alarmed. They sought the help of plant pathologist, Harold Lyon. He advocated for protecting the remaining native forests, but also recognized the urgent need to restore vegetation. On a plot of land that eventually became the Lyon Arboretum, he planted hundreds of species from around the world looking for ones that spread swiftly to stabilize the soil and support aquifer recharge. His staff collected detailed information as the plants spread onto nearby land and up low-elevation slopes.

Today, the ability to spread quickly into new areas is a hallmark of an invasive species. Realizing the value of Lyon Arboretum data, Dr. Daehler examined the historic planting records and the documented spread to obtain lag times for 23 plant species known to be invasive in Hawaiʻi. He found that lag times were much shorter than previously estimated. “As soon as they reach maturity, these trees start spreading.” He published his findings to help others address known invaders early.

One of the trees Lyon studied was bingabing. Foresters planted bingabing to support reforestation on Oʻahu; it is now widespread in low-elevation forests. On Hawaiʻi Island, bingabing was seeded by aircraft following a fire in Hilo. It has continued to spread from that initial introduction and today, dense stands crowd the forests surrounding Hilo.

The history of bingabing on Maui appears to be limited to single introductions. Crews from the Maui Invasive Species Committee removed the tree on Olinda Road, and plants from two other sites. Bingabing is one of a dozen species of invasive plants eradicated from Maui before they could spread.

Harold Lyon was concerned about watershed health; had he known the outcome of some of his plantings, he likely would have chosen differently. Today, we have a choice, and a wealth of information about plants’ invasiveness, thanks in part to Dr. Daehler’s work. He helped launch the Hawaiʻi Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA), which serves as a background check for plants by predicting the likelihood a species will become invasive in Hawaiʻi. Resource managers, horticulturalists, and farmers can use the HPWRA before choosing to purchase or plant a new species, helping to prevent the introduction of a new invader. The only thing better than eradicating an invasive species early is preventing its introduction in the first place. Learn more and take advantage of the HPWRA at www.plantpono.org.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on February 10, 2024, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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What’s keeping invasive species out of Hawaiʻi? Inspections, programs and plans and finally, you

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

*Staff from Hawaiʻi receive training on how to handle snakes. It’s part of a larger* *effort to ensure prevention and response capacity.*

On the morning of January 9th, an employee unloading a container at a hardware store on Molokaʻi was startled by the sight of a snake flicking its tongue at him. The store immediately called the Maui Police Department and the Molokaʻi Invasive Species Committee. Within less than an hour of discovery, the snake was caught and dispatched. It was not a normal Monday morning—snakes rarely arrive in Hawaiʻi, and that’s by design.

Invasive species like snakes and other plants and animals can be drivers of environmental change. They can take over habitat used by native plants and animals, fueling wildfires, and disrupting aquifer recharge. These changes jeopardize agricultural and horticultural industries, tourism, and our quality of life. Preventing new invasive pests from becoming established and managing those that are already here is essential, but it doesn’t happen without vision, planning, and coordination. No single organization or agency can tackle all the invasive species challenges.

Even before a cargo ship leaves its port of origin, inspectors check for pests. In Oregon, which grows most of the Christmas trees destined for Hawaiʻi, inspectors shake out trees as they’re loaded into the containers, looking for wasps or other insects. On Guam, where brown tree snakes have overrun the island, a team from the U.S. Geological Survey regularly scours the wheel wells of outgoing planes to check for stowaway snakes. Once cargo arrives in the islands, the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture inspects it for hitchhiking pests. But they can’t check every box, leaf, or plant, and sometimes pests slip past the borders, finding their way into backyards or forests. Sometimes weedy plants are intentionally introduced.

Although invasive species don’t care who owns the land, agencies have specific mandates that limit where they can work. This gap was highlighted by the discovery of the highly invasive miconia plant in Hāna in the early 1990s. Miconia was on private and public land but hadn’t yet reached higher-elevation areas, where it would threaten the watershed. Control needed to occur wherever the plant had taken root.

So resource managers found a way to fill the gap. They created an informal committee, sought funding, and hired staff. Work expanded to other pests and the model was adopted by other islands, resulting in the island-based Invasive Species Committees (ISCs) that work on priority pests on private and public property. The ISCs focus on species that pose the greatest risk of harm and are considered feasible to eradicate or contain to limited areas. They work in close collaboration with partners whose work on invaders is more place-based—for example, watershed partnerships, national parks, natural area reserves, and wildlife refuges.

Addressing invasive species from reaching Hawaii begins outside our borders with inspections. Still some pests slip through the cracks and coordinated plans and response can keep them from becoming established. — Graphic courtesy Hawaii Invasive Species Biosecurity Plan, HISC

When invasive species have spread beyond containment but still pose significant threats, they may be suitable targets for biological control—using natural enemies from their native landscape to reduce their impacts in Hawaiʻi.

With so many players involved in this gargantuan task of addressing invasive species, it’s essential to plan and coordinate. In 2017, the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council released a Hawaiʻi Interagency Biosecurity Plan, developed with input from stakeholders from various agencies and the public. The plan identifies gaps in the biosecurity system and outlines policies, processes, and resources needed to improve our collective response. The plan offers a framework for agency collaboration, with specific tasks identified for lead and partner agencies.

Are we making progress? Chelsea Arnott, Coordinator for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council highlighted some accomplishments under the plan since 2017:

The Department of Health’s vector control program was restored, enhancing protection against new species of mosquitoes and the spread of mosquito-vectored human disease. This statewide program lost its funding after the 2008 economic downturn.
Research support has led to remote sensing using drones, helicopters, and computer-aided analysis of images to detect trees infected with rapid ohia death.
Landscape-level efforts are underway to protect native birds from mosquito-borne diseases.
In Kaneohe Bay, lab-reared native sea urchins graze on invasive algae that threaten coral reefs.
On Maui, new methods for treating little fire ants by air are proving successful.
Agency cooperation has helped find and test natural enemies to slow the spread of invasive plants, including tibouchina, devil weed, and miconia.
Interagency coordination on outreach and education has increased community awareness about the importance of invasive species.

Ultimately, an alert and aware community is one of the most important layers of protection against the spread of invasive species. Thanks, Molokaʻi, for helping to ensure there are still no snakes in Hawaiʻi.

Learn more about the priorities for action and the agencies working to keep invasive species out of Hawaiʻi; visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/

This article was originally published in the Maui News on January 13, 2024, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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Fencing for frogs; the effort to build a barrier to slow down coqui in Ha‘ikū is underway

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Lissa Strohecker

After the brush is cleared, contractors build the barrier fence. This section is one of the first completed on what will eventually become three miles of barrier built along the eastern side of Māliko Gulch.

In the summer of 2023, Ha‘ikū homeowner Carole Harris decided she’d had enough. For two years she had spent almost every night catching coqui in her yard. It was only two or three butcher knew what would happen if she wasn’t vigilant. Her neighbor didn’t control coqui and Harris, like many others, found the piercing call intolerable. “I had to be out there as soon as I heard them,” she said. She decided to invest in a barrier to keep coqui out of her yard.

Coqui barriers were first developed and tested by the University of Hawai‘i – College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources on Hawai‘i Island to help nursery owners keep coqui frogs from getting into their greenhouses. Coqui frogs can’t hold on upside down; so faced with a fence that had an overhang of 90 degrees, even the Alex Honnold of coqui couldn’t climb over.

Harris ordered some landscape fabric and got to work. She’s happy with the outcome; “I haven’t had a frog in my yard for months,” she said. A handful of other Ha‘ikū residents have built barriers around their properties and they’re a common feature of Hawai‘i Island greenhouses.

The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DoFAW) and the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) are hoping these successes translate to a landscape scale. In October, contractors begin building a barrier along the eastern sections of Māliko Gulch. DoFAW funded the project, MISC is working with the community on placement. “Our goal is that it will provide ongoing passive suppression, limiting the movement of coqui into neighborhoods,” explains Matt Cook of MISC. He’s responsible for coordinating access with property owners for barrier construction.

Once completed, the barrier will limit the spread of frogs along three miles of the gulch. Cook has been working with nearly 50 property owners. Like any landscape-level fencing effort, terrain is the most significant factor influencing where the fencing will go. Small but steep “finger” gulches can’t be efficiently fenced. Priority areas for fencing are those sections where coqui are known to enter neighborhoods.

Barrier construction will take several years. Before the barrier can go up, any existing brush has to be removed on 20 feet of either side of the fence line so it doesn’t provide a springboard for coqui or fall on the barrier and destroy it. Once the barrier is built, MISC will be working with the property owners to maintain both the vegetation buffer and the fencing material going forward.

Like sandbags along an overflowing river, the final barrier will limit where coqui can spill out of Māliko Gulch. Megan Archibald, Coqui Coordinator, sees how the barrier will complement coqui control in the rest of Ha‘ikū. “We’ll be better able to anticipate where coqui is moving and focus the crews’ effort on those gulches and steep terrain,” she says. But the greatest impact will be on the neighbors who’ve been working together to control coqui in their backyards. “Hopefully, the neighborhood spray programs will have a greater impact if coqui can’t reinvade as quickly,” Fewer coqui in neighborhoods means a lower risk of coqui hitchhiking to the rest of Maui.

To learn more about the efforts to control coqui frogs on Maui, visit mauiinvasive.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 9, 2023, as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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Coconut palms are woven into the culture of the islands; a beetle threatens that connection

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Lissa Strohecker

*Baskets woven from coconut leaves. Photo from Maui Nui Botanical Garden*

Would-be weavers spilled out of the shade under an open-sided tent at the Arbor Day event at Maui Nui Botanical Garden. Holding coconut leaves, they patiently worked the material back and forth in intricate patterns. At times, chatter came from the tent; other times, it was silent, brows furrowed in concentration. The kumu, master weaver Pōhaku Kaho’ohanohano, moved among the weavers, getting some started while trimming up and tying off the finished creations of others. Novice weavers hugged the kumu, beaming as they walked away with a new hat, bag, bowl, toy, or ornament created from a diminishing pile of leaves.

Coconut weaving is a tradition that dates back thousands of years throughout Polynesia. Coconut palms were first brought to Hawai‘i with the Polynesians. The coconut plant is akin to a pre-contact department store; it can meet needs and wants. Food (coconut meat) and drink (coconut water), material for building shelters, making rope, and weaving mats, bowls, and storage containers all come from the coconut. It’s even used for games and in ceremonial practice; the nut is used in ‘awa ceremony.

But the future of coconuts in Hawai‘i is at risk from a pest accidentally introduced to Hawai‘i. The coconut rhinoceros beetle is spreading on O‘ahu and has begun to reach other islands.

*The adult coconut rhinoceros beetle is nearly two inches in length, but because it’s nocturnal, it’s rarely seen. Photo courtesy Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response*.

At two inches long, the CRB is a beefy beetle, but it isn’t going to fly interisland on its own. Knowing what you are moving and where it comes from is the first step in preventing the coconut rhinoceros beetle from reaching Maui. By being alert to signs of CRB damage, a vigilant community can help find the pest early and keep it from becoming established.

*Bore holes made as the beetle eats through the crown indicate the beetle’s presence. Photo courtesy Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response*.

There are prevention measures in place. In October of 2023, the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) instituted a temporary, one-year rule prohibiting the movement of high-risk material from O‘ahu to the rest of the state to reduce the risk of spreading coconut rhinoceros beetle. As of October, the following items cannot be moved without a permit: palm plants; decomposing plant material, such as compost, wood, or tree chips; mulch; potting soil; and other landscaping products that may harbor CRB.

These safeguards reduce but do not entirely eliminate the risk of spreading CRB. Here are steps you can take to keep the beetle at bay.

For Maui County, soil, compost, and mulch are the greatest risk. Contractors and landscapers bringing in container loads are doing so by permit, but careful sourcing – checking with the vendor if material came from infested areas – can prevent contamination. Homeowners purchasing bagged landscaping products are advised to be alert as well.

Why? It turns out that bags aren’t much of a barrier to a beetle that can chew through coconut trees. Even if the compost, mulch, or soil wasn’t sourced from an infested area, if bagged soil sits in an infested area, an adult beetle lay eggs in it. The first detection of CRB on Maui was a dead adult found in bagged soil; this was also the suspected vector of CRB found recently on Hawai‘i Island.

CRB larvae are found in soil, compost, and muclh. Larvae crawl on their side and if you suspect you have found one in Maui County, take a video and submit a report to 643PEST.org. Photo courtesy of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response.

Know where your soil and compost are coming from and check for boring holes in bags and larvae. Storing material in closed containers will prevent beetles from laying eggs in them.

The quarantine rule also prohibits shipping coconut plants from O‘ahu that are taller than 4 feet to allow thorough inspection, but the soil in these and all potted plants could be a vector. CRB eggs are only about the size of 1/3 of a tic tac.

As CRB populations on O‘ahu continue to grow, the risk of accidentally transporting the beetle interisland will increase. Visit crbhawaii.org to learn more about distinguishing the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle from similar-looking species and to see photos of palm damage that can indicate an infestation. Contractors and landscapers can find best management practices to reduce the risk of introducing CRB on the MISC website.

Find details about the interim rule on HDOA’s website. Report suspicious larvae and palm damage through the 643PEST.org reporting system. We need everyone’s kōkua to help protect Maui Countyʻs coconuts, from the royal grove in Kapuāiwa on Molokai to the palms that shade the beaches of Hāna.

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Protecting ‘Ōhi‘a: Fencing for the Trees

Posted on July 27, 2023 by MISC

Ungulate rubbings or browsing on Haleakalā sandalwood tree are seen in Polipoli. — FOREST AND KIM STARR photo

“The fungus needs an entry point,” says Marc Hughes, a research plant pathologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Hilo. He’s talking about the disease that is decimating ‘ōhi‘a lehua in parts of Hawai‘i. An untreated scrape on a person’s skin can lead to a staph infection; a similar but more drastic result is true for ‘ōhi‘a. When some external force breaks through a tree’s bark, invading pathogens can gain access to exposed tissues, and damage or kill the tree.

Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia are fungal pathogens that cause the disease called rapid ‘ōhi‘a death, or ROD, so named because the trees appear to die within days or weeks. Both pathogens will kill ‘ōhi‘a trees, but lukuohia is more aggressive. Once infected, the tree responds, trying to slow the disease.

“It’s like a speed race,” explains Hughes, “but the fungus is faster.”

The crowns turn yellowish, then brown. The tree looks frozen, dead leaves still attached. By the time an ‘ōhi‘a tree shows symptoms, its days are numbered. Since it was first identified in 2014, rapid ‘ōhi‘a death has killed over a million trees, mostly on Hawai‘i Island, but trees on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i have also succumbed. A single infected tree was discovered and removed in East Maui in 2019 and, to date, is the only known occurrence in Maui Nui.

Wounding is a prerequisite. Plants with intact bark don’t become infected, even when directly exposed to the fungi. How does wounding happen? Wind is one way, says Hughes, who describes Tropical Storm Iselle as a “mass wounding event.” The 2014 storm battered portions of Hawai‘i island, breaking ‘ōhi‘a branches and toppling trees. Researchers observed a spike in ‘ōhi‘a mortality after the storm and linked the spread to increased windborne spores and tree damage. Ambrosia beetles, which may burrow into trees killed by rapid ‘ōhi‘a death, also play a role. Fungus-contaminated frass — the sawdust produced when beetles bore into wood — gets picked up by wind, animals and hikers’ boots, or falls into the soil. Studies indicate a strong tie between the presence of ungulates, such as pigs, cattle and goats, and rapid ‘ōhi‘a death. The large numbers of axis deer on Maui, Molokai and Lāna‘i likely mean ‘ōhi‘a trees in Maui Nui could be especially vulnerable if rapid ‘ōhi‘a death were to become established here.

The study on Hawai‘i island found that unfenced areas, where ungulates were present, had two to 69 times more evidence of rapid ‘ōhi‘a death-impacted ‘ōhi‘a than neighboring, fenced areas that were ungulate-free. Researchers are also looking into the relationship between ungulates and the presence of the fungi in soil samples. Initial results indicate a similar link: the presence of ungulates means a higher likelihood the destructive fungus will be detected. Flint Hughes, a research ecologist also with the U.S. Forest Service (and unrelated to Marc), thinks pigs may spread the fungus through ‘ōhi‘a roots when they dig up the ground searching for food.

While the potential scale of impacts to ‘ōhi‘a might seem overwhelming, there is hope. In 2022, students on Oahu helped convinced the Legislature to designate ‘ōhi‘a lehua as the Hawai‘i State Endemic Tree, honoring its importance to the ‘āina and Hawaiian culture. Protecting forests through fencing, ungulate removal and ongoing maintenance, is a straightforward strategy, and one that watershed partnerships across the state are already working to implement.

This strategy has public support. A recent survey conducted for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species found that 89 percent of respondents know about ‘ōhi‘a and 80 percent had heard of rapid ‘ōhi‘a death. An impressive 93 percent supported fencing of high-value forests and removing ungulates to protect ‘ōhi‘a from rapid ‘ōhi‘a death. Support may also be coming from federal coffers. This March, the Hawai‘i congressional delegation announced efforts to secure $55 million over a 10-year period for rapid ‘ōhi‘a death-related research and management.

In closing comments during a 2022 presentation, Flint Hughes offered a reminder: “We tend to think of ‘ōhi‘a as forests. Every ‘ōhi‘a tree is an important individual. Some of these trees are 300 or 400 years old. We should respect that and them, and do what we can to protect them.”

To learn more about how to support efforts to protect ‘ōhi‘a, visit www.rapidohia death.org.

* Teya Penniman is the interim manager with the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She has 30 years’ experience in natural resource management and advanced degrees in law and management. “Kia’i Moku, Guarding the Island” is written by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that threaten our islands’ environment, economy and quality of life.

UPDATE November 2023: Learn more about the correlation between tree damage and Rapid Ohia Death in the interactive storymap from the ROD Working Group

This article was originally published in the Maui News on April 8, 2023 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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Is ant-watching really a thing?

Posted on March 14, 2023 by MISC

By Monte Tudor-Long

If you list the different birds in your yard, you might come up with 15 to 20 species: myna, spotted dove, cardinal, perhaps a kolea or occasional nene flying over. It may come as a surprise, but you probably have just as many species of ants near your home.

You might ask, “Who cares? If you’ve seen one ant, you’ve seen ’em all!” But as with bird-watching, there’s a certain aesthetic to ant- watching. Just as birds are diverse and interesting to look at, the same can be true for ants. Check out Maui’s ants up close and you will discover a lot of variety. In addition to knowing more about the curious lives of these tiny cohabitants, what you learn could help stop the next invasion.

Ants are globally widespread and abundant, but all 50-plus species in the Hawaiian Islands were accidentally introduced by humans. Scientists and decision-makers concerned about invasive species look at impacts on residents, and also how invading species alter native ecosystems, and change agriculture, tourism, hunting and more. Different ant species may affect all, some or none of these realms. Our understanding of the problems caused by introduced ants comes from our knowledge of which ants are present, when they got here and where they can be found. Informed decisions require good information, and citizen scientists are a great source of important data on invasive species.

Observing and collecting ants can be easy and fun, and kids seem especially good at it. The first little fire ant ever collected in the United States was found by an 11-year-old girl in Florida; a 12-year-old boy in Alabama discovered the first red imported fire ant in the U.S. For both children and adults, ant-watching can be a gateway into new ways to observe, learn about and care for the ‘aina.

Ants you might find on Maui: graceful twig ant (center) as well as (clockwise from top left) the sickle-toothed ant, black house ant, yellow crazy ant, Emery’s sneaking ant, little yellow ant, African big-headed ant, tropical fire ant and ghost ant. — MELODY EUPARADORN / Hawaii Ant Lab image

One kind of ant can be as different from the next as a parrot is from a duck. You’ve probably encountered a species or two of pest ants inside your home, but most ants on Maui are not interested in your kitchen. Some indoor pests, such as black house ants, African big-headed ants, little yellow ants and ghost ants have a fondness for sweets. Ants in our yards include omnivorous ants, seed-eating ants, predatory-specialist ants, blind ants and others. The sickle-tooth ant specializes in eating pill bugs and sow bugs. The tropical fire ant, a serious outdoor pest, likes to eat grass seeds. Yellow crazy ants practically ignore people but are devastating to native ground-nesting seabirds. Graceful twig ants often nest in dead twigs in kiawe trees. Sneaking ants seem to prefer living in the most marginal, disturbed habitats available, like road medians and other sparsely-vegetated areas.

When you notice how different these ants appear, it might be less surprising that their social structures, where they live and what they eat are very different from each other.

Bird-watching is a popular hobby, and citizen-scientist bird-watchers enter tens of millions of sightings into online databases every year, giving conservation managers a wealth of data to help guide decision-making. The same cannot be said of ants — yet. Because they are tiny, it can be hard to tell one ant from another. But if you overcame that barrier, wouldn’t it be interesting to know all the different ants in your yard, and learn a little bit about their lives and natural histories? Since the year 2000, more than a dozen new introduced ant species have been recorded on Maui, including one last year. By becoming an ant sleuth, you just might be the one to find the next new species.

Spend some time in your yard, collect some ants and send them to the Maui Invasive Species Committee for identification. In return, you’ll receive information about the species of ants you found. You can start building a list of ants on your property. Collecting ants is simple: put a tiny bit of bait (peanut butter or mayo) on several 4-to-5-inch pieces of cardboard, leave them in shady spots around the yard for an hour and then freeze them in a ziptop sandwich bag. Mail your samples to MISC, P.O. Box 983, Makawao 96768. Questions? Contact miscants @hawaii.edu.

* Monte Tudor-Long is an early detection specialist with the Maui Invasive Species Committee, focusing on ant identification, natural history and ecology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz. “Kia’i Moku, Guarding the Island” is written by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that threaten our islands’ environment, economy and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on March 11, 2023 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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The race to protect Hawaii’s native forest birds from extinction

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Serena Fukushima

The upland realm of wao akua captivates all senses. Freshwater percolates into the earth, perfuming the cool air, and hues of greens and pops of red lehua delight the eyes, but the sound of its most charismatic denizens – the forest birds – is unique in all the world. These jewels of our rainforests – the honeycreepers – once had 54 different species. Today, only 17 remain, and some, like the kiwikiu, have fewer than 200 individual birds. Their plight is mainly due to a sound out of place in a Hawaiian forest – the buzz of a mosquito.

Hawaiian honeycreepers are an integral part of native ecosystems and Hawaiian culture. Some birds, like the ʻiʻiwi (left), developed long, curved bills to sip nectar out of crescent-shaped flowers, which both feed the bird and pollinate the plant. Kiwikiu (middle), developed sturdy beaks to snatch insects from tree bark. The ʻākohekohe (right) is Maui’s largest honeycreeper and has a feather duster tuft on its forehead to help aid in forest pollination. — James Petruzzi, John Crawley, Jim Denny photos (from left)

Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved from one common finch ancestor millions of years ago. Some birds, like the ʻiʻiwi, developed long, curved bills to sip nectar out of bell-shaped blossoms, filling their bellies while pollinating the flowers of the forest. Others, like the kiwikiu, developed sturdy beaks to snatch insects from tree bark. The ʻākohekohe, one of the largest honeycreepers, has a feather duster tuft on its forehead and helps spread pollen as it flits from tree to tree. An integral part of native ecosystems, forest birds are important to Hawaiian culture. Kia manu (bird catchers) plucked vermillion and honey-colored feathers for the lei, helmets, and cloaks of Hawaiian royalty. ʻŌlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverbs) reference birds in describing love, gossip, industriousness, and beauty. “He kumu lehua muimuia i ka manu,” means an ohia in full bloom attracts forest birds, as an attractive person will bring attention from others.

With the arrival of humans to the Hawaiian archipelago came invasive predators like rats for which native birds had no defense. But the greatest impact on native birds in recent history has been mosquito-borne diseases, primarily avian malaria and avian pox. Out of the 17 honeycreepers that remain, majority are federally endangered or threatened. Kiwikiu and ʻākohekohe populations have decreased by more than 70 percent over the last 20 years. Scientists predict their extinction in two to fifteen years if no action is taken to control mosquitoes in the forest.

A warming climate is allowing mosquitos to now reach high-elevation forest bird habitat. The southern house mosquito is the primary vector of avian malaria and has a 100% transmission rate. Some birds are particularly at risk – just one bite from an infected mosquito can mean death for a vulnerable forest bird. (Photo: Jack Jeffrey)

Mosquitoes, and the diseases they transmit, don’t thrive in colder environments and have historically been restricted to warmer, lower elevations. Unfortunately, a warming climate is allowing these pests to reach high-elevation forest bird habitat, the last refugia. The southern house mosquito is the primary vector of avian malaria and has a 100% transmission rate. Some birds are particularly at risk – just one bite from an infected mosquito can mean death for a vulnerable forest bird.

The southern house mosquito is the primary vector of avian malaria and has a 100% transmission rate. Some birds are particularly at risk – just one bite from an infected mosquito can mean death for a vulnerable forest bird.

The multi-agency Birds, Not Mosquitoes Project is urgently working to save our native honeycreepers from extinction. They have been exploring use of a naturally-occurring bacteria that is present in over half of all insect species worldwide, including many in Hawaiʻi. This bacteria, called Wolbachia, affects mosquito reproduction. Luka Zavas, Outreach Manager with the American Bird Conservancy, one of the agencies involved in the project, explains how it works. “When male and female mosquitoes have matching Wolbachia strains, the sperm and egg are like connecting puzzle pieces that result in fertile eggs. When a male mosquito has a different, incompatible strain than its female mate, their puzzle pieces won’t match, resulting in infertile eggs.”

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacteria present in over half of all insect species worldwide, including many in Hawaii, and can be critical to saving Hawaii’s last forest birds. When male and female mosquitoes have matching Wolbachia strains, the sperm and egg are like connecting puzzle pieces that result in fertile eggs. When a male mosquito has a different, incompatible strain than its female mate, their puzzle pieces won’t match, resulting in infertile eggs. — BIRDS, NOT MOSQUITOES PROJECT photo

Researchers hope to save our honeycreepers by raising and releasing male mosquitoes with an incompatible strain of Wolbachia, Swamping the dating pool with unproductive males effectively puts wild mosquito populations on birth control. Repeated releases over time suppress the overall population of mosquitoes and reduce the transmission of avian malaria, with the goal of giving our Hawaiian honeycreepers a fighting chance for survival.

Those working on the project stress that male mosquitoes don’t bite, Wolbachia doesn’t harm people, animals, or the environment, and the process doesn’t modify any genes. The same technique is used elsewhere in the world to control mosquitoes that transmit human malaria.

On Maui, approximately 64,000 acres of federal, state, and privately-managed lands have been identified as a proposed project area for the release of incompatible male mosquitoes. Environmental Assessments prepared for the state and Haleakalā National Park outline the proposed release strategy as well as plans for monitoring mosquito and bird populations to track progress.

For more information on the project, visit birdsnotmosquitoes.org. Luka Zavas will give a community presentation on February 22, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the Makawao Public Library. More information can be found here.

Serena Fukushima is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a graduate degree in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Kia’i Moku, Guarding the Island” is written by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that threaten our islands’ environment, economy and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on February 11, 2023 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

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