Islands should see red over official colors

By Charles Memminger

Here's something -- actually two things -- I bet many of you didn't know: The island of Kahoolawe has an official color. And that color is -- drum roll -- gray!
Obviously, Kahoolawe, the so-called "Bombing Isle" populated mainly by very nervous goats, didn't have a strong delegation in attendance at the Official State Island Color Convention. Neither did Niihau, the privately owned island populated exclusively by tan-skinned native Hawaiians whose official color is -- cue irony -- white!
I was kidding when I suggested that there had been some kind of a convention to determine the official island colors. I have no idea how those decisions were made. Or, more important, why. What's the point of each island having an official color? Especially when the colors seem to have nothing at all to do with the actual island. The official color for Lanai, for instance, is orange. Why? I've been to Lanai many times, and I don't think I saw anything orange there except for sunburned tourists.
Kauai's official color is purple because ... who knows? Barney the Dinosaur is purple, and so is Tinky Winky, the allegedly gay, purse-carrying Teletubby. But what does purple have to do with Kauai? If any color should be associated with Kauai, it's green, because of all the rain it gets. But green is the color of Molokai, which from the air is largely brownish. Maui is pink, which is just weird. Oahu is golden yellow. Oahu apparently had enough political clout to be able to modify its color. Golden yellow sounds better than just yellow, which also means "chicken." After the attack on Pearl Harbor, no one can accuse Oahu of being yellow. Golden yellow has a nice, tropical-flower feel to it.
If Kahoolawe could have modified its official color, it might have at least become "Shrapnel Gray" or "Leftover Live Ammo Gray."
The Big Island has the only official color that makes any kind of sense: red. Molten lava is red, and there's a lot of that on the Big Island.
I wonder why the island colors were limited to basic colors. Why were cerulean, fuchsia and magenta not on the palette? And what about all those new colors that have been added to Crayola boxes, like Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown and Tickle Me Pink? At least Tickle Me Pink would give the Maui Visitors Bureau something to work with publicitywise, instead of plain old pink. "Come to Maui and We Will Tickle You Pink!" Or maybe not.
Banana Mania, Sunset Orange and Mango Tango are all real Crayola colors that would have been better official Hawaii island colors than what was chosen.
At the very least I think Niihau would have been happier with burnt sienna or even the Crayola color adopted in the 1950s -- Bittersweet. And a more appropriate official color for poor, bombed-out Kahoolawe, that might also reflect the state of the poor, nervous goats: maroon.

Hawaii's mystical island speaks

By THOMAS CURWEN
LOS ANGELES TIMES

Of course we thought about turning back, but we knew we couldn't. Nevermind that the trail had gone from bad to worse and the afternoon was getting on. We were stubborn - and hopeful.
"What's it like ahead?" we asked hikers returning to the trail head.
No one could give us the complete picture. Most had given up, discouraged by the slippery clay and the ankle-deep mud that had been with us from the start.
So we continued, burning our way up the eroded ridgeline, lifting ourselves through a maze of exposed roots, limbo-dancing beneath fallen trees and snaking up the sharply etched gullies that crisscrossed the trail.
One misstep would have led to a twisted ankle, a wrenched knee or worse: To our left was sheer freefall, an elevator chute into open space. Yet as much as our feet hurt and our legs ached, Pihea Overlook - at 4,284 feet, the highest peak overlooking Kauai's Na Pali Coast - lured us on.
Let others settle for more scripted entertainments - running a zip line, cruising the coast, sipping mai tais at some seaside resort - we had a different idea. My wife, Margie, and I wanted to escape the tourist-industrial complex and get some red dirt in the tread of our shoes, to find a place where the ancient goddess of fire, Pele herself, was more than a twittering joke for mainlanders - and to hear what the mountains had to say.
By the time we reached the summit, a denuded crown no larger than a pitcher's mound, we were spent. To the north lay the expansive Kalalau Valley, a complex watershed of steep fluted ridges, red cliffs, waterfalls and jungle extending 4,000 feet below us and running less than a mile and a half away to where the blue Pacific rose and fell upon the sand. To the south, as far as we could see, stretched the Alaka'i wilderness, the source of Kauai's seven rivers, a forested plateau riven by deep, eroded and unseen gorges, punctuated by the summits of Kawaikini and Waialeale hidden in their eternal rainstorms.
Clouds swirled around us. We had two more hours of daylight. We needed to start back, but first we paused and listened: In the midst of it all - the gusting wind, the muted surf - we heard a deepening silence.
It sounds crazy, I know - the idea that these mountains might have something to say - and when someone first mentioned it to us, we dismissed it as too New Age-y for our sensibilities.
But as we looked out from Pihea and watched the wisps of ragged clouds spiral in the valley below, rise up toward the sun, reveal rainbows inside their misty cores, turn silver and spectral and cyclone over the ridge into the interior, we found ourselves suddenly listening more carefully.
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Two days earlier, we had left the genteel comforts of Waimea for five days in the mountains, a long time to be away from the more popular destinations on the island, but we were intrigued by the prospect of exploring a corner of the state that still contained glimpses of a time some 1,500 years ago, before man stepped upon these shores.
We picked up groceries, two shaved ices at Jo-Jo's and headed north on Hawaii 550. As we started to rise above the beaches and coastal headlands, a sheet of fog descended. Waimea Canyon Lookout, whose vistas are often compared to the Grand Canyon, was so socked in that we felt sorry for the Japanese visitors who posed gamely for photographs, their backs to the monotone of gray.
We continued on the winding two-lane road as it cut through patches of bamboo, stands of eucalyptus and a scattering of native koa trees. Kokee State Park sits at the top of Waimea Canyon and extends north on a narrow plateau to a ridgeline above the Na Pali Coast.
At 4,000 feet, Kokee is something of an anomaly for the Garden Isle. Here, temperatures in the winter can drop into the 40s, cabins rent for a song, trails go begging for hikers, and its vistas reach out beyond the horizon.
We had made our reservations at the Lodge at Kokee, a state-owned, concession-operated collection of housekeeping cabins near the lovely Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow in the center of the park. We had been told that the cabins were rustic, but that didn't explain the broken window, a crudely patched hole in the floor, a tapestry of peeling paint, a cracked lid on the toilet and stains in the shower.
We asked to see another, which was slightly better than the first if you ignored a hot plate instead of a working stove and a mattress that sagged like a broken-down horse. Perhaps we should have taken our lead from the Japanese visitors at the lookout and pretended nothing was wrong, but it was more than we could take, even at $75 a night. We canceled our reservations and thought about cutting our trip short.
We wandered over to the offices of the Kokee Natural History Museum. I had spoken with Marsha Erickson, the director, the week before, and she had offered us a sweet little cottage (nevermind the resident rat and the fruit flies that swarmed the kitchen), just up from the meadow, in case the cabins didn't work out.
Closed to the public, it usually is bustling with researchers and volunteers, but this week it was vacant.
Erickson was also the one who said the mountains had voices. Late that night, rainfall woke me from a sound sleep, and as I pulled the blankets around me, I started to get a sense of what they might be trying to say.
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"Here, try this." David Kuhn handed me the set of headphones. He then pointed the microphone, surrounded by a parabolic reflector the size of a trash-can lid, into the forest, and the symphony began.
Leaves in the wind were violins; creaking branches, horns; a bird in close flight, drums. This is what it's like to be a dog, I thought, and then I tilted my head: a shama, a white-rumped shama, singing in the distance. And then, an apapane, as clear as a bell, its descending inflected trill followed by what sounded like a little burp.
Kuhn smiled. "A very self-satisfied bird," he said.
We had hiked with Kuhn just beyond the eastern boundary of the park, above the Kawaikoi River, one of the many streams that begins in these mountains and cuts down into Waimea Canyon. It was an easy trail, aided by a shoulder-wide boardwalk, long wooden planks covered with steel mesh for better traction. Anything less would have meant slipping or traipsing through mud.
When we arrived in the middle of the forest, on the edge of a ridge carpeted by a maze of ululhe ferns and latticed by a skyscape of ohia trees, we sat down on the boardwalk, legs dangling off the side, and waited.
"Humans are here on the planet to appreciate nature," Kuhn told us. "No other being has the means - intellectually or physiologically - to see and discern the meaning of nature around us. Native Hawaiians knew this; this is one reason so many of their names for places are animistic."
As he talked, a small yellow bird with a black mask hopped through the ohia branches in front of us. It was an amakihi.
"A gift," Kuhn whispered.
Then an iiwi, a puffball of pure scarlet, darted across the gorge. Kuhn kissed the back of his hand as a way of drawing it in.
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We had met Aunty Aletha, as she is known, at the West Kauai Visitor Center. She has lived on the west side of the island for most of her 77 years.
"It is hard to say how to be in the forest," she had said. "You have to let go of all your rubbish. You must be an empty vessel. You go up to the mountains with an empty mind."
Her words were on our minds the morning we walked from the Kalalau Lookout to Puu o Kila overlook, a stretch of road closed to traffic and perfect for birding. High in the crooked snags of the red-tipped ohia trees, we watched the flittering antics of the ever-present apapane and caught the faraway tones of shama.
Kuhn had taught us well, and although these were the only birds we could identify, we knew we were hearing others - the elepaio, the iiwi, the amakihi - in the exotic tangle of ululhe ferns, ohias and fluttering lapa lapa trees. Such was the spell of this wilderness where each new species of plant and bird became an onomatopoetic puzzle, suggesting a certain delicate intimacy with the world.
"We know this," Aletha had said, "and mainlanders have to learn it."
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On our last day at Kokee, we wanted to hike to Kilohana. Perched at 4,022 feet, this vista point peers down into the Wainiha River Valley and looks out toward Hanalei Bay and Princeville.
To get to Kilohana, you have to cross the Alaka'i Swamp, one of the island's unique ecosystems, a lush landscape of dwarf forests and bogs that lies on the western drainage for the island's tallest mountain, Kawaikini, and the world's rainiest, Waialeale.
Travelers once had to lay down a path of fern logs to cross the sodden ground. Today there is a boardwalk, like the one we hiked with Kuhn, and as we followed it, the bending and bowing planks kept cadence with our steps.
The trail took us from a bowered rain forest, thick and impenetrable, into an open glade. We passed fields of ginger, broad-leafed ferns and toppled ohia trees shrouded by moss and lichen, its aerial roots dropping down from the fallen trunk. . In the middle of the swamp, shallow water reflected a cloudy sky. Wireless and forgotten telephones poles - remnants of an attempt in the 1940s to link up the island - rose at oblique angles above this moorish landscape. To the south, clouds engulfed Waialeale.
Kilohana is a small wooden platform no longer than a diving board but, mercifully, twice as wide, set on a precarious edge of Wainiha Pali. We were fortunate. The skies had stayed clear, and seven miles away, Hanalei Bay was a white-and-blue crescent. The surf at Black Pot Beach looked as if it was breaking right, and seven miles beyond, past the clutter of Princeville, we saw the Kilauea Point lighthouse.
On the trail back, we were bone-tired but sustained. Sunlight shot through narrow openings in the forest. The green ferns seemed to fluoresce in the understory. The plants shimmered like medallions of chrome.
I dropped back and watched Margie disappear ahead into the dappled light and shadows near the grove of sugi pines planted near the trail head. I was overcome by a sense of eternity and fragility, the feeling that our time here - in Kokee, on the planet - is limited and lucky.
This is what the mountains said to me.

Kauai missile test successful

By Tom Finnegan

For the first time, a Navy ship fired missiles and shot down two missile targets.
The USS Lake Erie conducted the successful test yesterday off Pacific Missile Range Facility. It marked the eighth successful test of the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defense system in 10 tries.
The cruiser equipped with the Aegis radar system was able to track both targets -- a short-range ballistic missile launched from the missile range and a cruise-type missile from a Navy aircraft -- and launch missiles within a minute, said Ballistic Missile Defense officials. Two minutes later the missiles destroyed the two targets.
It was the second try for the system against multiple threats. A similar test in December failed when the fire control system aboard the Aegis-equipped ship failed to work properly, and neither interceptor missile was launched. It turned out to be a software problem.
Although the Aegis system has been tactically certified, the Navy will continue to conduct tests of the system for years to come, said Missile Defense Agency spokesman Christopher Taylor this week.
The Kauai missile range will likely hold three Aegis tests a year for the foreseeable future, Taylor said, adding new wrinkles to each test as the Navy and the Missile Defense Agency continue to give officials information to fine-tune the system.
And tests for the Army's portion of ballistic missile defense, called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, are also scheduled off the Garden Isle base in the coming years.
"PMRF is a great test facility," Taylor added. The location and lack of encroachment "gives (us) an opportunity to test different missile ranges and different phases of (missile) flight."
Currently, there are six Aegis-equipped ships deployed and able to shoot down ballistic missile targets. By 2009, 18 ships -- 16 in the Pacific and two in the Atlantic -- are scheduled to be deployed around the globe.

Next U.S. Species to go Extinct May be Two Hawaiian Birds

Global Warming Heightens Threat to Their Survival

A dramatic drop in sightings of the Akekee and the Akikiki, two very rare birds on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, is raising concern that these species may be on the brink of extinction. Beginning this month the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will conduct population surveys of forest birds on Kauai to see if the suspected decline is taking place.“The strongest available measures such as captive-breeding, fencing out and removing invasive species, and emergency listing under the Endangered Species Act, are all necessary due to the recent history of Hawaiian birds in similar circumstances going extinct,” said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
The Akekee possesses an unusual bill in which the lower mandible is bent to one side allowing the birds to open up leaf and flower buds in search of bugs. Photo by Jim Denny kauaibirds.com
Hawaii leads the U.S. in the total number of endangered and threatened species with 329, and in extinctions – with over 1,000 plants and animals having disappeared since humans colonized the islands. When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were at least 71 endemic bird species. Since then, 26 of those species have gone extinct, and 32 more are now listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered. Several Hawaiian bird species, the Poouli and the Ou are assumed to have recently gone extinct before captive-breeding or other protection measures could be implemented.Fewer than 1,500 Akikiki remain in the wild and its population continues to decline. Photo by Jim Denny kauaibirds.com
David Kuhn, Doug Pratt, and Alvaro Jararillo, who lead birding tours on Kauai, recently alerted scientists, state officials, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to their concerns about the drop in sightings of the once relatively abundant Akekee.“I and others paying attention to Kauai’s endangered endemics have supposed that the Akikiki would be the next species to disappear – now it is more like a race to the finish,” said David Kuhn a birdwatching tour guide and observer of bird populations on Kauai. “While the Akikiki de-population and range contraction has been linear and relatively slow, Akekee is suddenly crashing. At this point both species can still be found with assiduous listening and searching—how long this might be is anyone’s guess.”“Disappointing birding along the Alakai Swamp trails. No sightings, and heard only a couple of possible calls of the Akekee,” said Doug Pratt describing a tour he led in March. “This bird was common when I was last here in fall of 2004, and has apparently crashed drastically in the last three years.”The Akikiki, a small bi-colored bird that lives in wet montane forests in central Kauai, has less than 1,500 remaining individuals and now occupies less than 10% of its former range. Surveys indicate that the population declined 64% in its core area in the Alakai Swamp from 1970 to 2000 due to habitat loss and alteration, the introduction of invasive species, mosquito-born diseases such as avian malaria and pox, and the impacts of hurricanes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in 2005 that the Akikiki should be officially designated an endangered species, but declined to move forward with the listing for budgetary reasons.The Akekee, a small yellow and green bird that lives in the high-elevation rainforests of Kauai, was until recently thought to have a stable population, estimated at 20,000 individuals. Like the Akikiki, the Akekee is threatened by habitat loss, invasive species and disease. Of particular concern is evidence that rising average temperatures could allow mosquitoes to survive at higher-elevations, exposing the birds to deadly diseases. Researchers for the U.S. Geological Survey have concluded that even a small increase in temperatures in Hawaii’s forests will eliminate much of the mosquito-free safe zone that once existed for Kauai’s birds.“American Bird Conservancy’s research has shown how effective concerted endangered species conservation can be. The Pacific nation of New Zealand has taken the decision to invest in protecting its unique species, and has been succeeding while the U.S. has stood by and watched as species after species has disappeared from Hawaii,” said Mike Parr American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President. “It is time to stand up and fully support and expand the excellent conservation programs already underway in Hawaii so these great birds are around for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.”

Giant retailer says survey shows support for Supercenter

Associated Press

Wal-Mart is using a new survey to bolster its case for turning its store on Kauai into the states's first Wal-Mart Supercenter, which would offer supermarket groceries.
The SMS Research poll paid for by the world's largest retailer found 41 percent of those survey said they were “strongly” in favor of a Supercenter and an additional 15 percent said they were “somewhat” in favor, for a total of 56 percent.
Advertisement Twenty-eight percent said they were “strongly” opposed to a Supercenter, 11 percent said they were “somewhat” opposed, for a total of 39 percent, and 6 percent were undecided.
“The survey results are very gratifying,” said Kevin McCall, Wal-Mart's Hawaii spokesman.
“The poll confirms our belief that in the 11 years since Wal-Mart opened its Lihue store, we have become an important part of the Garden Island community,” he said. “Kauai's people strongly support our efforts to serve them even better by expanding our store into a Supercenter with a full supermarket.”
The United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 480 said last year that it feared Wal-Mart's entry into Hawaii's grocery market will force conventional supermarkets to reduce wages to compete with the massive retailer and its low prices.
Wal-Mart would need county approval to proceed with its plans.
There are eight Wal-Mart stores and two Sam's Club stores in Hawaii.
Plans to erect another regluar Wal-Mart store at a busy intersection in Kapolei have brought some objections from local residents.
Those polled were asked: “There have been discussions about building a Wal-Mart Supercenter on your island. Overall, do you favor or oppose a Wal-Mart Supercenter on this island?”
Honolulu-based SMS conducted the telephone survey of 385 registered Kauai voters in March. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Dozens comment on Kauai 'big boxes'

By Tom Finnegan

The public hearing on bill that would essentially end "big box" development on Kauai attracted a standing-room-only crowd yesterday.
More than a hundred people testified, either in writing or in person, on Bill 2203, which would limit retail and wholesale establishments to no more than 75,000 square feet.
Dozens came in purple T-shirts saying, "Pass the Big Box Bill," while opponents wore blue shirts imprinted with "Let Kauai choose."
While the Council says the "Superstore" bill is intended to protect "the rural character and quality of life" on the Garden Isle, the bill's opponents believe its true intention is to prevent Wal-Mart from expanding to offer groceries and other services.
Wal-Mart intends to make its Lihue store, the only one on Kauai, into its first major complex in the state, expanding the current 118,000-square-foot establishment to 185,000 square feet, Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin McCall said yesterday.
Speakers against the bill all mentioned the Wal-Mart expansion as one, if not the only, reason they do not back the big-box ban.
Many testified that Wal-Mart's expansion would help many of Kauai's struggling families, with one speaker coming to tears as she explained how much she saved at Wal-Mart. Others discussed Wal-Mart's positive role in the community, supporting nonprofits and donating tons of goods and services to local charity ball teams and others.
Robert Hamada, a lifelong resident of Kapaa, said he grew up on Kauai well before the establishment of big chain stores, let alone the big boxes.
"Everybody romanticizes the 'mom and pop' stores," he said. "They ran it by themselves and for themselves. They added little to the life of the community."
However, those who support the ban say it is about time the Council stepped up to protect the Garden Isle from being overrun by big-name giants.
"I want my community to feel like a community," said Ann Panoho. "I don't want a Wal-Mart on every corner."
The bill will be referred to the Council's Planning Committee for further review.

Kauai's Fern Grotto Coming Back To Life

By: Paul Drewes

Kauai's Fern Grotto is not only a popular destination for millions of visitors, it's a place where thousands have tied the knot.
But the scenic spot was shutdown last year and is just now starting to come to life again.
It's a scenic journey on Kauai's Wailua River. The same journey Smith Motor Boats have taken for the past 60 years, traveling up and down Hawaii's only navigable river.
Along the way, they entertain visitors. And share the cultural importance of this river. "Alongside the river there is a lot of history, the royal family used to live in the Wailua river valley area." says Kamika Smith, of Smith's Motor Boats.
But the highlight of the journey is a stop at the Fern Grotto. A spectacular natural cave formation full of lush scenery.
But all of this changed a year ago, after nearly 40 days of downpours.
"The floods came and the flooding river destroyed the docks and water dislodged rocks." says Steve Thompson with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Those falling rocks also ruined the state's multi-million dollar facelift for the Fern Grotto.
Before the rock falls and heavy rains hit, the state had just installed new ramps and walkways, ones that were destroyed by the floods and falls.
And the danger of more falling rocks forced the closure of this popular attraction.
Without the Fern Grotto, business disappeared for these river boat tours.
"During the closure, we took 70,000 less people than the year before, so that hurt." says Smith.
Today, plants grow in once flooded areas, loose boulders have been scaled back and safety netting installed to keep future rock falls away.
"It took almost a year to rebuild the park to open it up again." adds Thompson.
The state hopes to have the Fern Grotto completely restored by summer, but the partial opening of the park means many are once again, falling in love with this Kauai treasure.
While the Fern Grotto is open again, there are some changes to the area. In addition to having wheelchair compliant ramps, visitors are no longer able to go "into" the Grotto, and must view this Hawaii landmark from a nearby observation deck.

Princeville Ranch Horseback Adventures, North Shore Kauai

By John Fischer

The North Shore of Kauai is, arguably, one of the most beautiful areas of Hawaii. There's no better way to appreciate the beauty of the North Shore than on horseback. With 2500-acres of North Shore land, Princeville Ranch is the perfect choice for your Kauai horseback adventure. Princeville Ranch Stables offers several different horseback rides: a Waterfall Swim Picnic Ride, an Ocean Bluff Ride, a Paniolo Cattle Drive Ride as well as Private Rides tailored to the ability of the rider(s).

Survey: Kauai's Rare Forest Birds Face Threat to Survival

By Scott Fretz, David Leonard and Pauline Roberts

Starting this month, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is sending crews of biologists into the forest areas of Kaua‘i to conduct population surveys of rare native forest birds to understand whether a suspected decline is taking place, and if so, to determine what areas are affected.
“The results of a 2005 survey deep in the Alaka‘i Wilderness Area, as well as recent reports from other biologists and citizens, suggest that populations of the remaining native forest birds may now be in rapid decline due to a collection of threats that may include loss and degradation of habitat, predation by introduced mammals, and disease,” said Peter Young, DLNR chairperson.
“Our teams reported a conspicuous absence during these surveys of several species, especially the endemic ‘akeke‘e, or Kaua‘i ‘akepa and ‘akikiki, or Kaua‘i creeper, from many areas throughout the Alaka‘i where they have been seen regularly in recent years.
“Although survey results can be highly variable for rare species, we feel that the data and recent reports from Kaua‘i’s birding community are compelling enough to initiate a series of surveys designed to adequately assess the status of these species,” Young said.
“The news is very disturbing but we are focusing efforts to get answers quickly so that we can take action as soon as possible.
“We are very fortunate that our field teams have help from many partners and volunteers, including private citizens/photographers familiar with Kaua‘i’s birds, scientists from the United States Geological Survey, Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center, Kilauea Field Station, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Hawaii Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, The Nature Conservancy, Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee, and staff of the Keauhou Bird conservation center,” he said.
“We saw the tragic rapid decline and probable extinction of the po‘ouli on Maui in the last year or so - that is a clear and powerful reminder that protection and restoration is needed early-on, before populations reach critically low numbers,” said Young.
Hawai‘i's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) recognizes the Alaka‘i Wilderness Preserve as a key habitat for numerous native and endangered species of plants and wildlife and a highly diverse unique montane ecosystem.
Teams will be surveying the 16-square-mile Alaka‘i wilderness preserve, a mountain rain forest rising at its highest some 4,000 to 4,500 feet in the Waimea district of northwestern Kaua‘i.
After the broad surveys are done, DLNR in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey will undertake research projects to sample birds for the presence of introduced diseases; and monitor birds to determine whether they are breeding successfully and to examine causes of mortality.
Hawai‘i’s unenviable status as the state with the most endangered species has spurred implementation of many new conservation programs that are gaining success in protecting rare populations.
Less than 50 years ago, 13 native forest birds made this unique region their home. Sadly, five species of native songbirds have not been seen in many years. The Alaka‘i’s latest loss has been the 'o'o, a black bird with white-streaked throat and distinctive yellow leg feathers that once were collected for feathered capes for Hawaiian royalty. Efforts are continuing to rescue from extinction at least one bird, the puaiohi, also known as the small Kauai thrush.
“We need to determine whether this is a real decline,” said Scott Fretz, DLNR-Forestry and Wildlife, wildlife program manager.
“If it is, one of the causes that certainly comes to mind is the possible spread of introduced disease carried by mosquitoes up into higher elevations. Much of the forest habitat for birds on Kaua‘i is below 4,500 feet elevation,” said Fretz.
“We have been concerned that mosquitoes may proliferate at higher elevations, especially if global climate change trends continue. Mosquitoes are limited by temperature at high elevations and are typically found at very low densities above 5,000 feet," he said. “Hopefully we will know more in several months what may be affecting these forest bird populations.”
The Alaka‘i Wilderness Preserve is a haven for rare plants and birds, many of which are on the endangered species list. Of the 71 known Hawaiian bird species, an estimated 24 have disappeared and 32 are endangered. If a thousand flowering species, 120 have fewer than 20 plants growing in the wild. Hawai‘i accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. landmass but 75 percent of its documented plant and animal extinctions.
Scott Fretz is the Wildlife Program Manager, David Leonard is the Forest Bird Projects Coordinator, and Pauline Roberts is the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project Coordinator for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Island unemployment up slightly

By Associated Press

Hawaii's unemployment is up a bit but still about half the national average. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rose from two-point-three percent in February to two and a-half percent in March. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reports all islands posted higher numbers with the exception of Molokai. The rate was two-point-three percent on Oahu, three percent on the Big Island, two-point-three percent on Kauai, two-point-one percent on Maui, two-point-eight percent on Lanai and four-point-six percent on Molokai. Across the nation, the unemployment rate in March was four-point-four percent, down from four and a-half percent in February.

US Airways pilot, 37, dies while snorkeling off Kauai

By Leila Fujimori

A 37-year-old US Airways pilot from Phoenix died after he disappeared while snorkeling off Kauai's North Shore, police said yesterday.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew found Theodore Teichgraber unresponsive at about 11:15 a.m. yesterday about a quarter-mile off Kalalau Beach along the Na Pali Coast.
Kauai police said another US Airways pilot called 911 at 5:45 p.m. Thursday to report that Teichgraber had not returned from snorkeling at Kee Beach.
A tour boat crew spotted Teichgraber in the water at about 11 a.m. yesterday, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Marsha Delaney. The Coast Guard's helicopter crew was directed to the man, and a swimmer was lowered into the water and hoisted him into a basket. He was flown to Lihue, and an ambulance took him to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ornithologists flocking to island to view eagle native to Europe, Asia

The Associated Press

A threatened eagle native to coastal Europe and northern Asia has made a surprise appearance on Kauai. “This is history in the making,” said Brenda Zaun, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who confirmed sightings of the white-tailed eagle.
While the visit is rare, it isn’t unheard of to see the species outside of its range covering Norway, Iceland, Poland and Greece, as well as Siberia and northern Asia.
One was spotted in Alaska in 2006 and another eagle lived on Kauai for 17 years until its was reportedly killed by a helicopter, Zaun said. The massive bird can grow to a wing span of 8 feet and dines primarily on fish and seabirds, such as albatross and ducks. Known also as the white-tailed sea eagle, the bird can scavenge along the shoreline and also steals food from other birds.
Zaun has already seen one albatross kill from the eagle and confirmed a report of two others. But she says the bird isn’t a threat to the Garden Isle’s bird population.

Rare forest birds to be counted on Kauai

By Associated Press

The state will dispatch biologists into the forested areas of Kauai this month to survey the populations of rare native forest birds. The Department of Land and Natural Resources says the surveys will determine whether suspected population declines are occurring and, if so, what areas are being affected. D-L-N-R Chairman Peter Young says a 2005 survey deep in the Alakai Wilderness Area and recent reports suggest bird populations may be in rapid decline. Young cited a collection of threats that may include loss and degradation of habitat, marauding mammals and disease. Teams of biologists will survey the 16-square-mile wilderness area in the Waimea district of northwestern Kauai.

Judge sets trial dates for Ka Loko Dam cases

By Tom Finnegan

A Kauai judge has blocked out nearly the entire year of 2009 to hear lawsuits related to the Ka Loko Dam breach.
The two cases, a wrongful-death suit brought by the seven victims' families, and a property damage claim filed by entertainer Bette Midler and others, name Ka Loko Dam owner James Pflueger, irrigation company owner Tom Hitch, partial reservoir owner the Mary Lucas trust, the state, Kauai County and former sugar plantation C. Brewer & Co. as defendants, among others.
Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe, who said yesterday that she expects to be the judge throughout the process, said the wrongful-death trial will start on Feb. 2, 2009. After what might be a short break, the property damage trial will start on Sept. 7, 2009.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they will try to consolidate the two cases into one trial, which could take up to six months. Pflueger's attorneys said they will fight any motions to consolidate the cases.
A third case, in which Pflueger is suing C. Brewer, Hitch and the state for allegedly failing to properly maintain and inspect the dam, may also make its way into the Circuit Court in Lihue. It was filed in Honolulu, but a judge there has granted a request to move the case to Lihue. A motion to reconsider has yet to be decided, nor has a trial date been set.
Pflueger is also suing Mimsy Bouret in the Circuit Court on Kauai. According to the suit, Bouret called Pflueger a murderer at a 2006 Kauai County Council meeting, and Pflueger is suing for slander. No trial date has been set in that case either.
The state Attorney General's Office, which is handling the criminal investigation in the Ka Loko breach, refused to comment this week on whether any possible criminal charges may still be filed against those involved.

Hawaii Superferry completes sea trials

MSNBC.com

900-passenger, 250-car ship built especially for Hawaiian waters

Hawaii Superferry announced Tuesday that its interisland vessel has successfully completed sea trials conducted in the Gulf of Mexico.
The trials by shipbuilder Austal USA are part of a review and testing of the systems, machinery and equipment aboard the four-story vessel set to begin service from Honolulu in July.
"Sea trials went very well and we are extremely pleased with the capabilities of this vessel," said Dan Spiegel, Austal's chief operating officer. "It's truly remarkable to experience the power and control of this catamaran.
"We are impressed with the vessel's performance during its initial trials and are confident that she will do well in Hawaiian waters," he said. "Our crew is looking forward to her maiden voyage and to bringing a choice of interisland travel to the people of Hawaii."
The christening of the vessel is to be held Saturday in Mobile, Ala., where it was built.
Austral is expected to hand over the vessel to Hawaii Superferry at the end of the month. It will then make its way to Hawaii via the Panama Canal in May.
Service between Oahu and Maui and between Oahu and Kauai are scheduled to begin in July with one-way fares of $42 per person and $55 per vehicle. A second daily route between Oahu and Maui and service between Oahu and the Big Island are to be offered in 2009 with the arrival of a second ferry.
Legislation that would have forced the state to complete a study of the interisland ferry service's impact on harbors technically died when it failed to meet a procedural deadline early in the legislative session.

Hawaii hotel occupancy 75%

Pacific Business News (Honolulu)

Big Island occupancy spiked almost to 80 percent in recent days while Kauai fell below the two thirds mark again; statewide, hotels were about three quarters fall.
For the seven days to March 24, occupancy was 74.9 percent, or 6.3 percentage points below the comparable week of 2006. Room rates averaged 8 percent higher, Hospitality Advisors said Friday.
Around the islands:
Oahu: 73.5 percent, down 10.3 points. Rate: $172, up 9.5 percent.
Maui: 78.5 percent, down 8.3 points. Rate: $277, up 7.6 percent.
Kauai: 65.1 percent, down 0.2 points. Rate: $208, up 2.9 percent.
Big Island: 79.4 percent, up 10.4 points. Rate: $217, up 8.8 percent.
Nationwide during the same seven-day period, hotels averaged 66.4 percent full, down 0.9 points from last year. Average room rate was up 5.4 percent, Smith Travel Research reported.
Points of comparison:
Los Angeles: 80.7 percent, down 1.1 points. Rate: $123, up 7.1 percent.
Orlando: 76 percent, down 6.5 points. Rate: $119, up 3.4 percent.
San Diego: 73.7 percent, down 8.1 points. Rate: $133, up 1.4 percent.

Helicopter pilot reports problems, makes hard landing

By Associated Press

A tour helicopter made a hard landing on Maui, closing one of the runways at Kahului Airport for about 40 minutes. The pilot, who reported trouble ten minutes before landing just off the runway, and six passengers were not injured. The helicopter, operated by MauiScapes, had minimal damage. No flights were affected by the closure of one of the runways after the Wednesday incident. The cause of the helicopter's problems has not yet been determined. The incident follows two tour helicopter crashes on Kauai this month, which killed a total of five people.

Hawaii: July launch for first Superferry

Hawaii Superferry will be able to go ahead with its July launch without facing an environmental review.
Legislation that would have forced the state to complete a study of the interisland ferry service's impact on harbors technically died when it failed to meet a procedural deadline late last week.
The bill's demise allays the fears of those who thought the review could have gotten in the way of the ferry service's launch between Oahu, Kauai and Maui in July. But environmentalists and lawmakers who supported the bill were disappointed.
The House Transportation Committee would have needed to support the bill for it to survive, but its chairman Rep. Joseph Souki said in commentary to The Honolulu Advertiser that it isn't fair to single out Hawaii Superferry after the state Department of Transportation already told them it was not required.
The department had ruled that Superferry qualified for an exception from an environmental review, noting that other harbor users, including shippers Matson Navigation Co. and Young Brothers Ltd., were not subject to reviews when expanding operations.
"There are other companies that use our harbors, travel in our waters, and essentially impact the state in the same manner," wrote Souki, D-Waihee-Wailuku, the Advertiser reported Thursday. "Some carry only passengers, some only cargo such as cars, and some carry produce and other products, including cattle, nursery plants, and other animal and plant life that have the potential of carrying invasive species.
"Some of these companies have been doing business throughout the Islands for close to a century. However, not one of them was required to do an EIS under existing law," he said.
While Souki's position on the bill requiring a review for Hawaii Superferry was well known among those at the capitol, lawmakers supporting the legislation had hoped public pressure might change the bill's fate.
Environmentalists have said the Superferry system, which would transport both people and their cars between the islands, has the potential to increase harbor traffic, spread of invasive species and hurt humpback whale strikes.
Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser said neighbor island senators who supported the bill did so because that's what their communities wanted and what they felt was right.
"Somehow, I don't believe this whole thing is over with," said Hooser, D-Kauai-Niihau.

Hawaii’s Back Yard

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

Nostalgic train trip chugs into Kauai's pastWhen Pepe Trask says he's had hands-on involvement with Kauai Plantation Railway, he means it. Over eight months last year, the genial general manager of Kauai's newest attraction helped lay every one of the 7,920 70-pound wooden ties and 1,056 600-pound steel rails for its three-mile train track at Kilohana Plantation.
Kauai Plantation RailwayMeet at: Kilohana Plantation, 3-2087 Kaumualii Highway, about one mile south of Lihue, Kauai. In addition to train tours, there are horse-drawn carriage rides, great shopping, dining and special events facilities.
Tours: Five tours are offered daily from 10 a.m. Check in 30 minutes before departure.
Cost: $18 for adults, $14 for ages 2 through 12, free for younger than 2. Ask about kamaaina, school and group rates.
Call: (808) 245-7245. Reservations taken between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.
E-mail: Train@hawaiilink.net
Web site: www.kauaiplantationrailway.com
"The entire track was built the old way, by hand," said Trask. "The rails are secured by 31,680 spikes that were driven into the ties with 11-pound mauls. Nobody in the crew knew how to build a train track, or had ever built one before, but a train consultant/engineer came from the mainland every two months to advise us."
Kauai Plantation Railway's tour enhances visitors' experiences at the 105-acre Kilohana Plantation, a State of Hawaii Historic Landmark that's touted as Kauai's premier dining, shopping and entertainment venue. A vintage diesel train chugs past orchards, vegetable gardens, taro patches, and expansive pastures where sheep, goats, cattle, horses and wild pigs graze.
The Plantation centerpiece is the elegant 16,000-square-foot Tudor-style home built in 1935 as the residence of sugar baron Gaylord Wilcox. In the heyday of Kauai's sugar industry at the turn of the last century, Grove Farm, owned by the Wilcox family, had more than 22,000 acres planted in cane, and there were eight other sugar plantations operating on the island.
In 1881, Kilauea Sugar Plantation brought the first trains to Kauai to transport harvested cane from its fields to its mill for processing and to carry raw sugar to the docks for refining in California. Kauai's other plantations soon followed suit.
"The trains improved operations and vastly increased sugarcane production," said Trask. "Prior to that, oxen, donkeys and mules were the primary means of transportation on the plantations."
Trucks replaced trains by the late 1950s, which is why Kauai Plantation Railway's tour has awakened nostalgia. When it launched in January, all the senior citizen clubs on Kauai were invited to experience it.
"Those people are in their 70s, 80s and 90s now," said Trask. "Many of them were born, raised and worked on the plantations, and all of them have vivid memories. They saw trains every day, but only a privileged few got to ride on them. I've seen old-timers quietly sit and cry when they take the tour."
COURTESY OF THE KAUAI PLANTATION RAILWAYFew had the opportunity to ride the trains -- originally used to transport sugar cane -- before the creation of the Kauai Plantation Railway.
THE 40-MINUTE ride often strikes such deep emotional chords, participants are inspired to donate photographs of their and their family's life on the plantations to Kauai Plantation Railway. As the pictures come in, Trask frames and mounts them in a permanent exhibit on the train depot's walls.
New, longer tour includes hike and lunch Starting April 9, the Kauai Plantation Railway will be offering a Train, Hike and Lunch tour at 9 a.m. and noon. This two-and-a-half-hour option includes a train ride and guided hike into Kahuna Nui Valley, a tranquil Eden where noni (Indian mulberry), ginger, heliconia, coconut palms and a host of other tropical plants flourish.
You'll walk beside a stream; spin on a rope swing; "talk story" in a scenic spot; and learn about the flora, fauna, history and legends of Kauai on this 90-minute walk, which is easy enough for a child.
Lunch will consist of a turkey, ham or roast beef sandwich; chips; macadamia chocolate chip cookies; and beverages.
Tour prices are $75 for adults, $60 for ages 2 through 12, and free for younger than 2. Ask about kamaaina and group rates.
The Kilohana Farmers Market is being constructed in the front of Kilohana Plantation, off Kaumualii Highway. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers grown at the plantation will be sold there when it opens in late summer. Plans call for agricultural students from Kauai Community College to participate in the market operations.
"Captions tell who the families are and what plantations they worked for," he said. "This display is our way to honor, document and preserve the memory of our kupuna (elders) and ohana (families) who contributed to and are an important part of Kauai's history."
That, in fact, was the vision Fred Atkins and the late Kirk Smith had when they created Kilohana Plantation in 1985.
"Our tagline for the project was 'Kilohana: A Glimpse of Kauai's Past,' " Atkins recalled. "By walking through Gaylord Wilcox's home and seeing the vegetable gardens and old workers' cottages, we wanted to give visitors a taste of the old plantation life."
In 2002, the two partners teamed up with renowned historic restoration architect Boone Morrison to create an agricultural park on 68 acres of fallow sugarcane land adjacent to Kilohana Plantation. Fourteen farmers lease the land to grow a cornucopia of crops, including bananas, papayas, eggplant, peanuts, cashews, coffee, avocado, taro, tropical flowers, hardwood trees, and exotic fruits such as longan, lychee and rambutan.
"The agricultural park provides a look at the future of agriculture on Kauai," said Atkins.
"At Kilohana, visitors can experience not only old plantation life, but they can see the variety of crops that have taken the place of sugar on the island."
Kauai Plantation Railway's tour, he said, links past, present and future. Although the idea for it was conceived at the same time as the agricultural park, efforts to bring it to fruition didn't begin in earnest until 2004, when the entrepreneurs heard two Baldwin steam engines once used at Honolulu Plantation Co. in Aiea were available for purchase in the Philippines.
Halawa was built in 1899 and Manana was built in 1916. When Honolulu Plantation Co. went out of business in 1947, the engines were sold to the Hawaiian-Philippine Co. on Negros island. They were retired in 2000 and put up for sale.
"To have found a pair of former Hawaii locomotives was a miracle," said Atkins. "We decided to acquire both and preserve them."
The engines currently are stored at a facility in Georgetown, Calif., awaiting funds for restoration.
"It will cost $300,000 to refurbish each one, and right now we're not able to do that," said Atkins. "In the meantime, we're fortunate to have secured, refurbished and put into service two diesel locomotives, a 1939 Whitcomb and a 1948 General Electric."
These locomotives pull four 36-passenger cars with big picture windows and gleaming mahogany interiors. Custom-made in the Philippines following specifications for passenger cars used by King Kalakaua, they're named after Kauai's Hanalei, Wailua, Waimea and Wainiha rivers.
Now that Kauai Plantation Railway's tour is rolling along smoothly, Atkins hopes to start a fundraising drive to restore Halawa and Manana.
"We'd like to put a donation box in the train depot and eventually obtain grants," he said. "Hawaii's train history isn't well known or well documented.
Halawa and Manana are part of that history, and we know there are people who want to bring those steam engines back to Hawaii, who want to bring history home."