State of the Society For 2009

By John Harrison, President

continued, page 3

Conservation and Advocacy: HAS is an active member of a number of partnerships, coalitions, boards, advisory groups, and committees working to protect, conserve and restore Hawai'i's resources. Some of these groups include the Ho'olaulima ia Kawainui, the Alien Aquatic Organism Task Force, the multi-partner Marine Debris Cleanup Group, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council, the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance steering committee, and the Marine Fish Conservation Network Advisory Board. The HAS Conservation Committee, working to prevent threats to native wildlife and habitats, reviewed and submitted comments on a variety of proposed projects and activities statewide. Board members actively screened documents (news releases, permit notices, draft and final EISs) for issues relevant to HAS conservation concerns, assuring accuracy and comprehensiveness of the presentations. In addition, Directors and members represented HAS at conferences, workshops, hearings, and on several steering committees, teams, and task forces.

In November of 2008, HAS joined with the Sierra Club and the National Audubon Society in legal action to enforce court orders obtained in 1979, 1987, and 1998 requiring the State of Hawai'i to eradicate all feral goats, feral sheep, mouflon sheep, and feral/mouflon hybrid sheep within the endangered Palila bird's habitat on the island of Hawai'i. In May, the judge in the case reaffirmed that the State's obligations under the Court's orders are on-going and remain "in full force and effect", and he further asserted that he would continue to monitor the State's progress in completing and implementing a comprehensive fencing plan to effect exclusion of feral ungulates from the critical habitat. In a subsequent hearing in November, although the Court denied our motion requesting establishment of a five-year deadline for completion of the exclusion fencing, the judge pointed out that the intent to raise awareness about the Palila's current situation was successful, and the legal action has spurred the State to complete the fencing plan and to begin the process of assembling the necessary funds to implement the plan.

During the 2009 State legislative session, HAS Legislative Analyst George Massengale tracked over three-dozen conservation and environmental bills, and actively supported those most closely related to the HAS mission, including the issues of global warming, invasive species, Kawainui marsh, and outdoor lighting. Throughout the year, HAS advocacy activities fell well within the legally prescribed limitations for 501(c)3 organizations.

Educational Programs: Starting in April, the Society hosted five bi-monthly program meetings Co-sponsored by the UHM Biology Program and open to all HAS members and the general public at no cost. The HAS program meetings include informational presentations on a wide variety of topics related to the mission of HAS. Presenters and subjects covered in 2009 included the following: two presentations on Kolea by Dr. Wally Johnson; a presentation by former HAS Office Manager Lydi Morgan on organic gardening for a greener future; Koloa: the Hawaiian Duck, with Kim Uyehara; and UH Manoa Doctoral candidate Kira Krend's presentation on her research on avian malaria on O`ahu, entitled: "Passerines and Parasites on the Populated Isle."

Field Excursions and Service Activities: In fulfillment of the Society`s mission to foster enhanced community values in support of protection and restoration of native systems and natural resource conservation, field and service activities offered for member and general public participation are one of the centerpieces of HAS operations. During 2008, the Society offered nine field outings, as well as cooperative wildlife surveys and field service opportunities. O`ahu field trips included two tours of Paiko Lagoon, Bird viewing at Hilton Hawaiian Village, a late afternoon and evening full-moon catamaran cruise to waters off the Freeman Seabird Preserve, two wetlands walking tours, a hike to the Wa`ahila State Recreation area, a whale watch cruise, and a tour of John Harrison`s renewable energy house.

In December 2008 and January 2009, annual Christmas Bird Counts were held at Honolulu and Waipi`o on O`ahu, Waimea and Kapa`a on Kaua`i, `Iao Valley and Pu`u o Kaka`e on Maui, Kualapu`u on Moloka`i, and Volcano and North Kona on Hawai`i Island. Annual counts again occurred in December and January 2009-2010 at many of the same locations. HAS volunteers served as organizers and team leaders of the counts, which operated in conjunction with Christmas Bird Counts at thousands of locations in the U.S. and around the world. Results of the Christmas Bird Counts are published in the June/July issue of `Elepaio (Vol. 69:5).

HAS also promoted participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is held each February as a joint project of the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Both bird counts serve to monitor changes in the size and health of bird populations. As well, HAS promoted annual Humpback Whale ocean counts in January, February and March on the Big Island, O`ahu and Kaua`i.

Volunteer Activities: Members contributed to the Society by volunteering their time during service trips, staffing the HAS booth at fairs, and helping in the office. Directors, members, and helpful students and friends spent countless hours over the course of the year attending such tasks as clean-up of the Black Point property, stuffing envelopes and assembling the annual membership appeal, and organizing and staging the annual awards dinner. Seabird researchers and graduate students from Hawai`i Pacific University and Pomona College volunteered their time monitoring wedge-tailed Shearwater nesting activities and reproductive success at the Freeman Seabird Preserve during 2009.

Reflecting on the accomplishments of the society as summarized in this report, it's important to note that volunteers have been directly involved in the majority of these wide-ranging activities.