Kaua‘i forest bird and seabird recovery and protection programs to move to a joint facility

The cancellation of a decades-long set-aside of land from the state of Hawai‘i to the County of Kaua‘i has paved the way for Kaua‘i’s renowned forest bird and seabird recovery and protection programs to move into a joint facility.

Today, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami’s request to cancel a governor’s executive order, dating back to 1955, that was issued to the county as the Hanapēpē dog pound. The property had been used by the Kauaʻi Humane Society for 46 years and, in 2016, the Land Board approved the use of the premises for Hawaiian stewardship programs.

However, those programs are no longer ongoing, and squatters have moved in, despite efforts to keep them out. Kaua‘i County will remove the squatters and their personal effects before the cancellation takes effect.

The property will be used by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit on behalf of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project, the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project and the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi. The 25-year lease is at no cost.

Shaya Honarvar, PhD., Pacific Cooperative Services director and principal investigator for the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery and Endangered Seabird Recovery projects, said: “Our mission is to protect and restore Hawaii’s native species, ecosystems, and cultural resources. The forest bird and seabird recovery projects on Kaua‘i epitomize this mission by combining research and conservation of federally and state protected native birds; some of which would already be extinct without the intervention of the project’s talented and dedicated teams.”

According to a submission to the Land Board: “Due to the recent dramatic declines in forest bird populations on Kaua‘i and new advances in technologies to address their primary threat, mosquito-borne diseases, KFBRP’s budget and staff have recently increased almost two-fold. KFBRP has outgrown the small commercial real estate property it has rented since 2011.
Meanwhile, KESRP has been occupying a small container at the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife base yard but needs to find a permanent home.”

Lisa ‘Cali’ Crampton, PhD., Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project leader, said: “This allows us to share staff knowledge and skills more easily. A major synergy will be having space for cross- training, not only with our seabird partners, but also with our DLNR colleagues. There are many overlaps between various types of avian research and conservation, so being together provides great learning opportunities.”

The property is very close to where DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife is developing a
westside base yard. Division Kaua‘i Branch Manager Sheri S. Mann said: “We hope to break ground in the next six months. The proximity of these projects, who we already collaborate with frequently, is going to enhance our shared endangered bird protection mission.”

“With the extinction crisis we’re facing, having a shared baseyard will allow us to streamline field operations, share equipment, vehicles, and other resources. Having a united front allows us to expand our outreach to the community. It’s not just about doing the critical conservation work—it’s about showing how important our native species are to the health of our ecosystems and the cultural heritage that makes our island so special,” said Julia Diegmann, PhD., Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project planner.