Posted on: Thursday, December 27, 2001

Land deal creates habitat for endangered birds

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HONOKA'A, Hawai'i — A second "safe harbor" agreement between a private landowner and state and federal wildlife officials will provide habitat on the Big Island for the endangered birds nene and koloa.

Under the agreement, the 2,000-acre 'Umikoa Ranch, upslope of the Hamakua coast, will provide 150 acres of upland habitat plus two acres to create 10 ponds. The areas will be fenced to keep out predators.

Paul Henson, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, said the agreement is the first in the nation to include a wetland reserve program.

The first safe harbor agreement allowed the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to release 10 young nene last week on Pu'u O Hoku Ranch land on Moloka'i.

The agreements give landowners assurances that no additional restrictions will be placed on their property because of the presence of endangered species.

The Big Island project also will involve replanting 800 acres of koa trees as bird habitat and possibly for commercial harvesting.

The ranch will be responsible for controlling mongoose, cats, dogs and rats as well as invasive plant species such as kikuyu grass, gorse and banana poka.

The national wildlife group Ducks Unlimited Inc. is a party to the agreement.

An estimated 800 nene geese are found in the wild on Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island. The koloa, a native duck, numbers about 2,500 statewide.

'Umikoa Ranch, about 25 miles northwest of Hilo, uses the land for small crops, cattle grazing and koa harvesting. It has no nene and just two ducks. Officials plan to release a number of the birds there once the new habitat is ready.

"This partnership shows how forestry, ranching and conservation can go hand in hand," said Michael Buck, state forestry and wildlife administrator.