Neighbor Islands also full of jewels
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
Near Ni'ihau
With belongings secured in a waterproof bag, Chris Swenson, coastal program coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, jumped from a charter boat anchored off Lehua Island, off the northern tip of Ni'ihau, and hauled himself onshore by way of a narrow sandy ledge along the island's rocky coastline.
If this was Hollywood the landing would be in darkness followed by intense drama involving sea caves, a night in the open, searchlights and a high-risk rescue by a four-man helicopter squad.
But this is Hawai'i, and just another day at the office for Swenson and state botanists Ken Wood and Mike Maunder from the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua'i. Their mission, which they had chosen to accept, was an overnight trip to the remote, crescent-shaped island for a biological restoration inventory or "look-see."
Three-quarters of a mile off the north end of Ni'ihau, Lehua lies at the very edge of the main Hawaiian chain, one of 37 offshore islands making up the Hawai'i State Seabird Sanctuary.
As coastal program coordinator, Swenson's job is to help conservation-minded landowners, as well as state and federal natural resource agencies, find money for restoration programs and scientific studies.
His "office" includes the main Hawaiian islands extending beyond the northwestern Hawaiian chain to U.S. territories and possessions in the Pacific region.
"Offshore islands provide a very secure place for rare, endangered plants," Swenson said. "... We think of them as a kind of living laboratory. On Lehua, for example, we'd like to re-establish native plants. One plant being considered is the loulu, or native fan palm, which once existed in extensive numbers of forests throughout Hawai'i and has now disappeared except from Nihoa and a rockstack off Moloka'i."
Swenson says the biggest problem facing offshore islands is alien species. "People brought sheep, cows, ants and weeds to Hawai'i and native species were just not equipped to deal with them. Goats, sheep, rabbits, rats and ants have had a devastating impact on them," he said.
Count the human species in, too.
"Many visitors cross to the offshore islands and genuinely care about the wildlife but don't always know what damage they're doing, Swenson said. "They walk across burrows, often crushing the nests of wedge-tailed shearwaters which then collapse."
But there was also good news on Lehua. Swenson said based on surveys and observations made on his January trip, the group estimated between 10 and 12 different species of seabirds nesting, including two species of albatross sitting on eggs.
Near Kaua'i
It's often bedlam on Moku'ae'ae island, directly offshore from Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge.
During breeding season, this tiny island, less than one third of an acre and 104 feet high, is crowded by thousands of seabirds.
Moku'ae'ae is state-owned and not officially part of the wildlife refuge, but the rockstack blends effortlessly into the raucous atmosphere where frigate birds, boobies, wedge-tail shearwaters, red-tail and white-tail tropicbirds, Laysan albatross and petrels roost, nest and noisily coexist on the rock face.
How do they cope? Where do they all sit?
"Moku'ae'ae is a very important place, not only for the birds who nest or land on the great rock but also as a place to observe bird behavior," said Dave Aplin, outdoor recreation planner for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
For example, visitors with binoculars can watch how the 'iwa (frigatebirds, often called "flying machines") harass birds returning with food for their chicks in the nest. The 'iwa ("thief") are superb flyers and so well adapted to life in the air they can barely walk on land.
"Frigates will ride on air currents before dive-bombing returning birds to make them regurgitate food," Aplin said.
But there are kinder moments, too. Updrafts from trade winds make it possible to see Laysan albatross drift by almost at eye-level. "And that's really cool," Aplin said.
Not all the wildlife at Moku'ae'ae is of the winged kind. Aplin recalls a naked swimmer who regularly swam from a nearby beach to Moku'ae'ae became trapped two years ago on the island by 20-foot waves for almost three days.
Aplin said the swimmer, who went by the name "Quiet," avoided rescue by a Coast Guard helicopter by jumping into a blow hole from which he was ejected by a wave.
After spending a second night on the island (the helicopter left), Quiet finally made it home, where he was arrested by Kaua'i police for trespassing.
Moku'ae'ae is part of the Hawaii State Seabird Sanctuary. The island is off-limits to landings but is visible from Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge, Kilauea Road. (808) 828-1413.
Near Maui
Molokini, a crescent-shaped island between Kaho'olawe and southwest Maui, is part of the state seabird sanctuary. The 19-acre, 125-foot-high island was created by a volcanic eruption.
Landing on Molokini is prohibited, but the waters within the island's crescent are a favorite destination for snorkelers and divers, who consider it among the best dive spots in the wor ld. The Molokini Shoal, established in 1977, is a marine life conservation district that surrounds Molokini and its shallow inner cove.
