Fence protects Moloka'i forest

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

KAMALO, Moloka'i — The Moloka'i upland forest has been shrinking, eaten back by goats and deer. The resulting erosion leaves tons of dirt and rock on Moloka'i roads after heavy rains. The reefs are silted with mud.

In response, the Moloka'i community has constructed a 5-mile-long fence snaking up and down the valleys and ridges at an elevation of 3,000 to 3,500 feet to better control the wild animals.

The fence sits between the edge of the summit rainforest and the grassy hillsides below, establishing a barrier to keep the worst browsers — goats — from pushing the forest into retreat.

It is the first step in a community effort to apply traditional land-use practices to East Moloka'i, and treat mountains, hillsides, coastal plain and sea as part of a single unit to be managed together.

Workers from The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i installed 5 miles of fence along the slopes of East Moloka'i to prevent wild goats from grazing in the native forest at the summit ridge and causing erosion. The Nature Conservancy

Examples are easy to grasp. If the upland is eroded and bare from overgrazing, every rain brings mud down the gullies to cover the reef.

"Fishermen were talking about how, after a big rain, you can't do any fishing because of the silt in the water," said Grady Timmons of The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i.

The wire fence crosses two ahupua'a, traditional Hawaiian land divisions: Kamalo, which is mostly owned by Kamehameha Schools, and Kapualei, mostly owned by the Austin Estate through its Kapualei Ranch.

Crews were brought to the site by helicopter last year, camped on the mountainside and worked weeks of four 10-hour days. The fence was complete in April.

Nearly a year later, vegetation on the uphill side, where there are no goats, is much thicker than below.

"On the lower side of the fence, the grass is about down to a nub. On the other side it's 8 to 9 inches and thick," Timmons said.

Nature Conservancy Moloka'i manager Ed Misaki, who oversaw construction, said the community would watch to see whether native forest regenerates and will plant native species if necessary.

A restored forest will help recharge ground water resources, stabilize stream flows and revive springs.

"You realize what's going on," said Jonathan English, who worked on the fencing crew. "The goats are eating the forest. It's the dense forest that attracts moisture from the air and how we get our water."

The fencing project is the result of an islandwide planning effort launched in 1998 that resulted in designation of Moloka'i by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an enterprise community. Watershed protection was determined to be a key goal, and the East Moloka'i Watershed Partnership joined land owners, government, conservation organizations and community groups in that effort.

Among major supporters of the fence were Ke Aupuni Lokahi, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maui Board of Water Supply, Kapualei Ranch, Kamehameha Schools, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Park Service, state Department of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Moloka'i-Lana'i Soil and Water Conservation Service.

The next step is a hunting effort to keep goat populations under control below the fence.

"Fencing and hunting need to work together," said Kalani Fronda of Kamehameha Schools. "Fencing helps protect the forest from further destruction, and hunting lowers the number of animals and provides food for the community."

Reach Jan Tenbruggencate at (808) 245-3074 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.