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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 25, 2003

State bird — nene — gets day of tribute

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

The Hawaiian goose is finally getting its day.

Tomorrow will be Nene Goose Awareness Day.

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Tomorrow has been proclaimed Nene Goose Awareness Day by Gov. Linda Lingle, in a tribute to the endangered species that became Hawai'i's state bird 46 years ago.

The special day is the brainchild of Gresford Lewishall and Keith Crosby of Gateway to Paradise Inc., a Kahului, Maui, music promotion business.

They began campaigning for the proclamation long before the stoning death of a nene in Hilo Sept. 7, and Lingle signed the document Sept. 10.

"Like so many other Hawai'i residents, we spent the week in shock, anger and grief over . . . the killing," Lewishall said. "Each story of loss is a heart-wrenching reminder of the preciousness of every nene goose."

Carol Terry, a wildlife biologist who is the state's nene programs manager, said Lewishall has presented a $1,000 check for nene programs to the state Division and Forestry and Wildlife. Terry said she hopes the education generated by Nene Goose Awareness Day helps prevent killings of Hawaiian geese.

According to the proclamation, a public awareness campaign is under way on Maui using information tags on retail merchandise and nene helium balloons at airports with information placards encouraging residents and visitors to learn more about the nene.

The goose species once roamed freely over the Islands by the thousands but, because of predation primarily by the mongoose, the nene became nearly extinct by the mid-20th century. Today, there are about 1,300 nene statewide.