Active response updates

• Little Fire Ant (LFA): 
  • The Hawai’i Ant Lab (HAL) will be conducting several groups of trainings in the upcoming months. A group of concerned citizens in West Kona developed the LFA HUI (Hawai’i Unites against Invasives) which holds monthly meetings with various stakeholder groups. HAL presented to resort landscape managers and real estate agents on the LFA issue and will be presenting again to County organizations in May. In addition, HAL will be developing a training class for Kona industry to commence in June.
  • HAL is working with the HDOA Apiary Program to offer trainings for bee keepers and queen breeders for Island of Hawai’i. HAL was awarded Farm Bill grant to educate nursery supply stores and pesticide distributers. For additional information on these trainings, please contact Heather Forester at heather.forester@littlefireants.com
  • The Pacific Invasives Partnership will be holding its annual meeting in Honolulu and Hilo on June 5-9. For more information, contact Cas Vanderwoude at cas@littlefireants.com    
• Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB):
  • Latest Week Reported (May 7 - 13, 2017)
    • 1,619 panel traps serviced out of 3,104 total on `O`ahu.
    • Newly damaged or suspect palms detected during surveys at Waipahu, Waikele Golf Course and Mamala Bay G.C.
    • No CRB detected in mulch surveys at Mililani and Waipio Peninsula.
    • Outreach conducted at Mauka Lani Elementary with five kindergarten classes (125 interactions) and at Kalaheo High School career day (25 interactions).
    • CRB in traps at Pearl City Peninsula (14), Iroquois Point (5), West Loch (1), Waipio Peninsula (1), Hickam Housing (1), Mamala Bay (1).
• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD):
  • Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is still spreading in areas of Hawaii Island where the disease has been confirmed. A ROD-infected tree has been confirmed in the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge on the slopes of Mauna Kea. The latest estimates suggest nearly 50,000 acres have been affected, but no other islands have confirmed cases at this point.
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  • (Above) HDOA set up booths at both Hilo and Kona airports for individuals to leave their lei and kupee and a decontamination area to clean their shoes before they head home from Merrie Monarch.
  • Science Team update: The science team is still emphasizing the wounding of ‘Ōhi‘a as an important message that we are trying to emphasize in all outreach efforts. Without a wound, the fungal spores will not have an entry point to infect. Once there is an open wound; however, chances of Ceratocystis entering the wounded ‘Ōhi‘a tree can greatly influence survival.
  • The Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Strategic Response Plan is available at www.rapidohiadeath.org

• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD) reminder: Anyone on ROD-free islands (other than Hawai`i Island) with suspect trees should call their local Invasive Species Committee (see links below) so that any samples go through HDOA's Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) and not through the regular post – More information can be found at www.rapidohiadeath.org.

• The HPWRA continues to promote responsible and informed planting choices by providing an objective, science-based and accurate method of assessing the invasive potential of plants being imported into and/or planted within the Hawaiian Islands. Recent articles in West Hawaii Today and the Hawaii Tribune Herald highlighted the use of Plant Pono, the outreach service that uses weed risk assessment scores to give advice to growers and planters.

• During early detection surveys for Rapid ʿŌhiʿa Death last month, OISC field crew spotted a previously unmapped patch of Miconia calvescens in between our survey areas in Maunawili and Mānoa. In one day the crew removed 6 mature trees and 78 immature trees over only 4 acres! There is still a lot more to survey and we expect to find many more mature trees. 
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• The Maunawili Demonstration Trail goes through this area, anyone planning to hike the trail in the future, please keep an eye out for this species!
• In the photos below; you may see the three key identifying factors of M. calvescens are three deep horizontal veins running from tip to base of the leaf, striking purple undersides and leaves that seem unusually large for the stem.
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• If in doubt, please take a photo, we’d be happy to confirm! If you do see Miconia calvescens, please don’t pull it; take a GPS point and a photo and contact OISC at 266-7994 or oisc@hawaii.edu (a good location description is OK if you don’t have a GPS device).
• Trails are a common vector for the spread of invasive weeds. You can help prevent the spread of invasive species by always cleaning your shoes between hikes, and making sure your shoes, clothing and gear are free of dirt, mud and seeds. Mahalo!!

HISC Support

• The HISC Brown Bag Series continued its series of brownbag talks; an ongoing series of informal lunchtime presentations to facilitate information sharing regarding invasive species.
  • 5/4/2017: Brownbag Series no. 5: KISC’s Prioritization and Feasibility of Control Process: Choosing Invasive Plants to Eradicate from Kauai. Presented by Early Detection Botanist, Kelsey Brock, of the Kauai Invasive Species Committee.
  • 5/31/2017: Brownbag series no. 6: Review and Updates from the Micronesia Regional Invasive Species Council (RISC) meeting. Presented by Hawaii Invasive Species Council Planner, JC Watson.
  • 5/22/2017: Brownbag series no. 7: Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death Update. Presented by Ambyr Mokiao-Lee; Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death (ROD) Statewide Outreach Coordinator.
  • • More details at the HISC website.
• The HISC's  Facebook page now has over 575 likes. Like HISC on Facebook to receive updates from HISC news, posts from our website, and invasives-related posts from our constituent agencies and partners.

Upcoming events

• Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance announces open registration for the 2017 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference:
  • Registration is now open for the 2017 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference!  The annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference (HCC) brings together over 1,200 conservation professionals, natural resource managers, scientists, and students from throughout the state.  This year's theme, He Waʻa He Moku, Mālama Honua: Caring For Our Island Earth, highlights the need to treat the biocultural resources of our island home, and island earth, as carefully as we would the limited water and food carried on a waʻa.  In Hawaiʻi, like on a voyaging canoe, we must work together to ensure the sustainability of our communities, our islands, our archipelago, and our planet.  Contributions and support from various sponsors and/or exhibitors are welcome and will be promoted throughout the event.
    Register online at: regonline.com/2017hcc
    Early Bird and Presenter Registration deadline is on June 9th. 
    Student scholarship open until May 15th!
     
• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD)
  • We are in the midst of planning the ‘Ōhi‘a Love Fest which will be taking place at the `Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo on Saturday, August 12, 2017 - a free community festival to celebrate ‘ōhi‘a trees and their importance in our native ecosystems and our everyday lives. And of course, weʻd like to share what we know about Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) and the many things we can all do to help prevent the spread of this devastating disease.
  • The ROD Documentary team has been chosen and have begun filming certain fragments of the story. The majority of the filming will take place on Hawaii Island during the week of June 12, 2017.
• Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC)
  • The HISC FY18 Call for Proposals was released on April 28, with applications for interagency project funds due June 9. Visit the HISC website for more details.