Hawaii species
will benefit from
conservation plan

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

A local environmental group applauded a plan announced today by President Clinton to protect 18 natural and historic sites throughout the country, including the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Reserve on the Big Island.

But it said there are many more areas in Hawaii that need protection.

Clinton said today he wants the sites protected as part of the administration's $652 million "Lands Legacy Initiative," a new federal program to protect forests, farms and urban parks. Clinton said there are certain places.

The list includes Hakalau Forest, which supports hundreds of species of rare plants and birds. Other sites are Florida's Pelican Island and the birth home and burial place of Martin Luther King.

"We now have funding to protect all these places," Clinton said. "We have willing sellers, and we look forward to speedy review by the appropriate committees in Congress."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the refuge in 1985 to protect five endangered Hawaiian birds and their rain-forest habitat.

Henry Curtis of The Life of the Land said today they welcome Clinton's initiative but said the federal government needs to strengthen many other forests and seacoast ecosystems in Hawaii. One of those areas is acres of precious wetlands in Oahu's Koolau mountains. These private lands should be bought by the public and protected, he said.

"We think there needs to be a more concerted effort to protect eco-systems as a whole, and we would welcome any move in that direction," Curtis said.

The Hakalau refuge has two units: The 33,000-acre Hakalau Forest is between the 2,500-and 6,600-foot level on the windward slope of Mauna Kea 12 miles northwest of Hilo. The 5,300-acre Kona Forest is between the 2,000 and 6,000-foot level on the leeward slop of Mauna Loa. The Kona Forest is somewhat drier than Hakalau and is not open to the public.

The refuge was established to protect endangered forest birds, including the akiapola'au, the Hawaii akepa, Hawaii creeper, Hawaiian hawk and others. Hakalau refuge manager Dick Wass said today he cannot comment as yet because he hasn't heard of the proposed program. The refuge was set aside to protect endangered species, he said.