NATURE CONSERVANCY By keeping feral goats out of higher elevations, the fence allows native vegetation to grow, which helps replenish the aquifer.

Fence to control
feral goats seems
to be working well

Grazing by the roaming animals
had moved plant growth farther
up the Molokai mountains

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

Feral goats probably have been roaming Molokai longer than the 150 years Kimo Austin's family has operated the Kapualei Ranch on the island's south side.

Yesterday, Austin and dozens of others involved in the East Molokai Watershed Partnership visited the front line of their battle with the goats -- and celebrated what they saw.

Now thousands strong in the ahupuaa of Kamalo and Kapualei on the island's south slope, the goats' incessant grazing has moved the native ohia forest farther up the mountain.

As the goats chomp on native plants and grasses, the soil erodes and runs off onto the reefs below, affecting fishing. And the loss of native forest makes the East Molokai aquifer less productive, so there is less water for crops like taro.

As he looked yesterday at the grass on either side of the fence that the partnership installed at the 3,000-foot elevation a year ago, Austin was impressed.

"Look at the inside here," he said, pointing to grass that stood up to a foot high uphill of the fence. "But they've chewed everything on the outside."

On the slope below the 5-foot-high fence that is supposed to keep goats out of the higher elevations, the grass looked like it had been mowed to within a half-inch of the ground.

The 5-mile long fence was installed on Kamehameha Schools and Kapualei Ranch land as a demonstration project that could expand if neighboring landowners decide they want to participate. The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, a federal empowerment zone grant and money from other government agencies paid for the $200,000 cost of the fence. Many Molokai residents bristled a few years ago when high-elevation fencing was suggested as a solution to the watershed's problems.

"When we were growing up, fences meant for people to keep out," said Penny Martin, a Hawaiian culture and environment educator.

Ed Masaki, the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii's first employee on Molokai, points out that the fence actually "keeps the goats down closer to the hunters, easier to get."

Some hunters, who at first protested the plan, now embrace it, Masaki said.