Off the News

Too early to hawk delisting proposal

The Hawaiian hawk has rebounded on the island of Hawaii, but the idea of removing the io from the endangered species list seems premature.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering "delisting" the io, but the Hawaii Audubon Society would like to see the hawk re-established on multiple islands before that option is seriously considered.

Back in the 1800s, the io was found on Molokai, Maui and Kauai, along with the Big Island, so the Audubon Society’s suggestion makes sense.

Nene decide Oahu pretty nice

Other encouraging news involves Hawaii’s official state bird, the endangered Hawaiian nene goose. For the first time since the 1700s, the species was recently seen in the wild on Oahu: a nesting pair and three goslings.

Statewide, nene have increased to more than 2,000 from aboout 1,500 in 2005. The population has been growing rapidly on Kauai, from where nene have been transported to Maui and Hawaii island in hopes of establishing more numbers there.

Because of Oahu’s density, officials had not transported nene here. But it looks like the plucky geese have found their own way over.