God bless those little pollinators

Let’s hear it for the birds and the bees … er, for all the pollinators!

Gov. Neil Abercrombie declared this week to be Hawaii Pollinator Week, which a statement from his office said was to “recognize the vital role of bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles in maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems and productive farms in Hawaii and elsewhere throughout the world.”

Not coincidentally, it also is National Pollinator Week, as proclaimed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior, following up on a U.S. Senate resolution adopted in 2007 that designated June as the month for such a week.

No doubt, we need those pollinators, so do what you can to help them thrive.

For ideas on how to do that, check out the Pollinators Partnership, a nonprofit based in San Francisco that offered up the idea for this special week in the first place.

Some progress better than none

Tired of undressing to get on your plane to Maui?

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration understands. It is considering requests to include Hawaii’s interisland flights in its expanding PreCheck program.

Pre-screened participants would be able to keep their belt, shoes and light jacket on, their laptop in its case and small liquid containers in the carry-on.

It’s a privilege offered to a select few: eligible frequent fliers on participating airlines, or passengers in certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection programs.

Even so, if it shortens the line for the rest of us in steerage, we’re all for it.