In my family photo album, there is a Hawaiian owl called “pueo.” In Hawaiian, aumakua is defined as a benevolent guardian spirit or family protector — and it is this pueo, that is my family’s aumakua.
Over the years, transformations to pueo habitat have proven to be fatal to its well-being — especially on Oahu, where this endemic owl is listed as endangered. We have a sincere interest in educating others about the pueo, its habitat and the need to preserve it, particularly in the face of increasing development.
How did the pueo elude every environmental impact statement (EIS) undertaken on the island of Oahu — and furthermore, avoid being sighted by all those petitioners seeking to reclassify their property from agricultural or preservation status to that of commercial, urban or industrial land use?
Historically, the first colonizers could not capture nor even shoot down the pueo to take back to Europe as a specimen for display, even though it was bountiful in their sights. So the answer to the question is this: It is inherent within the pueo to remain stealthy in its activities even though it makes its nest on the ground and is active during the day for all to witness. It simply thrives on not being seen.
And ironically, that trait just happens to be leading to the demise of the pueo on Oahu. For in order for the pueo to be protected under modern-day laws and saved where it lives, it has to appear and make a scene for the investigators when they are on site performing their EIS inventory. The expectations that the pueo will suddenly reveal itself on cue, contradicts everything intrinsic to this native owl. And thus far, the pueo has gone largely sight unseen, against its own interests and not knowing that such behavior has contributed to its own plight.
We know the pueo is here with us getting food to carry on and reproduce. That somewhere is right here in Ewa where I and others do see that bird, and we see it often. Due to the stealthy success of the pueo, however, it is able to evade detection during the EIS investigation process and because of that, is about to lose critical habitat necessary to sustain itself.
This loss of habitat can be best described as a pair of scissors cutting out the pueo from all memory, as if it were being systematically and intentionally erased from every picture taken within my family photo album. No habitat, no pueo — it simply comes down to that.
I believe we can use the pueo as a vehicle to heal this town of Ewa. Whether one is pro or con rail or up or down on the Ho‘opili master-planned community, everyone — developer to tree hugger alike — can find common purpose to see to it that the pueo does indeed, get cared for in our land-use plans and remain in photo albums to come.
The first step toward unity is to learn about the status of the pueo in our own backyard. Learn about the cultural significance of the pueo and conservation plans for its habitat at a Thursday public meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu multipurpose room; co-sponsors include the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sen. Mike Gabbard and Rep. Ty Cullen.
