Merrie Monarch goers told of ohia fungus

The state is reminding Merrie Monarch travelers attending the festival in Hilo next week that the transport of ohia lehua, popular in lei and hairpieces, is not allowed from Hawaii island due to a serious plant disease.

Ohia plants and plant parts, including flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, twigs, cuttings, untreated wood, logs, mulch green waste and frass (sawdust from boring insects) as well as any soil from Hawaii island is prohibited without a permit issued by the state Department of Agriculture.

Rapid ohia death, a rapidly spreading fungus that causes the crowns of mature ohia trees to turn yellow, then brown and die within days to weeks, has wiped out thousands of acres on Hawaii island. It was first detected in 2010 in Puna, and currently affects an estimated 135,000 acres around the island. So far, it has not been found on other islands.

Spores from the disease also may be carried in soil and by harvesting tools, vehicles, shoes and clothing to uninfected areas.

The state Agriculture Department will send crews of inspectors to the Hilo and Kona airports toward the end of the Merrie Monarch Festival, which runs from Sunday to April 7. Special inspection stations also will be set up from Friday to April 9, where passengers can turn in any ohia material before boarding flights. Passengers also can turn in ohia material to the plant quarantine offices in Kona and Hilo for proper disposal.

Violations of the quarantine can result in a misdemeanor charge and fines of $100 to $10,000 for the first offense.

Nene numbers grow, prompt new status

The nene, Hawaii’s official state bird, has good news to honk about.

Due to a growing population, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed Friday downlisting the Hawaiian goose’s status from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The nene was first listed as endangered in 1967. Due to recovery efforts, including captive breeding, population numbers climbed from 30 in 1960 to more than 2,800 today, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit.

As a threatened species, the nene still needs protection from ongoing threats, including predators such as mongooses and cats, as well as habitat destruction and collisions with vehicles.

The nene, believed to have evolved from the Canada goose, is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and once occupied nearly all of them. It is similar in appearance to a Canada goose, except usually smaller, and only the face, cap and hind neck are black. It has reduced webbing on its feet and spends more time on land than most other geese.

Today there are more than 2,800 birds spread across Hawaii, with 1,095 on Hawaii island, 616 on Maui, 35 on Molokai, 1,107 on Kauai and two on Oahu.