There is really no time to lose for a state project designed to safeguard at least two bird species from avian malaria by curbing the population of mosquitoes that carry the disease. The state would release in a Maui forest male mosquitoes made incompatible for reproduction: The females’ eggs won’t hatch.

Critics have sued to compel a full environmental impact statement rather than the approved environmental assessment. The worry: The EIS process could eat up all the time left to save the species.