Seabird restoration project underway at Na Pali Coast

The Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana and the Division of State Parks are among the partners heading a seabird restoration project at a culturally significant area along the remote Na Pali Coast of Kauai.

The Nu‘alolo Kai project, named for the once-vibrant Hawaiian fishing village that existed at the site for 800 years, aims to reestablish nesting colonies for three species: Newell’s shearwater (ao in Hawaiian), band-rumped storm petrel (akeake) and Bul­wer’s petrel (ou).

“Seabirds are really important ecologically and culturally,” said Helen Raine, executive director of Archipelago Research and Conservation on Kauai, another partner in the Nu‘alolo Kai Seabird Restoration Project. “Trying to protect these areas of the coast and not have them covered in invasive species, trying to restore them back to what they would’ve been like — I know a lot of people are very passionate about seeing that happen and having seabirds included in that picture.”

Seabird guano acts as fertilizer for plant life, which in turn improves the quality of water flowing through forest areas and into the ocean, where reefs benefit as well.

“It goes all the way from the forest right down to the reef,” Raine said. “It’s about trying to restore that whole ecosystem and make it climate resilient and healthy for fishing and all the things that would’ve happened in that Hawaiian village throughout the centuries.”

In years past, Nualolo Kai has been a site for ecological and archaeological restoration, according to a news release announcing the seabird project. In 1992, the Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana helped return ancestral remains to the area under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, according to Sabra Kauka, the group’s founding member and former president.

Since then, fencing was installed to keep out goats that were devouring various “canoe plant” species brought to the islands by early Polynesian settlers. The Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana received funding to replant the depleted species, which include paper mulberry (wauke) and pandanus (lauhala). Now these species are thriving, Kauka said.

About two years ago, Kauai-based Hallux Ecosystem Restoration LLC initiated a predator control program that enabled wedge-tailed shearwaters (uau kani) to return to Nualolo Kai while drawing further attention to the importance of predator control in the area. This eventually led to the idea for the larger seabird restoration project that is currently underway, Raine said.

Hallux continues its work at Nualolo Kai targeting barn owls, rats and cats. Meanwhile, members of the Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana and Archipelago Research and Conservation will focus on monitoring and managing the seabird populations there, Raine said. Some of their work will include setting up artificial burrows as safe nesting places and a “social attraction system” that mimics the bird calls of healthy colonies.

Helping in the effort were seniors from Island School on Kauai who painted nesting boxes, Raine said. Another project partner, the American Bird Conservancy, will be putting up signage in the area to educate visitors about the site’s bird species.

“There’s a lot of people going through every day who want to learn,” Raine said. “They want to know about the natural history there, so that’ll be a chance to tell people about the birds and what they can do to help.”

Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.