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HISC News is a semi-monthly newsletter that provides 1) recurring updates from active response efforts, 2) announcements and programmatic updates from agencies and partners, and 3) upcoming events. This newsletter is sent to the full HISC email list, and readers can subscribe/unsubscribe at hisc.hawaii.gov.
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Active response updates
HISC agencies and partners address a large number of invasive species issues across the state. Below are brief status updates for a few priority response efforts. For information on other invasive species projects, visit hisc.hawaii.gov, hdoa.hawaii.gov, or dlnr.hawaii.gov.
- Little Fire Ant (LFA):
Photo above: Little Fire Ant colony in folds of weed matting.- HAWAII ISLAND: For updates, please visit our website: www.littlefireants.com The extension team has a lot of good events planned for 2020 to help educate the public about our new findings.
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- If you find that you or your organization has an issue with invasive ants, please feel free to contact the Hawaii Ant Lab at (808) 315-5656. We are here to assist with best management plans for any situation.
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- The Hawaii Ant Lab (HAL) has continued coordinating Little Fire Ant (LFA) eradication efforts with HDOA, ISCs, CGAPS, and other agencies on Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. Though it may seem disheartening that LFA are being detected, it shows an increased awareness of this invasive species. These detections have population sizes that indicate the ants have been there for some time. This reinforces the need to test your properties for LFA at least once per year, and to test any high risk items you are bringing onto a property. Vigilance is key.
 - Little Fire Ants (Wasmannia auropunctata) are TINY! Only about 1/8" in length, but pack a sting like an ELECTRIC SHOCK! In Australia, LFA are called "Electric Ants" due to their shocking sting!
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- Additional outbreaks of Little Fire Ants have been detected on neighbor islands, some of which may be linked to the movement of personal items. As a reminder, Little Fire Ants are hitchhikers and can catch a ride on nearly anything. We can accidentally bring them with us when we travel or move to another island, so test all belongings and ensure you don’t bring this pest home with you!
- Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB):
- Keeping up with the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response - and how you can get involved.
- Are you looking for an easy way to help stop the spread of CRB in Hawaii? This month, we started a new field experiment: installing fish netting at the base of potted plants.
 - Caption: a coconut rhinoceros beetle trapped in "tekken" or fish netting. Image credit: Rick Cruz / Pacific Daily News (article)
- This technique originated from Chamorro fishermen who used tekken netting, a small gill net, to cover their compost piles and CRB breeding sites. As adult beetles attempted to enter or exit the site, they got stuck in the three-dimensional layers of netting. In 2014, CRB responders in Guam began deploying the method as an affordable and effective way to catch CRB at their breeding sites. Check out this article and report for more information.
- We’re trying this method because our traps in hotspot areas are still catching beetles even though nearby breeding sites have been identified and managed. We want to consider all possible options for breeding sites, no matter the size, and that includes potted plants. So far, we’ve connected with 11 volunteers in Iroquois Point and installed tekken netting on 99 potted plants. If you have a potted plant or garden area you’d like to cover, join in!
Tekken netting isn't sold in most places in Hawai'i, but bird netting with larger eyes is available at local hardware stores. Make sure to hold the netting in place with garden stakes and report any beetles you catch. If you find a CRB adult or larva, just capture it in a glass jar, take a picture, and let us know at beetlebustershi@gmail.com or 643-PEST (643-7378).
Caption 1: Netting is placed at the base of potted plants over exposed soil and held in place with garden stakes. - Caption 2: The CRB response has installed netting on potted plants at participating residences near hotspots in Iroquois Point.
- We also have an exciting staffing update. Former CRB outreach specialist Kailee Lefebvre has transitioned into a new job as a planner with the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species. In her five years with the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response, Kailee made impressive contributions to build awareness about CRB across Hawai’i. We wish Kailee the best in her new position! Two new outreach specialists -- Kaili Kosaka and Koki Atcheson -- joined the team. They’re building on Kailee’s outreach work and adapting to the challenges of COVID-19 by developing online outreach channels. They can be reached at crbpr1@hawaii.edu (Kaili) and crbpr2@hawaii.edu (Koki). For more information or pictures, please contact the CRB Response at 679-5244 or BeetleBustersHI@gmail.com
- Rapid Ohia Death (ROD):
 - Really exciting news! Our partners with the US Geological Survey have found that ‘ōhi‘a seedlings planted beneath Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) infected trees survive! The seedlings have been monitored for 1 year so far and all seedlings that died over the course of the study were tested for ROD and NONE came back positive for Ceratocystis. Some of the ‘ōhi‘a seedlings were planted within fences, some were outside of fences. Some had weeds pulled around them throughout the study and others did not. Dr. Stephanie Yelenik, ecologist with USGS and lead researcher for this project, said that seedlings were more likely to die if they were outside of fences and if weeds were not controlled. Check out the press release at https://www.usgs.gov/news/new-study-finds-restoration-forests-active-rapid-hi-a-death-infections-may-be-possible
- The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Diagnostic Lab in Hilo is responsible for processing all ROD samples from across the state. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, USDA ARS is currently only processing high-priority samples. If you have any ROD samples please keep them in the refrigerator and we will inform everyone once ARS lab is accepting samples again. If samples are kept in the refrigerator, they can last up to 8, possibly 12 weeks.
- Since our last newsletter, COVID-19 restrictions have eased and the ROD field crews from across the state continue to work on 'ōhi'a conservation in a variety of ways:
- Bi-annual helicopter surveys were conducted on all islands, with Hawai‘i Island doing quarterly surveys, to identify suspect ROD trees;
- Suspect trees from across the state are currently being sampled;
- The USDA lab in Hilo has re-opened and is able to process high-priority samples only at this time;
- Baseline and monitoring surveys are being conducted of key forested plots by way of unmanned aerial vehicles (a.k.a. drones) on Kauai and Hawai‘i Island;
- Research projects continue across the state looking at topics such as entomology, pathology, genetics and resistance, spatial data analysis of aerial surveys, and 'ōhi'a restoration;
- Boot brush stations at numerous trailheads across the state continue to be installed and maintained; and
- Sowing and growing 'ōhi'a for scientific studies and future restoration efforts!
- Testing at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Diagnostic Lab in Hilo is responsible for processing all ROD samples from across the state. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, USDA ARS is currently only processing priority samples on a limited basis. If you have any ROD samples please keep them in the refrigerator and we will inform everyone once ARS lab is accepting samples again. If samples are kept in the refrigerator, they can last up to 8, possibly 12 weeks.
- UPCOMING EVENTS
- ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest 2020 will focus on strengthening and expanding relationships to celebrate and learn about ʻōhiʻa trees and Hawaii’s native forests. The foundation of ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest 2020 will be about coming together to grow empathy and connections. This year’s festival will continue to engage and raise awareness within our local communities about Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). We have broadened the scope in several ways this year to promote getting to know the forest people and through that, getting to know ʻōhiʻa. We are devoting special attention to reaching new audiences, including those beyond Hawaiʻi. We encourage participants to give voice to ʻōhiʻa and ʻōhiʻa forests and to expand expression of how we contribute our voices. The festival will be a place to ignite quality dialogue among parents and keiki, friends, co-workers, and welcome new participants to join in that dialogue. Our hope is to strengthen community by learning how to care for ʻōhiʻa, prevent the spread of ROD, and now take steps to restore ʻōhiʻa and what it symbolizes both in the Islands and on farther shores.
Date: Monday, Nov. 16 – Saturday, Nov. 21
Duration: Weeklong event with 2 activities posts per day
Potential Topics:
- Ohia Varieties workshop
- Sowing and growing ohia workshop
- Ohia seed collecting workshop
- How to plant a lei garden workshop
- ROD Documentary showing
- A Day in the Life of ROD Field Crew
- Music
- Hula
- Instructional Crafting how-to's videos
- Cultural presentation
- Story-telling through reading a children's book
- Art
- 2020 Virtual ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest
- We are still in the beginning phases of planning the 2020 Virtual ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest so if you would like to volunteer, in any capacity, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ohialove@hawaii.edu.
- Our Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death entomology team continues to study the role of ambrosia beetles in the spread of the disease. As beetles bore into the sapwood of infected trees, they kick out frass—fine wood particles and beetle excrement—that can carry live fungal spores. This frass can get stuck to shoes, tools, and vehicles, and can also be blown by wind. On Kaua'i, little is known about the beetle communities, so USGS researchers have started studies to learn more. Their goals include: 1) To identify what beetle species exist on Kaua‘i; 2) To identify what beetle species are attacking infected and dying ‘ōhi‘a on Kaua‘i; and 3) To tease out answers to the question of how important it is to cover felled infected ‘ōhi‘a with tarps or not. Keep in mind, these beetles are super tiny—about the size of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ear on a dime—and require the use of a hand lens to find and a microscope to identify.
 - Testing at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Diagnostic Lab in Hilo is responsible for processing all ROD samples from across the state. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, USDA ARS has currently suspended all operations until further notice. If you have any ROD samples please keep them in the refrigerator and we will inform everyone once ARS lab is accepting samples again. If samples are kept in the refrigerator, they can last up to 8, possibly 12 weeks.
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- Research Update:
- Learn more about the ROD Seed Banking Initiative and sign up for future workshops at ohialove.com.
- Newsletter: To view the current issue of the newsletter click the link as follows: http://mailchi.mp/e1ed2686c31b/rapid-hia-death-newsletter
- Please Follow & Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RapidOhiaDeath/
- Please contact Ambyr Mokiao-Lee (ambyr[at]hawaii.edu) for more information.
- The fungi (Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia) that kill ʻōhiʻa are known as “wound pathogens”. That means in order for the tree to become infected, the tree has to have a wound – a wound that penetrates the bark. Wounds allow the microscopic fungal spores to enter a tree. Trees can be wounded in different ways – when high winds break branches, by scuffing tree roots when hiking, when blazing trails in the forest, by pruning trees in your yard. And there’s another way: when animals such as pigs, goats, cattle, or sheep peel or rub bark off trees. Studies on Hawaiʻi Island show that areas without such animals have much lower prevalence of ROD. Often, these areas are fenced to keep animals out. Data for unfenced areas show an opposite pattern. In these areas, where ungulates roam, trees get wounded and there can be a much greater prevalence of ʻōhiʻa that have died due to ROD. The two take-aways here: 1) it’s important not to wound ʻōhiʻa; and 2) it’s important to protect ʻōhiʻa from hooved animals.
 - Photo above: Rapid `Ohi`a Death informational display in baggage claim area of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, O`ahu.
- This document outlines efforts and progress made in understanding the disease, its pathology, and the various science-driven management activities implemented across the state for long-term health of our forests. It also provides recommendations for priority actions, complete with cost estimates.
- The updated Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Strategic Plan has just been published and is available for reading and downloading here: www.rapidohiadeath.org
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Sanitize for inter-island travel! Not just for coronavirus!
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death disease (ROD) has been detected on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui and Oʻahu. If you or someone you know will be traveling inter-island, please take extra care to clean your shoes and gear before and after traveling between islands to prevent the spread of ROD. First brush the dirt off, then spray with 70% rubbing alcohol. If hiking, remember to stay off of ʻōhiʻa roots –walking on roots can break bark and expose the trees to ROD-causing fungi.
 - What is the latest recommendation for what to do with infected ʻōhiʻa wood? Keep wood onsite. Don’t turn it into mulch as that creates more material to spread disease. If felling a tree, cut with a sharpened tool on a low-wind, drizzly day to keep infectious material from moving around. Make as few cuts as possible. Wood can be safely burned in an imu, barbecue, smokehouse, or fireplace. Otherwise, keep it covered with a tarp to keep boring ambrosia beetles from attacking or escaping from the wood.
- Recommended Actions to Prevent the Spread of ROD:
- 1) Keep your eyes open. If you see ʻōhiʻa with a limb or crown turning brown, take a picture, and contact KISC via email (saveohia@hawaii.edu) or phone (808-821-1490). Samples of the wood must be taken by trained technicians and tested in a laboratory to confirm the presence of the ROD fungi.
- 2) Avoid injuring ʻōhiʻa. Wounds serve as entry points for the fungus and increase the odds that the tree will become infected and die from ROD. Avoid pruning and contact with heavy equipment wherever possible.
- 3) Clean gear and tools, including shoes and clothes, before and after entering the forest and areas where ʻōhiʻa may be present. Brush all soil off tools and gear, then spray with 70% rubbing alcohol. Wash clothes with hot water and soap.
- 4) Wash your vehicle with a high-pressure hose or washer if you’ve been off-roading or have picked up mud from driving. Clean all soil off tires--including mountain bikes and motorcycles--and vehicle undercarriage. The disease can be spread to new areas by moving plants, plant parts, and wood from infected areas to non-infected areas.
- MEDIA RESOURCES
(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)
 - Photo above: Kalalau Valley courtesy of Nate Yuen
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Program & Project Updates
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Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)
- Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- DAR’s Aquatic Invasive Species Team had effectively transitioned to teleworking in the wake of the COVID-19 Crisis and continue to maintain a work from home policy for office work while incorporating field activities in accordance to CDC Guidelines. All team members continue to maintain detailed work plans to ensure progress on current projects.
- The Hawaiʻi Aquatic Invasive Species field team, with support from numerous community and
partner organizations, carefully extracted non-native coral species from patch reefs in O‘ahu’s
Kāneʻohe Bay. After receiving the first report of a non-native coral on May 13 from Hiʻilei
Kawelo, the Executive Director of Paepae o Heʻeia, samples were collected from three suspected
species and submitted to Dr. Robert Toonen, a coral expert at the Hawaiʻi Institute for Marine
Biology (HIMB), for genetic analysis. Samples also were sent to a National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lab for taxonomic identification. NOAA’s Dr. Doug Fenner
identified the orange foliose coral as Montipora foliosa, the purple branch coral as Montipora
digitata and the green polyp coral as either Montipora stellata or Monitipora carinita. Bishop
Museum also received samples for its collection. AIS team lead, aquatic biologist Kim Fuller
explained, “Our team is responsible for rapidly responding to new reports of non-native aquatic
species and assessing next steps for management. Non-native species have the potential to
become invasive and negatively impact our native ecosystems, the economy and human well-
being. It is necessary to respond to non-native species reports in a timely manner before they
have time to establish and spread.”
See the full story here: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ais/2020/08/05/non-native-corals-removed- from-kane%ca%bbohe-bay/
A decade of urchin activity in Kaneʻohe Bay leads to seaweed-free corals as the DAR urchin
Hatchery plans 600,000 Urchins to be released in the Bay by End of 2020.
See the full story here: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ais/2020/08/05/a-decade-of-urchin-activity-in-
kane%ca%bbohe-bay-leads-to-seaweed-free-corals/
- In August, 2020, the AIS Team resurveyed areas of Bartholomea annulata (the Caribbean
Corkscrew Anemone), discovered in January 2019, to track spread and distribution. Following an
initial report by Keoki Stender, the AIS Team rapidly responded, collecting samples and photos.
The anemone was identified by experts from multiple organizations and confirmed to be the
first report of the non-native anemone in Hawaiʻi. The AIS team mapped distribution and spatial
extent throughout 2019, as well as trialing two novel control technologies in partnership with
United States Geological Survey and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The 2020 resurvey
was to track further spread and showed little to no difference in distribution within the past
year.
Division of Aquatic Resources’ (DAR) Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Team retrieved the second of
twenty autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) that were deployed throughout the
main Hawaiian Islands in July of 2018. ARMS were placed in commercial harbors that included:
Nawiliwili, Kauai; Kahului, Maui; Honolulu, Oahu; Kalaeloa/Barber’s Point, Oahu; Hilo, Big Island.
The second ARMS unit was pulled from Barber’s Point Harbor on July 13 and brought to Bishop
Museum for processing and organism preservation following a new revised protocol. The AIS
team were joined by about 10 volunteers and interns outside and following CDC guidelines for
COVID-19 precautions. This was the first time the team sorted, photographed, and tissue
sampled live specimens to link genetic data with taxonomic identifications. The team plans to
complete sorting the second unit by the end of this month and Bishop Museum will begin
taxonomic and genetic analyses.
DAR’s Ballast Water and Biofouling (BWBF) Coordinator, Jules Kuo, moved on to a new position,
and Aquatic Biologist, Natalie Dunn is the new lead for AIS Prevention.
VIDA EPA regulations are expected to be published on the Federal Register any day now. For
those interested in submitting public comments, there is a very short turn-around time (60 days)
from when regulations will be published to when comments must be submitted. In preparation
for the comment period, the BWBF team in coordination with CGAPS held an internal DAR VIDA
briefing to start building internal awareness and discuss needs.
- The AIS team will be presenting at this year’s virtual Hawaii Conservation Conference.
Presentations will be posted to the AIS team website after the conference has been concluded.
- Division Of Forestry And Wildlife (DOFAW)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) recently discovered on Kaua`i
- Rapid Ohia Death (ROD)
- ROD Reminder: Anyone on ROD-free islands with suspect trees should call their local Invasive Species Committee (see links below under University of Hawaii's Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit) so that any samples go through HDOA's Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) and not through the regular post – More information can be found at www.rapidohiadeath.org.
Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) - Please visit the link at left for general information.
Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT)
- Mamalu Poepoe (Sphere of Protection) Project - Mamalu Poepoe is a project funded by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) for a period of 5 years. The program is being coordinated through the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) and aims at increasing surveillance of invasive species at six airport facilities on the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii. The program targets Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB), Africanized honeybees (AHB), ants and mosquitoes.
- The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is the lead agency for the work on ants, CRB and AHB and the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) is the lead agency for the work on mosquitoes. Mamalu Poepoe is partnering with the Invasive Species Committees (ISC’s) and the Hawaii Ant Lab (HAL) to conduct the monitoring activities.
University of Hawaii (UH) - Please visit the link at left and the links below for general information.
- Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS)
- Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC)
- Kaua`i Invasive Species Committee (KISC)
- Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- Little Fire Ants (Wasmannia auropunctata)
- Coqui frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui :
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Crew are working on the perimeter infestations around Haiku, installing pipelines and spraying coqui. Of note is the capture of a lone coqui in the Keanae area. New crew have been brought on and, with the addition of five new hires, the crew is now at 14. September will bring the addition of a crew of 11 interns.
Throughout the month of August, ALL four neighborhoods participating in the Community Coqui Control Program held volunteer spray weeks. The Haiku Mauka neighborhood had record participation and one neighborhood held a virtual block party. During September, community spray weeks will continue and staff plan to offer small training sessions for local residents.
 - Coqui crew out and about
- Plant Crews:
- Pampas Grass:
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The Makawao-based crew has been flying Mauna Kahalawai searching for pampas plants by helicopter. When the weather is uncooperative, they have been flying in East Maui.
On the ground, crew have been working in Haleakala Ranch and neighboring areas removing plants found by helicopter. They followed up on and removed a flowering plant in Kula.
The fountain grass population found in Puu o Kali is nearly gone; only a single mature plant was found during the last visit. Work on ivy gourd – a sprawling vine known from coastal and lower elevations on Maui – is limited to golf courses and coastal strand as Covid-19 restrictions limit residential access.
 - Residential pampas reported
- Miconia:
- The Hana-based miconia crew has been working in the western edge of the miconia infestation near Keanae. They have followed up on reports of plants from Lower Nahiku, Keanae and Kipahulu.
- Rapid `Ohi`a Death (ROD)
- A community report of suspected Rapid Ohia Death led to collections from Kalama Middle School in Makawao. The sample tested negative for ROD.
- Molokai-Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- O`ahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC)
- Please visit the link above for general information.
- Office staff continues to telework and the outreach team has put together on-demand informational and education webinars and downloadable activity worksheets for keiki and we now have online educational resources available for distance learning at: https://www.oahuisc.org/outreach-education/
 - Early Detection While Staying Home: While we’re all doing our part to flatten the curve, this is also an excellent opportunity to do some early detection around your home and neighborhood.
- Please report any suspect invasive species to the statewide pest hotline by calling 643-PEST or online at www.643pest.org You can also download the free app (643pest) for your smartphone.
- Little Fire Ants: While we’re home this is a great time to test your yard for little fire ants. Hawaii Department of Agriculture is still accepting mailed ant samples. Testing is easy and you can also let us know your results online. If you can send a clear photo of your ants, we can tell you if you should mail them in for identification.
Test for Little Fire Ant: http://stoptheant.org/report-little-fire-ants/
Are your ant suspect? We’ll let you know: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/myantsurvey
- Coqui frogs: Oahu doesn’t have widespread coqui frogs. However, they and their eggs occasionally hitchhike over from Big Island. When coqui frogs hatch they are not tadpoles, but instead fully formed frogs…this means they don’t need ponding water to survive. If you’re out for an evening or early morning walk or run around the neighborhood, stop for a few minutes to listen for coqui frogs. The easiest way is to listen for them while having a coffee early in the morning…or an even better time, while having a nightcap on the lanai. If you hear them, you can just record the sound with your video and report it to 643pest.
Not sure what coqui frogs sound like? Click here to listen to their recording: https://www.oahuisc.org/coqui-frog/
Aloha and stay safe. We’re all very much looking forward to getting back into the field!
- Miconia (Miconia calvescens)
- If you suspect miconia, report to OISC along with photos if possible. E: oisc@hawaii.edu P: 808-266-7994.
- Devil Weed (Chromolaena odorata)
- If you suspect devil weed, report to OISC along with photos if possible. E: oisc@hawaii.edu P: 808-266-7994.
- Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD)
- If you see ‘ōhiʻa that is dead or dying with brown leaves still attached, report to OISC along with photos if possible. E: oisc@hawaii.edu P: 808-266-7994.
- Naio Thrips (Klambothrips myopori)
- OISC is still conducting early detection surveys and removing both infested naio plants as well as landscaped naio that is not yet infested. Have a naio plant in your yard? OISC will replace it with an alternative native plant if you remove your naio BEFORE it gets infested. Our goal is to protect wild naio populations by removing landscaped naio so the thrips do not have harbors that allow them to move around the island. These wild naio plants provide important habitat for native seabirds, forest birds, bees, and other fauna. Report naio plants to OISC along with photos if possible. E: oisc@hawaii.edu P: 808-266-7994.
- Hawaii Association of Watershed Partnerships (HAWP)
HISC Support
 - 643pest.org, 643-PEST app, or the 643-PEST (7378) telephone hotline.
- 643PEST.ORG pest report facilitators communicate with every person reporting a pest, providing identification verification, educational information on the species, and any additional actions that can be taken.
 
- Full report at link:
- The HISC Facebook page now has over 1,143 followers. Please Like & Follow HISC on Facebook to receive updates from HISC news, posts from our website, and invasive species-related posts from our constituent agencies and partners.
- The HISC Brown Bag series continues! Check the link in the Upcoming Events section below for the next presentation dates & topics.
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- All assessments can be accessed at the Plant Pono website: (https://plantpono.org/)
 - New Assessments: The HPWRA promotes responsible and informed planting choices by providing an objective, science-based and accurate method of assessing the invasive potential of plants being imported into and/or planted within the Hawaiian Islands. In the past two months, 17 new assessments have been completed, bringing the current total of screened plant species to 2128. Of note were 10 new assessments of Myrtaceae and Proteaceae plants, among a group of 35 proposed as locally grown sources of materials for the cut flower and foliage industry. The remaining assessments were completed for early detection teams, state and federal government agencies, and private consultants. All assessments can be accessed at the Plant Pono website: (https://plantpono.org/)
- WRA Uses Statewide
- Hawaii Restricted Plant List Assessments: Twenty-nine assessments, completed by Shahin Ansari (H. T. Harvey & Associates) for addition to the Hawaii Restricted Plant, List have now been posted to the Plant Pono website.
- Hawaii County Bill 178: Over the past year, attorney Leslie Cole-Brooks has been working with a team of conservation professionals on Hawaii island to amend the way the county administers native forest dedications for preservation and restoration projects. The proposed bill was designed to provide tax incentives to Hawaii County landowners who preserve or restore forests with a certain percentage of native species on their property, and avoid using invasive, non-native plants, as identified by the HPWRA. On August 27, Leslie announced that Mayor Kim signed Bill 178 into law.
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