Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society (2020) 52

In Memoriam Betsy Harrison Gagne (1947–2020)

Celebrating a True Force of Nature: Betsy Harrison Gagne’s Gifts to Hawaii and its Native Ecosystems

Betsy Ha r r ison Gagne, a world-wise Gagne passed away Canadian citizen from in March 2020 after a Brownsburg, Quebec, long battle with can- sent from University cer. Betsy spent most of California Berke- of her life in Hawaii ley to the Bishop Mu- where she had a distin- seum, on a mission to guished career in con- sort and name scores servation biology. of true bugs peculiarly Betsy and her fam- fond of certain splen- ily made a big dif- did endemic trees: ference for the little olapa, oheohe, ohe things that run our makai, and kawau. island world. They These first impres- had a long history with sions and their over- conservation; in 1970, lapping interests led her mother Elizabeth Betsy and Wayne to ‘Ibby’ Harrison was secretary under Con- embark on further explorations together servation Council for Hawaii President (including in remote Upper Hana, where Lorin Gill, and together they blew the Betsy reported seeing mysterious birds whistle on illegal logging of Koa trees in with black faces, sightings of what Mary Hamakua at mauka Laupahoehoe. Kawena Pukui would later name poouli) Betsy graduated from the University of and, before long, romance bloomed. They Hawaii at Manoa. She gained extensive quickly cemented an engagement in the experience in Hawaii’s natural environ- volcanic crucible of Kalaupapa’s Kauhako ment, which contributed to her astound- Crater (close above the clinic where ing breadth of knowledge about Hawaii’s her Grandpa W. P. Fennel, M.D., once biota. According to her close friends, worked). Betsy inherited her mother’s plucky dispo- Mother Ibby was elated that her inef- sition. A botany major and lover of plants, fable daughter had paired with a most she was hired by the Hana Rain Forest unflappable mate. At the wedding, their Project in 1973 to help with establishing dear friend Steve Montgomery was asked a remote research camp in Waihoi Valley, to read from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. In Maui. Betsy had the knowledge and abili- the story, the Lorax “speaks for the trees” ties to guide researchers deep into Maui’s and confronts the Once-ler, whose profit- cloud forests (the relictual home of birds able logging of endlessly useful truffula yet-unknown to Western science, and of trees wreaks environmental destruction, flightless painiu bugs), and they marveled warning: “Unless someone like you cares at her ability to pitch tents in rainstorms. a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get Her skills certainly impressed Wayne C. better. It’s not.” It was Betsy’s—and Dr. ii Seuss’—favorite book. Together, Betsy and collection, which is housed in the Bishop Wayne soon turned the Manoa residence Museum. of three Harrison generations into a ‘70s While her work took her around the hub of young naturalists sharing tales and Pacific, from PNG to Tahiti to Fatu Hiva, Kodachrome images fresh from forest Hawaii was always in Betsy’s heart. After frontiers. The house also served as their returning to Hawaii, Betsy joined the Re- home base for conservation missions and sources Management field crew that was field research ranging across the Pacific. fencing Haleakala National Park to protect From April 1976 to December 1979, vulnerable habitats from goats and other Betsy served with Wayne at the Wau grazing mammals, and also served as an Ecology Institute in Wau (WEI), Papua educational interpreter for the Friends of New Guinea (PNG) with support from Haleakala. Wayne joined the staff at the the International Voluntary Service. Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu Wayne was an entomologist and Betsy a as an entomologist and environmental botanist, and together they made signifi- education specialist. cant contributions to biological science. Betsy was the first biologist to see Mico- They focused on the development of a nia calvescens in Hana in 1991. Knowing conservation education program at WEI the devastation that the plant inflicted and also initiated its Composted Contour- on Tahiti after it escaped an American’s mound Agro-Silviculture Project, which estate, Betsy and Steven Montgomery involved the development of a site-stable mounted a seven-year campaign to get agricultural system to reduce the loss of this “green cancer” onto Hawaii’s Noxious primary forest due to traditional slash Weed list, prohibiting its sale and further and burn practices. They built a demon- melastome importations. When Betsy stration garden and agroforestry project, told Lloyd Loope of the presence of these their success leading to additional support hyper-invasive plants, a Melastome Action from the United Nations University, and Committee was formed so organizations to the program’s eventual operation by the could work together to fight them. This provincial government. Betsy also spent was the beginning of the Invasive Species part of her first year in PNG teaching at Committees, which are now active on all the Bulolo Forestry College. islands. Over this period Betsy was also Both assisted scientists visiting Wau employed at the Bishop Museum doing Ecology Institute conducting biodiversity natural resource surveys and at one time surveys in the highlands. Betsy joined worked at the Hawaii Legislature for Sena- several field expeditions, including to high tor Carol Fukunaga. peaks to study the alpine flora from June Wayne passed away unexpectedly to August 1976, led by Museum botanist in May 1988. (In Memoriam. Wayne Pieter van Royen. In 1980 she produced C. Gagné 1942–1988. Proceedings of an impressive poster on the major plant the Hawaiian Entomological Society groups of alpine New Guinea for the PNG 30[1990]:21–22.) Department of Environment and Conser- Despite this devastating loss, Betsy vation. In addition, Betsy functioned as the carried on their shared commitment and WEI’s research liaison officer, hosting a passion for conservation, research, and number of visiting researchers and orga- education. From the mid-1990s to her re- nizing local logistics. She also had a keen tirement in 2018, Betsy served the Natural eye for cultural items with ethnological Area Reserves Commission, becoming importance and assembled an important its Executive Secretary. She coordinated iii management and research for the De- Endangered Species Act to protect na- partment of Land and Natural Resources tive species. Her efforts led to the federal (DLNR) in protected areas across the listing of the native Blackburn’s Sphinx state. Moth (Manduca blackburni), after she Along with native flora, Betsy was pas- collected the first larvae on aiea trees sionate about island invertebrates. Betsy’s in Kanaio, Maui. And with Francis G. fierce advocacy for Hawaii’s charismatic Howarth, she contributed to the listing of microfauna led to her active involvement the Kauai blind cave spider (Adelocosa in the wekiu bug working group, and anops) and Koloa blind cave amphipod prompted the hiring of the first entomol- (Spelaeorchestia kokoana). ogy position dedicated to native species Betsy’s major legacy was connecting at DLNR. The position directly resulted with so many people and cultivating a in the creation of the Hawaii Invertebrate passion for conservation in others. As a Program and the Snail Extinction Preven- natural resource educator, Betsy exploited tion Program, which aim to enact applied her teaching experiences in New Guinea. conservation, management, captive propa- Wayne also involved her in the Ohia gation, and research for the benefit of rare Project, a curriculum sponsored by Bishop native invertebrate species statewide. Museum, Moanalua Gardens Foundation Throughout her career, Betsy was a and MacArthur Foundation that continues huge supporter of invertebrate conserva- to educate children about island ecology. tion work at the Bishop Museum. She She was a tireless coordinator of volunteer was particularly fond of Hawaii’s native service trips to numerous sites around the snails and worked with them from her state, including Natural Area Reserves, earliest days at the museum, where, as a National Parks, Forest Reserves and as Roosevelt High School student, she was part of the Youth Conservation Corps. employed by Yoshio Kondo. As recently Betsy worked with numerous groups as as 2018 she brought Alan D. Hart back a volunteer project leader for the Sierra to Oahu for an American Malacological Club but also accommodated just about Society symposium. Alan Hart is the any group interested in exploring Ha- artist-naturalist who had single-handedly waii’s natural areas, from law students petitioned the USFWS to list all remaining at the University of Hawaii to Pacific predation-plagued Achatinella tree snails Century Fellows to visiting researchers. (kahuli) as endangered. As part of her Betsy generously shared her encyclopedic legacy, Betsy supported the Bishop Mu- knowledge of Hawaiian natural history. seum’s Hawaii Biological Survey (HBS), These efforts both educated and inspired an ongoing natural history inventory of new advocates for conservation, but also the Hawaiian archipelago. The HBS was provided extra hands to accomplish goals created to locate, identify, and evaluate like removal of priority invasive weeds all native and non-native fauna and flora from Kaena Point. within the state, and to maintain reference From building fences in Haleakala collections. A portrait of the newly named National Park to pushing papers and forest snail, Auriculella gagneorum is fielding phone calls from the public, to further evidence of the Gagne family’s serving as Commission Secretary for the ongoing contributions to the Bishop Mu- State Natural Area Reserves System and seum, featured in National Geographic participating in the State Bioprospecting (Dec. 2020, p. 24). Commission, from discovering new native Betsy was no stranger to using the species to eradicating invasive ones, to iv coordinating the art exhibit at the Hawaii behind a conservation legacy that, along Conservation Conference—Betsy did it with her late husband Wayne’s, will live all. As a result, it seems that at some point for generations. in her career, she worked with everyone in A hui hou, Betsy. May your spirit soar the state. Because of her passion for all of with the albatrosses over Kaena Point, Hawaii’s “critters”—from snails to plants among the cloud forests above Hana, and to bugs to birds to oceanic life—she was in the many reserves of Hawaii that were intensely interested in any conservation- blessed by your life’s work. related project and never hesitated to par- ticipate. The following quotes from Betsy —Steven Lee Montgomery¹, Francis How- characterize her spirit and passion for the arth², Allen Allison³, Sharon Reilly4, Jim native life that defines these islands: Churchill5, Emma Yuen6, Cynthia King6

“These [natural area] reserves are like a ¹Consulting Conservation Biologist and Bee- window to the past. They are part of our keeper, 94-610 Palai Street, Waipahu, Hawaii heritage.” 96797-4535; [email protected] ²Distinguished Research Associate, Hawaii Biological Survey, Bishop Museum, 1525 “It’s all about ecosystems, not ego- Bernice St. Honolulu, Hawaii 98127-2704; systems.” [email protected]. ³Senior Zoologist, Bishop Museum, 1525 Ber- “Every time a species goes extinct it pulls nice St. Honolulu, Hawaii; [email protected] us all a little closer to the edge.” 4Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, former DOFAW Wildlife Biologist; reillyhi@earth- link.net Betsy Harrison Gagne waged a long 5 battle with three forms of cancer, but Hanai Brother of Betsy Harrison Gagne, Hillsboro, Oregon passed away in the spring of 2020 leaving 6Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Native Ecosystem Protection and Management Program, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Rm. 325, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813