Endangered Species Research in Hawaii: the Ae Rly Years (1965–87) Michael J

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USGS Staff -- ubP lished Research US Geological Survey 2016 Endangered Species Research in Hawaii: The aE rly Years (1965–87) Michael J. Scott Cameron B. Kepler Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub Part of the Geology Commons, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons, Other Earth Sciences Commons, and the Other Environmental Sciences Commons Scott, Michael J. and Kepler, Cameron B., "Endangered Species Research in Hawaii: The Early Years (1965–87)" (2016). USGS Staff -- Published Research. 1028. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub/1028 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Staff -- ubP lished Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Endangered Species Research in Hawaii: The Early Years (1965–87) J. Michael Scott and Cameron B. Kepler Hawaii is an ecologically isolated archipelago to initiate a multispecies field and laboratory program to study 2,500 miles from the nearest continent. Its isolation resulted in rare and endangered species were not available until March a taxonomically unbalanced flora and fauna with remarkable 1966, when the Bureau signed off on $350,000 to support examples of adaptive radiation among those groups of organ- endangered wildlife research. With those funds, the research isms that won the dispersal sweepstakes. It was one of the and captive propagation effort was moved to Patuxent Wild- last oceanic island groups to be populated by humans, about life Research Center (Patuxent) in Laurel, MD, from Monte 900 A.D. by Polynesian travelers and in 1778 by Europeans. Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Alamosa, CO, and Ray was Relatively recent colonization by humans did not save it, how- placed in charge of what came to be known as the Endangered ever, from the biodiversity losses suffered by other isolated Wildlife Research Program. The original focus on captive archipelagos—it only delayed them (Scott and others, 1988; rearing of whooping cranes and their surrogate the sandhill Pratt and others, 2009a). crane continued, but these efforts were quickly expanded to The size of those losses and the severity of the threats include other imperiled species and their surrogates, includ- were formally recognized by the United States in 1964 with ing black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), California condor the publication of “Rare and Endangered Fish and Wildlife (Gymnogyps californianus), Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vit- of the United States” by the U.S. Department of the Interior tata), masked bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi), (DOI) Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Species and Aleutian Canada goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia) (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1964). Sixteen of the 62 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1976a, b; 1977). Ray Erick- species in that book, vertebrates all, were Hawaiian. That “red son originally envisioned an Endangered Wildlife Research book” provided information that was used to compile the first Program that would include a field research component involv- formal list of endangered species under the 1966 Endangered ing 10 field biologists that would complement the laboratory Species Preservation Act, commonly referred to as “the Class studies and captive propagation efforts at Patuxent. Four field of 67” (Wilcove and McMillan, 2006). That first list rein- biologists were eventually assigned to Hawaii. The first of forced the findings of the Committee on Rare and Endangered these was Winston (Win) Banko. His task, as it was for all of Wildlife Species that Hawaii was home to some of the most us, was broad—work on the endangered birds of Hawaii. He highly endangered species in the United States. Twenty of the arrived on Oahu in 1966, but later moved to the “Big Island” first 78 species listed under the Preservation Act (25.6 percent) of Hawaii. John Sincock, who was assigned to Kauai, joined were from Hawaii. him in the islands in 1967. In 1974, Mike Scott joined Win Dr. Ray Erickson was well aware of the challenges the Banko on the island of Hawaii, and, in 1977, Cam Kepler was country faced in recovering endangered species. A biologist assigned to Maui. in the Division of Research of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries That first cohort of Patuxent’s endangered species biolo- and Wildlife in Washington, D.C., Dr. Erikson was a member gists in Hawaii, Banko, Kepler, Scott, and Sincock, conducted of the Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Spe- extensive studies on the endangered flora and fauna of the cies. Beginning in 1956, he had been advocating for funding islands (see Selected References). Their studies involved to rear one of America’s rarest birds, the whooping crane reviews of the literature and museum collections to determine (Grus americana), in captivity and to conduct research on the the extent of studies conducted and the historical distribution sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) as its surrogate species. In of each species, their status and distribution in the field (Scott early 1961, responding to a White House call for new ideas and others, 1977), their natural history and ecology threats, and from Federal employees, Ray offered a proposal for a captive recovery planning. Simultaneously, they were developing the propagation and research program on rare and endangered methods needed to accurately identify and rigorously assess species. Although small amounts of funding were received the distribution and abundance of Hawaii’s threatened and as early as that year to construct pens for sandhill cranes and endangered species under the difficult conditions of complex support studies of their behavior in Colorado, funds sufficient terrain, adverse weather, and extremely low bird densities. Endangered Research Species Program 184 The History of Patuxent: America’s Wildlife Research Story John Sincock, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jim Jacobi and Mike Scott, U.S. Fish and John Sincock, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after surveying a Kau transect on Hawaii, Wildlife Service, in Hawaii on the Kona side waiting for helicopter in Alaka’i Swamp, Kauai, summer 1976. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife transect, summer 1978. Photo by U.S. Fish and 1983. Photo by Paul W. Sykes, Jr., U.S. Fish and Service. Wildlife Service. Wildlife Service. Several books that provide a synthesis of these and other (Scowcroft and Giffin, 1983). The role of Patuxent’s four efforts to save Hawaii’s endangered avifauna and document research biologists, working along with others, in that resur- the methods developed to survey and analyze the informa- gence of interest in Hawaii’s endangered biota is documented tion from field studies emerged from the work of Patuxent’s in the narrative that follows. biologists and others in the islands. These included Ralph and Win Banko came to the islands in 1966 and spent his first Scott (1981), Scott and others (1986), Scott and others (1993), year on Oahu. He relocated to the island of Hawaii, where Scott and others (2002), Stone and Scott (1985), and Stone he established the Kilauea field station, a year later. Upon and Stone (1989). The importance of collaborations with other finding that little field work had been conducted on birds in researchers from Federal and State agencies, nongovernmental Hawaii since the early 1900s (for example, Baldwin, 1945, organizations, and academia as well as the private landowners 1947, 1953; Warner, 1960, 1967, 1968), Banko determined of Hawaii to the success of these efforts cannot be overstated. that his contribution to understanding the endangered species The list of those who worked with us in the field, helped with of Hawaii would be in examining the literature, long-forgotten funding, and collaborated on almost every one of the publica- field notes, and museum specimens to determine what infor- tions that resulted from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mation was already known and where the gaps in our knowl- (USFWS) effort in the islands is long. One need only consider edge lay. Early on, however, Win went into the field to survey the institutional affiliations of the authors of the reports, jour- the birds of Kipahulu Valley, Maui, where, as a member of nal articles, and books we wrote or edited and the individuals The Nature Conservancy’s Kipahulu expedition led by Rick we recognized in the acknowledgments sections of each publi- Warner, he rediscovered the Maui nukupuu (Hemignathus cation to gain an appreciation of the truly interdisciplinary and lucidus affinis) (Warner, 1967; Banko, 1968). Banko also interinstitutional nature of our work in the islands. detected populations of several endangered forest bird species The arrival of the first Patuxent researchers followed near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This discovery led to shortly after the arrival of Gene Kridler on Oahu in 1965. As the selection of this area for intensive ecological studies by the first DOI biologist and manager assigned to Hawaii, Gene scientists associated with the International Biological Program played a key role in identifying research needs and obtain- and the U.S. Forest Service (Mueller-Dombois and others, ing funds to conduct the needed research. The late 1960s and 1981; Ralph and Fancy, 1994). early 1970s saw a great increase in research on the Hawaiian The bibliography

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