Membership Newsletter Volume 45 Number 1 — Spring 2021 Hawai‘i and Palmyra Celebrating 40 Years The Addition of Our Marine and Palmyra Programs A Seasonal-Cultural Reflection Meet Our Marine Fellow Graduates Donor Janet Montag Reconnects to Nature in Her Backyard nature.org/hawaii 1 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Together, We Thrive BOARD OF TRUSTEES Duke E. Ah Moo Paul D. Alston (Chair) Kris Billeter Dr. C. Tana Burkert Anne S. Carter Richard A. Cooke III Ka‘iulani de Silva Dave Eadie Matt Emerson Community members and fishpond practitioners work together to Hon. Judith A. Epstein restore the historic rock walls around Kiholo Fishpond. © Nancy Erger Dr. Alan M. Friedlander Aloha kākou, Benjy Garfinkle James J.C. Haynes III Spring has sprung! In Hawai‘i, the transition from Ho‘oilo (wet season) to Kauwela Sean A. Hehir (hot or warm dry season) occurs in May, when we start seeing subtle changes in the Brett MacNaughton Kathy M. Matsui nature around us. (See story on Page 3 that describes the cultural aspects of our seasons.) th Janet Montag As we are winding up the year commemorating our 40 anniversary, we are happy to Alicia Moy share Part Two of our anniversary story. The feature in our last newsletter (Fall 2020) Dustin E. Sellers highlighted our beginnings in Hawai‘i, focusing on forest and watershed protections. The Peter K. Tomozawa cover story in this issue continues the journey, highlighting the creation of our Marine Richard N. Zwern Program and acquisition of Palmyra Atoll. You may notice a small but significant change to the name under our logo on the cover IHUPANI ADVISORY COUNCIL of this newsletter: It now includes both Hawai‘i and Palmyra. This new representation Christopher J. Benjamin recognizes conservation contributions of our chapter beyond the Hawaiian Islands and Kenton T. Eldridge reflects our commitment to working together as we focus on our priorities to protect Eiichiro Kuwana lands, oceans and freshwater; tackle climate change; and explore innovative solutions. Duncan MacNaughton In this issue, we are excited to introduce our new Director of External Affairs Jean E. Rolles Anthony Ching. Anthony comes to us after working in the U.S. Capitol as congressional Crystal K. Rose staff to members of the Hawai‘i delegation. His expertise will help us advance policy and funding initiatives that support our conservation goals. We also welcome a new member The Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i and to our Philanthropy Team, Melissa Fisher, and share the work of our latest Marine Fellow Palmyra newsletter is the publication of graduates. The Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i and Palmyra 923 Nu‘uanu Avenue The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that the health of our environment is directly Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96817 tied to human and economic health. As we look to the future, biocultural conservation Tel: (808) 537-4508 —predicated on reciprocal relationships and the integration of people and nature—will Fax: (808) 545-2019 inform how we conserve the natural world and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Web: nature.org/hawaii Our hope and aim for the next 40 years is for our lands, oceans and freshwater to Executive Director thrive despite the changing climate through adaptation and innovation, merging the best Ulalia Woodside science with traditional ecological knowledge, continuing Director of Marketing and Communications to bring partners together in collaboration, and connecting Toni Parras people with nature. Design One community at a time, one region at a time, we Bernie Kim continue to work to inspire people to connect to the The Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i and Palmyra foundational places that nourish their lives, economies and chapter is the local a liate of The Nature livelihoods. And we continue to be thankful to you, our loyal Conservancy, an international, non-profi t supporters, who join us on this journey. organization based in Arlington, VA. The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to Mālama a mahalo a nui loa conserve the lands and waters on which all (take care and thank you very much), life depends. Written contents may be reproduced with permission. Visual material is subject to copyright laws. Ulalia Woodside © Rikki Cooke Cover: Oceanscape © John De Mello 2 The Nature Conservancy, Hawai‘i and Palmyra IN BRIEF Reflections on the Seasons In Hawai‘i, there are two traditional an abundance of nectar to feed our native seasons: The Ho‘oilo that covers the honeycreepers. On the sea, the high six months of cooler, wetter weather surf of winter subsides and there is less from November to April, and the hotter stormy weather in the uplands, enabling half of the year, called the Kauwela that our field teams to conduct research runs roughly from May to October. and management activities more safely Recognizing that conditions on both land in our forest preserves and watershed and sea were different during these times, partnership lands. At Palmyra Atoll, human activities from farming and fishing there are also indications of the change to oceanic voyaging were prescribed of season: North swells subside, and in accordance to what the land and sea kioea (bristle-thighed curlews) and kōlea dictated. (golden plovers) migrate north. May 2 on the island of O‘ahu marks As it was in ancient Hawai‘i, it is true the start of the hot Kauwela season, and is today: Our work benefits from paying marked by the sun setting into the bowl of attention to what the seasons on land and Pu‘u Kapolei crater as seen from Waikīkī, sea tell us, and both people and nature which was once the center of governance benefit when we play close attention to for the island. On land, the ‘ōhi‘a lehua the health of the lands and waters that forests come into peak bloom, providing sustain all life in the islands. – Sam Gon Kauwela Sunset © Adi Khen Woodside, Executive Director of TNC agencies and others through planning, Introducing New Staff Hawai‘i and Palmyra. “Transformational coordinating, leading and implementing E komo mai! This spring, we welcome outcomes for conservation and climate conservation policy and funding initiatives Anthony Ching, our new solutions depend upon catalytic that provide sound conservation Director of External policy changes at all levels. opportunities. Affairs. After 11 years in Anthony is uniquely positioned “I am very much looking forward to Washington, D.C. working to continue our work as a key returning home and working to protect with the current and past partner and lead advocate for Hawai‘i and Palmyra’s precious and unique Hawai‘i congressional public policy and government land, waters and biodiversity,” says Ching. delegations, Anthony action.” “While there are still many challenges we returns home to work with In this position, Ching face due to COVID-19 and its health and The Nature Conservancy. will help further the work economic impacts, I am encouraged by the “We are thrilled to of TNC and partners through strength of TNC’s people and expertise to welcome Anthony on board as direct interaction with local, state make positive change.” Director of External Affairs,” says Ulalia and federal elected officials, government – Toni Parras Profile Rosie facilitated conversations between specifically so she could apply for this This March, Rosie Lee and Melissa community members and managers, fellowship. For her project, Melissa Mau completed their two-year marine and helped write the community’s draft worked with our partners at Kāko‘o fellowships with TNC and Kāko‘o sustainable fisheries management plan. ‘Ōiwi and the He‘eia National Estuarine Ō‘iwi. They spent the first year learning Melissa earned her degree at Research Reserve on O‘ahu restoring about coastal and community-based the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa native wetland habitat. She also developed conservation—from scientific diving to Rosie Lee (left) and Melissa Mau (right). © Sean Marrs/TNC recommendations for improving conservation planning and grant-writing communication across partnerships to native ecosystem restoration. Then within the ahupua‘a (traditional land they put their new skills to work on their subdivision that incorporates elements capstone projects. from mountain to sea). Rosie, a University of Hawai‘i at Hilo We wish Rosie and Melissa the best as graduate, helped community partners they move on to their new jobs. Rosie is in West Hawai‘i develop fisheries joining NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries management options using new decision Science Center as an Ecosystems Science support tools developed through Division Technician, and Melissa is Hawai‘i’s first FishPath planning process. joining Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi as a project manager. – Jessica Glazner nature.org/hawaii 3 COVER STORY Celebrating 40 Years by Evelyn Wight Part Two: The Marine Program and Palmyra Atoll Juvenile red-footed booby flies over lagoon at Palmyra Atoll © Kydd Pollock/TNC he partnerships we forged across reef health and contributed to a 75 to 90 Working with the Maui Nui Makai sectors since the 1980s to protect percent decline in reef fish populations Network, we jointly developed an action Tand manage Hawai‘i’s native statewide. TNC has been working with guidebook to help other communities forests were groundbreaking (see our Fall local community and other partners learn how to effectively co-manage 2020 Newsletter cover story). Working for the past 20 years to address these their coastal resources with the State. with government, nonprofits and private challenges. Our recently published Maui Atlas is landowners, we are actively preserving Our early efforts focused on removing a comprehensive report compiling 2.2 million acres of Hawaiian forests that invasive algae from Waikīkī, Maunalua Bay 20 years of data detailing changes in are home to rare plants, birds and animals and Kāne‘ohe Bay on O‘ahu, and evolved the abundance and diversity of marine found nowhere else on Earth and are the into working with local community life in West Maui to help inform marine sole source of our islands’ freshwater.