ULU KA LĀLĀ I KE KUMU From a Strong Foundation Grows an Abundant Future Abstract Book 25th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference July 24th 2018 - July 26th 2018 Hawaiʻi Convention Center TABLE OF CONTENTS TUESDAY, JULY 25TH, 2018 3 CONCURRENT SESSION 1, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 3 CONCURRENT SESSION 2, 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM 41 WEDNESDAY, JULY 25TH, 2018 78 CONCURRENT SESSION 3, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 78 CONCURRENT SESSION 4, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 111 CONCURRENT SESSION 5, 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM 148 THURSDAY, JULY 26TH, 2018 174 CONCURRENT SESSION 6, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 174 CONCURRENT SESSION 7, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 204 2 TUESDAY, JULY 24TH, 2018 CONCURRENT SESSION 1 Forum 292: Nurturing people and networks across the Pacific: Lessons from 25 years of the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) Time: 13:00 - 15:00 Date: 24th July 2018 Location: 311 292 - Nurturing people and networks across the Pacific: Lessons from 25 years of the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) Sharon Ziegler-Chong1, Ulu Ching2 1UH-Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii. 2Conservaton International, Hilo, Hawaii Track II. Building the Future Abstract Through a quarter century of programming the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) has facilitated almost 700 undergraduate internships with host agencies across Hawaii and the Pacific. More than just a summer internship program, PIPES has evolved into a transformative experience built on four pillars: mentorship; networks, kuleana and `āina mōmona. Participation in the program allows individuals, cohorts of current interns and alumni, and mentors to explore, discuss, and facilitate the bringing together of knowledge from science, communities and culture to influence the future of our islands. The program has a strong alumni network of researchers, educators, managers, and community facilitators at many levels, who weave their work around these pillars. This forum will describe the PIPES program models, explore how the program has impacted participants and partners, share why those who have been linked to the program over this quarter century are so passionate about this program, and provide opportunity for discussions of how these lessons can be applied in everyoneʻs work in the broader `āina-focused community. A panel of PIPES alumni in different positions will talk about their experience in the PIPES network and how it has influenced their journey. Small group discussions will discuss how the programs pillars are important to their 3 own work and ways in which we as individuals and as groups can apply those ideas into other groups and settings. Forum 200: Land conservation – past, present, future Time: 13:00 - 14:00 Date: 24th July 2018 Location: 316BC 200 - Land conservation – past, present, future Lea Hong1, Kawika Burgess2, William "Butch" Haase3, Doug Cole4 1The Trust for Public Land, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. 2Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, Honolulu, HI. 3Molokai Land Trust, Kaunakakai, HI. 4North Shore Community Land Trust, Haleiwa, HI Track II. Building the Future Abstract Track 2 (Building the Future), Forum - Land conservation – past, present, future He ali‘i nō ka ‘āina, ke kauwā wale ke kanaka “The land is the chief, the people merely servants” Forum presenters/facilitators will include Lea Hong of The Trust for Public Land, Kāwika Burgess of the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, Doug Cole of the North Shore Community Land Trust, and Butch Haase of the Moloka‘i Land Trust. Agenda will include: (1) Past and present of land conservation in Hawaiʻi: Progress made, successes achieved, and the challenges encountered; (2) Stewardship of conserved lands: Community engagement in stewarding and restoring conserved lands, developing ‘āina based educational opportunities, increasing support for conservation funding at local, state and national levels, halting the spread of invasive species, preserving our unique natural resources, and re-establishing indigenous cultural links to the land. (3) The future of land conservation: Attendees will be asked to participate in a quick 3-5 minute brainstorm using meeting sift technology regarding the opportunities and challenges for 4 the future of land conservation in Hawai‘i. Each presenter will select a breakout topic from the brainstorm list; attendees will be asked to self-select into the break out groups; panelists will facilitate discussion on the topic; panelists will report back top takeaways from the dicussion. General Session: Rare Native Species Time: 13:00 - 14:00 Date: 24th July 2018 Location: 316A 137 - Investigating Roosting Behaviors of the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) on Hawai'i Island Sean Moura1, Kristina Montoya-Aiona2, Frank Bonaccorso2 1Hawaiian Electric Company, Honolulu, HI. 2U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaii Volcano National Park, Hawaii Track II. Building the Future Abstract The Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus), a federally and state listed endangered subspecies, is the only extant native terrestrial mammal in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is an insectivorous, solitary and foliage-roosting species that generally roosts alone or in mother-pup family groups. We observed roosting behavior of five solitary adults using thermal imagery and surveillance video from May 24th to September 14th of 2017. We recorded a total of 56 hours of video at three separate day roost trees. We characterized behavior of bats at day roost sites and quantified time spent sleeping, grooming and other arousal events. Additionally, we collected body temperature (fur/skin temperature) data and surrounding foliage ambient temperature data at well shaded roost sites. Hawaiian hoary bats typically enter shallow torpor during the day while maintaining a mean differential above ambient temperature of 6.0 ± 1.28 ˚C. Spikes in body temperature can be associated with arousal from sleep and activity such as urination or grooming. This study represents a novel approach to studying the roosting 5 behavior of L. c. semotus and in the future we hope to study mothers with pups during the critical maternity season. 139 - Six Years of Snail Enclosure Managementfor Achatinella mustelina and Other Rare Native Snail Species at Pu’u Hāpapa on O’ahu Vincent Costello1, David Sischo2,3 1O’ahu Army Natural Resources Program, Honolulu, HI. 2Department of Land and Natural Resources, Honolulu, HI. 3Snail Extinction Prevention Program, Honolulu, HI Track III. Invasive Species & Biosecurity Abstract Endemic terrestrial land snails are experiencing severe levels of local extirpation and extinction across the islands. The endangered O’ahu tree snail Achatinella mustelina is a focal species for the O’ahu Army Natural Resources Program (OANRP) in the Wai’anae Mountains, while other species in the vicinity such as Amastra cylindrica, Laminella sanguinea, and Amastra spirizona, are also a priority for the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) – Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP). Both programs participate in ongoing multidisciplinary efforts including intensive long-term habitat management, and removal and control of direct threats posed by invasive plants and snail predators. In 2010, 202 Achatinella mustelina were collected at Pu’u Hāpapa and raised in a lab at the University of Hawai’i, while a predator-proof snail enclosure was constructed. When completed, 340 snails were released from the lab into the enclosure. Over the next six years an additional 1,576 Achatinella mustelina were translocated from neighboring areas and added to the enclosure, as well as individuals of Amastra cylindrica, Laminella sanguinea and Amastra spirizona. Depredation by the predatory snail Euglandina rosea has been the main driver of native snail decline at Pu’u Hāpapa. Over a span of nine years, 2,783 Euglandina rosea have been removed from the vicinity of the enclosure, a testament to the extreme predation pressure present here. Fortunately, it seems that our efforts are finally paying off. Results from six years of rare and endangered snail and predator control monitoring efforts will be discussed. 6 221 - An Assessment of Wēkiu Bug Populations on Cinder Cones of the Maunakea Volcano, Hawai‘i Informs Habitat Restoration and Conservation Efforts Jessica Kirkpatrick, Jesse Eiben, Fritz Klasner University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii Track IV. Putting Research into Practice for Thriving 'Åina Abstract The endemic Hawaiian wēkiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) is a carnivorous scavenger that only inhabits volcanic cinder cones above ~3,500m elevation on Maunakea, Hawai‘i. As a species of conservation concern threatened by invasive species, climate change, and habitat alteration, a greater understanding of wēkiu bug populations and habitat use through time is needed to inform habitat restoration efforts and conservation management decisions. In this study, locations on a high elevation and a lower elevation cinder cone were sampled using attractant traps in a buffered random design six times from June 2016-2017 to examine wēkiu bug distribution patterns within cinder cone habitats and across seasons. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to explore the relative importance of cinder cone characteristics (topographic aspect, surficial minerals, and elevation) hypothesized to influence wēkiu bug distributions. Results indicate that wēkiu bugs had a highly aggregated distribution, with up to 40 times higher bug densities at the higher elevation cinder cone, and the density of bugs changed within and between cinder cones throughout