Plan needed now to take care of isle’s flora and fauna

Since March (COVID-19 outbreak) and the lack of visitors in the Po‘ipu area, I have been enjoying a long walk along the South Shore.

Most scenic part of my walk is in front of the Point timeshare condos to the Makahuena condos right through a wedge-tailed shearwater nesting site, a native seabird that nests in ground burrows or between rocks from March through November.

I am a horticulturist specializing in Hawai‘i’s native plants and, throughout the last few months, on my lone evening walks, I started to notice that many weeds were encroaching into the native bird and plant habitat from the nearby developments and from the high volume of foot traffic.

Then I started seeing the bird bodies under ironwood trees, along the path, inside the large rock wall at Makahuena Estates. As the bodies multiplied, I wondered who is in charge (I know now). Do they know of these deaths and do they care? Now, I am on a heartbreaking, eye-opening journey of discovery, hoping for a positive ending for native species.

I have learned that, for decades, many press releases, news reports, publications, recovery plans, environmental studies have been written, lots of words and opinions expressed, as mine.

Still, year after year, the birds are dying from the same plight, bombarded seasonally mainly by human-caused threats. It should be our privilege to coexist and protect them, not a hindrance. These native birds and plants have been nesting and growing here for millions of years, long before human’s cultural beliefs and money arrived.

I would like to be constructive and productive. Let us all be part of the solution, start a “new norm” for Kaua‘i: “We care, and we will help.”

First, all the prime oceanfront condos, timeshares, hotels, high-end estates in the area must help with maintenance and protection of the native habitat flora and fauna, allowing them also a safe, pleasurable experience during their stay on the island.

Establish a volunteer group along with hotels workers that meets to weed and learn about the area’s true keiki o ka ‘aina, working together to keep the area a beautiful, scenic spot for all to enjoy, even the native species, which should be our prime concern. The high-end developments along the coast can become eco-friendly visitor destinations, also part of the solution.

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Kerin Lilleeng, a Koloa resident, is author of “Growing Hawai‘i’s Native Plants” (2005) and “Native Hawaiian Plants: How to Grow, Cultivate, and Enjoy 25 Popular Plants” (2018).