Wildland Fire Danger Elevated in Hawaii with Drought in Forecast

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On December 18, 2018 the Honolulu Star -Advertiser published an article entitled "Wildland Fire Danger Elevated in Hawaii with Drought in Forecast" (see Attachment 1). It described a study by Clay Trauernicht of the University of Hawaii focused on the Big Island predicting a 375 percent increase in wildfire risk over the next few decades. Last year's fire in Waikoloa burned 18,000 acres, barely missing Waikoloa Village because of favorable winds. A total of 34,000 acres was burned in Hawaii last year (.6 percent of the state), with the Waikoloa fire 53 percent of that total. Ironically, last year's devastating fires in California also burned .6 percent of that state. When I participated in a DLNR bird survey on Mauna Kea last October 1 saw firsthand what few people have seen or even know about. The grasses on much of Mauna Kea are 3 to 5 feet tall and so thick that my dog and 1 could not walk through much of it (see Attachment 2). The wildfire fuel load on the mountain is enormous. The California fires started in the uninhabited hills; by the time they got to the towns, driven by strong winds, they were impossible to stop. A wildfire starting on Mauna Kea could grow so large by the time it gets to inhabited areas that it could also be impossible to stop. The fuel load on Mauna Kea is a disaster waiting to happen. The eradication of sheep on Mauna Kea by the state is clearly the major cause of this overload of grasses. Required by various court rulings from the 1970's to the 1990's to protect the mamane trees deemed essential to the survival of the endangered palila bird, the unintended consequence of the eradication of grazers is the creation of a huge fire hazard to our community. In spite of the state's efforts , the palila population has declined 76 percent since 1998 according to a study published this year by the US Geological Survey and UH Hilo (see Attachment 3). The study goes on to suggest that the current palila population of one thousand birds could be halved in ten years and they could become extinct in 20 years in spite of decades of effort to protect the species. Millions of dollars have been spent fencing Mauna Kea, trapping predators, planting mamane trees and eradicating the sheep (including by helicopter hunting). In spite of this the palila population continues to decline. It clearly doesn't make sense to continue this effort when it is not working and creates a significant danger to our lives and welfare. A more focused effort to provide palila habitat in intensely managed areas while allowing a controlled population of sheep to manage vegetation on the rest of Mauna Kea may be a workable solution. The Kaohe and Puu Mali Native Forest Restoration Areas could serve this purpose given better management to control the pasture grass currently inundating those areas. The state administration will need to go to court to overturn the order to eradicate the sheep because it is causing a significant fire danger to our community, is not saving the palila, and is a waste of our tax dollars.