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It is, perhaps, the things you don't know about Hawaii that are as important as the things you do. Orchids and pineapples don't belong here. Neither do the wild pigs that are tearing up the rainforest.

To find the real Hawaii you must go to places like Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge, tucked away on the windward slope of Mauna Kea and blanketed by a mist that shrouds its dense thicket of koa and 'ohi' a trees in shades of gray.

This 33,000-acre refuge was set aside in 1985 as a haven for the islands' tropical and endangered native birds, and flashes of brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows are visible particularly on clear, bright mornings.

Settlers have brought many changes to the Hawaiian Islands, beginning with the degradation of the native lowlands when the Polynesians arrived more than 1,000 years ago. In the late 1700s cattle, goats, and European pigs were released into the forests; hundreds of additional plants, animals, and insects followed.

In fact, the most common lowland plants seen today are ginger and plumeria. Mongooses, cats, and rats have been introduced as well, all to the detriment of Hawaii's native habitat and species. Hakalau--like much of Hawaii--is slowly recovering from hundreds of years of degradation.

That's where Richard Wass comes in. Wass, refuge manager for Hakalau, is charged with protecting and restoring the refuge, getting it to look the way Hawaii looked before coming in contact with Western civilization.

Hawaii has been referred to as the endangered species capital of the world. "We're trying to change that," Wass says. "Knowing how organisms adapt to environments can be educational. Preserving these species has meaning and value for people all over the world."

Doing that, though, is easier said than done. The refuge promotes the recovery of endangered forest birds and their habitat by preventing further degradation of the native forest. Grazing by domestic cattle has been eliminated. Management units are fenced to exclude wild cattle and pigs. Feral animals are removed from the units by drives, hunting, and trapping. Alien plants are controlled by herbicides, hand grubbing, and fire.

# posted by Medical Information : 5:04 AM