Photo By Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth | Members of the U.S. Army Garrison's Oahu Army Natural Resources Program, teamed up...... read more read more
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HONOLULU — Before a flight, ruck march, or any mission it is smart to use a checklist. You check to make sure you have your boots, water, flight suit, gloves, helmet, and backpack. You check the weather report and of course, you make sure you have the snails -- and 500 pounds of plants.
Snails and plants? Maybe not for active duty military; however, for the men and women who work as part of the U.S. Army Garrison’s Oahu Army Natural Resources Program snails, plants and other endangered species are of the highest priority.
Several hundred Kahuli tree snails (Achatinella mustelina) were released back into their natural environment Feb 8, in the native forest of the central Waianae Mountains near Schofield Barracks.
About two years ago, the team was able to remove 200 snails from the area to help them survive the non-native predators who invaded their home. The snails were then sent to the Hawaiian Tree Snail Conservation at the University of Hawaii lab.
“We were not only able to keep the ones that came in in good condition, we also had them reproducing for two years,” said Brenden Holland of the University of Hawaii. “Today we released mostly young snails that were born in captivity.”
For the last three years, the OANRP has partnered with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the University of Hawaii in preparing a site for the return of the tree snails.
The site consists of a fence made of strengthened sheet metal with a rounded hood on top. The fence is designed to keep out rodents and Jackson chameleons, both of which are predators to the endangered tree snail.
In addition to that rodent barrier, OANRP staff installed multiple barriers to keep out an invasive predatory snail known as the Rosy Wolf snail (Euglandina rosea), which is not native to Hawaii, but has flourished and made its way into remote native forests that are home to Kahuli tree snails.
“We hope that it is a safe enough place for the snails to multiply, and as time goes on and we develop the area with more plants, we will be able to bring in more different species of snails,” said Vince Costello, a Rare Snail Conservation Specialist with OANRP. “This is really the management tool of the future for these type of conservation efforts. Without it a lot of species will go extinct.”
The OANRP is helping these snails and plants live the way nature intended them to by continuing surveying, monitoring, and controlling predators.
The hard work and dedication of the U.S. Army Garrison’s Oahu Army Natural Resources Program staff has not gone unnoticed
On Jan. 27, 2012 the OANRP received one of the most prestigious awards in the Army: The Secretary of the Army’s 2011 “Natural Recourse Conservation Team Award.”
“We are extremely thrilled that we won the Secretary of the Army Award. We have many dedicated people who have been working for the conservation of these species, which enables the Army to continue it’s training,” said Kapua Kawelo, a federal biologist with the OANRP.
The team is responsible for keeping a balance between the military training mission and ensuring the safety of more than 80 endangered species over 50,000 acres of land.
The team grows and maintains and protects 51 native plants from natural predators, like wild pigs and goats, by installing fence lines along ridges and around newly replanted areas.
“It’s been an up-hill battle -- some of these species that we’ve worked with were down to the last remaining individual in the wild, and we’ve been able to bring them back from the brink of extinction,” Kawelo said.
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2012 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 84106 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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