Mauna Kea Kuahiwi Küha o I Ka Mälie Mauna Kea, Mountain That Stands Alone In The Calm

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1 Mauna Kea Kuahiwi Küha o I Ka Mälie Mauna Kea, Mountain That Stands Alone In The Calm Conservation Council for Hawai i celebrates the special cultural and natural resources of Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawai i. Native species clockwise from upper left corner: äkepa (Loxops coccineus coccineus) in öhi a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha); pueo short-eared owl (Asio flammeus sandwichensis); ähinahina Mauna Kea silverswords (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subspecies sandwicense); yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus species) flying over ähinahina flower; Agrotis moth; Agrotis cutworm caterpillar, Lycosa wolf spider, and wëkiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) on adze preforms; palila (Loxioides bailleui) in mämane (Sophora chrysophylla). Original artwork by Patrick Ching. Written by Sunny Lewis with contributions by Naomi Arcand, Kepa Maly, Dr. Holly McEldowney, Dr. Scott Rowland, and Marjorie Ziegler. Edited by David Boynton, Bobby Camara, Jack Jeffrey, Dr. Steven Lee Montgomery, and Dr. P. Quentin Tomich. Design and layout by Helga Jervis, Graphic Design. Printed by Valenti Print Group Conservation Council for Hawai i P.O. Box 2923 Honolulu, HI info@conservehi.org Working Today for the Nature of Tomorrow! CCH is the Hawai i affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation C Printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink Mahalo nui loa to CCH members and to this year s Poster Partners: Ahahui Mälama I Ka Lökahi, Nancy Aleck, Annette s Adventures, Dr. James Anthony, Ken Armstrong, Michael Bailey, Randy Bartlett, Rod and Ann Buland, Dr. Charles Pe ape a Makawalu Burrows, Moira Chapin, Masako Cordray, Dr. Fred Dodge and Karen Young, Lance Foster, Jacob Justice Frankel, Betsy Harrison Gagné in memory of Dr. Wayne C. Gagné, Mary Jane Harris, Hawai i Audubon Society, Hawai i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawai i- Lä ieikawai Association, Hawai i People s Fund, Hawai i s Thousand Friends, Hawaiian Botanical Society, Don Heacock, Nelson and Jennifer Ho, Drs. Francis and Nancy Howarth, Lela Hubbard, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, Annette Ka ohelauli i, Marion and John Kelly, Liz Kumabe, Doug Lamerson, Leavitt Yamane & Soldner, James Leavitt, Julie Leialoha, Matt Little, Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Maile Meyer, Jeff Mikulina, Dr. Steven Lee Montgomery and Anita Manning, National Wildlife Federation, Native Books/Nä Mea Hawai i, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Steve and Cristina Olive, Edmund C. Olson Trust II, Kealoha Pisciotta, Robin L. Powell, Dr. Thane Pratt and Linda Pratt, Barbara Roesch in memory of Herbert Paul Roesch, Linda Shapin, Nanci Sidaras, Sierra Club, Hawai i Chapter, Sierra Club, Moku Loa Group, Cha Smith, Scot Lucas Spicer, Dr. Fred Stone, Helene Takemoto, Jacob and Laurie Teitelbaum, Cynthia Thurkins and Hug Your Animals, U.S. PIRG, Mashuri Waite, Ron Walker, Deborah Ward, Jacey Waterhouse and Adam Spurgat, Donna Wong, Dr. and Mrs. Wendell P. Wong, the Ziegler family in memory of Dr. Alan C. Ziegler, and Poster Partners wishing to remain anonymous.

2 Mauna Kea Kuahiwi Küha o I Ka Mälie Mauna Kea, Mountain That Stands Alone In The Calm Mauna A Wäkea Mountain of Wäkea In Hawaiian traditions of creation, Wäkea, Sky Father, mates with Papa, Earth Mother, who gives birth to all of the Hawaiian people. Mauna Kea is the first-born mountain son of Wäkea and Papa. It is symbolic of the piko (umbilical cord) of the island-child, Hawai i, connecting the land to the heavens. The cluster of cinder cones at the summit Pu u o Kükahau ula is named for a form of the god Kü, and the piko of newborn children in ancient and modern times are brought here to ensure long life and safety. Lilinoe, goddess of the fine mist, floats above Poli ahu, goddess of the snow. The mountain goddess, Waiau, bathes Poli ahu and refreshes her hue wai (gourd water container) with water from the lake, where Mo oinanea, the mo o (lizard) goddess, dwells. Ka wai kapu o Käne (the sacred water of the god, Käne) is drawn here. Ilina (burial features), heiau (ceremonial sites), ahu (shrines and stone mounds used as land markers), Keanakäko i an ancient stone quarry, shelters, habitation caves, and traditional trails to the summit and around the base of Mauna Kea remain to this day. These features, and those associated with specific gods, are indicators of Mauna Kea s place in the Native Hawaiian culture as a sacred place the realm of the gods. Traditional and customary practices, including religious worship, burial rites, and resource gathering, continue today. In recent times, Mauna Kea has come to be more commonly translated as White Mountain, referring to the snowy winter summit of the world s tallest mountain. The Adze Makers Geological Introduction According to a modern interpretation of a traditional legend, a fight broke out between the fire goddess, Pele, and her sister, Poli ahu. On the mountain, the two battled over the affections of Aiwohikupua, a fickle chief of Kaua i. Pele caused Mauna Kea to erupt, almost overcoming Poli ahu. But Poli ahu released her snow and ice, and froze Pele s lava. The lava solidified so quickly it created the alä, a dense, fine-grained basalt found at the summit. In traditional times, a guild of adze makers and their couriers made the long trek from villages in the lowlands to the summit of Mauna Kea staying in temporary shelters and caves along the way and eating foods brought from the coasts. Seabirds nesting in the mountains and forest birds were also caught for food. From the ancient quarry, Keanakäko i, they extracted and collected the dense basalt to be fashioned into ko i (adzes), ax-like tools for turning trees into canoes and other woodwork. The stone was chipped to rough form and carried down the mountain for finishing. Huge piles of basalt chips and rejected adze preforms can be seen today. The National Park Service designated the Mauna Kea adze quarry as a National Historic Landmark in Covering 7 square miles, the site is composed of several major extraction areas with massive mounds of worked stone, dispersed workshops marked by concentrations of stone flakes and hammer stones, rock shelters, at least 40 shrines, petroglyphs, and trails. It is one of the largest prehistoric quarries in the Pacific. Summit of Mauna Kea. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Anew volcano first emerged on the undersea flanks of already-existing Kohala volcano some 900,000 years ago. Eruption after eruption built the massive mountain we now call Mauna Kea. It is the tallest mountain in the world because it is more than 5.6 miles (>33,000 feet) when measured from ocean floor to summit. From sea level, it reaches a height of 13,796 feet. Mauna Kea is just barely the tallest mountain in the world. It is only 115 feet higher than nearby Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, quiet since They are two massive volcanoes that built the Big Island of Hawai i with the smaller volcanoes, Hualälai (which last erupted in 1801) and Kohala (which last erupted approximately 65,000 years ago), as well as the very active Kïlauea, which has been erupting continuously since About 250,000 years ago, Mauna Kea entered a dying-off stage that was associated with less frequent, but more explosive eruptions. The large pu u (cones) and lava flows that cover most of the surface we see today were all produced during this dying-off stage. The most recent eruption of Mauna Kea occurred 3,500 years ago.

3 Alpine Summit Scoria Zone: 12,500 to 13,796 feet The summit of Mauna Kea is situated in the ahupua a (traditional land division) of Ka ohe. Nearly 3,895 acres of Mauna Kea s upper southern flank was designated as the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve by the State of Hawai i in Deposits of two Pleistocene glacial episodes (200, ,000 years ago and 80,000-10,000 years ago) are found here. Some of the summit eruptions occurred during glacial times, and there is ample evidence of lava-ice and lava-water interaction. The rapid chilling of lava flows against ice is the geological explanation for the fine-grained rock prized by Hawaiians for adzes. In addition to the glacial deposits, the summit consists of scoria cones formed as lava was flung skyward by escaping, expanding gas, to fall back as scoria, bombs, and spatter and lava flows. Scoria also called cinder is volcanic rock that contains many gas bubbles, or vesicles. A small lake, Waiau, sits at an elevation of 13,000 feet, and its base may be a year-round layer of permafrost or an impermeable layer of fine volcanic ash. At the summit, winds gust up to 70 miles per hour, swirling thin air with half the oxygen of sea level. In spite of nightly freezing temperatures and intense ultraviolet radiation, patches of leafy lichens and mosses dot this aeolian (influenced by the wind) ecosystem. The alpine summit zone is inhabited full time by at least 12 cold-hardy native insects and other arthropods (invertebrates with jointed legs ). They include the day-flying Agrotis moths and omnivorous cutworm caterpillars, voracious Lycosa wolf spiders, centipedes (Lithobius species) that prey on insects and their kin, and springtails (Entomobrya kea), tiny insects that jump using special spring apparatuses on their tails. The unique, flightless wëkiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola), was discovered by Francis G. Howarth, Steven Lee Montgomery, and William P. Mull in 1979 on the summit cone and a few other pu u with concentrated aerial insect fallout. Wëkiu (pronounced way-cue or vay cue ) means summit in Hawaiian. This mini predator about the size of a grain of rice is dependent on fresh insects blown up the mountain from lower elevations. It hunts for prey lodged in scoria and crevices, and waits along the edges of snowmelt for its meals. Lab studies with wëkiu in controlled freezers revealed an amazing blood chemistry that kept them from freezing until 1.4 F. A sister species, Nysius a a, which also sucks blood from insect waifs, is found only on Mauna Loa. Construction of roads, parking lots, and facilities associated with astronomy at the summit of Mauna Kea have resulted in the loss of habitat for native summit creatures, and continues to threaten the fragile summit ecosystem. Chemicals, wastewater, and construction debris pose additional threats if not disposed of properly. Undisturbed scoria the preferred substrate of the wëkiu bug and other Mauna Kea arthropods can be crushed by foot and vehicular traffic. Scoria cones on the summit and upper slopes, once pristine, now bear the scars of illegal, off-road, recreational vehicle use. The wëkiu is a candidate endangered species and the subject of a citizens petition for listing with critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act. Subalpine Silversword Shrub Zone: 8,500 to 12,500 feet Ähinahina (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subspecies sandwicense), or Mauna Kea silverswords, once encircled the mountain between 8,500 and 12,500 feet with their tall, multi-flowered spears grounded in clusters of silvery leaves. Early naturalists wrote that the silversword was a dominant plant of the cold, dry subalpine and alpine ecosystems of Mauna Kea, but this unique silversword is now listed as an endangered species and is known from less than 40 wild, or naturally occurring plants. In the late 1700s, European voyagers introduced cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus), and large-size breeds of pigs (Sus scrofa), which browsed and trampled the silverswords and other native plants. Eventually, only a few dozen wild silverswords remained, all on cliffs and rock faces inaccessible to the transplanted continental ungulates (hoofed mammals). Since 1973, federal and state agencies have partnered with conservation groups to bring back the silverswords on Mauna Kea. Intrepid naturalists rappel down cliffs to collect wild pollen and use it to cultivate silverswords in greenhouses. The cultivated plants are then placed in protected and fenced locations on the mountain. More than 7,000 silverswords have been planted on Mauna Kea so far. In the wild, silverswords are pollinated by several native yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus species) that live in the subalpine shrub zone. Recently, aggressive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) and other introduced ants that feed on insects, including bee larvae in soil nests, have been found on Mauna Kea. These invaders could move to higher elevations and pose a threat to native bees and silverswords. Without the bees and human intervention, the silverswords could go extinct. Plant regeneration and growth can be slower at higher elevations, which make the subalpine shrub zone more vulnerable. Silverswords take 10 to 50 years to mature. The spectacular flowering stock, approximately 5 to 6 feet tall, is covered with hundreds of tiny, sunflower-like, pink blossoms. Once the silversword flowers, it dies. Mouflon (Ovis musimon), a type of sheep introduced by the State of Hawai i for hunting, eat native plants and other vegetation on Mauna Kea, and threaten unfenced silverswords.

4 Mämane-Naio Dry Forest: 6,500 to 9,000 feet Anative tree in the pea family with yellow flowers, the native mämane (Sophora chrysophylla) dominates the middle- to upper-elevation forests of Mauna Kea. It shares the south and west slopes with naio (Myoporum sandwicense), or false sandalwood. The palila (Loxioides bailleui) is the last finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper on the Main Hawaiian Islands, and the only remaining Hawaiian bird that lives exclusively in dry forests. Once found on the Big Island from Mauna Kea to Kona, and on O ahu and Kaua i, today the approximately 3,000 remaining palilia are found only in the mämane-naio forest on Mauna Kea. This gray and white bird with a bright yellow head feeds on green mämane seed pods and flowers, and caterpillars that live on mämane. But mämane seedlings are also a favorite food of sheep, mouflon, and goats, and for decades these animals destroyed young mämane trees before they could grow large enough to produce seed pods for the palila. Mämane and naio, as well as the silverswords at higher elevations, all benefit from the removal of introduced grazing and browsing mammals ordered by a federal court in response to a lawsuit to protect the palila. In the first federal case to name an animal as a plaintiff, concerned citizens in Hawai i and the palila sued the State of Hawai i under the Endangered Species Act. In 1979 and again in 1987, a federal court ordered the State of Hawai i to remove all wild sheep, goats, and mouflon from the palila s critical habitat, which includes the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve. The resulting reduction in sheep, goat, and mouflon numbers has allowed considerable regeneration of the mämane-naio forest, and efforts are being made to repopulate the area with palila. The palila population has doubled from the 1,600 birds counted in 1980, and although still in danger of going extinct, its population has stabilized. Despite the court orders, approximately 500 to 1,000 sheep, mouflon, and mouflon hybrids remain in the palila s critical habitat at any given time. Some of these animals enter the habitat through large sections of neglected and broken fence. Additional threats to the mämane-naio forest and palila include fire and other invasive species. The backfiring of a car off road, or a carelessly tossed match or cigarette, can start a destructive wildfire. The Pöhakuloa Training Area in the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa is used for live-fire exercises by all branches of the military. A disease of mämane caused by a newly discovered species of fungus is distorting the stems, forming broom-like stem growths on thickened stems. Palila nestlings are preyed upon by feral cats (Felis catus), introduced rats (Rattus species), and pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis), or short-eared owls. Introduced ants are potential predators of insects upon which the palila feed. Palila also must compete with alien birds for food and space. Rainforest Cloud Belt: Below 6,500 feet Several endangered forest birds survive in the native rainforest on the windward (northeast) slope of Mauna Kea between 2,500 and 6,500 feet. To protect them, the 32,733-acre Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge was created in Hakalau means place of many perches in Hawaiian, referring to this habitat of many native birds. The windward slope below 4,000 feet receives 250 inches of rain annually, creating a landscape of bogs, fern patches, and scrub forest cut by deep gulches. It rains about 150 inches a year above 4,500 feet, where native koa (Acacia koa) and öhi a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees form a closed canopy forest. Farther upslope, rainfall decreases to 100 inches a year. The native forest merges with abandoned pasture dominated by alien grasses introduced as forage for cattle and weeds. Seven of the 14 native bird types that inhabit the refuge are endangered. The Hawai i äkepa (Loxops coccineus coccineus) is one of them. This bird is adapted to feed on öhi a lehua. It forages in the crowns of öhi a lehua trees, has a specialized tongue to remove nectar from the blossoms, and uses its crossed bill to pry open leaf buds, small seed pods, and galls (plant growths caused by insects or fungi) for insects and spiders. The other endangered birds at the refuge are the akiapölä au (Hemignathus munroi); Hawai i creeper (Oreomystis mana); io (Buteo solitarius), or Hawaiian Laupähoehoe Natural Area Reserve: 1,700 to 4,700 feet The second state Natural Area Reserve on Mauna Kea is on the northeast slope in the cloud belt. The 7,894-acre Laupähoehoe Natural Area Reserve contains native koa and öhi a trees on gentle to moderate slopes crossed by intermittent streams and dotted with native wet grasslands. Native tree ferns, such as häpu u (Cibotium species), may grow over 20 feet in height, forming an important sub-canopy layer that provides habitat for native plants and invertebrates. The Laupähoehoe Reserve was established in 1983 to protect native ecosystems with rare and endangered Hawaiian plants. The akü akü (Cyanea platyphylla) and other endangered species are found here. Five relatively common native forest bird species live in the reserve, as well as two endangered bird species the koloa and io. Reserve staff and volunteers remove weeds and fence sensitive areas to keep wild pigs from destroying rare and endangered plants. Pigs also create wallows and areas of standing water, which provide habitat for breeding mosquitoes spreading avian diseases.

5 hawk; nënë (Branta sandvicensis), or Hawaiian goose; koloa (Anas wyvilliana), or Hawaiian duck; and ö ü (Psittirostra psittacea), although this bird has not been seen on the Big Island for many years. Hawai i s only native land mammal, the endangered öpe ape a (Lasiurus cinereus semotus), or Hawaiian hoary bat, also inhabits the refuge, along with five relatively common native forest bird species, including the pueo, and a dozen migratory bird species. Aumakua (protector or guardian) to some Hawaiian families, the pueo is a kino lau (physical manifestation) of the god, Käne. Of the 29 rare plant species at Hakalau and on adjacent lands, 12 are currently listed as endangered or proposed for listing, including öhä wai (Clermontia pyrularia and C. lindseyana), hähä (Cyanea shipmanii), ha iwale (Cyrtandra tintinnabula), and native mints (Phyllostegia racemosa and P. velutina). Today, wild cattle and pigs are being fenced out of the refuge. Staff and volunteers are reforesting non-native grasslands, and over 300,000 koa seedlings and 50,000 seedlings of other native trees have been planted so far. Increasing the habitat of rare and endangered forest birds is critical to their long-term survival. Introduced mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus) spreading avian diseases need relatively warm temperatures to breed. As temperatures rise by just a few degrees as a result of global warming, the breeding zone for mosquitoes will shift upwards, and suitable forest bird habitat will be lost. Replanting upperelevation forests above the mosquito-breeding zone will provide disease-free habitat for native forest birds as global warming continues. E Mälama Mauna Kea Take Care of Mauna Kea! Improvements to the Saddle Road and Mauna Kea Visitor Center, increased ownership of four-wheel drive vehicles, and increased commercial tours and recreational opportunities will enable more people to experience alpine Hawai i at the summit. Although rangers now monitor visitors, public awareness will help to protect this fragile zone. Increased human traffic on Mauna Kea also increases the likelihood that alien species will become established. Individuals, tour groups, researchers, hikers, hunters, visitors, and residents alike can unknowingly transport alien weed seeds and invertebrates from other areas. Here, they can multiply to become invasive, competing with, and preying upon native species. Care should be taken to clean and inspect clothing, shoes, gear, and vehicles before traveling up the mountain. Pigs, cattle, sheep, mouflon, and/or goats are major threats in all of the native ecosystems on Mauna Kea except the summit. Hawaiian species and ecosystems evolved over hundreds of thousands of years on the Big Island in the absence of these animals, which eat native plants, trample roots and seedlings, accelerate erosion, and promote weed invasions. Fence-building and regular fence maintenance will keep these animals out of areas under protection and restoration. The summit, Forest Reserve, and two Natural Area Reserves on Mauna Kea are ceded land previously Hawaiian government or crown land now held in trust by the State of Hawai i. Adequate funding for resource protection, increased public awareness and involvement in managing land uses, and respect for the Native Hawaiian culture and environment will help to ensure that future generations are able to experience this very special place Wäkea s Mountain. For More Information Documentaries First Light DVD. Public Broadcasting System Hawai i min. Mauna Kea - Temple Under Siege DVD. Nä Maka O Ka Äina min. Websites hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanoes/maunakea/ Publications A Forest Dies on Mauna Kea. Richard E. Warner. Pacific Discovery. March-April Atlas of Hawai i. Third Edition. Sonia P. Juvik and James O. Juvik, Eds. Department of Geography, University of Hawai i at Hilo. University of Hawai i Press Draft Revised Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Forest Birds. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, Honolulu. August endspindex.html#recovery Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Barbara Maxfield. Endangered Species Bulletin, January/February 2003 Vol. XXVIII No Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution. Alan C. Ziegler. University of Hawai i Press Laupähoehoe Natural Area Reserve Management Plan. Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawai i Department of Land and Natural Resources Life in Mauna Kea s Alpine Desert. Mike Richardson. Endangered Species Bulletin, March/June 2002 Vol. XXVII No Mauna Kea Ka Piko Kaulana O Ka Äina. Kumu Pono Associates Wild by Law, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and the Places It Has Saved. Tom Turner. Sierra Club Books Conservation Council for Hawai i P.O. Box 2923 Honolulu, HI info@conservehi.org