August 8 Actions Saved Hundreds of Protected Species

OLINDA, MAUI - More than two dozen firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and staff from the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) were recognized today with a U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) award for outstanding performance.

On August 7, 2023, and continuing into the next day, staff at MBCC, operated by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance on state land in Olinda, were the first to respond to a fire sparked by a powerline directly across the road from the center.

Had embers skipped over the road, the entire MBCC facility could have burned. It is home to between 80 and 90 native forest birds. Staff at MBCC are building a population of Hawaiian honeycreepers, and ‘alal? (Hawaiian crow) in the safety of the center. These conservation efforts are part of the DOI comprehensive strategy to restore critically endangered species and to combat avian malaria through landscape level mosquito control. It’s a disease that is largely responsible for the extinction or near-extinction of seven members of the honeycreeper family.

As the zoo’s website noted last year, “Last August, our conservationists found themselves on the frontlines with firefighters as wildfire arrived at our doorstep — and they held the line with hoses and fire extinguishers to protect the last of these native Hawaiian birds from catastrophic disaster.”

Jennifer Pribble, who manages the conservation center, monitored the fire overnight, and when embers did cross the road, she used a garden hose and fire extinguishers to keep it from spreading in advance of the arrival of DOFAW wildland firefighters.

She said she was honored by today’s recognition, and while she never expected to be fighting fire, it was another step in protecting the birds under the center’s care. “We prepare to do everything we possibly can to help save these birds,” Pribble said.

During the extended fire fight, the center served as a place of shelter and respite for fire fighters and rescue workers.

“This award recognizes the quick and decisive actions taken by the Maui Bird Conservation Center and the unyielding valor of the DOFAW wildland firefighters and support staff that contributed toward protecting hundreds of species that are culturally significant to Native Hawaiians and are important representatives of the natural and cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands,” said Earl Campbell, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office field supervisor. “The Department of the Interior’s Citizens Award for Exceptional Service recognizes outstanding performance by a private citizen, organizational partner, or volunteer who has contributed significantly to the bureau’s mission.”

Even after flames had been extinguished at the initial ignition source near the bird conservation center, DOFAW firefighters continued putting out hotspots and maintained daily fire watches for more than two months.

DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said, “The work our wildfire teams put in is inherently dangerous, exhausting, hot and dirty. Yet, you never hear any of the DOFAW firefighters complain or refuse to respond. They are responsible for fire suppression on more than one million acres of land under DOFAW’s jurisdiction. Receiving the Citizens Award for Exceptional Service is richly deserved. Mahalo to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for this recognition.”

The Olinda fire, one of four that sparked on Maui the same day as the deadly and devastating Lahaina wildfires, burned across 1,000 acres of the Waihou Spring Forest Reserve. It was considered contained by Sept. 28, 2023, yet more than a month beyond that date, a four-person DOFAW fire patrol team continued daily fire watch.

DOFAW Forester Chris Chow was one of the firefighters who were called up to Olinda today under the guise of having to do work on the property. He and his colleagues, as well as the MBCC staff, were completely surprised and overwhelmed by the federal recognition.

Born and raised on Maui, Chow commented, “No one in the firefighting community does this work for recognition. It’s our job and our passion and we will do everything possible to save our native species and to protect our natural and cultural resources, homes, and property.”