DLNR MEDIA ADVISORY: Naming ceremony to honor rare Hawaiian forest bird
Posted on May 30, 2017 in Latest Department News
Amid the koa forest of the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve lives the Hawaii Creeper, a rare forest bird whose Hawaiian name has been lost for a century. Thanks to extensive research in the earliest documented literature, the Hawai‘i Creeper’s name – and its significance – has been rediscovered. The name ‘Alawi was submitted to, and accepted by the Hawai‘i Lexicon Committee. This event is to celebrate the rediscovered Hawaiian name of this forest denizen and increase awareness of this surviving species.
What: Event to honor the Hawai‘i Creeper through a Hawaiian cultural ceremony to restore its long-lost name.
When: Wednesday, May 31, 2017, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where:
Pu’u Maka’ala Natural Area Reserve (NAR), at the end of Stainback Road (between Mountain View and Volcano).
Limited transportation for on-island media is available from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), 19 East Kawili St. Hilo meet there at 8 a.m. Please RSVP by 6 p.m. today by calling Anya Tagawa at (808) 443-4245. This is a gated, 4WD road so attendees must be able to ride with and stay for the full event. Ride will take an hour and 15 minutes.
Who:
Naming ceremony, mele inoa (45 min.) will be performed by Noah Gomes and two others. He is a cultural practitioner and works for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Followed by a half-hour hike on easy 4WD road with birding narration by Alex Wang, (DLNR NAR System) and discussion of conservation management in Pu‘u Maka‘ala by Emma Yuen, DOFAW Native Ecosystems Protection and Management Program, and Colleen Cole of the Three Mountain Alliance Watershed Partnership.
Also invited were council members and legislators. Lunch will be provided. Return to DOFAW office by 1 p.m.
Resources: HD video and photographs will be provided with news release tomorrow after the event.
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Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0407