DLNR NEWS RELEASE: Protecting all creatures great and small
Posted on Aug 22, 2016 in Latest Department NewsWHAT: Experts will discuss research and recovery efforts underway for two of the state’s tiniest creatures. This week marks a milestone in conservation, with the release of captive-reared snails into a predator-proof structure in the Koolau Mountains. Achatinella lila is a beautiful tree snail species that is near extinction. The released snails are the result of 20 years of rearing in a lab. The population of these snails, that the original captive founders are from, has long since been devoured by invasive predators and no longer exists. The Kamehameha butterfly is Hawai’i’s State Insect. This beautiful orange and black butterfly once was found in virtually every climate zone across the state, but habitat loss, like in so many cases, has severely restricted its range and reduced its population. Backyard gardeners love seeing the Kamehameha butterfly pollinating their plants. Learn about research underway in the lab and in native forests to restore both of these ecologically and culturally important species.
WHEN: Monday, August 22, 2016, 11 a.m.
WHERE: DLNR, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu (makai breezeway)
WHO:
- Cynthia King-Entomologist, DLNR Division of Forestry & Wildlife (DOFAW)
- David Sischo-Snail Extinction Prevention Program Coordinator, DOFAW
- Dr. William Haines, Insect Ecologist, DOFAW
WHY: This is the first of 19 daily DLNR & YOU news conferences associated with the IUCN World Conservation Congress Hawai’i 2016, Sept. 1st-10th. Complete media packages with HD Video, photographs, and a video news release will be available.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0407