#wildlife: hawaii

[snototter]

A lavender waxbill (Glaucestrilda caerulescens) in Kona, Hawai'i

by Janine Russell

[rafefar]

Rosy-faced lovebird hamming it up

Big island, Hawaii

[stranglethorn-bonfire-bash]

We're happy to share that the Stranglethorn Bonfire Bash 2024 official tshirt and tank preorder is now LIVE!

This year's shirt was designed by @buttart, with @lychgate once again handling the sales and shipping because he's amazing!!

This preorder will begin today (07/27) and end one week following the Bash, on 09/01. Be sure to order yours while the preorder is still open!

Preorder the shirt or tank here!

Just like last year, the profits from shirt sales will be donated to our featured charity this year, which we're proud to announce is HAWAI'I WILDLIFE FUND! From their mission statement: "Hawai'i Wildlife Fund is a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to the conservation of Hawai'i's native wildlife. We collaborate with other scientists to obtain knowledge about threatened and endangered species in order to assist in their recovery. We forge alliances and partnerships with community organizations and businesses to educate visitors and residents of Hawai'i about the marine ecosystem and impending threats. We support various University of Hawai'i student projects through research and education programs."

To learn more about the organization, visit https://www.wildhawaii.org/!

[whyireadsomuch]

https://wapo.st/45CjaRR

Fascinating and heartbreaking article about the akikiki birds that are close to extinction who were bravely defended from the fires in Hawaii. It’s a gift link, so you should be able to read the whole thing.

Please spread the word about this and help everybody in Hawaii if you can—both people and birds!

[cloudsndreamsxo]

[noaasanctuaries]

Wake up, it’s Endangered Species Day!

The protected waters of the National Marine Sanctuary System provide safe haven for many endangered species, such as Hawaiian monk seals. By helping create safer habitats, the National Marine Sanctuary System gives endangered species the opportunities they need to regain a foothold.

Learn more about endangered species and this upcoming, monumental anniversary:

🎥: Matt McIntosh/NOAA

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - June 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi or $Kaybarr1735! Also, if you tip me on Ko-fi or CashApp (and give me some way to contact you if it doesn’t automatically), at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Hundreds of Mayors, City Leaders Commit to Protecting Monarch Butterflies in Annual Pledge

“The 300 participating communities are taking a record number of actions to advance monarch conservation by planting or maintaining pollinator gardens at prominent locations, supporting native plant sales and giveaways, and partnering with local gardening organizations and experts to advance monarch conservation and community engagement.”

2. Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions, analysis suggests

“Researchers suggest that charging carbon emitters with an emission tax could help fund such basic income programs while reducing environmental degradation. [… G]iving basic income to the entire world population could boost the global GDP by $163 trillion, which is about 130% of the current GDP. Every dollar spent on implementing basic income can generate as much as $7 in economic impacts, the analysis shows.”

3. Los Angeles-area wildlife crossing over freeway expected to be ready in 2026

“The crossing will be a vegetated overpass that will help isolated animals safely cross U.S. 101. […] Officials said the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will "reconnect habitats and improve the health of the environment for many species in Southern California." They added that currently, U.S. 101 is a huge barrier that disconnects Southern California wildlife. […] “We need to move beyond mere conservation, toward a kind of environmental rejuvenation," [Annenberg] said in a statement. "Wildlife crossings are powerfully effective at doing just that — restoring ecosystems that have been fractured and disrupted.””

4. ‘Many waterfowl are very gay’: Elliot Page set to narrate LGBTQ+ animal documentary Second Nature

“According to Deadline, Second Nature will be executive produced by Page, who will also narrate the documentary set to explore instances of same-sex attraction in species other than humans. And, spoiler alert, they’re everywhere. [… Page said,] “Second Nature reveals the full spectrum of life and how when it comes to gender and sexuality in nature, the diversity is endless. I learned so much and am thrilled others will too.””

5. McKenzie River Restoration Benefiting Threatened Upper Willamette River Chinook

“Salmon have successfully reproduced at the Finn Rock restoration site in Oregon’s McKenzie River watershed. Another project aims to bring salmon back to lower Quartz Creek. […] Historical accounts document the presence of Chinook salmon and bull trout in Quartz Creek, but neither species has been seen there for decades. Project partners have replaced an aging bridge that constricted Quartz Creek. Previously, the stream constriction forced the water to gush like a fire hose, blasting salmon and sediment downriver. […] The restoration work will increase groundwater and expand the amount of wetlands, which can reduce the impact of forest fires.”

6. Leading Scholars Call for Global Treaty on Free Education

“According to the experts, well-established scientific evidence shows “unequivocally” that education is foundational to children’s healthy development and lifelong prospects[…. Seventy scholars from thirty countries] call on all governments to support a new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure recognition of the right to free early childhood education and free secondary education, alongside the existing explicit right to free and compulsory primary education.”

7. Water is key as study shows restoration of drained tropical peat is possible

“Rewetting of tropical peatland that was drained for agriculture can lead to the recovery of the native ecosystem, a long-term study of a former pulpwood plantation in Indonesia shows. Researchers studying the 4,800-hectare (11,900-acre) plot that was retired in 2015 by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) found the water table had risen, soil carbon emissions had gone down, and native trees were springing up and replacing the planted acacia pulpwoods.”

8. Antioxidant gel preserves islet function after pancreas removal: New approach could reduce diabetes complications

“Before surgeons remove the pancreas from patients with severe, painful chronic pancreatitis, they first harvest insulin-producing tissue clusters, called islets, and transplant them into the vasculature of the liver. […] Unfortunately, the process inadvertently destroys 50–80% of islets, and one-third of patients become diabetic after surgery. [… To] create a healthier microenvironment for the islets, the researchers adhered the islets to the omentum with an inherently antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biomaterial[…,] significantly improving survival and preserving function of transplanted islets.”

9. Restoring Indigenous aquaculture heals both ecosystems and communities in Hawai‘i

“The loko i’a system of native fishponds in Hawai‘i has for generations provided sustenance to Indigenous communities[….] Unlike commercial fish farms, loko i‘a thrive without feed input and need little management once established[….] “We are using science to translate ‘ike kupuna, or Indigenous knowledge, into policy,” said study co-author Kawika Winter […] “Loko i’a are really built to work with the ecosystem, whereas not all forms of aquaculture are made to do that.””

10. Meet Neo Px: the super plant that attacks air pollution

“Neo Px is a bioengineered plant capable of purifying indoor air at an unprecedented scale[….] "It's the equivalent of up to 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification," said Lionel Mora, co-founder of startup Neoplants. "It will not only capture, but also remove and recycle, some of the most harmful pollutants you can find indoors." [… The plant comes] with packets of powder that contain a microbiome, essentially a bacterial strain. "This bacteria colonizes the plant's roots, soil and leaves [… and] absorbs the VOCs to grow and reproduce. The plant is there to create this ecosystem for the bacteria. So we have a symbiotic system between plants and bacteria.””

May 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[sunlitsorrows]

A FRIEND! A FRIEND HAS BEEN SPOTTED

[virtualstar]

[mk-photographer]

O’ahu, HI 2022

[snototter]

A red reef lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis) off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, USA

by Pierrette Wagner

[scuttlebuttink-blog]

Only 3 days left to pledge to the Reef 'Ohana enamel pin campaign! We're $65 away from unlocking the first stretch goal, the snowflake eel pin.

Visit www.ScuttlebuttInk.com to join in!

https://www.scuttlebuttink.com

[coffeenuts]

[considernature]

"When I was a girl, I was afraid of spiders..."

Yeah, well then this article isn't for you, fucking Widow mains. Come check out the newest article on Consider Nature, talking about the Kaua'i Cave Wolf Spider. This fascinating and extremely rare spider lives in subterranean tunnels carved by fast-flowing lava on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i.

[lightningspam-photography]

Fairy Tern (sternula nereis)

Taken in Honolulu, Hawaii

status: vulnerable

A post for the bird nerds. These birds are also known as Manu-o-kū and White Terns. They are a beautiful all white feathered sea bird with black eyes and a black beak with a blue-ish base.

This one here is a chick. It hasn’t wandered away from its nest like it might appear because these birds lay their egg on a bare branch where the chick will spend its time until it fledges.