The first is to protect native forests from the spread of strawberry guava. The second is to save money for agri-business by reducing the fruit fly population which thrives on wild strawberry guava. Millions of dollars are spent on quarantine and eradication of fruit flies annually by taxpayers and farmers in Hawaii, according to the report.

I just can't figure out from the report how this plan would eliminate the need to treat ag products for fruit flies before export since it will not eliminate fruit flies.

Nevertheless scientists want to introduce an insect from Brazil that will disfigure Hawaii's strawberry guava trees and prevent them from producing good fruit, thus inhibiting the spread of strawberry guava in Hawaii's native forests.

Puna's Olaa Forest Preserve would be the first experimental site for the release of the insect but the intent is to release them statewide, affecting all strawberry guava everywhere in Hawaii. Researchers say that the insects will attack only strawberry guava and begin to have an effect in two or three years. The initial release would cost about $50,000.

"Its impacts are expected to be highly beneficial to non-target species, in helping protect large areas of native forest from being invaded and dominated by strawberry guava, and contributing to large scale control of pest fruit flies."

Of course if you like strawberry guava, too bad. You will have to use insecticides to preserve your plants, the report says.

The other stated reason for the project is to protect native forests from the uncontrolled growth of strawberry guava. The weed, as it's called, is reported to be one of the most serious threats to vulnerable native forest ecosystems. " ...  long term protection of native forests, including many native rainforest species of importance in Hawaiian culture, from degradation by strawberry guava is expected to provide cultural benefits that far outweigh the value of strawberry guava as a resource in itself."

But there are no guarantees that the insect (T. ovatus) will keep to its liking for only strawberry guava. "T. ovatus has few close relatives, which suggests limited potential for evolution to use new host plants. (But there) have been very few studies of this group of insects, none of them recent.

"Once a biological control agent such as T. ovatus is released into the environment and becomes established, there is a slight possibility that it could move from the target plant (strawberry guava) to attack nontarget plants. ... Historically, host shifts by introduced weed biological control agents to unrelated plants are extremely rare. If other plant species were to be attacked by T. ovatus, the resulting effects could be environmental impacts that may not be easily reversed."

The plan could also trigger "(i)ndirect impacts on nontarget species," which have been documented in a few cases of this kind of "weed biocontrol,"  but, "unfortunately the ability to predict such effects remains poor ... . Pigs, which feed heavily on strawberry guava fruit when it is in season, may be forced to find other food sources in the short term and may experience reduced population growth in the long term."

The report also notes "uncertainty associated with the eventual impact of T. ovatus on strawberry guava." In other words, the insects might not even work as advertised. Observations in Brazil and laboratory tests indicate that the insect can significantly impact individual strawberry guava plants, but the results may vary significantly, the report said. "Worldwide, biological weed control programs have had an overall success rate of 33 percent."

Meanwhile, the National Park Service has managed to effect "dramatic reductions" of strawberry guava in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park without resorting to alien insects, according to the report. "Dramatic reductions in density of strawberry guava and other weeds have been achieved within these limited areas, and the labor to maintain low weed density declines after the initial large investment."

The report sums up the proposal saying it "is intended to result in a permanent reduction of wild fruits of strawberry guava, which are considered a cultural resource by some Hawai’i residents who have occasionally collected fruits for consumption. However, the loss of this resource is expected to have great benefits for the natural environment by protecting existing native forest, watershed and habitat for native plants and animals from invasion by one of Hawai’i’s most destructive environmental weeds. These benefits to the natural environment will also accrue significant cultural benefits in that many native species of importance in Hawaiian culture will be protected from the deleterious effects of strawberry guava."

Oh, and there was one other reason for the experiment: "Impacts on public utility rights-of way are expected to be positive, in that slower growth of strawberry guava is expected to result in lower costs required for weed control under utility lines."

"If no action is taken, decline in endangered plant populations are probable and extinctions are possible (italics added) as a result of continuing invasions by strawberry guava," the report said.

However it's difficult to see how this project is anything other than an ill-conceived experiment using the entire state as its laboratory. It could work just as researchers think it will, or it could go irreversibly awry and cause untold damage. Shouldn't we have a better assessment of the risks and "possible" rewards before proceeding with a project like this? Reading this draft environmental assessment didn't demonstrate to me that it's worth the risk of introducing a new species to Hawaii. More convincing assurances that it will do what is intended without causing additional problems are needed before I would be satisfied there is an acceptable amount of risk in moving forward with this plan.

Thanks to Syd Singer for raising the issue. Singer, meanwhile, send me the following e-mail:

Guess what?  The Proposing Agency listed in the Environmental Report was incorrect!  At least that's the story of the Plant Pest Control Branch.  They say comments should be going, not to them, but to the USDA Forest Service, which is the agency that prepared the DEA.  The OEQC says they were told it was the PPB.  So I am demanding that a new announcement be made in the Env. Report with another 30 day comment period, and am also requesting that they hold public HEARINGS since this affects everyone in Hawaii.  They tried to get this approved under the radar, but the light is shining bright now!  (Sorry for mixing metaphors.)  Below is the corrected contact info, so please still send comments to them, anyway, since I don't know what will happen.

 

Email comments to tracyjohnson@fs.fed.us with a copy to oeqc@doh.hawaii.gov and

savetheguava@gmail.com .

Or mail comments to : Tracy Johnson, Ph.D., USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 236,

Volcano, Hawaii 96785

Or call the USDA FS at 808-967-7122.

The operator gave me to Reed Flickinger, the editor, who quickly went plenty defensive about the Web site polls. It sounded like he's a little tired of explaining how the polls aren't designed to be scientific, that they're done to boost traffic to the Web site, and that he has little to do with that side of the operation so he couldn't answer my question.

Flickinger transferred me to a woman in the the advertising department -- yikes! -- who could. But she wasn't in. I left a message. A couple of hours later I called again and got the same voice mail message. I also called the number of the guy she said to call on her voice mail message if I had a question and she wasn't in. He wasn't in.

So I waited for today's online edition to appear to see if the poll is still up. It is. You can still cast your vote. Though I played with it a little and it doesn't seem to allow you more than one vote from a computer. But you stuffers out there can find a way, yeah?

BTW, Angel Pilago maintains about a 45 percent share since yesterday and Billy Kenoi has moved into second place at 21 percent. Stacy Higa's at 15 percent and, amazingly, Lorraine Inouye is still languishing near the bottom with around five percent of the votes. I wonder if Lorraine's poor showing reflects an older constituency that is less likely to participate in an online survey. That's my guess.

Jet Heng is a 26-year-old Operation Iraqi Freedom vet and UH-Hilo political science student. Campaign manager Christopher Todd e-mailed me to say he and Heng have "started to meet with community associations and organizations to gain a feel of how Jet can best serve the community if he is voted into office."  Todd included Heng's resume, which I've posted here. They are both Hilo High grads and Todd is the son of former Hawaii County Councilwoman Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, who is now the County's Environmental Management chief. Good to see the next generation getting a toehold in local politics. 

Meanwhile there were several other names I didn't mention in my earlier post and some readers have already started filling in the blanks on them. Others are getting antsy about not having enough info on all the unfamiliar names expressing an interest in public office. Patience, please, I'll get to them.

There are now enough candidates in the mayor's race alone to field a football team. Eleven have pulled papers for mayor (only Angel Pilago has actually filed -- the rest have until July 22), but only seven appeared on West Hawaii's mayor's race survey. WHT listed Angel Pilago, Stacy Higa, Billy Kenoi, Lorraine Inouye, Sam Masilamoney, Michael J. "Jasper" Moore and Roger Christie, while also announcing their intent to run but not listed in the survey are Joseph Barrozo, William J. Halverson, Randell J. Riley and Joseph W.L. Whitney.

If any of these candidates wants to share their resumes and campaign info with me, e-mail hunterbishop@hawaii.rr.com, or call me at 987-5186.

What's surprising is that Stacy Higa is second  with 187 votes (18 percent), and more surprising is that Lorraine Inouye is fourth with only 4 percent (45 votes). "None of the above" and "Undecided/Not sure" each got 7 percent. Billy Kenoi is third with 165 votes (16 percent).

I'm not sure how long the newspaper keeps these surveys on its Web site, so if you want to make your mark, better do it soon. Thanks to Aaron Stene for the tip.

Herkes should have gone to Harry first, the mayor complained in a cranky response to Herkes reported in Sunday's Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Kim said Herkes' complaints were all being addressed and that he could have told him so had he only asked. That's one of the problems we've been addressing here since lava started flowing toward Pahoa last July. Harry keeps saying that the county has plans, yet the public isn't privy to them.  He certainly didn't do a good job describing any of them in Sunday's paper.

Kim would rather play this kind of information close to the vest than to get these stealth plans into the open and you have to wonder whether perhaps that's because the lack of good disaster preparedness planning is embarrassing to the mayor. Maybe that's why he would have preferred Herkes come to him quietly for a proper explanation about how it's done first before spouting off publicly to the governor about the public's concerns.

Strawberry Guava

I've always been a little troubled by these attempts to control nature. Importing an insect to harm another species lends a kind of bio-ethnic cleansing aspect to the work.

Since the bugs will be released first in Puna's Olaa Natural Reserve, it's of vital local interest and it would be good for everyone to have a thorough understanding of the plan, its benefits and potential hazards. So to spark some discussion, here's Singer's press release and the DOA's draft environmental assessment.  Let me know what you think. You can also send comments to the Plant Pest Control Branch, Dr. Neil Reimer, at neil.j.reimer@hawaii.gov; copy to oeqc@doh.hawaii.gov.

Emily Naeole's re-election bid in the Fifth District is a featured event here of course with former Ethics Board chair Wayne Joseph and Kale Gumapac now running to unseat her.

In the Sixth District, including Kurtistown, Mountain View and Volcano, Ka'u and South Kona, incumbent Bob Jacobson faces a tough challenge from Guy Enriques, who opposed Jacobson's preservation plan at Punalu'u.

The campaign for Stacy Higa's Fourth District seat (South Hilo), which he's vacating to run for mayor, has his aide Andy Baclig, newcomer Dennis "Fresh" Onishi  and restaurateur Rhonda Nichols vying to replace him.

In the Eighth District (North Kona), fiery former Councilman Curtis Tyler joins Kelly Greenwell and Deborah Hecht in the race for the seat being vacated by mayoral candidate Angel Pilago.

And then there's the Third Council District, which includes Keaau, Kurtistown, Orchidland and Mountain View, where incumbent J Yoshimoto could see his re-election hinge on a replay of the controversial county-wide smoking ban. It was Yoshimoto's bill, which was passed over Mayor Kim's veto last month.

Yoshimoto was a low-profile first-year Councilman until proposing the smoking ban, which raised howls of protests. Now the bill's biggest public opponent, Clifford Souza, who said people opposed the Council's smoking ban by six to one, has pull papers to run for Yoshimoto's seat. So I guess we'll get to see how Souza's 6-1 assertion holds up in an election.

Council chairman Pete Hoffman, Stacy Higa, Donald Ikeda and Yoshimoto voted to continue studying the project. But Naeole, Bob Jacobson, Brenda Ford, Donald Yagong and Angel Pilago had heard enough and their 5-4 majority killed the plan.

Now I get the sense that we could be hurtling toward a new East Hawaii landfill that could cost as much if not more than the waste-to-energy plant. If you listen to Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, the county's Environmental Management chief, it sounds like time to put the transportation plan in place for hauling to Puuanahulu. From Rod Thompson's story in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

Kona residents have said they do not want Hilo trash trucked to the modern West Hawaii landfill, but Leithead-Todd has said that might be the only alternative. And the high price of gasoline would make trucking increasingly expensive.

True about the price of fuel, but the better we get at recycling, the fewer trucks will need to make the trip. Compare the cost of buying and fueling the trucks with the construction and maintenance costs of constructing a new incinerator or landfill. I don't know the answer but the detailed analysis needs to be done before rushing headlong into another big ticket item.

The county's plan for the incinerator was that its ash would be hauled to Puuanahulu anyway unless we built a landfill extension in Hilo. A lesser known part of the WTE plan was that if recycling was successful to the point that the incinerator was no longer working to its energy-producing capacity, rubbish from West Hawaii would have been hauled to Hilo! From the mayor's most recent public info sheet:

In addition, the County has control of its trash, meaning that it can direct waste from West Hawaii transfer stations to the waste-to-energy plant to make up the required tonnage if necessary as we maximize recycling.

We would have had trucks of ash and rubbish going both ways across the island under that mad and costly plan. I'm glad we're through with it -- at least I hope we are through with it.

I'd recommend plans that would dramatically reduce the amount of rubbish first, then truck what's left to our one good landfill which happens to be in Puuanahulu. But now the future of solid waste management in Hawaii County-- and for how many previous elections have we heard this? -- will be up to the next council and mayor. Sigh.