History

The Lanai Native Species Recovery Program began with the question “are ‘ua’u (Hawaiian Petrel) still breeding on the island of Lana’i? When the question was answered, YES! Lana'i Native Species Recovery Program was born. Christine Costales was the first Lana'i staff member hired and soon the program grew to four staff members and began creating out reach and education programs as well as addressing the threats to and needs of the endangered seabirds. LNSRP was there when Castle and Cooke needed to do mitigation for the potential take of native wildlife at its meteorological data collection towers for their proposed wind energy development on Lana'i. C & C's mitigation requirement provided funding for LNSRP to begin the restoration of three to six acres of heavily degraded watershed which was previously documented as active 'ua'u habitat. Hawaii Invasive Species Council, Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources Watershed Assistance Program, The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Maui County and private donors have all stepped up to help fund the efforts of LNSRP.  The program has built community relationships around the vital work of protecting and enhancing the natural resources of Lana'i. Working with other organizations with common goals for different aspects of the natural, cultural and historical landscape brings all of us closer and expands our understandings of each other and our essential connection with the 'aina (land). Our work fullfills the state motto: Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono. (the life of the land is preserved in righteousness).

Christine Costales
Lana’i Field & Outreach Coordinator University of Hawaii, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit
“Chris” joined LNSRP in 2006 when the detection of a large colony of Hawaiian Petrels was first discovered on Lana’i. Chris started as a part-time field worker conducting predator control, monitoring burrows and helped research specialists establish the Lana’i Native Species Program. Chris became full-time in 2007 after 13 years of service with a local company. With 30 years of various office administrative experiences, Chris manages the office, supervises the field crew and conducts public outreach education.

Jay F. Penniman
Jay Penniman is a wildlife biologist leading the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project and its programs: Lāna‘i Native Species Recovery Program and Save Our Seabirds.  Jay is a graduate of Portland State University and has worked in wildlife management, forestry and seabird ecology for twenty years. Working with Fern Duvall, he helped discover and document the endangered ‘ua‘u population on the island of Lāna‘i – the second largest known breeding population in the world. Jay works with the Lāna‘i Native Species Recovery Program coordinator to manage the project for the recovery of the endangered ‘ua‘u and its habitat. He is committed to the idea that the program should be staffed and run by Lāna‘i people and works to bring training, education and experience to the staff of LNSRP to accomplish this goal.

Dr. Fern P. Duvall II
Fern Duvall is a wildlife biologist with the Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife.  In 2006 he secured funding from State Wildlife Grants to determine the status of the endangered seabird, the Hawaiian petrel or ‘ua‘u, on Lāna’i and the other islands of Maui Nui.
Fern received his PhD in 1983 from Die Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany (The Free university of Berlin, Germany). He came to Hawai‘i in 1984 as an aviculturist to work with the endangered ‘alalā or Hawaiian crow. He created the captive breeding population of ‘alalā. The San Diego Zoo has continued to work with the population in trying to reestablish crows in the wild. Fern is recognized as one of Hawaii’s premier biologist naturalists and has received numerous awards for his conservation work. His knowledge of Hawaiian flora and fauna puts him in a class with few peers.
Fern continues to support the Lāna’i Native Species Recovery Program as the program’s connection to the Department of Land And Natural Resources. He provides staff training in plant identification, seed collection, propagation and out planting for habitat restoration and works with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project manager to develop project and program goals and assures continued state funding support.