06-30-2009, 07:23 AM
Mdd - Your question is a very good one that science has not yet satisfactorily answered. The hawks are territorial and the size of each individual or mating pair's territory depends on the resources available there. So a hawk on say the relatively barren more recent lava flows of Kilauea or in lower Ka'u may have a larger territory than one up near Hakalau. How big are they? I don't think enough work has been done to know.
In the original recovery plan produced in 1984, all information about the hawk's estimated population came from the PhD dissertation of a person named Griffin. Griffin estimated there were 1,400-2,500 birds, however there is no mention anywhere of the methods used to come up with this number and his dissertation was never published. This is pretty unusual for science - and while I have no way to know, it basically says Griffin could have just dreamed it up whilst sipping a Mai Tai.
But this didn't stop the USFWS from using these numbers to come up with a recovery goal of 1,500-2,500 birds - according to the numbers used - pretty much the number that was supposedly already here. Maybe that was to make their job easy?
I got this information from the Federal Register-vol.73 No.152 (The proposal to de-list.) It says plainly that "No explanation for the recovery goal of 1,500-2,500 birds was provided, but these #'s were presumably based on Griffin's (1985)..."
Presumably? Again - kinda unusual for science not to keep track of things.
Bottom line, by their own estimation the USFWS says 58.7% of the 'Io's habitat is in private hands and so is shrinking with every big tree that goes down. We know that this trend will continue, at some rate anyway, and will probably not reverse itself in the foreseeable future. So we still need to try and protect these birds and the native forests with them.
Come out to the meeting if can. Tell your friends.
We can't get it back when it's gone.
Aloha,
Mitzi
In the original recovery plan produced in 1984, all information about the hawk's estimated population came from the PhD dissertation of a person named Griffin. Griffin estimated there were 1,400-2,500 birds, however there is no mention anywhere of the methods used to come up with this number and his dissertation was never published. This is pretty unusual for science - and while I have no way to know, it basically says Griffin could have just dreamed it up whilst sipping a Mai Tai.
But this didn't stop the USFWS from using these numbers to come up with a recovery goal of 1,500-2,500 birds - according to the numbers used - pretty much the number that was supposedly already here. Maybe that was to make their job easy?
I got this information from the Federal Register-vol.73 No.152 (The proposal to de-list.) It says plainly that "No explanation for the recovery goal of 1,500-2,500 birds was provided, but these #'s were presumably based on Griffin's (1985)..."
Presumably? Again - kinda unusual for science not to keep track of things.
Bottom line, by their own estimation the USFWS says 58.7% of the 'Io's habitat is in private hands and so is shrinking with every big tree that goes down. We know that this trend will continue, at some rate anyway, and will probably not reverse itself in the foreseeable future. So we still need to try and protect these birds and the native forests with them.
Come out to the meeting if can. Tell your friends.
We can't get it back when it's gone.
Aloha,
Mitzi
Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com