STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1522

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 114

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 114 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AUGUST 8, 2023, AS HAWAIIAN HONEYCREEPERS CELEBRATION DAY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to recognize August 8, 2023, as Hawaiian Honeycreepers Celebration Day.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; The Nature Conservancy; numerous students from ‘Iolani School, Manoa Elementary School, Hawaii Technology Academy; and fifteen individuals.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is experiencing a manu (bird) extinction crisis, with ninety-five of its one hundred forty-two endemic bird species having become extinct and the remaining forty-seven species facing critical threats. Additionally, of the more than fifty species of honeycreepers endemic to Hawaii, only seventeen species remain, and twelve species are designated by the federal or state government as critically endangered or threatened. With the introduction of mosquitoes to Hawaii in 1826 and mosquito-borne diseases such as avian malaria and pox in the 1900s, the range of Hawaiian honeycreepers has largely shrunk to high-elevation cool forests such as Alakai Plateau on Kauai; Haleakala on Maui; and Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island.

Your Committee further finds that Hawaiian honeycreepers, like all manu species, function as pollinators, nutrient cyclers, seed dispensers, and pest managers, keeping the State's forests healthy and catalyzing natural cycles in native ecosystems. Hawaiian honeycreepers are also culturally significant to Native Hawaiians, who foster reciprocal relationships with native manu and regard them as messengers between the gods and the people as told in various moolelo (stories), olelo noeau (proverbs), kaao (legends), and mele (songs). Feathers from honeycreepers were also vital in ancient Hawaii to adorn alii (chiefs) with symbols of power and authority. This measure recognizes the scientific and cultural significance of Hawaiian honeycreepers to protect native manu species from further harm.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 114 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

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CHRIS LEE, Chair