Aloha kākou e nā makamaka:
He lā hoihoi nō ka 18 o Pepeluali. Ua hele mākou ka po`e hula a me ka po`e mālama manu puaiohi i Koke`e no ka hana ho`opōmaika`i `ana i ke ho`omaka`ana i ka lākou kau mālama manu kupu lau.
`O ka Forest Bird Recovery Project (FBRC) ka inoa o ka lākou hui. Ua ho`olālā lākou e ho`oku`u i nā manu puaiohi he 22, `o ka hapa i hānau `ia a hānai `ia mai Hawai`i mai a me Maui mai kekahi.
I ka makahiki 1996, ua ho`omaka ka papahana e ho`omalu ua manu laha `ole lā. He 200-500 wale nō ma loko o ka āina Alaka`i, Kaua`i. Noho nā puaiohi ma Alaka`i wale nō.
I kēlā makahiki, ua lawe `ia nā hua manu mai Alaka`i mai e nā kānaka FBRP a hiki i nā wahi ho`omalu manu ma Makawao, Maui a me Keauhou Ranch, kokoke i Volcano, Hawai`i. Ua ho`okumu `ia nā `āuna manu laka `elua ma laila.
Mai 1996 a hiki i kēia manawa, he 200 a `oi nā manu laka i ho`oku`u `ia ma Alaka`i mai kēia mau `āuna manu. Pōmaika`i mākou ka po`e hula i ka hui `ana a ke kōkua `ana iā lākou i kēia hana e ho`omau i nā manu puaiohi.
Iā mākou nā mea hula i loa`a ai ke kono e ho`opōmaika`i i ka ho`oku`u `ana i ia wahi manu malihini, ua no`ono`o `ia he manawa kūpono no`u e haku mele e pili ana i kēia hana kūikawā.
I ka po`e hula e ho`olālā ana i ka papahana no ka hana ho`opōmaika`i, ua no`ono`o au i nā makahiki he nui a mākou nā haumāna papa `ōlelo Hawai`i i a`o pū ai me kumu Koki i nā ha`awina `ōlelo Hawai`i. Ua mana`o au eia ka manawa e kūlia i ka nu`u a hō`ike i ka`u i a`o ai.
`O ko`u kumu nō ia i haku ai i kēia mele. Ua oli `ia nō ma Kōke`e i kēlā lā. Eia ka mele i haku `ia no ua wahi manu lā.
Na`u nō, Keahi Manea ke mahalo aku nei iā Kumu Koki Williams a me nā haumāna papa Hawaiian 222 ma Kaua`i Community College.
Photos by Mike Teruya