天美视频

Sophie Cocke/Civil Beat/2011

About the Author

Sally Kaye

Sally Kaye is a resident of Lanai, an editor and former prosecutor. Opinions are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Civil Beat.


My phone rang about 1 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon and it was Fern Duvall.

鈥淪ally, have you read Appendix G? Did you see the Cooper study? Have you checked out the radar survey results on page 37?鈥

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I knew Fern, of course, he鈥檇 been to my house several times with Jay Penniman and Scott Fretz to talk about protecting a newly rediscovered colony of 驶ua驶u (Hawaiian petrel) on Lanai.

In fact, I still have a two-page 鈥淥verview of Regulatory Issues Under the State ESA, Chapter 195D, with Reference to Threatened and Endangered Birds on Lanai鈥 they prepared for us. It became my bible in following the byzantine process required by statute. 聽I framed it.

Penniman, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project Manager, told me he and Fern began surveys in early March 2006, hoping to find amakihi on Lanai — they didn鈥檛 — but immediately found 驶ua驶u 鈥渆verywhere we looked on Lanaihale.聽 As far as we can tell now, the Lanai population is the second largest in existence after the Haleakala population. Our research also documented that the two populations are genetically distinct.鈥

These and other endangered species were thought to be at risk by the seven meteorological towers Castle & Cooke wanted to put up on the North End as a first step to erecting hundreds of massive wind turbines on Lanai to send energy to Oahu — part of the project known as Big Wind.

Fern Duvall, who died in February, was a biologist working in Maui County. Courtesy: Sally Kaye

No, I hadn鈥檛 gotten to page 37 of the Cooper study, buried as it was in a back appendix. But I鈥檇 met with Fern enough to know he was the most understated, humble, gentle speaker on the planet, and the unusual excitement in his voice was hard to miss.

鈥淲ell, then go read it and then call me back!鈥

I did, and it was a game-changer. One that without Fern, we probably would have missed.

I didn鈥檛 understand the science (still not sure I do) but Fern pointed me to what was probably the most significant piece of data buried at the end of a lengthy study conducted as part of a habitat conservation plan required to obtain an incidental take license and permit, estimating the fatality rate of 驶ua驶u (and other protected and endangered avian life) that could occur with Castle & Cooke鈥檚 proposed gigantic spinning blades. Suffice it to say the study鈥檚 estimated numbers far surpassed the proposed take limits of the HCP.

The MET towers are a thing of the past and the massive turbines never materialized — but now, sadly, Fern is gone as well.

Fern died suddenly on Feb. 23, two months after retiring from close to 40 years in conservation work in the islands.

Fern Duvall, far left, retired after 40 years working as a conservation biologist in the islands. Also pictured are Jay Penniman, Maria VanZandt and Chris Costales. Submitted

At a memorial service for Fern attended by close to 200 souls on April 24, Scott Fisher of the Hawaii Land Trust opened the day by summing up Fern鈥檚 work nicely: 鈥淲e are here today in a place that is largely protected because of Fern Duvall. We are here at the because Fern took an interest, identified the many sites and species that need to be protected — and because of that we are not on a golf course.鈥

Scott Fretz, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife Maui branch manager and a colleague of Fern鈥檚 for more than 30 years at DOFAW, observed that 鈥渋f you were going to be doing any kind of conservation work on Maui, Fern was the person you were going to need to talk to.鈥

And he mentioned something I didn鈥檛 know about Fern, that his 鈥渧ision to save the forest birds was to create a lei, a 鈥榤auna lei鈥 he called it around Haleakala, and he led a team planting hundreds of thousands of trees鈥 to accomplish this.

Another thing I didn鈥檛 know: Fern was an artist of the first order.

Kiope Raymond, representing Friends of Haleakala National Park, noted that Fern drew the ahinahina, the silversword that鈥檚 in the middle of the Friends of Haleakala logo, and called him a 鈥渞ole model for aloha aina.鈥

As a gesture to honor Fern鈥檚 legacy, the Friends have established an annual $1,000 scholarship in his name for a college student in a field related to the biology, ecology and or conservation of Haleakala National Park鈥檚 ecosystem.

Fern Duvall’s vision to save the forest birds was to create a 鈥榤auna lei鈥 around Haleakala. He led a team planting hundreds of thousands of trees to accomplish this.

Fern even found new species: the Cyanea duvalliorum, endemic to East Maui, is named for him.

Others at Fern鈥檚 service had this to say:

鈥淔ern dedicated his life to preserving the unique biodiversity of Hawaii.鈥

鈥淔ern was a biological Yoda.鈥

鈥淗e was the quietest voice in the room or on the zoom call, but everybody stopped to listen to him.鈥

And as Fretz observed, Fern never missed an opportunity to share what he knew, 鈥渉is knowledge gave us power.鈥

We on Lanai can gratefully say, 鈥準荒mene to that.鈥

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation.


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About the Author

Sally Kaye

Sally Kaye is a resident of Lanai, an editor and former prosecutor. Opinions are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Civil Beat.


Latest Comments (0)

Plenty aloha to Fern, one of the few unsung heros fighting for what remains of the world's endangered places.. Malama aina.

oldsurfa · 2 years ago

Thanks for highlighting a great man.

wai_wai · 2 years ago

Sounds like a great man and that project may have been ill conceived. But we need green energy and we can芒聙聶t oppose sharing resources between the islands if that芒聙聶s what it takes to get it.

Keala_Kaanui · 2 years ago

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