Bee habitat destruction, albatross deaths could lead to $3 million fine

Several North Shore property owners face more than $3 million in state fines for destroying an important native bee habitat that endangered two species of bees and installing unpermitted fencing that resulted in nesting Laysan albatrosses be killed.

The female bird, named Hookipa, was found by local marine animal rescuers in December after being trapped in a fence and died while receiving treatment. Authorities later determined Hukipa was killed by a groundskeeper who struck her in the head with a rock, according to newly released government documents.

The incident occurred at Marconi Point, an agricultural designated area adjacent to Turtle Bay Resort and home to more than a dozen landowners.

In October, groundskeepers at Marconi, a national preserve adjacent to the shoreline, cut down a two-acre grove of nopaka scrub and heliotrope trees that were the only remaining species of some of the island’s endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bees. ‘s habitat.

Sushil Garg, a Las Vegas tech entrepreneur, and Benjamin Lassary, a grounds supervisor hired by Garg to oversee landscaping along the shoreline, according to new state documents detailing the reasoning behind the proposed fine. Landscaping and mulching work.

Records show Garg recently purchased several parcels of land in Marconi Point.

According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources report, when Garg met with state officials after the plants were destroyed, he expressed concerns about dry brush and fires and was unaware of the vegetation’s importance.

Meanwhile, the iron fence where Hukipa was found stretches along a parcel of land at the west end of Marconis owned by Yuxi Jin, a well-known Chinese-American television host.

Hukipa and her partner had been nesting in the area for five years when crews installed the fence there in 2022, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service memo on the matter.

Denise Antolini, a member of the grassroots conservation group Aloha Marconi Alliance, visited the Marconi coastline last week and said it looked like an area of ​​ruins. The paca bushes and heliotrope are gone.

Its shocking. This is completely inexcusable. Antolini said everyone is paying attention because it is a major issue that could result in fines.

She added that the amount of nearly $3.2 million “is really a milestone and perhaps unprecedented because the extent of the damage is unprecedented.”

The state Land and Resources Commission will consider whether to approve the fine Friday. DLNR spokesman Dan Denison could not confirm Tuesday whether the total fine recommended by the Department of Forestry and Wildlife and the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands was unprecedented.

Much of the proposed fine targets damage to bee habitat, including the loss of more than 100 heliotrope trees and the loss of 300 endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bees.

Can faces about $45,000 in fines over the iron border fence that ensnared Huquippa late last year. State officials said they could find no record of any city or state licensing.

Gargs’ attorney, Kalani Morse, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Seth Buckley, Kan’s attorney, said on Monday that he was not authorized to comment on the penalties, but a representative for Kan would address the board on Friday.

‘Irreparable harm’

University of Hawaii researchers say Kahuku, which includes Marconi Point, is one of the last places on Oahu where the anthracnose, a coastal bee that relies primarily on nupaka for survival, is found.

However, the loss of habitat within 2 miles of Marconi Point has fragmented the population there, making the anthrax wasp and another endangered yellow-faced species, the long-headed wasp, more vulnerable to extinction because of their association with invasive species, climate change and Fight climate change.

According to the DLNR report, Kahuku is one of only four remaining black turtle colonies on Oahu and one of only three long-headed softshell turtle colonies on Oahu.

The shoreline in front of Marconi Point rarely gets visitors, as it’s a 2-mile walk from the Turtle Bay parking lot. Still, in October, reports that workers were clearing nopaka and heliotrope there quickly spread among local community members and conservationists.

On Oct. 17, workers using chainsaws and machetes to clear vegetation initially refused to stop when state conservation officers asked them to stop, according to an OCCL report.

The workers eventually found Lazari at the scene and convinced him to stop working, the report added.

Still, according to the DLNR, the damage done to the 2-mile stretch caused irreparable harm to the ecology there.

Even if crews manage to replace disappearing nopaka shrubs and heliotrope trees, reintroducing endangered bee species will be difficult because the insects are typically loyal to their original homes, state conservation officials said.

As part of the justification for the fine, state officials said Lassari was aware of native bees living along the shoreline. Lazari could not be reached for comment.

Agents uncover an intentional killing of an albatross

Since 2017, Huquippa and her partner have been returning to nest in the same spot within a 32-foot radius of the Turtle Bay and Cans Marconi Point property boundaries, according to a memo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

However, the Kans border fence, built in 2022, cuts right through the nesting area of ​​the albatross pair, the memo said. Their eggs failed to hatch that year because the fence hindered the birds from fully hatching, according to federal conservation officials.

In late November, Hukipa and her partner returned to the same location and laid another egg.

Then, on Dec. 2, volunteers with the nonprofit Hawaii Marine Animal Response reported they found Hukipa tangled in the fence while Marconi Point ground crews were using wire-cutting power tools nearby, the memo said.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife memo said it was clear from the grass surrounding the nest that a weed whacker had made a beeline toward the nest. Our team has observed weedeaters causing severe distress to Laysan albatrosses on other occasions and hypothesized that the albatrosses were trying to escape the weedeaters but were unable to do so due to unauthorized fencing.

A DLNR report said a joint investigation by the federal agency and state Conservation and Resource Enforcement revealed there was no emergency or good reason for crews to clear vegetation/grass near Hukipa and its eggs.

The report added that the state and federal agents discovered that workers threw a rock at Hukipa, which ultimately hit her in the head and killed her.

No other details of the joint investigation have been released.

Biologists estimate that had Hukippa not been killed, she and her mate might have nested for another 50 years or so, giving birth to about 12 more albatross chicks during her lifetime.

Antolini said Monday that the violations at Marconi were not normal or common in Hawaii.

The potential fines involved are of great concern across the state, but there are not many cases this extreme,” she said.

Meanwhile, Garg faces a separate DLNR investigation into the possible unauthorized demolition of the historic Marconi Wireless Telegraph Station.

The 1910s-era telegraph building was supposed to be preserved under the terms of a 2021 federal loan guarantee for construction at the site.

Civil Beats’ coverage of climate change is supported by the Healey Foundation, the Marisla Foundation of the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.