The Maui News

The community of Haiku Hill, which has battled to control the invasive coqui frog, was named “Maui County MVP” as part of Hawaii Invasive Species Awareness Week, which got underway Wednesday.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said the fifth annual event coincides with U.S. National Invasive Species Awareness Week and regional Pacific invasive species awareness efforts.

The goal of the week is to increase public awareness about what the state Legislature has declared is “the single greatest threat to Hawaii’s economy and natural environment and to the health and lifestyle of Hawaii’s people,” the DLNR news release said. Events include a proclamation from Gov. David Ige, an awards ceremony, a student video contest, community presentations and volunteer opportunities.

The Haiku Hill community was honored as Maui County MVP. The community has 39 properties along the border of Maliko Gulch, the site of a major infestation of coqui frogs, the DLNR news release said.

Over the last decade, the Haiku Hill community has transformed from a group of concerned homeowners reporting frogs to partners in their control.

In 2016, the community built tanks, purchased sprayers, cut back vegetation and advocated for funding to address the coqui frog problem, the news release said. Residents sprayed more than 1,600 gallons of citric acid on their properties, facilitated a neighborhood citric and sprayer distribution center, and spent hours keeping the frog from spreading from their neighborhood.

Their efforts not only reduced the coqui frog density in their community but also helped to stop the spread of the frog to new areas, the news release said.

Native to Puerto Rico, the coqui frog was accidentally introduced to Hawaii hidden in plants around 1988. The frogs have no known predators in the islands and have voracious appetites that can threaten Hawaii’s unique insects and spiders, and the endemic birds and other native fauna that rely on the insects for food.

The coqui frogs also produce a loud sound that has generated many sleepless nights for residents.

For more information about the week, go to dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/hisaw/.