Nine Mile Fence Built Around Haleakala Rainforest

The East Maui Watershed Partnership has finished building a nine mile wire fence around 12,000 acres of rainforest on the windward slope of Maui's dormant Haleakala volcano. The new fenced area expands the zone that was protected by fences in 1985 and 1999 by Haleakala National Park and the Nature Conservancy. The main purpose of the fence is to keep out "invasive species" such as goats and pigs. Axis deer are also a problem in this area, but officials say it is not possible to build a deer-proof fence, although they are trying to develop some alternative deterrents. The wildlife in this area can be very creative: at one time the local goats learned to climb the Koa trees, and use them as springboards to jump over the fence! For more information, see the May 9, 2006 Maui News article.