Counting crows and hoping for more

There could be a renaissance for the native Hawaiian crow, the ‘alala, extinct in the wild for two decades. A pair raised in captivity was released in 2017, and now they were seen building a nest in the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve.

The ‘Alala Project, a partnership of state and federal agencies and San Diego Zoo Global, cautions that success can take a couple tries.

But the female has been seen doing the classic egg-sitting behavior, so why not cross our fingers? Mother’s Day approaches.

A farm project with promise

With Hawaii so dependent on shipped-in food, it’s always welcome news to hear about efforts to grow local agriculture, especially diversified crops for our dinner tables.

Kalona Brand Co., a partnership with Kamehameha Schools and two Oregon firms, announced plans to replace fallow corn and sugar cane fields with crops as diverse as cacao (for high-end chocolate), breadfruit, taro and the stuff of a good salad: lettuce, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers and more, using traditional ahupuaa management practices. Let’s hope the 223-acre farm project points the way to more sustainable — and financially stable — farms in the islands.