KIUC Linemen All Geared Up - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative

Marie Morin embraced her new job as the Save
our Shearwaters (SOS) program coordinator at
Kaua‘i Humane Society by working the Kaua‘i
County Farm Bureau Fair all weekend in August.
“I’ve been working at returning to Hawai‘i for a
long time, and this fair is a wonderful reminder of
all the things about this special place I’ve missed,”
Morin said in a brief interview between speaking
with hundreds of fairgoers.
Morin holds a bachelor’s in wildlife biology from
the University of California­Davis, a master’s in
forest biology (wildlife group) from the University of
Washington in Seattle and a doctorate in zoology
from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She did
her dissertation on the endangered Laysan finch—
an endemic Hawaiian Honeycreeper found on the
refuge island of Laysan in the leeward chain of
Hawaiian Islands.
She has spent the better part of the last 30 years
working primarily with birds, mostly endangered
birds. In the past, she has worked as a biologist for
the California Department of Fish and Game, two
national forests (Tongass National Forest in Alaska
and Sequoia National Forest in California), the
Division of Forestry and Wildlife in Hawai‘i, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service in Oregon and at Hawai‘i
Volcanoes National Park and the three smaller
national historical parks on the Kona side of Hawai‘i.
Morin is past president of the Hawai‘i Chapter of
The Wildlife Society and past two­time past
treasurer of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife
Society—the national professional organization of
wildlife biologists.
She soon will be joined by husband Joel Simasko,
a physician with Kaiser Northwest and previously at
the Honolulu Kaiser Clinic and Kona Kaiser. Morin is
the mother of two adopted sons, Jon and Jake.
Most recently, Morin taught biology and wildlife
biology at Portland Community College.
“My true passion is wildlife conservation, and I
am happy to return more actively to wildlife
management as the SOS program coordinator,”
Morin said. “The SOS program provides the
opportunity to engage in public outreach and
education regarding native wildlife. I have always
loved Hawai‘i and the wonderful flora and fauna. “
Morin is busy catching up, getting everything up
and running for the impending fall­out season;
preparing public outreach; studying the many years
of fall­out data; continuing to update and refine the
data set; and working closely with others on the
island and throughout the state who are working on
shearwaters and petrel.
“My ultimate goal is to help with increased
restoration of Hawai‘i’s unique native birds so that
our children’s children, and their children, can see
the native birds forever in the wild,” she said.
ThePower
to Partner
Every year on Kaua‘i, hundreds of Newell Shearwaters are attracted to
bright lights, fly into unseen objects, and fall. Although temporarily
stunned, most of the birds are uninjured. Nearly 90 percent of them can
be rescued and returned to the wild.
You can help.
In partnership with Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and DLNR Division of
Forestry and Wildlife, the Kaua‘i Humane Society is urging Kaua‘i residents
and visitors to help Save Our Shearwaters. Go to www.kauaihumane.org to
learn how. Thank you and Aloha.
You can help:
• Keep a non­airtight container and towel in your vehicle.
• If you find a downed bird, gently pick it up with the towel covering
the head, and completely around its back and wings. Place in the
container.
• Keep the bird covered and quiet in a shaded area. Do NOT feed or
water.
• Take the bird to the nearest aid station listed below. Please do NOT
attempt to release the bird yourself.
• Please record the information requested at the aid station.
SOS Aid Station Locations
West—Waimea Fire Station • Hanapēpē Fire Station
Kalaheo Fire Station • Port Allen Chevron • PMRF
South—Kōloa Fire Station
Central­East—Līhu‘e Fire Station • Kapa‘a Fire Station
Matson Nawiliwili • Kaua‘i Humane Society
North—Kilauea Medical Group • Hanalei Fire Station
Hanalei Liquor Store
From left, SOS Technician
Marilou Knight, SOS
Rehabilitation Specialist Tracy
Anderson and new SOS
Coordinator Marie Morin.
OCTOBER 2011 35