Hawaii Biological Survey's


   GOOD GUYS & BAD GUYS    

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ABOUT THE GOOD GUYS & BAD GUYS WEBSITE

Hawai`i is home to more than 23,000 different kinds of organisms, some good, some bad. A quick rule-of-thumb as to what makes a "good guy" and what makes a "bad guy" is its origin.

-- Is it native to the Hawaiian Islands? If so, it is a "GOOD GUY " because it has originated here and evolved here -- usually without any intervention from human beings; or it has grown to tolerate our presence and exists with us. We need to help conserve and /or restore these organisms to help keep Hawai`i the unique and beautiful place that it is.

-- Is it from someplace other than Hawaii? If so, sometimes -- but not always -- it is considered a "BAD GUY". This is because many introduced organisms into Hawai`i have caused great harm and even irreparable damage to the environment, agriculture, commerice, human health, or our quality of life. We need to help reduce or eradication populations of these species whenever possible and prevent their spread to other islands or areas in Hawai`i.

This website is a simple guide to a small selection of some of Hawaii's "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys". Each year, the Hawaii Biological Survey produces a series of trading cards that depict these good and bad guys. These cards are given out to school children in the state through events sponsored by the Bishop Museum. Each card has an image of the organism on one side and brief information about their biology, origin, and distribution in Hawaii on the back side. This website helps supplement the information on these cards and in some cases, provides additional information about each plant and animal.


The Hawaii Biological Survey is proud to serve the public in providing this information. We hope you enjoy the information and images provided on this site. If you have any questions concerning any of the organisms depicted on this site, please contact the webmaster.

Ackowledgments: Many people make it possible for the Hawaii Biological Survey to get this important information out to the public. The following HBS staff, and partner institutions and individuals are thanked for their help in providing photographs or text for the organisms shown on these pages:

Ronald Englund, David Preston, William P. Mull, Allen Allison, Clyde Imada, Richard Pyle, John E. Randall, Andrew Engilis, Jr., Reginald David, Lucius Eldredge, Ralph DeFelice, George Staples, Robert Cowie, Donald Cowie, Frank Howarth, Al Samuelson, Fred Kraus, Betsy H. Gagné, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, David Foote, Gordon Nishida, Carla Kishinami, Sheila Conant, the Cornell Ornithological Laboratory, Dan Polhemus, George Balasz.

This page last revised 13 January 2002