Migratory shorebirds are declining worldwide, with serious implications for social-ecological systems. Indigenous stewardship facilitates an ability to sustain an abundance of biocultural resources, and could play a role in recovery of migratory shorebirds. Our co-developed research wove Indigenous science methodologies with those of conventional science to understand patterns for five species of shorebirds who connect Alaska with Hawaiʻi through annual migration: Kōlea (Pluvialis fulva); ʻŪlili (Tringa incana); ʻAkekeke (Arenaria interpres); Kioea (Numenius tahitiensis); and Hunakai (Calidris alba). A layered exploration of Indigenous observation methodologies from a loko iʻa (Hawaiian aquaculture system) and regional eBird data suggest: (1) decreases in juvenile recruitment of shorebirds across the Hawaiian Islands; (2) dissimilarities in oversummering patterns between the loko iʻa and the eBird dataset; (3) environmental characteristics which support large/diverse assemblages of migratory shorebirds. Co-interpretation of data showed correlations between climatic shifts and the phenologies of seasonal anchor events. Our findings strengthen and inform stewardship, conservation, and management practices for shorebirds at both ends of the migratory pathway.

Claire graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources & Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa after completing the first two years of her degree at the Community College of Denver. She is interested in many aspects of coastal ecology and grounds her work through growing and sustaining reciprocal relationships to Place, community, and collaborators. She is currently working to understand occupancy patterns and resource partitioning of migratory shorebirds in Heʻeia, Oʻahu.