BY RON ELAND

North Hawaii News

In the most famous line from the movie “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character hears a voice which says, “If you build it, he will come.”

That’s pretty much how Linda Elliott is feeling these days. But in her case, the “he” is more like “they.”

Elliott, the CEO and founder of the Hawaii Wildlife Center, is finally seeing her longtime dream become a reality as the new facility will host its grand opening Saturday after years of planning, fundraising and keeping her fingers crossed.

“Now that it’s complete there is a sense of accomplishment,” she said. “But now we have to think about the various programs we have planned as well as what we can and should be doing to make this happen. We’re not just kicking back now that it’s built.”

The grand opening will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Kapaau and will include guest speakers, tours and refreshments. (Visit www.HawaiiWildlifeCenter.org for directions.)

The HWC will be the only fully-equipped facility in Hawaii designed for the emergency response and care of native birds. She said it will consist of three integrated facilities — a wildlife care and emergency response unit, an education pavilion, and an interpretive courtyard, operating seven days per week, year-around. It will provide medical/husbandry care for sick and injured wildlife, including the “only emergency first-response resource during natural and manmade disasters that may occur throughout the Hawaiian archipelago.”

Ground was broken on the project in 2008 following the donation of the land from Surety Kohala Corporation while construction began in 2009. Phase I has been completely funded though grants ($500,000 from the State), private donations and donated construction supplies as well as pro bono work by architects and engineers. Now, operational funds will again come from grants and donations as well as program fees and profits from a gift shop within the Center.

As Elliott pointed out, the building may be completed but they still have to run it. They anticipate having six employees (including herself) within the new two months and will have an annual operating budget of around $360,000.

“It’s pretty close to what we planned. But walking through it now, it’s bigger and better than I had envisioned,” she said. “I was trying to keep it somewhat simple in order to keep the costs down but this is so much better than I could have dreamed of and a lot of that is because of all the pro bono work done by local architects and designers who stepped up to help.”

And on those lines she added, “The only way we’ve gotten this far is because this was a community effort. I could not have done it alone. There’s been an incredible amount of heart and soul that’s gone into this and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. This has grown into something that belongs to everyone and they really feel a part of it.”

The facility will have outdoor pools and cages and is equipped with fencing to keep predators such as cats, pigs and mongoose out. In all, they’ll be able to house and treat more than 200 birds. She stressed that they’ll only be working with species native to the state which excludes wild mammals like pigs, donkeys and goats.

“It had to come here by wing, wind or wave — nothing introduced by humans,” she told NHN in 2010. “We’re hoping to help reverse the extinction trends of native Hawaiian species.

“Hawaii holds the unfortunate distinction as the endangered species capital of the United States. There are more endangered species per square mile on these islands than anywhere else on the planet. In addition, there are 15 million seabirds in the archipelago which are vulnerable to manmade and natural disasters. The Big Island has the largest population of endemic and indigenous avian species in the most abundant and diverse native habitat in the State.”

Five types of birds and the Hawaiian bat will be treated at HWC but those non-native species will be directed to the appropriate animal welfare groups. A big part of what they’ll be doing is educating the public as to what types of animals they can accept and what to do with any others they may come upon who are sick or injured.

“One of our goals is to show people what’s so special about Hawaii and what we all have to do in order to preserve it for future generations,” said Elliott.

She said that the state receives hundreds of calls a year regarding sick or injured birds. She anticipates a large percentage of their workload coming from neighbor islands. They hope to enter into an agreement with the airlines in order to transport the animals to and from the island for free. Or, they may ask volunteer members of the civil air patrol for their assistance. And if there’s a major disaster, like an oil spill, the responsible party will have to pay.

On their website, Elliott wrote, “Although Hawaii has no offshore oil platforms, we are still at high risk of major oil spills from tankers and other vessel traffic, as more than 90 percent or our energy comes from oil. On land, oil transporting pipelines and storage tanks create additional risk. Hawaii is also at risk from natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis that can affect critical wildlife habitats and populations. There are also disease outbreaks that can impact critical populations of threatened native birds. The recent avian botulism outbreak on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge affecting over 150 critically endangered Laysan Ducks is just one example.”

She goes on to say, “You may be surprised to know that the Hawaii Wildlife Center will be the first and only facility in the Pacific Islands to respond to these types of emergencies, though Hawaii has more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else in the world.”

More than a year ago, funding through donations and other sources came to a crawl but one individual stepped up and provided the project with the remaining $400,000 it needed for completion. The building and the 2.2 acres it sits on is valued at $3.1 million.

“I was always confident it was going to happen. We knew there was a need for this type of resource since it’s the only one of its kind in Hawaii. And when we hit a hurdle along the way, the right people always stepped up so we never gave up hope. There’s great joy — I find myself smiling a lot these days,” she said now that everything is completed. “It’s been a long but exciting journey.”