Tag: endangered species

May 28, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Axis deer on Hawaii island pose problem for state

State officials are developing plans to remove axis deer in Hawaii County before damage becomes significant to ranch grasslands, farm crops and plants that are vital to maintain watershed areas.

“We will need to take quick and effective action to prevent costly and destructive impacts on the Big Island that will last for generations, perhaps forever,” said William Aila, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Kahua Ranch Ltd. Chairman Monte Richards said axis deer can cause great damage to Hawaii island’s forest in Kohala and become difficult to remove once they’re established.

“The thing is to get to them early, and you’ve got a chance,” Richards said.

Richards said Hawaii island ranchers successfully fought against the idea of importing axis deer in the 1960s. He suspects the axis deer were illegally shipped to the island in recent years by someone who wanted the animal for game hunting.

State conservation officials working closely with trackers and using game cameras to survey areas in recent weeks have confirmed the presence of axis deer across the island, including in Kohala, Kau, Kona and Mauna Kea.

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March 28, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Maui residents oppose wind farm access road plans

Some South Maui residents are upset about a developer’s plan to use a resort road through Wai­lea and Makena for construction truck access as it builds a wind farm on 120 acres of Ulu­pala­kua Ranch land.

“It’s going to affect us economically,” said Bud Pikrone, general manager of the Wai­lea Community Association.

Pikrone said developer Auwahi Wind Energy LLC’s activities will create noise in a hotel and residential resort area and cause wear and tear on the roads.

Pikrone said in the last seven years, Wai­lea Ala­nui Road has had three sinkholes, including one that closed off an area for 18 months.

He said various large landowners plan to hold a meeting with Auwahi Wind next month to discuss rerouting the truck traffic farther mauka and closer to Pii­lani Highway.

“We’re hoping we can come up with some resolution,” Pikrone said.

The Maui County Planning Commission held a public hearing Tuesday to review Auwahi Wind’s draft environmental impact statement.

Auwahi Wind needs the commission to accept its environmental impact statement before moving to seek land-use permits.

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February 20, 2011 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Imperiled species thrive at Pearl Harbor

Maui Nö Ka 'Oi!
Maui has the rare birds
CLICK for larger Image
What began as a handful of wetland ponds with dozens of birds overlooking Pearl Harbor has turned into a refuge teeming with hundreds.

The number of native birds, including endangered Hawaiian stilts called ae o, in the ponds at Waiawa and Honouliuli at the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge has been rising since the early 1990s, when a conservation recovery plan was developed, said David Ellis, refuge project leader.

Federal wildlife officials built fences to help keep out predators and began controlling invasive plants and managing water in the ponds.

“There’s been a very noticeable increase,” Ellis said. “There used to be only a few wetland birds that used these ponds ; now we commonly see hundreds, an important step for endangered species.”

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December 6, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

UH study finds some ‘rare’ corals are variations of more common species

When might an endangered coral species not really be endangered?

When it’s not even a separate species, apparently.

Zac Forsman of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology recently led an investigation of genetic and structural features of Hawaiian corals within the common genus Montipora. And what they found could have serious implications for scores of rare corals currently being reviewed for enhanced protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Of the 83 corals being considered for endangered-species designation, nine are found in Hawaiian waters.

During their investigation, Forsman and his colleagues found that variances in colony shape, color and growth can cause some coral to be misidentified — a problem since coral species definitions are based on the coral skeleton.

According to UH, the study revealed two previously unknown species complexes in Hawaii, “showing that corals previously thought to be very rare may interbreed with more common species.”

A UH news release quoted Forsman as saying, “The scale of variation that corresponds to the species-level is not well understood in a lot of stony corals; this is a big problem for taxonomy and conservation. We need to determine if these species complexes contain species that are in the early process of forming, or if they just represent variation within a species. Either way, it could change our understanding of coral biodiversity.”

UH study finds some ‘rare’ corals are variations of more common species – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

November 11, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Kaheawa Wind Power plan out for public review

HONOLULU – Kaheawa Wind Power II’s draft habitat conservation plan and environmental assessment are available for public review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday.

Kaheawa Wind Power is a subsidiary of the Boston-based wind energy company First Wind, which already supplies windmill-generated electricity to Maui Electric Co.

Kaheawa Wind developed the draft habitat conservation plan in coordination with the service and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources as part of an application for an incidental take permit for endangered species.

The draft plan and environmental assessment are available for public review and comment for 30 days.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources will hear public testimony on the lease and grant of easement of public lands for Kaheawa Wind’s expansion beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at the county Department of Planning conference room at 250 S. High St. in Wailuku.

An incidental take permit is required when a development is likely to result in some harm to a threatened or endangered species. If approved, the permit would be in effect for 20 years.

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September 14, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii hearing on Army endangered species plans

The state plans to hold a public hearing this week on the Army’s plans for managing endangered plant and animal species in the Koolau and Waianae mountains.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is holding the meeting to gather public input before its board considers the Army’s application to manage lands zoned for conservation.

The hearing is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in Honolulu at the Board of Land and Natural Resources conference room at 1151 Punchbowl Street.

A copy of the Army’s Conservation District Use Application may be found on the department’s website at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr

Hawaii hearing on Army endangered species plans – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com