Bush official to discuss environmental issues
The adviser to the president will join other federal officials at the Blaisdell event
President Bush's White House adviser on the environment and other federal officials will hold a public "listening session" next Thursday to hear about "cooperative conservation" in Hawaii.
The term refers to collaboration among federal, state and local governments and private organizations to promote conservation.
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Jim Connaugton already is a big supporter of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, which was proclaimed by Bush June 15.
"But we want him to see Hawaii is so much more," said Peter Young, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
So local, state and private conservation officials plan to make short presentations about Hawaii's successes with watershed partnerships, wildlife conservation, invasive species, tropical experimental forests, coral reef conservation and stream biodiversity, as well as protection of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Young said.
Hawaii residents also are invited to tell the federal officials what they think are conservation priorities at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center's Pikake Room 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. next Thursday.
Gov. Linda Lingle will introduce the federal officials, who will include Tevi Troy, Bush's deputy assistant for domestic policy; Michael Weiss, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine sanctuary program; and Ren Lohoefener, acting Pacific regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Honolulu listening session is one in a series of events held across the country since the President's Conference on Cooperative Conservation in August 2005.
Discussion topics will include:
» Enhancing wildlife habitat, species protection and other conservation efforts.
» Improving cooperation among government agencies in environmental protection and conservation.
» Working cooperatively with businesses and landowners to protect the environment and promote conservation.
For more information or to make comments online, see cooperativeconservation.gov.