Conference addresses isle species
Attendees urge more funding for Hawaii to help preserve endangered animals
Hawaii has more native species on the brink of extinction than any other state -- and should get federal funding to match that need, conservation workers told White House officials yesterday.
But many endangered species programs are based on state population or land area, leaving Hawaii shortchanged, several people said at a Cooperative Conservation Listening Session.
"Because we're isolated geographically, Hawaii is home to plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet," Gov. Linda Lingle said in opening the event at the Blaisdell Center's Pikake Room.
The forum, attended by more than 150 people, is part of a national series of meetings on what President Bush has termed "cooperative conservation." Attendees are asked how federal, state and local governments can work more effectively with each other and with the private sector.
Since President Theodore Roosevelt called the nation's governors to Washington to talk about conservation more than 100 years ago, conservation policy has tended to be set "from the top down," said Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
The next 100 years should be more about community input as to what is needed, he said.
Many speaking at yesterday's meeting agreed, though several said it was not very community-friendly to hold a "listening" session that held speakers to two minutes of comment after seven introductory speakers used nearly an hour and a half.
After the event, Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Peter Young defended the opening presentations, saying they provided needed education to federal officials not familiar with Hawaii's unique problems.
Money was an issue participants raised repeatedly.
"We're forced to incrementally implement projects because funds are inconsistent year to year," said Scott Fretz, a state wildlife biologist. "The projects that are in place are successful, but they leave a lot of species still at risk of extinction."
Other topics of concern included:
» The need for better cargo inspections to keep invasive pests out of Hawaii.
» Not weakening federal laws protecting endangered species, clean air and water.
» Not exempting the military from environmental laws.
» Ensuring that the public has a chance to comment on rules and regulations for the new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.
» Including native Hawaiians in discussions about resource management.
» Allowing federal workers to assist with environmental problems on adjoining land.
» Ensuring that sound scientific information is used in decision-making.
Maka'ala Ka'aumoana of Kauai noted that when a community program is successful, such as the Hanalei Watershed Hui, it is not rewarded with ongoing funding, but left struggling.
Karen Nakamura, chief executive for the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, urged that the Endangered Species Act be revised to make it easier to build affordable houses.
Several fishermen said it is regrettable that the Northwestern Islands will be closed to fishing under the new monument, and they questioned other fishing rules such as a state proposal to restrict gillnet fishing.
"Cooperative conservation works in a lot of cases," Hawaii Sierra Club Director Jeff Mikulina said, "but it's not a proxy for strong federal and state laws."