Public comment periods for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's proposed critical habitat areas for 255 endangered plants in Hawaii are being extended, for every island but Lanai, to the end of September. Habitat plan
deadline extendedThe public gets more time to comment
Lanai meetings tomorrow
on new land designationsBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comThe deadline for comments on Lanai will be Aug. 15.
The extension has been agreed to by the agency and environmental groups who sued it, alleging that it wasn't fulfilling its obligations under the Endangered Species Act.
The designating of critical habitats, areas that endangered plants or animals need to recover sufficiently to be removed from the endangered species list, is required by federal law. Fish & Wildlife proposals intended to satisfy a court order were introduced island by island, starting with Kauai in February and ending with Oahu and the Big Island on May 28.
The effects of the designations have been publicly questioned by a number of private landowners; the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife Director Michael Buck; and U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink (D, Rural Oahu-Neighbor Islands). Many landowners have said they are afraid the federal critical habitat designation could restrict their use of their land, either now or in the future.
Fish & Wildlife and the lawsuit plaintiffs allege that designating critical habitat only affects private landowners if they seek any federal permits or use any federal grants or workers on their land.
Hawaii's congressional delegation requested the time extension with a June 28 letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, said Paul Henson, Hawaii field supervisor for Fish & Wildlife.
Henson said Friday that the extra time will allow people who have questions about the proposals to attend informational meetings beginning tomorrow on Lanai and scheduled for other islands in August and September.
At the informational meetings, Fish & Wildlife representatives will be on hand to answer questions.
Designations include 83 species on Kauai, 99 on Oahu, 46 on Molokai. 60 on Maui, 32 on Lanai, three on Kahoolawe and 47 on the Big Island. The agency proposes a total of 839,783 acres, or 20 percent, of total land statewide be designated as critical habitat for 255 threatened and endangered native plants.
In a presentation Friday to the Hawaii Conservation Conference, a statewide gathering of conservation biologists, Fish & Wildlife botanist Greg Koob outlined the process he and his co-workers used to create the plant critical habitats.
Fish & Wildlife botanists:
>> Reviewed published information on where endangered plants are or have been living.>> Consulted with other experts, including the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, landowners and managers, the U.S. Geological Survey's biological division, the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the military's environmental divisions.
>> Mapped habitat that would be suitable for each plant, which Koob called the "wish list," where plants could grow if all factors supported it.
>> Downsized from all areas the plants could conceivably grow to areas of sufficient size to allow the endangered species to recover enough to ultimately be removed from the endangered species list.
>> Checked satellite images and tax maps to identify and remove from consideration agricultural and urban lands.
>> Combined each individual plant species' critical habitat to create island-wide maps that show the total areas proposed for critical habitat.
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Informational meetings about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's proposed critical habitats for endangered plant species on the island of Lanai will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Lanai Senior Center and 3:30-4:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Lanai Public Library. Meetings to discuss
proposals for Lanai
will start tomorrowStar-Bulletin staff
A formal public hearing on the critical habitat proposal and the economic impact study on it will be held 6-8 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Lanai Public Library.
The draft economic impact analysis predicts most of the proposed critical habitat designations on Lanai would have minor economic impacts, mainly because most of the land in the proposal is mountainous and unsuited for economic uses. More than 70 percent is within the state conservation district.
However, the analysis indicates there could be direct expenses in finding non-federal funding to fund state management of game hunting on the 16 percent of state hunting lands that would be designated critical habitat. Another option would be to build fencing, at an estimated cost of $2.1 million to keep deer, sheep and pigs out of the areas earmarked for plant recovery.
Critical habitat proposals for all islands and economic studies for Kauai, Niihau and Lanai are available at pacificislands.fws.gov or by calling 808-541-3441.
Comments for Lanai may be submitted until Aug. 15 to: Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala Moana, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850 or Lanai_Crithab@r1.fws.gov. Earlier comments remain part of the record and will be considered in the final decision.