143
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO
    CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL SOURCES OF
    PERMANENT DEDICATED FUNDING AND FUNDING NEEDS OF THE
    NATURAL AREA RESERVES SYSTEM.



 1        WHEREAS, the Natural Reserves System was established by
 2   legislative mandate in 1970 to "preserve in perpetuity specific
 3   land and water areas which support communities, as relatively
 4   unmodified as possible, of the native flora and fauna, as well
 5   as geological sites, of Hawai`i"; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, there are currently 19 Natural Area Reserves in
 8   Hawai`i, totaling 109,165 acres of state-managed land, most of
 9   it ceded, on the islands of Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Maui, and
10   Hawai`i; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, the destruction of native ecosystems by humans
13   and the introduction of foreign plants and animals have
14   resulted in Hawai`i having more endangered species and natural
15   communities than any other place of similar size in the world;
16   and
17   
18        WHEREAS, the Natural Area Reserves System contains some of
19   the best examples of native ecosystems and geological features
20   remaining in Hawai`i, and provides essential habitat for
21   Hawai`i's critically endangered plants and animals; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, these unique resources are an integral part of
24   Hawai`i's cultural and natural heritage, and should be
25   preserved for the enjoyment of future generations and to
26   provide base lines against which changes that are being made in
27   the environment can be measured; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, the 1987 Natural Area Reserves Strategic Plan
30   called for the protection of Hawai`i's "critically imperilled"
31   natural communities and native ecosystems by the year 2000,
32   with priority given to establishing new reserves on suitable
33   state-managed lands; and
34   

 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, since 1987, only one reserve has been added to
 2   the Natural Area Reserve System, and dozens of natural
 3   communities and native ecosystems on state-managed land remain
 4   unprotected; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, in 1987, the Natural Area Reserves Commission
 7   recommended to the Legislature that a minimum of $1,585,000 be
 8   allocated to manage the existing Natural Area Reserves System,
 9   noting that additional funding would be necessary for an
10   expanded System; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, funding to manage the Natural Area Reserve System
13   was first provided in 1988, and has never been sufficient to
14   meet the Legislature's mandate; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, the annual operating budget for the Natural Area
17   Reserve System peaked in 1991 and has decreased steadily since
18   then; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, the current operating budget for the Natural Area
21   Reserve System for future generations requires a long-term
22   commitment, permanent dedicated funding, and adequate staff;
23   and
24   
25        WHEREAS, the State's Natural Area Partnership Program,
26   Forest Stewardship Program, Wildlife Revolving Fund, and other
27   state programs enjoy permanent funding while there is no
28   dedicated source of funding for the Natural Area Reserves
29   System; now, therefore,
30   
31        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
32   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
33   of 2000, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and
34   Natural Resources is requested to convene a working group of
35   representatives of involved agencies and citizen organizations,
36   to identify potential sources of permanent dedicated funding
37   for the Natural Area Reserves System; and
38   
39        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group identify
40   funding and staffing needs for the existing Natural Area
41   Reserves System, as well as an expanded System as recommended
42   in the Natural Area Reserves Strategic Plan; and

 
 
 
 
 
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                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
 3   Natural Resources is requested to submit the working group's
 4   findings to the Legislature no later than sixty days prior to
 5   the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
 6   
 7        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 8   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor,
 9   Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the
10   Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
11 
12 
13 
14                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________