STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1566

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 705, 706

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 705 and 706, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Natural Area Reserves System Commission

 

G.M. No. 705

MARIE BRUEGMANN,

for a term to expire 6-30-2018; and

 

G.M. No. 706

RONALD RAPANOT, SR.,

for a term to expire 6-30-2017,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and find Marie Bruegmann and Ronald Rapanot, Sr., to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Natural Area Reserves System Commission.

 

MARIE BRUEGMANN

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Marie Bruegmann from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Conservation Council for Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy, and two individuals.

 

     Marie Bruegmann received a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany from Michigan State University and a Master of Science Degree in Botany from the University of Hawaii.  She has been the Plant Recovery Coordinator for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, since December 2000.

 

     Ms. Bruegmann oversees all aspects of plant recovery in Hawaii and the Pacific.  She serves as the principle contact and liaison for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, partnering with other agencies, organizations, native Hawaiian and Pacific Island groups, private interest groups, and the public, to develop and implement recovery programs to further the conservation and management of Hawaiian and Pacific plants, as well as develop guidelines and protocols for plant recovery actions.  The nominee is also the current Chair of the Hawaii and Pacific Plants Recovery Coordinating Committee, a recovery team advising the Fish and Wildlife Service on plant recovery issues.  She provides botanical expertise to other programs of the Fish and Wildlife Service regarding listing, critical habitat designations, and consultations with federal agencies.  The nominee has extensive work experience in botanical and wildlife conservation that will be a great benefit to the Natural Area Reserves System Commission.

 

RONALD RAPANOT, SR.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Ronald Rapanot, Sr., from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, and one individual.

 

     Ronald Rapanot, Sr., is a graduate of Molokai High School and is retired from the Maui Electric Company, after thirty-four years of service.  The nominee currently serves on the Natural Area Reserves System Commission, was the first person from Molokai to serve on the Commission, and is seeking reappointment.

 

     Mr. Rapanot loves to hunt and has extensive experience doing so on Molokai, where residents hunt for subsistence.  Mr. Rapanot cares about animals and shares his hunting knowledge and experience with others.

 

     According to testimony, Mr. Rapanot is very collaborative in seeking solutions to hunting issues and he always listens, offers important insights and expertise, and is respectful of all views.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

 

 

 

____________________________

LAURA H. THIELEN, Chair