HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

152

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, and any other relevant state agency to develop a map that defines the most suitable area within the Honouliuli Gulch for a dedicated pueo preserve and determine the requirements to establish the preserve.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the pueo, or Asio flammeus sandwichensis, is a subspecies of the short-eared owl that is endemic to the State and known in Hawaiian culture as one of the physical forms assumed by aumakua, or ancestor spirits; and

 

     WHEREAS, the island of Oahu lacks a refuge, sanctuary, preserve, park, or wildlife conservation area that is solely dedicated to protecting pueo and sustaining the foraging range where pueo are known to inhabit; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State has instituted a practice to disperse rat bait poison in conservation areas to eradicate vermin; and

 

WHEREAS, consumption of the poisoned vermin by raptors, including pueo, is detrimental to the health and well-being of those birds; and

 

     WHEREAS, the pueo is listed as an endangered species of the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Honouliuli Ahupuaa was historically known to be the location with the greatest number of pueo; and

 

     WHEREAS, an area within Honouliuli Ahupuaa, particularly in the area where the Honouliuli Stream meets the Honouliuli Gulch, should be dedicated as a wildlife preserve for pueo and other endangered species, including the hoary bat, and housing, farming, recreational, and other types of development should be prohibited in this area; and

     WHEREAS, if a wildlife preserve is established in the Honouliuli Ahupuaa, then farming enterprises in the area should be permitted to use any cane roads within the preserve, and public use of any roadway or infrastructure necessary to serve the Honouliuli Internment Camp Federal Park Museum should also be permitted within the preserve; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, University of Hawaii, and any other relevant state agency are requested to develop a map that defines the most suitable area within the Honouliuli Gulch for a dedicated pueo preserve, to be managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and to determine the requirements to establish the preserve, including any necessary acquisitions, resources, leases, easements, or legislation; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and University of Hawaii are requested to submit a report to the Legislature of their findings and recommendations, including a list identifying any potentially affected land owners, leases, or easements and any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control, Chairperson of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, President of the University of Hawaii System, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and each member of the Honolulu City Council.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Pueo Preserve; Honouliuli Gulch