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Addendum: BUSINESS PLAN I. PROPOSAL: Kahuku Coastal Project Business Plan Proposal The Cave Conservancy of Hawaii(CCH)proposes three interrelated stewardship projects for the Kahuku Coastal Public Access Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission(PONC) county land in the Ka'u District. These projects can be considered together or separately: A)Invasive plant control; B)Biological investigation of lava-tube adapted fauna. A) Invasive Plant Control The CCH proposes to control the invasive plants in the Kahuku Coastal PONC tract. This land tract encompasses 3,128 acres,which is an area too large for a volunteer organization to cover in one year. It will be a multiyear project to cover the entire tract.CCH plans to conduct a minimum of ten workdays with about ten volunteers. It may be possible to gather more volunteers by partnering with other non-profit organizations. Areas targeted for Invasive Plant Control The CCH has defined four areas of about 100 acres each(2500 by 1800 feet)that define manageable work areas. These areas are adjacent to the subdivisions,and are selected especially to control fountain grass,which is a significant fire hazard. Also,Christmasberry,silver oak,and haole koa, are high priority invasive plants to control(see Project Description). Two additional plants,pluchea (sourbush)and lantana,will also be controlled where they grow in dense thickets.The first area planned for clearing lies below Kona Gardens and Kula Kai subdivisions. The CCH proposes four areas to clear,in a stepwise fashion. Due to the rough nature of the land,and variable density of the target invasive plants,it is unclear how much of the acreage CCH can clear in one year. But,when the first area is complete,CCH will move to the second 100-acre area to the east,and so on. The areas are shown in the figure below. Insurance One of the requirements of working as a steward for the County of Hawaii POMC properties is to carry insurance to protect the non-profit organization as well as the county. The estimated cost of this insurance is included in the invasive plant control project. Plan for Controlling Invasive Plants 1) The primary targets for invasive plant control include: 1)fountain grass; 2)Christmasberry; silver oak; 4)haole koa; 5)pluchea(sourbush),and 6)lantana. Control methods: 1) Fountain grass will be controlled primarily manually with an Vo bar and pulled up by the roots. In rare cases herbicide may be needed,such as when it grows out of cracks in solid rock. 2) Christmasberry will be controlled by chainsaw cutting,with herbicide applied to the fresh cuts. 3) Silver oak will be controlled by chainsaw cutting,with herbicide applied to the fresh cuts. 4) Haole koa will be controlled primarily by hand cutting with loppers or clippers,some chainsaw cutting,followed by herbicide application to the cuts. There will need to be follow-up about two weeks later in haole koa areas to spray herbicide on leafy shoots that sprout from the vigorous roots.