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Honorable Maile David, Chairwoman and Members of the Hawaii County Council -. - May 7, 2021 Page 2 corresponding PONC lands. Each application was reviewed independently, and care taken to ensure that applications were not compared to, or pitted against, one another. Please accept the following submitted in no order. Organization: Cave Conservancy of Hawaii ("CCH") PONC Land: (3)9-2-001:075 [Kahuku Coastal Property]Acquired 2016 Amount Requested: $15,005 (Total Project Cost: $33,245) CCH's proposal, as I understand them, consists of the following two (2) objectives: 1. The control of invasive plants specifically fountain grass, Christmas berry, silver oak, haole koa, pluchea{sourbush}, and lantana through 100+/-acre tracts of land. 2. Develop a biological resource inventory of the approximately 20-30 lava tubes (i.e., caves) specifically targeting lava-tube-adapted fauna. Review of CCH's objectives and its project description reveals that Objective#1 qualifies under criteria (3) through (5) and Objective#2 qualifies under criteria(2), (3) and (16). The proposed uses of county land and county funds at this parcel are triggers for HRS§343 compliance. While this very likely may not warrant the development of an Environmental Assessment(EA) or Environmental Impact Statement(EIS), subject to the discretion of the Director, some of these actions would minimally require issuance of Declarations of Exemptions by the County department responsible for oversight of these lands. The County is currently under contract with Townscape, Inc to develop a Long-Term Management Plan (inclusive of several resources management scopes)for the entirety of this PONC land, that includes, but is not limited to, conditions set forth by two grants administered by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. Until such time as this scope of work is substantially completed, the expansion or encouragement of new recreational uses and developmental type activities should be avoided. In the case of CCH's grant application, its proposed scope of work appears to be beneficial to the outcome of the Long Term Management Plan through augmentation of its resource investigations. Given the above, it is my recommendation that the Cave Conservancy of Hawaii will be able to complete its project in accordance with the project description submitted and in adherence to the conditions governing the PONC maintenance fund. Organization: Ho`omalu Ka`u ("HK") PONC Land: (3)9-5-012:005 [Kahua Olohu]Acquired 2016 Amount Requested: $31,415(Total Project Cost: $52,452.20) HK's proposal, as I understand them, consists of the following five(5) objectives: 1. Prepare the property for stewardship activities to include purchase of a second riding lawnmower, purchase of maintenance tools and equipment, contracting for a portable toilet, and updating their website. 2. Mow and maintain pasture grass on a regular basis throughout the year. 3. Coordinate community stewardship programs and grounds maintenance to further eradicate invasive and undesirable vegetation and clear fence lines to make them maintainable. 4. Facilitate opportunities for education and community partnerships (PONC funds not requested) by partnering with school groups by developing a workshop on how to build a traditional Hawaiian hale. 5. Prepare the lands for cultural uses and future Makahiki events by implementing a comprehensive landscaping plan along with other tasks that specifically will not incorporate PONC funds. Review of HK's objectives and its project description reveals that Objectives#1 through#3 and the applicable portion of#5 qualify under criteria(1)through (4)and (10)through (13). HK states that Objective#4 and most of the tasks in Objective#5 are not appliable to its request for PONC stewardship County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.