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<br /> t <br /> Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman <br /> and Members of the County Council <br /> Page 6 <br /> The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) indicate that the property is located in <br /> Zone "X", areas determined to be outside of the 500-year flood plain. There are no <br /> significant drainageways anticipated. While there are no indications of surface water <br /> flow on-site, the applicant will abide by all applicable County guidelines for run-off <br /> generated by the development. <br /> A botanical survey was conducted by Char and Associates. The survey <br /> identified two types of vegetation: open, scrub-covered a'a lava field and closed <br /> scrub- or forest-covered pahoehoe. A total of 105 species of vascular plants were <br /> found on the site. Of these, 95 (91%) are exotic weeds or deliberately introduced <br /> plants, and 10 (9%) native, or presumed-native plants. There is no intact native plant <br /> community present on the site. None of the species found in the course of the survey <br /> are officially listed as endangered or threatened; nor are any species proposed or <br /> candidate for such status. <br /> An avifauna and feral mammals survey was conducted by Phillip L. Bruner. <br /> No native land birds or seabirds were recorded. No endangered species were <br /> observed. No forest bird species are associated with these areas because of the low <br /> elevation. The Hawaiian Hoary Bat was not observed on the field survey, however, it <br /> is not unreasonable to assume that it may occasionally occur on the property. Feral <br /> mongoose and cats were observed. No rats or mice were recorded but it would be <br /> highly unusual if these ubiquitous mammals did not occur on the property. <br /> An archaeological inventory survey was conducted by Paul H. Rosendahl, Inc. <br /> (HPRI). The study found that the project area is located entirely within the historic <br /> Kona Field System, and nearly the entire project area is situated within the boundaries <br /> of the Kahaluu Historic District. The Kahaluu Historic District has been placed on the <br /> National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The district was nominated to [he <br /> register for several reasons, including the following: a) the district contains numerous <br /> heiaus within relatively small area; b) the unique architecture of several of the heiaus; <br /> c) the value of the petroglyphs within the area; d) the districts association with <br /> important traditional political and religious activities; and e) the regions's high <br /> scientific research value. The Kona Field System which has also been declared eligible <br /> for inclusion on the NRHP, is a complex of aboriginal Hawaiian dryland cultivation <br /> and habitation remains. This area of approximately 3 by 18 miles, extends from Kailua <br /> south to Ho'okena. <br /> A total of 251 separate sites, comprising of 36 functional types, were identified <br /> within the project area. These sites were discovered to contain a wide range of formal <br /> feature types, which were reduced to 14 general functional categories. These general <br /> <br />