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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting
<br />Minutes – October 24, 2016
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<br />V. BUDGET REPORT:
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<br />TL: OK. With the correction any \[unclear\]? OK. Moved and seconded or
<br />moved, passed. So the minutes are adopted. Ah, budget report, um, I’m
<br />going to pass on the budget report for this evening and, um, we’ll move on
<br />to public testimony on any of the agenda items. Are there anybody from
<br />the public who have any comments that they would like to make, ah,
<br />please take no more than three minutes. And also, state your name, um, if
<br />you don’t mind and, um, keep it to this rodenticide issue...
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<br />VI. PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS:
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<br />SR: I’m Sydney Ross-Singer, Director of the Good Shepherd Foundation. I just
<br />wanted to comment that what we’re seeing here – which I think is the
<br />conflict that exists between the hunting community and the Fish and
<br />Wildlife is that Fish and Wildlife’s agenda, as was just on that slide, is
<br />habitat restoration and native habitat restoration and I think that the
<br />animals that the hunting community is interested in are perceived as
<br />invasive species by Fish and Wildlife. So, um, cause native habitats would
<br />not have all of these species. So I think that’s the basis of the conflict that
<br />exists which, ah, it’s just based – different agendas here. And one of the
<br />things that I have as a concern, um, when I see the research that’s being
<br />done and the goals that are being sought in these efforts is that, um, I
<br />think if a species is non-native – the impacts on those species are pretty
<br />much ignored, ah, in fact, they might even be considered non-target
<br />impacts against non-native species may be considered a benefit – a
<br />beneficial outcome – secondary impacts – and I think that’s a problem and
<br />I think that undermines the, um, intention of Fish and Wildlife because if –
<br />when they’re doing, for example, rodenticide studies, I’d like to know how
<br />those are impacting on species that, um, I value, such as the introduced
<br />owl – the barn owl – or, um, you know, egrets or any other – feral cats –
<br />there are a lot of species of game animals that would be impacted by this
<br />but I think what typically happens is the impacts that are being studied are
<br />usually on either endangered species or native species cause that’s what
<br />they care about – those impacts, um, I think it would be really beneficial if,
<br />um, in the design of research there was a greater consideration for all the
<br />species that are impacted, ah, you know, how the pigs impacted by this –
<br />how are game birds, um, the sheep, the goats – all sorts of animals and I
<br />think, um, instead of just that focus on native and endangered species...
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<br />?: You have 30 seconds...
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<br />SR: Yup. That’s basically my comment. I think that’s – that’s the unfortunate
<br />dynamic in this situation is that their goal is native species restoration and
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