2022_08_16 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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In 2020, the DLNR provided OHA right-of-entry from the Kalapana Black Sands Subdivision allowing us access to a remote point in the reserve that is home to rare plants and possible birds and bats. The highlight of 2020, in support of rare and endangered plant and animal species is a large grant – an award we received from Fish and Wildlife Service. The grant includes funding for 2 years to install a 17-acre fenced unit and ungulate removal within the unit. Also, rare plant collection, propagation and restoration within the fenced unit. This spring, DOFAW installed song meters to survey for the Newell’s Shearwater ‘A’o and the Ope’ape’a. They will be collecting the instruments next week for analysis. In 1990 a survey was conducted at Pu’u Heiheiahulu and ‘A’o were recorded nesting there. We hope that we can find them again nesting when we study our data. We have plans to conduct a comprehensive plant survey to inventory and collect for propagation with DOFAW PEPP staff and with the Volcano Rare Plant Facility assisting in the handling and propagation of the plants. In 2020, after approval from OCCL we installed a 3-acre fenced enclosure – it’s adjacent to the former geothermal well site for easy access. The unit is invaded with waiwi and we’re looking at utilizing the hybrid eco-system novel forestry model designed by Liko na Pilina Project – this is Susan Cordell with Becky Ostertag. This unit will also be used for rare plant restorations \[unclear\] Wao Kele O Puna. This past legislative session our House Representative Greggor Ilagan put us in a CIP for Puna projects. We didn’t get the funding but this is what we want, need and envision: an environmental toilet, a small green house, an open pavilion and a small gravel parking area to serve our community during stewardship and educational engagement days. Above is a site plan map of the 5-acre clearing that you can see. This is kind of a small map. The major challenge we encounter with Wao Kele O Puna is access. The size of the reserve, the vast amount of invasive species and unpredictable volcanic activity – this map depicts the various forest management units categorized by how invaded or not according to our CMP map that we produced. You can see the difficulty in reaching the high conservation units in green. So this is just an overlay of the Forest Management Units – the yellow being invasive – the red highly invasive and the green high conservation areas. So getting into these areas is really difficult. Currently, we have two pedestrian access points and one vehicle access road for this 26,000 acres. The upper north access is approached from Eden Rock and Fern Forest – terrain is difficult and trails are being created to access the deeper forest to remove miconia. This area is also dangerous for our contractor at times due to neighborhood community that have concerns with outsiders and 6