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Bow Engineering & Development, Inc. 4040*
<br />Miloli`i Beach Park Accessibility NP SSV Application
<br />Improvement Project April 6, 2023
<br />descendants of the area should be consulted to develop a reinterment plan and cultural
<br />preservation plan for proper cultural protocol, curation, and long-term maintenance.
<br />As a part of the environmental assessment for this project, the State of Hawai`i's
<br />environmental review process requires consideration of the proposed project's potential
<br />effects on cultural practices and cultural features in order to "promote responsible
<br />decision making" (Section 343, HRS). These cultural practices and features may include
<br />traditional cultural properties, which are designated significant historic properties that
<br />"have an important value to the native Hawaiian people or to another ethnic group of the
<br />state due to associations with cultural practices once carried out, or still carried out, at the
<br />property or due to associations with traditional beliefs, events or oral accounts —these
<br />associations being important to the group's history and cultural identity" (Sections 13-
<br />275-6 and 13-284-6, HAR). The intent of the assessment is to "analyze the impact of a
<br />proposed action on cultural practices and features associated with the project area"
<br />(Office of Environmental Quality Control 1997).
<br />The County aims to provide ongoing beach park access during construction of the
<br />proposed improvements. If access to the boat turn around is limited any time during
<br />construction, the village community would be notified in advance. Because the proposed
<br />project represents a continuation of existing uses and would not negatively impact access
<br />to the shoreline, or affect designated significant historic properties, it is reasonable to
<br />conclude that, pursuant to Act 50, the exercise of Native Hawaiian rights, or any ethnic
<br />group, related to gathering, access, or other customary activities within the project area
<br />would not be affected, and there would be no direct adverse effect upon cultural practices
<br />or beliefs.
<br />J. Vegetation at the beach park project area includes Ironwood trees, milo trees, coconut
<br />palms, noni plants, and night -blooming cereus. There are several Ironwood trees and
<br />ornamental plants surrounded by rock rings throughout the site. This area provides
<br />habitat for common animals, including, but not limited to, birds, mongoose, feral cats and
<br />dogs, and mice and rats. Due to the previously disturbed nature of the project site, the
<br />project site has limited potential for sensitive biological resources to occur. While the
<br />project site is highly modified and developed with park facilities, construction activities
<br />would result in short-term disturbances to wildlife in the project vicinity.
<br />Potential impacts to protected species that may occur in the project area as identified by
<br />the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) include ten listed species that could occur in
<br />the immediate vicinity of the project area: the federally endangered Hawaiian hoary bat,
<br />the threatened Hawaiian goose, endangered Hawaiian stilt, endangered Hawaiian coot,
<br />endangered Hawaiian duck, the threatened Green sea turtle, endangered Hawksbill sea
<br />turtle, endangered Hawaiian yellow -faced bees, endangered Procaris hawaiana,
<br />endangered Vetericaris chaceorum, endangered Pacific damselfly, and the endangered
<br />Orange -black. Additionally, the endangered Hawaiian petrel, band-rumped storm -petrel,
<br />and the threatened Newell's shearwater may transit the project area flying to upland
<br />breeding colonies.
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