Feral Ungulate Management Plan for West Hawaii HCR17-3

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Current Management Capacity The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife currently has one (1) Wildlife Biologist and two (2) Forestry and Wildlife Technicians responsible for all wildlife issues for approx. 300,000 areas of public land and 1M acres of private land in West Hawaii. Any addi?onal responsibili?es tasked to the agency to address these issues would require an increase in staﬃng. Posi?ons required are:  Fund .50 FTE Waimea Forestry and Wildlife Technician IV $40,000  Create 2 Wildlife Biologist IV positions in Waimea @ $95,000 ea. $190,000  Re-establish the Statewide Access and Acquisition Coordinator position $95,000 Damage to Agriculture, Commercial, and Residen?al Proper?es Goats and pigs can be damaging to agricultural opera?ons damaging crops, ranch and farm infrastructure, and compe?ng with livestock for forage. They can also damage residen?al and resort landscaping and gardens, and other land use opera?ons (i.e., golf courses, etc.). As stated earlier, landowners and lessees are not prohibited by state statute from removing these animals from their property. Means of take may be limited, dependent upon the zoning and acreage. Currently, the DLNR distributes a list of contact informa?on for private hunters and trappers that may be able to assist property owners and lessees with removing animals. The County of Hawaii has inves?gated implemen?ng a program to loan or rent pig traps to the public. This would include proper training for those using the traps and an op?on for the county to remove the trapped animals, if requested (maybe???). Cost es?mates for traps range from $$$ to $$$. Roads and Highways Goats and pigs present along road corridors can create hazardous condi?ons which may lead to vehicle accidents. Managing ungulates along roadsides present several obstacles that make trapping or hun?ng unacceptable op?ons for control. DOFAW prohibits any hun?ng within 50 yards of roads for safety reasons. The use of any ﬁrearm or archery equipment along roadways is dangerous. Also, wounded animals may run into traﬃc. Trapping is also challenging as it would create an area that would en?ce or lure more animals into the road corridor, compounding the problem. Similarly, removing animals from the trap could result in loose animals running in to the road. Consequently, this plan suggests 3 alterna?ve op?ons for reducing the presence of ungulates on roadsides. 1. Create and maintain a 10-meter zero vegetation buffer along all highways: roads catch and funnel water after rain. This creates good environment for new vegetative growth, which attracts grazing animals. Keeping these areas free of vegetation would remove the food source that draws these animals into that space. (DOT PROVIDE COST ESTIMATE???)