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agroforestry could be conducted,with groves of ulu, awa, ohia`ai, hala, and more restored
<br /> utilizing the nitrogen rich kukui for optimal growth and ecosystem balance. On the wide valley
<br /> floor itself,there is an extensive flat plateau where food based agriculture for the community
<br /> likely was and could be restored fed by the stream&30` deep well. Hui Kako`o O Laupahoehoe
<br /> and partnering organizations could tend this area, hopefully inviting agricultural groups such as
<br /> HuiMAU,the Ulu Co-op,Niu Now, Olohana Project, and Project Kanu and others to make
<br /> waiwai this fertile valley floor with `uala, kalo, niu, mai`a,ki, `awa and more growing in the
<br /> moist valley soil.. Healthy relationships with`aina using these cherished traditions, as well as
<br /> community partners,would be a guiding principle in preserving and promoting the agricultural
<br /> and cultural character of the community.
<br /> Subsistence: This `aina holds special value through it's
<br /> x abundant natural resources including fisheries, hunting
<br /> grounds, native plants for gathering for lei,la'au lapa'au,
<br /> and other subsistence uses. Ka`awali`i remains a place
<br /> known for its abundant aquatic resources that are fished by
<br /> the area's local lawai`a (fishers).The stream, estuary, and
<br /> ocean produce prawns, ho`io, ahole, moi, `ama`ama,limu,
<br /> `opihi, and many other important food sources for local
<br /> families as it once did for those who lived in `0`6kala and
<br /> Waipunalei villages near this bay, and for the uplands of
<br /> Humu`ula and Ka`ohe. There is also an abundance of pigs as
<br /> well. This subsistence resource is particularly important
<br /> today for rural communities such as 0`6kala ((Niu and Kukui villages), Kukaiau, Laupahoehoe
<br /> and Papa`aloa who have a large portion of the population statistically living below the poverty
<br /> line. Preserving these community lifeways through public acquisition will help maintain this
<br /> special place and these valued traditions in perpetuity(Pic via SHPD report D.Chang)
<br /> 3) Protection of natural resources, significant habitat or ecosystems, including
<br /> buffer zones Native Species: The State 2010 DOT EA for Ka`awali`i Improvements (PG 43)
<br /> notes sighting of indigenous White-tailed Tropicbird(Koa`e Kea) and Endemic I`o Hawai`ian
<br /> Hawk.The study also notes this area may contain endemic Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma
<br /> sandwichensis), or ua`u, and the threatened Newell's Shearwater(Puffinus auricularis newelli),
<br /> or`a`o,that may over-fly the project areas between the months of May and November, noting the
<br /> species breeds on Kauai, Hawaii, and Molokai in extremely small numbers. During my visit
<br /> there was a group of about 8 seabirds that may have been one or the other circling nearshore.
<br /> There is a large cave near the rivermouth directly below the house that was pointed out to me as
<br /> home to a large number of seabirds where the walls were streaked with white droppings. Due to
<br /> high tide&wave surge I was unable to get closer. The primary cause of mortality in both of the
<br /> seabird mentioned above is thought to be predation by alien mammalian species onshore and
<br /> secondary is collision with man-made structures as these nocturnally flying seabirds, especially
<br /> fledglings on their way to sea in the summer and fall, can become disoriented by exterior
<br /> lighting, issues not addressed in the Stewart 1992 Conservation Use Permit Application, nor the
<br /> issue of noise from vacation rental-ed events. In this general area of North Hilo noio are seen
<br /> nesting among the sea cliffs as well, along with sightings of`iwa and `auku`u (night heron) as
<br /> well. The State 2010 EA notes that it can be expected that Hawaiian Hoary Bats (ope`ape`a)
<br /> forage over sections of this area. For flora the EIS only surveyed up by the highway project area,
<br /> but indigenous or endemic plants of note were neleau,koali `awa, hau, ohi`a, hala,uluhe, and
<br /> Kalanchoe pinnata. Other plants of note can be found on pg 39 of the 2016 DOT EA Rockfall
<br /> Protection Plan.
<br /> Sugg.26-02 13
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