2014-02-24 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – February 24, 2014 mindful of how the federal funds are being used, at the same time it’s not something that I think we can continue to avoid forever because there are so many complex endangered species issues – that would actually rather see us try and work out agreements that we can kind of look at a higher level of where endangered species activities and preservation can happen and where game management can happen to the highest, best use. T. Lodge: My question more is the use of the money in the Wildlife Revolving Fund and I agree with you as far as working out ways to get things done with the Endangered Species Act, but Wildlife Revolving Fund is mandated to use those monies, if there’s a match to be used, comes out of the Wildlife Revolving Fund first and any of that money that comes out of there has to be used for something other than game mammal enhancement. Is there any way to get additional monies that are not bound to that restriction, is what we’re saying and would you be amenable to that for changing the Wildlife Revolving Fund to remove that restriction? L. Hadway: Sure. We could look at that in more detail and point to the \[unclear\]. J. Mello: I’m not sure, Tom, I haven‘t read it in years, but I’m not sure that, that isn’t already in there – you might want to go into – see about changing the law and making it stronger. I know the case that you’re asking for – but we do already – we’ve all the biologists decided several years ago when it was determined that we cannot use federal funds to fund Lanai, we decided that Lanai is the main statewide hunting area that everybody, you know from all around the state can partake, in fact even from all around the country for that matter. And Wildlife Revolving Fund the top, I may be wrong, don’t quote me, but I think the first $45,000 of the Wildlife Revolving Fund goes straight to pay for the Lanai lease which has nothing to do with Pittman Robertson funds at all. So that may – I haven’t read it like I said in years, but that may already be in there. Chair Sylvester: Thank you. OK let’s move on to… D. Yoshina: Just to make sure that there’s an understanding – I also share that understanding, that’s why I asked the question. There is a question about that and it needs to be clarified because if your $750,000 and you’re prevented from using that money for mammal programs, what good is it? J. Mello: I believe it can’t be used for enhancement, so if you wanted to put in watering units or things like that that’s going to enhance the game, I don’t think money could be used for that. L. Hadway: Right. But if we back ourselves up on some of that – you know where I was saying where if we do solid planning that allows us to deal with those issues – then I think we will be able to move ahead with programs that do have those kinds of activities in them. But we have to satisfy certain… 10