2017-11-8 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – November 8, 2017 specifically kikuyu grass but they’re trying to and they are planting taller seedlings that are already above the grass and so those are – having success – but other plant species like aalii aren’t able to recruit within, you know, in that thicker grass. Grass is higher but since \[unclear\] should do better than no grass at all. The main idea here is to use the growth of native trees to eventually shade out the grasses and this is happening on the Puuwaawaa cone – so some areas under that koa forest that’s been planted up there are shading out the grasses and so the understory is starting to recover under that. It’s a long process, right, this is not like five years later – it’s ten, fifteen, twenty years. But eventually, if the forest is able to recover to that degree than we can reduce fire issues within that forest. Henahena is not fenced yet so we haven’t done anything like pre in-post fence – cause the fence isn’t built yet but Henahena borders the forest bird sanctuary and within the sanctuary where it is fenced they do have recruitment and regeneration of mamane, aalii and things like that. And then right outside the fence we’re not seeing that, so, we haven’t quantified it – I can’t come in and say this percentage and this and that but just visually there is a recovery so fences do, I mean, there’s good and bad and I’m not like – I’m not gonna – it is what it is – there’s good and bad. Aalii and mamane are recovering within the forest bird sanctuary and they’re not outside of the sanctuary where it’s not fenced. The cone unit – amazing growth of koa since they were planted as well as many other species: aiea, mau oha, hele, alani, aalii and a large diversity of other species: papala kepau, poola, olopua, some trees are plugged in to the ground without weed control and some do fine – but the ones that do best are the ones that you do have to control around the plant – grass control. And then there was another question... TL: How long would you have to continue doing that? KS: It depends on the species it would depend on what plant species you’re working on. There was a question about monitoring within the fence and without a fence after. This is written into our plan. The thing you’re saying about impact –we want to see how much the animals are having an impact in a fenced area - outside of the fence compared to where they’re not in the fence, but our plan is not implemented as of yet. TL: You’re doing cards and regular telemetry on these animals right now and I have that map that you sent us and I think that I understand it fairly well, but after you’ve carded these animals and after you’ve got your data – and one question on there – are these animals being hunted at all? KS: Yes, in Puuanahulu. In Puuwaawaa we don’t have a season mauka – and so we do have some non-typical rams in that area that are collared so they might be hunted because we just do it not to pick a ram hunt the last few years, but in general in Puuwaawaa no and in Puuanahulu yes. 17