2019 01-29 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – January 29, 2019 And it certainly was the most prime habitat so when they fence it they go out or they’re slaughtered but it seemed like that’s the only place we saw them. RK: Like past surveys of the Puuwaawaa area, you know, back in the day the whole area used to have a pretty wide distribution issue – over years there’s been eradication efforts, not particularly staff eradication efforts but kind of liberal, open, hunting seasons and things like that that cut down the numbers mostly due to the Blackburn Sphinx Moth – an endangered moth – so it’s a history with how numbers got cut down around area but the recent studies were recent flights and surveys had typically put the largest population that was left in the old safety zone area which is anywhere from the cinder cone down to the highway and then encompassing the residential area – that’s there as well. NP: Right. I take that back – that’s the other place we saw lots of sheep. RK: That’s the other place, right... Yeah, so I think the Henahena one they’ll push ‘em out – after they fence it they’ll push ‘em out if they can or whatever but I guess the thing to take away from that is the Henahena fence is part of the mitigative actions for the HCP plan - a plan that is not yet approved, so I want the public or commission members to understand that hunters are holding their breath hoping for this plan that’s gonna happen but yet you have to do all these measures for the environmental and endangered species stuff first or kinda, I guess. So you get ‘em all done- you building all the fences – then what? Then they still tell you you still cannot have your plan, you cannot have your sheep, I mean, it’s not enough. So this is what has been happening over the years is that the target of what is acceptable and OK is continuing to move so it’s like you’ll never hit it kind of thing, meanwhile, that’s one of the larger – I think that’s the largest fence in the mitigative measure is Henahena. There are smaller fences as well going up – I think you folks may have seen the cinder cone – the fences on the cinder cone is going up as well- the areas that weren’t fenced in the cinder cone are now are going to be fenced – if not they’re already – last year I saw the posts already going up – there’s no endangered plants in those areas so, you guys can think about that – like we’re supposed to be mitigating for these endangered plants – we’re building fences that don’t have endangered plants in ‘em because they want to get the community in there to plant plants so, um, you know, I think the hunters have been patient enough to waiting and to getting this done, but, it’s at a point where I think everyone that’s watched it evolve over time sees that it was never meant for the hunters to get it so we got to think of – that’s why the alternative was posed and maybe even just getting public support for what is already there – I have no idea where it’s going – all I know is that as far as game management of game mammal species go in this State I don’t think any plan has had as much money, man hours, or attention given to it as this one and it seems the State is stalling it within themselves – so... That’s my priority 13