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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0386.001 2010-2012Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura From: Colleen Cole [tcolleencole @gmail.com] Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 10:34 AM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Cc: tcolleencole @gmail.com Subject: testimony in support of Bill No. 112 Attachments: TMA Testimony_axis deer bill.pdf Aloha, Please see attached letter of testimony in support of Bill No. 112 restricting the transportation of Axis Deer in Hawaii County. Mahalo, Colleen Cole Coordinator, Three Mountain Alliance C) PO Box 52 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718 ph: (808) 985 -6197 cell: (808) 333 -7741 fax: (808) 985 -6029 tcolleencole@gmail..com_ Comm. No. 386./ Ref. To: el er4 L Ref. Date OCT 4 ZU11 10/3/2011 TH R E E MO U NTA I N ALLIANCE MIMNERS HAWAII DEPT, OF LAND & NATURAL RESOURCES USGS BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES DIVISION KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS USDA FOREST SERVICE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE HAWAII DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII PO Box 52 • HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, HI • 96718 • PH 808.985.61 97 FX 808.985.6029 3 October 2011 Council of the County of Hawaii Environmental Management Committee Aloha Mr. Chair and members of the committee, On behalf of the members of the Three Mountain Alliance watershed partnership, I am submitting testimony in strong support of Bill No. 112 restricting the transportation of Axis deer into the County of Hawaii. The Three Mountain Alliance (TMA) is a voluntary alliance of federal and state agencies and private landowners who collectively own and manage over 1 million acres across the three volcanoes of Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. Members of the TMA work together to conserve and protect forested watersheds and native ecosystems across the landscape. The introduction of Axis deer to the island of Hawaii would threaten forested watersheds and cause significant impacts to various agricultural sectors of the island, especially row crops and cattle, but also coffee and tree crops. Residents, farmers and business owners on Maui, Moloka`i and Lana`i have already suffered adverse impacts from Axis deer populations on those islands. Axis deer are known to be preferential grazers rather than browsers and they are already competing with cattle for forage on several ranches on Maui. Fireweed, the invasive weed that has taken over pastures and natural areas across the state, has greatly reduced the carrying capacity of rangeland, and deer could potentially outcompete cattle and other stock for what little pasture grass remains among the fireweed. Also, during drought conditions, impacts from Axis deer becomes more severe as they have a tendency to increase their herd sizes around areas that have feed. Because the deer can leap over tall fences, it would cost private landowners and the conservation community hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit stock and conservation fences to prevent Axis deer ingress on their land. Additionally, any deer brought to Hawaii Island could be reservoirs for bovine tuberculosis (BTb). The impact of this disease on the Island's cattle industry would be devastating as any stock that comes into contact with animals with BTb have to be culled. The ecological threat posed by deer from other islands is equally grim. Deer on Lana` i in the early 1980's were rare atop Lana`ihale, the watershed for the entire island. Less then five years later, deer were browsing native plants up to the summit and deer damage was observed everywhere. Land managers have fenced some of Lana`ihale to protect what is left of that watershed, but fencing is extremely expensive in that steep terrain and much damage has already been done. Deer are opportunists; if they can't graze they will browse on native Hawaiian plants. Through grazing and browsing, deer can destabilize forested watersheds, thus negatively affecting the ability of the watershed to collect, hold and transfer water to the aquifer. If deer are allowed to establish here, our native forests, shrublands and even coastal plant communities will lose many "keystone" species of plants due to browsing. Besides threatening Hawai`i's agricultural industries, watersheds, and native ecosystems, incidence of vehicular strikes has been gradually increasing on other islands with Axis deer — accidents that are certainly costly but also potentially fatal. An ordinance restricting transportation of living axis deer in the county of Hawaii would assist in protecting Hawai'i island's native forests and watersheds, private property owners, the agriculture industries, and the general public from damages and adverse impacts that may be caused by Axis deer. Colleen Cole Coordinator, Three Mountain Alliance