Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0666.001 2010-2012 JMtr N!!t, BRITTANY SMART = os Phone: (808) 961-8263 • �6i%c Councilmember �, Fax: (808) 961-8912 1# bsmart co.hawaii.hi.us Hawai`i County Council District 6 ;r� e. �,�. Upper Puna, Ka`u, South Kona OF N► Hawai`i County Council County of Hawai`i 25 Aupuni Street Hilo,Hawaii 96720 r-4 DATE: April 12, 2012 TO: Dominic Yagong, Council Chair .9 And Members of the Hawai'i County Council . — FROM: "&risi Brittany Smart, Councilmember SUBJECT: Comm 666- Additional Information from Ka `Ghana 0 Honu'apo Here is additional information from Ka 'Ohana 0 Honu'apo (1 page, double sided). Please have hard copies available for all members of the Hawaii County Council during their committee presentation that will be on May 1, 2012. Thank you. BS/jk Comm. NO. W 6 Ref. To: P W R.� Ref. Dote APR 1 2 7012 KA `ONANA 0 NONU`APO Wetlands Habitat Restoration Plan for Honu'apo Estuary FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) What is being proposed? Ka 'Ohana 0 Honu'apo is proposing to restore Native Hawaiian bird habitat in the wetlands (the mudflats surrounding Honu'apo Estuary) as part of its long-term goals to improve Honu'apo Park. Ka `Ohana has been working with scientists from Sustainable Resources Group, Intn'I, Inc. (SRGII is from Kailua, O`ahu), to research and draft a WETLANDS HABITAT RESTORATION PLAN for Honu'apo Estuary. Where is Honu'apo Estuary? Honu'apo Estuary is located along the coast in the Ka`u District of Hawaii Island. It is within the 225-acre Honu'apo Park, which includes Whittington Beach Park. What is a wetland restoration plan? A restoration plan provides guidance and instructions for restoring and enhancing habitat to improve conditions for native species in a process that protects cultural and archeological resources and allows for appropriate recreational and educational uses. The plan outlines the actions needed to restore native bird habitat, identifies the permits and approvals needed, and lists cost estimates. Who is developing this restoration plan? Ka 'Ohana 0 Honu'apo is working with the County of Hawaii to manage Honu'apo Park. Ka `Ohana raised money to hire the scientists and planners from SRGII to develop this plan and will be working with the County's Parks and Recreation Department to implement this plan. Why is a restoration plan needed for Honu'apo Estuary? Due to years of neglect, habitat for native birds and fish at Honu'apo Estuary has become degraded. Feral cats, dogs, rats, and mongoose hunt the few remaining birds that come to Honu'apo and eat their eggs. The area around the estuary is still overgrown with invasive plants. A restoration plan is needed to support planning and fundraising efforts for habitat restoration as well as to provide guidance for on-going management of the wetlands area. Major problems include: feral cat colonies and other predator animals; invasive plants (like kiawe, Guinea and seashore paspalum grasses) that crowd-out native plants; and altered ecohydrology and topography. What is needed for the restoration of Honu'apo Estuary? In general, the planned design will create new biological habitat for native birds, with wading and deep water areas. Predator control inside and around the perimeter of the wetlands will be necessary to stop feral predators from harassing and killing birds and their eggs. The ground surface will be changed by removing alien vegetation and excavating existing flat areas to create open mudflats for foraging birds. There will be restoration of springs and the creation of deep water in areas of lower salinity that will be favorable for fish, turtles, and invertebrates (like shrimp). Invasive plants will be removed and replaced by native plants used by native birds. What is special about Honu'apo Estuary? An estuary is a water body where fresh and ocean water mix, resulting in brackish water that has high levels of nutrients that plants and animals need to grow. This makes estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world. Fresh water input at Honu'apo is from numerous springs that flow into the estuary. The water levels in the estuary are controlled by the ocean tides flowing in and out at all tide levels from a narrow channel that connects the estuary to the ocean. Estuarine wetlands, like the one at Honu'apo, is relatively rare and the last of their kind in Hawaii. The location of Honu'apo Estuary is of high value to native and migratory birds. The estuary also provides important spawning and nursery habitat for a large number of native fish and a rest area for honu (green sea turtle). What native species are found at Honu'apo Estuary? Endangered Waterbirds: Ae`o, (Hawaiian stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni); `Alae ke`oke`o, (Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai); and Koloa moali, (Hawaiian duck, Anas wyvilliana). Migratory Birds: `akekeke (Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres); hunakai (Sanderling, Calidris alba); Mill (Wandering tattler, Heteroscelus incanus); kioea (Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis); kolea (Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva); 'auku'u (Black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli). Fish and Crustaceans: 'o'opu (Eleotris sandvicensis), 'Opae huna (Palaemon debilis), the threatened naniha goby (Stenogobius hawaiiensis), 'ama'ama (striped mullet, Mugil cephalus), aholehole (Hawaiian flagtail, Kuhlia sandvicensis), Hawaiian shrimp goby (Psilogobius mainlandi), yellowfin goatfish (Mulloidichthys vanicolensis); snapping shrimp (Alpheus sp.); and feeble shrimp (`opae huna, Palaemon debilis). Reptiles and Marine Mammals: The threatened honu (green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas) frequents Honu'apo Estuary. The endangered honu'ea (hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata) has been observed and recorded in Honu'apo Bay. The endangered `ilio holo i ka uaua (Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi) continues to be seen there at least once a year. What are the next steps? 1. Finalize restoration plan based on agency and public comments. 2. Raise money to obtain the necessary permits/approvals and implement the plan. Call Lehua Lopez-Mau, Executive Director, Ka `Ohana 0 Honu'apo, at 929-9891 for more information. Prepared by:Sustainable Resources Group Intn'I,Inc.(www.srgii.com).A publication of the County of Hawaii in partnership with Ka'Ohana 0 Honu'apo(www.honuapopark.org), supported by the Hawaii Office of Planning, Coastal Zone Management Program, pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Award No. NAO9NOS4190120,funded in part by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972,as amended,administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management,National Ocean Service,NOAA,United States Department of Commerce.The views expressed herein are those of the author(s)and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOM or any of its sub-agencies.Project funding also provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program and the Pacific Coast Joint Venture/Hawaii Wetland Joint Venture.