HomeMy WebLinkAboutHCR50_HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE,2023
STATE OF HAWAII
HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO
PROVIDE UPDATED STATISTICS AND FACTS RELATING TO THE
DECLINE OF PALILA ON MAUNA KEA AND INVESTIGATE THE FACTORS
CAUSING THE DECLINE OF THE PALILA POPULATION.
1 WHEREAS,the paula bird is’a rare and critically
2 endangered species of honeycreeper that can only be found on
3 certain slopes of Mauna Kea in the County of Hawaii;and
4
5 WHEREAS,the paula has a close ecological relationship
6 with the native mamane tree and it relies on those trees for
7 food and nesting;and
8
9 WHEREAS,in 1979,a lawsuit was filed against the
10 Department of Land and Natural Resources,alleging that the
11 Department was “taking”palila for purposes of the federal
12 Endangered Species Act by maintaining sheep and goats in the
13 paula’s critical habitat,which inclu~ed all of Mauna Kea from
14 an elevation of six thousand feet to ten thousand feet;and
15
16 WHEREAS,between 1979 and 1999,the United States District
17 Court confirmed a mandate that the Department of Land and
18 Natural Resources eradicate sheep and goats from the paula’s
19 critical habitat;and
20
21 WHEREAS,during that time,millions of dollars were spent
22 on construction of fences and the eradication of sheep to comply
23 with the order of the United States District Court;and
24
25 WHEREAS,more than twenty-five thousand sheep have been
26 eradicated,with fewer than three hundred remaining as of 2022;
27 and -
28
HCR LRB 23-0290-1.docx
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1 WHEREAS,while efforts are made to salvage sheep meat,only
2 about forty percent is typically recovered,leaving about Sixty
3 percent to rot or feed feral cats and mongoose,which are
4 themselves a threat to the palila population;and
5
6 WHEREAS,despite the eradication of sheep and restoration
7 of mamane forests,only an estimated three hundred palila were
8 counted in 2021;and
9
10 WHEREAS,the routine cost of sheep eradication is
11 expensive:in October 2022,$8,844.50 was spent to eradicate
12 fifty-nine sheep;and
13
14 WHEREAS,due to the court mandate,thousands of residents
15 have lost access to an important source of subsistence hunting
16 on Mauna Kea;and
17
18 WHEREAS,the drastic reduction in sheep,combined with the
19 recovery of vegetation on Mauna Kea,has resulted in an increase
20 of vegetative fuel loads;and
21
22 WHEREAS,wildfires on the slopes of Mauna Kea represent the
23 most significant threat to paula and their habitat;and
24
25 -WHEREAS,recent fires have resulted in the destruction of
26 approximately two hundred fifty acres of palila critical
27 habitat;and
28
29 WHEREAS,due to the threat of fire,the Board of Land and
30 Natural Resources has proposed a fuel break expansion project on
31 Mauna Kea,which will remove thirty-five acres of mature mamane,
32 which is another example of costs resulting from the United
33 States District Court’s mandate;and
34
35 WHEREAS,despite the best efforts over the last forty
36 years,the population of palila continues to be critically
37 endangered;and
38
39 WHEREAS,further investigations must be conducted to
40 determine why current efforts have not resulted in recovery of
41 the palila,and to identify new strategies to preserve this
42 species;now,therefore,
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H.CIR.NO.~Q
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii,Regular
Session of 2023,the Senate concurring,that the Department of
Land and Natural Resources provide updated statistics and facts
relating to the decline of paula on Mauna Kea;and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
Natural Resources investigate factors resulting in the decline
of palila for purposes of recommending updated strategies to
preserve this species and updating the United States District
Court’s sheep and goat eradication mandate;and
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and
15 Natural Resources is requested to submit a report of its
16 findings and recommendations,including any proposed
17 legislation,to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior
18 to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024;and
19
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
21 Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the
22 Board of Land and Natural Resources.
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OFFERED BY:
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