HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 165 Draft 01 2022-2024JNos
COUNTY OF HAWAII1:i.
43.
4‘...Z-;-;4;11:''i STATE OF HAWAII
7*E.GF.M.,
RESOLUTION NO. 165 23
A RESOLUTION URGING THE MAYOR OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII TO
CONVENE A FERAL UNGULATE MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP.
WHEREAS, Senate Resolution No. 41, adopted by the Hawai`i Senate on April 5th,
2023, states that"feral mammals and in particular, feral ungulates, have long been recognized as
a significant threat to the integrity and health of native ecosystems in Hawai`i;" and
WHEREAS, Senate Resolution No. 41 further states that"feral ungulates jeopardize the
component species that comprise native habitats, making the management of feral ungulates a
high priority of the State;" and
WHEREAS, "feral ungulates"refer to those cloven-hooved animals, including deer,
pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle, living in a wild and unconfined state; and
WHEREAS, the increased use of fencing across Hawai`i County causes overpopulation
among feral ungulates in pristine native ecosystems; and
WHEREAS,the sight of wild ungulates, such as mouflon sheep on the slopes of Mauna
Kea or goats on the leeward side of Hawai`i Island, are increasingly common and make clear that
the management offeral ungulates is an equally high priority for the County of Hawai`i; and
WHEREAS, with no natural predators, these feral ungulates have proliferated across our
island and become a major threat to multiple plant and bird species endemic to Hawai`i, many
endangered or exceedingly rare; and
WHEREAS, in late 2022, the Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources
launched a pilot program intended to protect the native cloud forest area on Kohala Mountain by
managing feral pigs, the presence of which accelerates soil erosion, vegetation loss, and
sedimentation of water sources; and
WHEREAS,the unknown long-term ecological effects of continued growth in the feral
ungulate population require thoughtful, collaborative discussions to develop innovative and
effective ways to minimize this problem and its impact on our natural environments and
communities while balancing subsistence hunting and trapping; now,therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it
urges the Mayor ofthe County of Hawai`i to convene a feral ungulate management working
group to be composed of the following members or their respective designees:
1) Mayor ofthe County of Hawaii;
2) Corporation Counsel;
3) Animal Control and Protection Administrator;
4) Chair of the Game Management Advisory Commission;
5) Chair of the Hawai`i State Board of Agriculture;
6) The Kohala Center's Kohala Watershed Field Supervisor; and
7) Hawai`i Island Branch Manager, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawai`i State
Department ofLand and Natural Resources.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this working group shall study feral ungulate
management, engage with other relevant stakeholders and interested parties, including
representatives from the local hunting and trapping community, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and develop strategies 1)to address the
impacts of overpopulation, 2)to preserve wildlife corridors, 3)to support subsistence living, and
4)to monitor, contain,relocate, or otherwise manage the feral ungulate populations on Hawai`i
County.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this working group shall issue to the Council of
the County of Hawai`i semiannual progress reports from the date this resolution is adopted and a
final report of its findings and recommendations, including suggested programs and funding
sources, no later than January 31St, 2025, whereupon the working group shall be dissolved.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this
resolution to the Honorable Mitchell D. Roth, Mayor of the County of Hawai`i; the Honorable
Josh Green, Governor of Hawai`i; the Honorable Mazie Hirono, United States Senator; the
Honorable Brian Schatz, United States Senator; the Honorable Edward Case, United States
Representative; the Honorable Jill Tokuda,United States Representative; Dawn Chang, Chair of
the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Sharon Hurd, Chair of the Board of Agriculture; and
Abraham Antonio, Chair of the Game Management Advisory Commission.
Dated at Hawai`i,this day of 20
INTRO 'r ED BY:
3?£of
COUNCIL ME!R, COUNTY OF HAWAII
COUNTY COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE
County of Hawai`i AYES NOES ABS EX
Hilo,Hawai`i EVANS ,
GALIMBA
I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by INABA
the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the KAGIWADA
County of Hawai`i on
KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER
KIERKIEWICZ
ATTEST: KIMBALL
LEE LOY
VILLEGAS
Reference: C-278/GOEAG,_
COUNTY CLERK CHAIRPERSON&PRESIDING OFFICER RESOLUTION NO.165 2
2