Contacts
Barbara Maxfield, 808 541 2749 or 349 1409
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act for five endangered Hawaiian plant species on three northwestern Hawaiian islands. All three islands – Nihoa, Necker, and Laysan – are within the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Three of the endangered plant species – Amaranthus brownii, Pritchardia remota or loulu, and Schiedea verticillata – are found only in the northwestern Hawaiian islands. The other two – Mariscus pennatiformis and Sesbania tomentosa – are also found on one or more of the main Hawaiian islands.
If approved, the proposed critical habitat rule would primarily affect the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as manager of the refuge. Access to these islands is already restricted, both by requirements for permits from the managing agency and by their very remoteness.
"Although our efforts in the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge are definitely aimed toward protecting and recovering endangered species, we believe critical habitat designation on our own lands will be beneficial," said Anne Badgley, Pacific regional director for the Service. "The Service would take another look at proposed projects within designated critical habitat to ensure not only that these threatened and endangered plant species are not jeopardized, but also that the habitat that could support them is protected, even if the species are not currently present."
Under the Endangered Species Act, a critical habitat designation identifies geographic areas that are considered essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management considerations or protection. Federal agencies must consult with the Service on activities they authorize, carry out or fund that might affect critical habitat, to ensure that those activities do not destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat.
The five plants and their habitat have been affected or are currently threatened by one or more of the following factors: competition for space, light, water, and nutrients by nonnative plants; predation by mice and nonnative insects; fire; human disturbance; and an increased likelihood of extinction or harm from naturally occurring events such as winter storms.
As in other critical habitat proposals, existing structures/features within proposed areas (such as runways, buildings, roads, heiau) do not contain the elements required by these plant species and are excluded from critical habitat. The cultural features of Nihoa and Necker Islands are not part of the proposed critical habitat. All beach areas, sand spits, and islets in the northwestern Hawaiian islands are already designated critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal. These plant critical habitat proposals would include all portions of the three islands other than manmade features.
Amaranthus brownii is an annual herb found only on the island of Nihoa. Although no plants have been seen since 1983, their normal growing season is during the winter, when seasonal storms make landing on the island almost impossible. In 1983, 35 plants in four colonies were found on the island.
Pritchardia remota, one of the palm or loulu species native to Hawaii, grows in four colonies on Nihoa and was historically on Laysan Island. Both islands are included in its critical habitat. "We already have sprouted seeds from Nihoa in our greenhouse at Laysan and planted them in a variety of sites to find the right moisture for them," said Elizabeth Flint, wildlife biologist for the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. "The species actually grows quite well in cultivation, and several nurseries that specialize in native Hawaiian plants make them available here in the main Hawaiian islands."
Schiedea verticillata is a perennial herb found only on Nihoa. In 1996, about 360 plants were counted in ten populations.
Although other subspecies of Mariscus pennatiformis are found in the main Hawaiian islands, Mariscus pennatiformis ssp. bryanii only exists on Laysan Island. The species is being propagated in the island’s greenhouse and several populations are now growing on the island. Threats to the subspecies include seed predation by the endangered Laysan finch and destruction by burrowing activities of nesting seabirds, though alien species pose the greatest risk.
Sesbania tomentosa, or ohai, is found on at least six main Hawaiian islands and on Nihoa and Necker. On Nihoa, which receives more rainfall than Necker, several thousand plants were seen in 1999.
In 1998, the U.S. District court for the District of Hawaii directed the Service to reconsider its decision not to designate critical habitat for 255 species of Hawaiian plants, including these five species. The Service was directed to publish proposed critical habitat designations or nondesignations for these species by April 10, 2002.
The proposed rule designating critical habitat for these five plant species was published in today’s Federal Register. Public comments will be accepted until July 15. Comments should be sent to Paul Henson, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Pacific Islands, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
- FWS -
Back to Pacific Region News Catalog
|
