After reviewing public comments and additional scientific information made available during the past year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a revised proposal to designate critical habitat for 83 threatened and endangered plant species on the islands of Kauai and Niihau. If made final, the proposal would establish approximately 99,900 acres of critical habitat on the two islands.
"Our first proposal for critical habitat on Kauai and Niihau published in November 2000 generated numerous public comments," said Anne Badgley, regional director of the Services Pacific Region. "We took those comments seriously and made changes that we believe better reflect the habitat needs of these species for recovery. The changes we have made are significant, and rather than making a final decision, we decided to give the public another opportunity to comment on our revised proposal."
Critical habitat refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and which may require special management considerations. These areas do not have to be occupied by the species at the time of designation. A critical habitat designation does not set up a preserve or refuge and only applies to situations where federal funding or a federal permit is involved. Itdoes not affect landowners taking actions that do not involve federal funding or permits.
The proposed rule published in the Federal Register today addresses 95 species and proposes critical habitat designations for 83 of them. Designation of critical habitat was determined to be "not prudent" for three species of endangered palms because identifying their location would increase the threat of collection or vandalism. For two other species, designation of critical habitat was not prudent since they have not recently been seen in the wild and no viable genetic material is known to exist. Critical habitat is not proposed for seven species once found on Kauai and Niihau because they no longer occur on these islands and the Service was unable to determine habitat that is essential for the plants conservation on these islands.
The revised proposed rule identifies 16 critical habitat units, mostly in northwestern Kauai. Smaller units are scattered in other parts of the island, and one small unit is proposed on the privately owned of Niihau. Much of the proposed critical habitat is in the Alakai Wilderness Preserve, portions of Kokee State Park and Waimea Canyon State Park, and several state natural areas and forest reserves. A smaller unit includes lands owned or leased by the Department of Defense.
"The most significant change in this proposed rule is the inclusion of unoccupied habitat . areas where the threatened and endangered plants do not currently exist but that provide the appropriate elements needed by plants for their survival and recovery," explained Badgley. "Existing occupied habitat may not be sufficient to allow for the recovery of many of these plants."
The revised proposal designates critical habitat units throughout the known geographic and elevational range of each species and allows for expansion of existing wild populations and reestablish-ment of wild populations within their historic ranges. In many instances, critical habitat for several plant species overlaps, creating multi-species units.
Another change in the current version of the proposed rule relates to the species Phyllostegia waimeae. In the original proposed rule, designation of critical habitat for this species was determined to be not prudent because the plant was not known to exist in the wild. Since then, the species has been rediscovered on Kauai. The revised proposed rule reverses the earlier .not prudent. determination and proposes critical habitat for the species.
Because of the interest previously expressed regarding critical habitat on Kauai, the Fish and WildlifeService has already scheduled a public hearing on the proposed rule. It will be held on February 13, 2002, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Radisson Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue. An information session will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the same location to allow people to ask questions and review maps.
Public comments on this revised proposed rule will be accepted until March 29, 2002. Comments should be sent to Paul Henson, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Pacific Islands, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will be revising proposed rules for plant species on Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and Molokai in the coming months, much as the agency did for Kauai and Niihau. Proposed rulesfor plant species on the northwestern Hawaiian islands, Big Island, and Oahu are scheduled to be pub-lished for the first time within the next 6 months, in accordance with U.S. District Court rulings.
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 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 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 fisher-ies, 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.
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