Public Hearings Planned for Oahu and the Big Island
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is providing an additional opportunity for the public to submit comments regarding the proposal to designate 9,238 acres of critical habitat for 12 endangered Hawaiian picture-wing flies on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai. and Kauai. The new comment period - the second since the proposal was published on November 28, 2007 - will end on April 25.
"During the previous public comment period, we received requests to hold public hearings," said Patrick Leonard, field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Office in the Pacific Islands. "This additional comment period will allow us to conduct those public hearings and provide interested individuals or groups more time to learn about the proposal and comment."
Interested parties are invited to attend the public hearings, which will be held on the Big and Oahu. The Big hearing will be held on April 8 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Mala Ikena Room, 71 Banyan Drive, in Hilo. The Oahu hearing will be held in Waikiki on April 10 at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Queens Room, 2nd Floor, 150 Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu. An informational session from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will precede each public hearing. Public hearings will be conducted from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Those species for which critical habitat is proposed are: Drosophila aglaia, Drosophila hemipeza, Drosophila montgomeryi, Drosophila obatai, Drosophila substenoptera, and Drosophila tarphytrichia (found on Oahu); Drosophila heteroneura, Drosophila ochrobasis, and Drosophila mulli (found on Hawaii); Drosophila musaphilia (found on Kauai); Drosophila neoclavisetae (found on Maui); and Drosophila differens (found on Molokai).Nearly half (47%) of the proposed critical habitat is on federal lands and includes 3,604 acres in the Kona Forest Unit of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge and 752 acres in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. State lands comprise 26 percent, or 2,330 acres, of the proposed critical habitat, while 1 percent, or 128 acres, are on City and County of Honolulu land, and 26 percent, or 2,424 acres, are on private land.
The designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other special conservation area conservation area
A conservation area is a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife and major migration corridors while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.
Learn more about conservation area . It does not allow government or public access to private lands. However, projects using federal funds that may affect critical habitat are required to consult with the Service to ensure their actions do not adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat.
The Service will consider comments from all interested parties received by April 25, 2008. Comments can be sent by one of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
- Via U.S. mail or hand delivery to Public Comments Processing, Attn: RIN 1018-AU93; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.
Copies of the proposed rule may be downloaded from the Services website at http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/. For further information contact: Patrick Leonard, Field Supervisor, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850; telephone (808) 792-9400 or fax (808) 792-9581.
