U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to Hold Open House for Proposed Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Expansion
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host an open house to provide information about and receive public comment on the Service's proposed Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Land Protection Planning study. This study will assess the impacts of expanding the Hakalau Forest and Kona Forest Units of the Refuge on the Island of Hawai'i. The project would allow the Service to acquire land, or interest in land such as conservation easements, from willing sellers for the conservation of native Hawaiian species, especially endangered forest birds and plants.
Service staff will share information, answer questions, and take public comments about the proposed land acquisition project at the open house on August 17, 2011. The open house will be held at the Refuge Headquarters, 60 Nowelo Street, Hilo, HI, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
The open house will give the public opportunities to learn more about the Service's study of the potential addition of land to the Refuge that provides important habitat for fish and wildlife resources on the Island of Hawai'i. Any land acquired would be from willing sellers and would be managed as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Service is initiating a collaborative land protection planning process which will include the development of an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze the potential impacts of expanding the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. The open house meeting is part of the scoping phase for this process. The Service will work with the State of Hawai'i, conservation organizations, landowners, other agencies, and interested individuals to collect additional information about wildlife and wildlife habitat, and the potential impacts of our proposal. Following the scoping phase, the Service will complete the EA, the outcome of which will assist in determining whether the Service should proceed with the proposed refuge expansion, and if so, the areas that may be included within such an expansion.
For more information on the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Land Protection Planning Study, please visit: http://www.fws.gov/hakalauforest/planning.html. To provide input on the study, please send comments to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov by September 16, 2011. Please include "Hakalau Forest LPP" in the subject line.
Service staff will share information, answer questions, and take public comments about the proposed land acquisition project at the open house on August 17, 2011. The open house will be held at the Refuge Headquarters, 60 Nowelo Street, Hilo, HI, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
The open house will give the public opportunities to learn more about the Service's study of the potential addition of land to the Refuge that provides important habitat for fish and wildlife resources on the Island of Hawai'i. Any land acquired would be from willing sellers and would be managed as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Service is initiating a collaborative land protection planning process which will include the development of an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze the potential impacts of expanding the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. The open house meeting is part of the scoping phase for this process. The Service will work with the State of Hawai'i, conservation organizations, landowners, other agencies, and interested individuals to collect additional information about wildlife and wildlife habitat, and the potential impacts of our proposal. Following the scoping phase, the Service will complete the EA, the outcome of which will assist in determining whether the Service should proceed with the proposed refuge expansion, and if so, the areas that may be included within such an expansion.
For more information on the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Land Protection Planning Study, please visit: http://www.fws.gov/hakalauforest/planning.html. To provide input on the study, please send comments to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov by September 16, 2011. Please include "Hakalau Forest LPP" in the subject line.
