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DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release LINDA LINGLE GOVERNOR _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PETER T. YOUNG, CHAIRPERSON
Phone: (808) 587-0401
Fax: (808) 587-0390
PR 03-109 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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For Immediate Release: "Red Ilima", Available for Public Review |
| HONOLULU — Comments from the public are now being sought by Dept. of Land and Natural Resources on a habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the Ko‘oloa‘ula, an endangered Hawaiian plant (Abutilon menziesii ) in Kapolei, O‘ahu. The plan covers the impacts to the species that will occur on a 1,300-acre state-owned property, which is the site of the proposed construction of the North-South Road highway and subsequent developments, and the measures that will be taken to mitigate the impacts. A public hearing on the plan will be held on January 28, 2004 from 7-9 p.m., at Asing Park in Ewa Beach. “This plan implements one of the most concentrated efforts to establish new populations of an endangered plant species in the state, and will help our department in its efforts to recover other species as well," said Young. The Hawaiian name for Abutilon menziesii is “Ko’oloa’ula” and its common
name is “red ilima." It was listed as endangered in 1986 and at
the time there was only one individual plant known on O‘ahu in the Kapolei
area. To the pleasant surprise of the botanical community who assumed
this species was extinct on O‘ahu, a large population (approximately
90 individuals) was discovered in an abandoned cane field in 1996. The habitat conservation plan outlines a strategy to take cuttings and collect seeds from the existing plants prior to their removal, and to then use these materials to: 1) maintain genetic representation of the original population by growing cuttings in nurseries and placing seeds in seed storage facilities; and 2) to establish three new populations in protected areas elsewhere on O‘ahu. In addition, the plan provides funding to protect and maintain the three wild populations for a period of 20 years to assure that they will survive. Fortunately, the government agencies involved in the project (Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii and the Department of Transportation) did not wait to initiate mitigation efforts for the Abutilon menziesii. In 2001, the Department of Transportation (DOT) made $250,000 available to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to manage and monitor the existing population and begin implementing the mitigation strategies outlined in the HCP. Although the Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) is the sole applicant, the implementation of the habitat conservation plan mitigates for the impact of development actions that may be conducted by other agencies/organizations that are not yet identified. “DOT has stepped forward to lead the efforts to ensure that this species will continue to exist on this island and still provide the community some much needed relief from the severe traffic problems in ‘Ewa and Kapolei, ” said Peter Young, Chairperson of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. DLNR has successfully preserved full genetic representation of the
present Kapolei population by propagating over 600 plants grown from
cuttings taken from the Kapolei plants and over 200 plants grown from
seeds. Outplantings have been initiated at two wild sites: 142 plants have been outplanted at a 3-acre site near Ka‘ena Point and some reproduction has already been documented. In 2002, outplanting began at the Honouliuli Unit of the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, where 61 plants have been planted so far. Plans are currently under way to begin outplanting at Diamond Head State Park in 2004 and other sites are being pursued as well. The plants that have not been outplanted yet are being maintained in a newly-constructed nursery (partially funded by DOT) that is dedicated to growing Abutilon menziesii and other threatened and endangered plants on Oahu. In addition, seeds were collected from the Kapolei plants and from the nursery-grown cuttings and placed in storage at the Lyon Arboretum Seed Storage Facility and the National Seed Storage Laboratory in Colorado. To date, over 20,000 seeds have been collected. DOT will provide an additional $750,000 to DLNR to continue the implementation of the mitigation strategies in the HCP once the HCP is approved. The habitat conservation plan may be reviewed at the main State Library in Honolulu, the Ewa Beach public and school library, and the DLNR-Forestry office in Honolulu. It is also available for review on the internet at http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/pubs/index.html ### (Media note: for a jpeg image of the red ilima, contact DLNR Public Information Office at 587-0320.) Contact Paul Conry Vickie Caraway |
