PUBLIC MEETINGS PLANNED TO UPDATE HAWAI‘I STATE WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN

News Release from DLNR August 7, 2015

HONOLULU --  The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is seeking public input on its updated Hawai‘i State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), which lays out the strategy and plans of DLNR and its partners to address the conservation needs of Hawai‘i’s native wildlife over the next 10 years.

The State Wildlife Action Plan reviews the status of the state’s native terrestrial and aquatic species, over 10,000 of which are found nowhere else on earth, and presents strategies for long-term conservation of these species and their habitats.

The plan is being updated to continue the coordinated and comprehensive planning, and implementation of conservation strategies and actions to manage and restore native wildlife.

Completion of the plan will also enable DLNR’s ongoing participation in the national State Wildlife Grant Program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which provides over $450,000 per year for projects to conserve native wildlife. This plan identifies the projects, strategies and priorities for Department funding under this grant program.

A copy of the 2015 draft State Wildlife Action Plan is now available for review on the DLNR website, and a copy can be downloaded at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2015/07/SWAP-2015-Pub-draft.pdf . 

The Department is also scheduling statewide meetings to provide information about the plan, and gather input from interested parties. A schedule follows in this release.

The 2015 plan contains a comprehensive description of the wildlife resources of the State, and an explanation of the major threats and challenges facing native wildlife. It identifies species of greatest conservation need and their habitats, and includes the strategies for addressing the conservation needs of those species and their habitats.

The 2015 SWAP builds on the conservation successes since 2005 and calls for expanding and strengthening the partnerships that have been developed to implement the plan. The 2015 plan is a progression of the 2005 first edition of this plan, then called the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS), and continues the collaborative effort among resource managers, biologists, and concerned individuals statewide that began with the 2005 plan.

The deadline for completing and submitting the plan to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is October 1, 2015.

The informational meetings will be held on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i (2), Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i.  The dates, times and locations for the meetings are as follows:

• Honolulu, O‘ahu -- Monday, August 17 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Department of Land & Natural Resources Kalanimoku Building, Rm 132    
• Lihu‘e, Kaua‘i -- Tuesday, August 18 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School 4431 Nuhou St, Lihue, HI  96766
• Hilo, Hawai‘i -- Wed., August 19  6:00 – 8:00 p.m.   DLNR Division of Forestry Hawaii Branch office conference room 19 E. Kawili St.
• Waimea, Hawai‘i -- Thursday, August 20 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Waimea Community Center, 65-1260 Kawaihae Road.
• Kahului, Maui -- Monday, August 24  6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Lihikai Elementary School 335 S. Papa Ave. Kahului, HI 96732
• Moloka‘i -- Tuesday, August 25 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.   Mitchell Pau‘ole Center 90 Ainoa St, Kaunakakai, HI 96748
• Lana‘i -- Wed., August 26 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Lana‘i High and Elementary School, 555 Fraser Ave. Lana‘i City, HI 96863

Written comments on the draft SWAP may be submitted to:     

• Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl St., Rm. 325, Honolulu, HI 96813
• Email comments may be submitted to:  John.P.Vetter@hawaii.gov

The deadline for public comments to be submitted is August 31, 2015.

Visit the Department’s SWAP website at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/hswap/ to find out how to get involved in the process and sign up to receive updates and announcements about how to participate in updating the plan, and how to get involved in implementing the 2015 plan and help conserve our precious wildlife heritage.

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