hawaii wetland joint venture - Pacific Coast Joint Venture

HAWAII WETLAND JOINT VENTURE
Partners Meeting
MEETING NOTES: April 21, 2011
Hospice of Kona Conference Room
75-5925 Walua Rd, Suite 101, Kailua Kona, Hawaii Island
1. Welcome and Introductions: J. Rubey (Hawaii Wetland Joint Venture Coordinator)
facilitated the meeting. Those in attendance were:
In Person:
Gregory Koob NRCS gregory.koob@hi.usda.gov
Ruby McDonald Office of Hawaiian Affairs rubym@oha.org
Christina Cornett USGS CCornett@usgs.gov
Nohealani Casperson Americorps nohealan@hawaii.edu
Ann Kobsa Malama O Puna ann.kobsa@gmail.com
Lehua Lopez-Mau Ka’Ohana O Honu’apo lehualz@yahoo.com
Bill Gilmartin Hawaii Wildlife Fund willyswoodworks@yahoocom
On Phone:
Chelsie Javar USFWS Recovery Program Chelsie_Javar@fws.gov
Adonia Henry Scaup & Willet LLC adoniarhenry@gmail.com
Rich McKenzie USFS rmackenzie@fs.fed.us
Linda Elliott Hawaii Wildlife Center hawaiiwildlifecenter@mac.com
2. Honu’apo Wetland Restoration Project Overview by Lehua
Lopez-Mau, Ka ’Ohana O Honuʻapo
Through the efforts of Ka ‘Ohana O Honu‘apo (Ka ‘Ohana), with assistance and funding from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coastal and Estuarine
Conservation Program, State of Hawai‘i Legacy Land Program, County of Hawai‘i, and
members of the community, the 225 acres of Honu‘apo Estuary and surrounding lands were
permanently protected from development in 2005. At that time the land was purchased by the
State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources and placed under management agreement with the
County of Hawaii as Honuʻapo Park.
Honu‘apo Estuary (within the park), is located in the Ka‘ū District, on the Island of Hawai‘i,
and constitutes approximately eight acres of estuary and marsh. Although the estuary wetland
system supports a diversity of endemic species and microhabitats, decades of neglect and
misuse have resulted in altered hydrology, sedimentation, and invasion by non-native plants
and animals. This contributes to impairment of wetland functions and habitat for native
resident and migratory birds and other native fauna. For example, springs along the inland
margin of the estuary are encroached on by invasive California grass (Urochloa mutica) and
kiawe (Prosopis pallida), resulting in decreased habitat and adverse impacts to the system’s
hydrology. Kiawe is a nitrogen fixer and a phreatophyte, plants that are efficient at tapping
groundwater, and may be decreasing freshwater inputs into the estuary and elevating nitrogen
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levels. Previous studies of the estuary and surrounding area indicate that native species,
including birds listed as endangered or species of concern, are present in the area. Although the
system shows signs of degradation, management actions can be employed to help enhance
habitat for native flora and fauna and to restore sections that have been filled or irreversibly
altered. Enhancement and restoration actions are expected to increase habitat and improve
wetland function.
A Wetland Habitat Restoration Plan for Honu‘apo Estuary (WHRP), prepared by Sustainable
Resources Group International Inc., is nearing completion and will provide guidance for a
wetland restoration project that will restore the aquatic functions of the estuary through
removal of invasive non-native plants; excavation of fill and contouring the topography to
enhance physical habitat; planting native and endemic plants; and controlling predation on
avian species. These actions are expected to improve habitat for native waterbirds, fish, and
turtles and enhance other wetland functions. The WHRP is part of a Resource Management
Plan that has been developed/adopted for Honu‘apo Park that provides land use guidance to
help protect and restore the important natural and cultural resources of the property while
providing integrated and respectful recreation and education opportunities for the Ka‘ū
community and visitors.
Ka ‘Ohana’s mission is to restore, care for, and protect the cultural and natural resources within
the Honu‘apo area, working in partnership with Hawaii County Division of Parks and
Recreation. The area containing Honu‘apo Park has played an integral role in Ka‘ū’s
community life for many generations. Historically the area was a fishing village called
Honu‘apo Village. The large estuary at Honu‘apo was used as a fishpond. Freshwater springs
discharging into the estuary provided water for the residents of the village. Part of this place
was also said to have had a well-known pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge.
Ka ‘Ohana secured funding from the State of Hawai‘i Coastal Zone Management (CZM)
Program (through County of Hawai‘i Department of Planning), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS), the Pacific Coast Joint Venture (PCJV), and private sources to develop the
WHRP. The next steps will be to seek financial assistance to implement the wetland
restoration plan.
3. HWJV Coordinator’s Update by J. Rubey
NEW Wetlands Brochure. DOFAW’s new Wetland Brochure and Poster, funded by the PCJV,
were passed out. It is the first wetlands information material available for the general public of
Hawaii. The brochure and poster can be accessed on the PCJV website at:
www.pcjv.org/hawaii/wetlands Copies of the poster can be obtained directly from DOFAW’s
Michelle Jones at Michelle.G.Jones@hawaii.gov
PCJV Board Meeting & Discretionary Fund Projects. The PCJV Board just met in early April for
their regular semi-annual meeting. A topic of discussion was the federal budget delays and making
decisions regarding the PCJV discretionary fund projects. Since funding levels are unknown, the
Board decided to designate potential funding level thresholds where projects within these levels are
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tentatively approved. It was explained that Hawaii’s discretionary fund projects this year were
determined by the HWJV Executive Steering Team based on the national evaluation performance
matrix for Joint Ventures and the Team’s interest in improving the capacity of our HWJV.
Therefore projects submitted this year build on the biological planning capacity of our JV.
Funding Reminders: a) North American Wetland Conservation Act Standard Grant round in early
March and early August. The small grants ($75K max.) proposals are annual and due the end of
October. c) National Coastal Wetlands Grant proposals are due the end of June, with drafts in May.
Contact Norma Creps, DOFAW, with project proposals. We hope to propose Honu’apo for
funding this year.
2011 Wetlands and Waterbird Workshop: A draft “Save the Date” notice was shared for the
upcoming Wetland and Waterbird Workshop this fall. The event will take place October 4-6 th at
the Koolau Golf Course conference rooms in Kaneohe, Oahu. The workshop will provide hands-on
afternoon training sessions for managers along with conference format presentations in the morning.
Workshop presenters will be Andy Engilis, Jr. on the koloa hybrid identification key, Mike Reed
with new software for managing endangered species in Hawaii, and Leigh Frederickson on the new
Hawaii Wetland Management Handbook. Adonia Henry, founder of Scaup & Willet LLC is
coordinating the event. Funds are provided by the PCJV and the NRCS. The Hawaii Chapter of the
Wildlife Society is the host. A formal announcement will be distributed shortly and posted to the
PCJV website at www.pcjv.org/hawaii.
4. HWJV Partners’ Reports:
• Mana Plain Wetlands: Adonia Henry shared that work is progressing successfully with
the new hydrologist for the Mana Plain wetlands restoration water needs and site design.
Also much work has been done at Kawaiele to reshape the ponds and remove invasive
plants.
• Hawaii Wildlife Fund: Bill Gilmartin has been working on the Wai’ ohinu Coastal
Strand restoration on the southeast Kau coast. The area is Forest Reserve is a transfer to
Division of Forestry and Wildlife from State Lands (still in process at the county level.) It
is 1,350 acres and contains two anchialine ponds, one degraded with sediment and one
with tilapia fish. The coastal strand is home to over three dozen indigenous and endemic
plant species and is used by the Hawaiian monk seal and hawksbill turtle. Invasive plants
are a major issue with Christmas berry a significant player. Restoration is being
conducted over the next two years with Fish Habitat Partnership funding.
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs: Ruby McDonald works on Section 106 compliance
assistance here on Hawaii Island and provides finance assistance to Hawaiian natives.
• USGS: Christine Cornett overviewed her continuing work with nene on Hawaii Island.
She has been monitoring 7 nene with solar powered transmitters for one year now finding
their roosting and summer locations. She says, “Nene really like water!” Making water a
good predictor for finding them. So, high elevation stock ponds are being used. She says
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they used to breed in lowland areas but don’t now due to predators and humans. She
would expect that they would use Honu’apo with protections from predators and humans.
• NRCS: Greg Koob shared that the NRCS has released a new landowner brochure on nene:
“Nene & Hawaiian Farmers.” The brochure advertises financial and technical assistance
provided by the NRCS to landowners experiencing nene crop loss. This assistance is
available through the EQIP & WHIP programs to landowners on the Big Island and Kauai.
To view the brochure go to: ftp://ftpfc.sc.egov.usda.gov/HI/pub/technical/biology/nene_brochure.pdf
or
http://www.pia.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/biology.html. Additional information can be
obtained at any local NRCS field office.
5. Mangrove Removal at Wai ‘Opae & Alula Bay by Ann Kobsa, Malama O
Puna
Ann provided an overview of the restoration of coral pool and reef ecosystem invaded by alien
red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) that was conducted at WaiʻOpae during 2009. Here in
Hawaii the non-native mangroves grow to higher densities and shed more biomass than in their
native range, thus negatively impacting fish and reef ecosystems as well as the native land
vegetation. At the start of the project red mangrove was overtaking the rare native coastal
forest and coastal plants at Wai ‘Opae. The area had about 20 acres of mangroves covering an
extensive network of tidal pools and ranging from dense mangrove swamp with trees up to 80
ft tall, to mangrove thicket from 3 to 20 ft. tall, to sparse mangrove keiki colonizing bare
pahoehoe. However after injection of the mangroves with Habitat (imazapyr) and with
assistance from volunteers to pull out young keiki the situation began to reverse. Soon
extensive die off of the mangroves occurred. In the interior of Wai ‘Opae dead mangroves
were replaced by a natural growth of interspersed milo trees and new milo seedlings. In
addition, replanting of hala, milo and naupaka were conducted and already the native coastal
vegetation is beginning to rebound and reclaim its previous home.
Wai ‘Opae is the largest of the hand full of sites invaded by red mangroves on Hawaii Island.
The other smaller sites, mostly on the Hilo side of the island, have since been treated. Thus
very little invasive red mangrove is left before full removal of this species occurs on Hawaii
island. The next project site will be the small one acre at Alula Bay, on the west side, where a
thick grove of mangrove is taking over the rare anchialine ponds and digging into an ancient
heiau structure. Here Malama O Puna and the Big Island Invasive Species Council will be
completing a manual removal of the mangrove and the underlying pickleweed that thickly
blankets and chokes out native aquatic plants. Monitoring will be conducted, both pre and post
removal to determine the effects to the aquatic environment. Also, comparisons will be made
between use of the injection method at Wai ‘Opae and the manual approach at Alula Bay.
Following this presentation Ann lead a Wetland Site Visit to Alula Bay to further discuss the
issues and actions planned. Many thanks to Ann for traveling around the island to present this
information!
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