Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Appendix B. Appropriate Uses and Compatibility Determinations
Appropriate Use Findings
Under the Appropriate Refuge Uses Policy, 603 FW 1 (2006), refuge managers are directed to
determine if a new or existing public use is an appropriate refuge use. If an existing use is not
appropriate, the refuge manager is directed to modify the use to make it appropriate or terminate it, as
expeditiously as practicable. If a new use is not appropriate, the refuge manager will deny the use
without determining compatibility. If a use is determined to be appropriate, then a compatibility
determination should be developed to determine whether the use can be allowed. For purposes of this
CCP an “appropriate use” must meet at least one of the following three conditions:
� The use is one of six wildlife-dependent recreational uses identified in the Improvement Act;
� The use involves the take of fish and wildlife under State/Territorial regulations; and
� The use has been found to be appropriate as specified in section 1.11 of the policy and
documented on Service Form 3-2319.
During the CCP process the Refuge manager evaluated all existing and proposed nonpriority
wildlife-dependent refuge uses at Hakalau Forest NWR using the following guidelines and criteria as
outlined in the policy:
� Do we have jurisdiction over the use?
� Does the use comply with applicable laws and regulations (Federal, State, and local)?
� Is the use consistent with applicable Executive orders and Department and Service policies?
� Is the use consistent with public safety?
� Is the use consistent with goals and objectives in an approved management plan or other
document?
� Has an earlier documented analysis not denied the use, or is this the first time the use has been
proposed?
� Is the use manageable within available budget and staff?
� Will this be manageable in the future within existing resources?
� Does the use contribute to the public’s understanding and appreciation of the Refuge’s natural
or cultural resources, or is the use beneficial to the Refuge’s natural or cultural resources?
� Can the use be accommodated without impairing existing wildlife-dependent recreational uses
or reducing the potential to provide quality, compatible, wildlife-dependent recreation into the
future?
Using this process and these criteria, and as documented on the following pages, the Refuge manager
determined the following refuge uses were appropriate, and directed that compatibility
determinations be completed for each use.
Refuge Use – Hakalau Forest NWR Appropriate
Commercial Photography, Video, Filming or Audio Recording yes
Commercial Tour Operation/Conservation and Education Group
Visits
yes
Research, Scientific Collecting, and Surveys yes
University of Hawai‘i Field Station yes
Appendix B: Appropriate Uses and Compatibility Determinations B-1