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

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
field station is not high quality habitat for imperiled Refuge species, with the exception of the nēnē.
Because it is necessary to maintain an open area to store and maintain equipment and facilities, and
because of resident nēnē nesting in the area, there are no plans to restore forest within the boundaries
of the 15-acre Administrative Site.
Operation and maintenance of the station has little if any impact on forest birds and the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a.
Impacts to nēnē are minimal and limited to temporary displacement of individuals by vehicles and
pedestrian traffic in and around the building structures and area roads. During the nēnē breeding
season of 2009-10, two pairs of geese nested beneath the field station building and entranceway
decking.
Operation of the field station is intended to provide benefits to the management of the Refuge by
facilitating research contributing to conservation of resident Refuge species and restoration of Refuge
habitats. Numerous studies that have taken place at the Refuge over the last 16 years would likely
have been infeasible without use of the field station on site at the Refuge.
Use of Hakalau Forest NWR to conduct research, scientific collection, and surveys will generally
benefit plant populations, wildlife, and habitats. The impacts of research activities would be projectand
site-specific, and would vary depending on the scope and type of research conducted. Scientific
findings gained through these projects provide important information regarding life-history needs of
species and species groups, as well as identify or refine management actions to achieve resource
management objectives in refuge management plans (especially CCPs). Reducing uncertainty
regarding wildlife and habitat responses to refuge management actions in order to achieve desired
outcomes reflected in resource management objectives is essential for adaptive management in
accordance with 522 DM 1.
If project methods impact or conflict with Refuge resources, other public-uses, other high-priority
research, and Refuge management programs, then it must be clearly demonstrated that scientific
findings will be essential to resource management and that the project cannot be conducted off
Refuge lands for the project to be compatible. The investigator(s) must identify methods/strategies in
advance required to minimize or eliminate the potential impact(s) and conflict(s). If unacceptable
impacts cannot be avoided, then the project will not be compatible and not be approved. Projects that
represent public or private economic use of the natural resources of any national wildlife refuge (e.g.,
bioprospecting), in accordance with 16 U.S.C. 715s, must contribute to the achievement of the
national wildlife refuge purposes or the Refuge System mission to be compatible (50 C.F.R. 29.1).
Impacts would be project- and site-specific, where they will vary depending upon nature and scope
of the field work. Data collection techniques will generally have negligible animal mortality or
disturbance, habitat destruction, no introduction of contaminants, and no introduction of
nonindigenous species. In contrast, projects involving the collection of biotic samples (plants or
animals) or requiring intensive ground-based data or sample collection will have short-term impacts.
To reduce impacts, the minimum number of samples (e.g., water, soils, vegetative litter, plants,
invertebrates, vertebrates) will be collected for identification and/or experimentation and statistical
analysis. Where possible, researchers would coordinate and share collections to reduce sampling
needed for multiple projects.
Some level of disturbance is expected with all research activities since most researchers will be
entering areas that are normally closed to the public and, depending on specific research activities,
B-74 Appendix B: Appropriate Uses and Compatibility Determinations