Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture Feed

Lawmakers: Hawaii Can Do More For Foreign Crews On US Boats

Amid allegations of abuse, legislators express surprise that the state doesn't collect more information when it licenses fishermen.

Originally published by Civil Beat; click here to read the article on civilbeat.org.

October 19, 2016
By Nathan Eagle

Hawaii lawmakers endeavored Wednesday to find ways to improve the working conditions of foreign crew members on U.S. commercial fishing boats and address allegations of human trafficking.

Rep. Kaniela Ing, chair of the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs, peppered a dozen state officials and fishing industry leaders with questions about what can be done to boost sanitation, low pay, access to contract information and overall accountability.

"Nobody wants to decimate the industry," Ing said. "We just want humans to be treated as they should."

The nearly three-hour legislative briefing was prompted by problems reported last month by the Associated Press regarding several hundred foreign crew members - mostly from the Philippines but also Kirabati, Indonesia and Vietnam - who work on about 140 U.S. longline vessels.

These foreign workers, some of whom are reportedly paid as little as $350 a month, haul in $110 million worth of seafood each year. But when the boats stop to unload at U.S. ports, usually Honolulu where most are based although sometimes on the West Coast, the foreign crew members are unable to go ashore due to federal immigration laws and policies.

Many of the vessels lack bathroom facilities, bed bugs are pervasive, and food and clothing are sometimes inadequate. The industry maintains that it is working to address the problems, and that many crew

Contaminated cat poop fuels debate over feral felines in Hawaii

Originally published by CBS News; click here to read the article on cbsnews.com.

October 17, 2016, 1:24 PM
Associated Press

Two wildlife issues have collided in Hawaii, pitting one group of animal defenders against another in an impassioned debate. The point of contention? Deadly cat poop and the feral felines that produce it.

Federal researchers believe feces from the legions of feral cats roaming Hawaii is spreading a disease that is killing Hawaiian monk seals, some of the world's most endangered marine mammals. Some conservationists advocate euthanizing those cats that no one wants, and that's got cat lovers up in arms.

"It's a very difficult, emotional issue," said state Sen. Mike Gabbard, chairman of a committee that earlier this year heard and then abandoned a proposal to ban the feeding of feral cats on state land after an outcry. "It struck a nerve in our community."

The problem stems from a parasite common in cats that can cause toxoplasmosis, a disease that killed at least five female Hawaiian monk seals and three males since 2001, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"While eight seals may not sound like a lot of animals, it actually has pretty large ramifications for an endangered population where there's only about 1,300 seals in existence at this point in time," said Michelle Barbieri, veterinary medical officer for NOAA's Hawaiian monk seal research program.

Scientists believe monk seals become exposed to toxoplasmosis by ingesting contaminated water or prey.

Felines are the only animals that can shed Toxoplasma gondii eggs, or oocysts. The parasites enter their digestive tract through infected prey then multiply in the small intestine and produce the eggs. Outdoor cats excrete

Officials step up efforts to track pueo on Oahu

Originally published by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; click here to read the article on staradvertiser.com.

August 22, 2016
By Jayna Omaye

Federal and state officials say they are moving forward with plans to survey and study the pueo as residents raise concerns about impacts of development in West Oahu on the bird's habitat.

The pueo is an endemic subspecies listed by the state as endangered on Oahu, likely due to loss and degradation of habitat and predation.

There are no population estimates or distribution data and little understanding of the owl's ecology, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pueo mainly eat small mammals such as rodents; live in wet and dry forests, grasslands and shrub lands; and nest on the ground.

Pueo protection and research were the subject of a meeting Thursday at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, with residents, elected officials and representatives from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity. UH West Oahu's mascot is the pueo.

DLNR plans to release a request for proposals by the end of this year soliciting bids for work that includes developing standardized survey and monitoring protocol for pueo. Afsheen Siddiqi, a DLNR wildlife biologist, said the department has funding for a one- to two-year study focusing on the owl's population, distribution, nesting habitat and foraging habitats on Oahu. She said the Ewa plain will be included in the survey.

Siddiqi said she did not know why the pueo had not been surveyed more in the past. She noted that when she began working in her current post in February, the job had been vacant for a few years.

"With the limited resources DLNR has, we manage our land for habitat

Informational meeting on status of Pueo Owl held in Kapolei

Originally published by KITV; click here to read the article on kitv.com.

Posted: Aug 18, 2016 8:58 PM HST
Updated: Aug 19, 2016 10:53 AM HST

By Roger Mari

HONOLULU - The Pueo Owl is a sub-species of the short-eared owl that is found only in Hawaii. Once found throughout the islands including in the Ewa/Kapolei area. Over the last several months members of the community have expressed concern about this endemic bird. Thursday night an informational meeting was held about the Pueo Owl and the possible impact of development on it's natural habitat.

"They're like little puff balls and they're so intelligent, their eyes are bright," says Jenny Hoskins, US Fish and Wildlife

No better place to discuss the Pueo than on the UH West Oahu Campus where it's the school mascot. Dozens turned out to learn more about the native short-eared owl including experts from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service and bird lovers.

"I wanted to know how the owls got all the way here to Hawaii, i just moved here from Florida and I've always liked owls so i just want to learn more about them," says Irene Lopez, Kapolei resident

On Oahu, the Pueo is listed by the state as an endangered species based upon loss of open grassland habitat. It's not known yet if the rail project has anything to do with the lack of Pueo sightings in the Kapolei area.

"We do know that a lot of management actions affect them and so it's imperative for us to get a better idea of what's going on with the population so that we know how to structure our management actions for the least impact," says Hoskins

Co-hosting the meeting, Senator Mike Gabbard. Concerns about the Pueo came up at a Neighborhood Board Meeting in May.

It's time to fully exploit hemp production

Originally published by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; click here to read the editorial on staradvertiser.com.

July 17, 2016
By Mike Gabbard, Doug Fine, and Denise Key

On July 7, Gov. David Ige signed into law what might prove to be the most important piece of economic legislation in the past 50 years. Hawaii now enjoys the best hemp law in the nation.

We who have been active in bringing back hemp to agriculture believe that generations will still be saying mahalo to those who worked, some for decades, to get this law passed. Now it's time to implement it.

The hemp industry is growing 1,000 percent per year in the U.S., despite the "research only" provision for hemp in federal law. No place is more ready to lead hemp's resurgence than the Aloha State. Our year-round cultivation climate, small farmer infrastructure, and bottom line need for a regenerative agriculture economy means we have all the pieces of the puzzle.

And what does the finished puzzle look like? If we properly implement hemp into the islands' soil and finished products, we can move steadily toward food, energy and even industrial independence. Soon we will be printing homes and cars on the island from 3D printers using Hawaii-grown hemp composites and glues.

How do we get there? Thanks to recent friendly federal legislation, individual farmers who are part of state hemp programs are allowed to cultivate for any purpose, in any acreage amount. Farmers are even allowed to market (that is, to sell) the crop as part of the industry's research.

The federal government has had no problem with these policies: hemp has tremendous support on the federal level, thanks in no small part to co-sponsorship of S. 134 and H.R. 525, which calls for full commercial hemp legalization, by U.S. Sens. Mazie

INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON STATUS OF PUEO IN EWA/KAPOLEI REGION

WHO: Sen. Mike Gabbard, Rep. Ty Cullen, representatives from Department of Land and Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

WHAT: Informational meeting on the status of the Pueo and the possible impact of development on its natural habitat

WHEN: Thursday, August 18, 2016, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: UH West O‘ahu Multi-Purpose Room, 91-1001 Farrington Hwy.

HONOLULU, Hawai‘i - State Senator Mike Gabbard (S Dist. 20 - Kapolei, Makakilo, and portions of ‘Ewa, Kalaeloa, and Waipahu) will be co-hosting an informational meeting with State Representative Ty Cullen (H Dist. 39 - Royal Kunia, Village Park, Waipahu, Makakilo, West Loch), the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the status of the Pueo (Asio flammeus sandwichensis), the native short-eared owl, in the Ewa/Kapolei region on Thursday, August 18, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm at the UH West O‘ahu Multi-Purpose Room. The meeting is open to the public.

On O‘ahu, the Pueo is listed by the State as an endangered species based upon loss of open grassland habitat.

"Over the last several months, members of the community have expressed concern about this endemic species," said Sen. Gabbard. "The purpose of this meeting is to bring together some experts and community members to discuss the situation and possible future action."

The meeting will feature the following panelists who will give short presentations and then field questions from those in attendance.

• Michael Kumukauoha Lee - recognized Native Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner and Cultural Descendant
• Dr. Loyal Mehrhoff - Endangered Species Recovery Director for

Materials for July 13, 2016 Informational Briefing

DLNR Revocable Permit Task Force Report and Recommendations

List of DLNR - Land Division Revocable Permits

Industrial Hemp Bill Now Law

It calls for a pilot program through the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Originally published by Civil Beat; click here to read the article on civilbeat.org.

July 7, 2016
By Chad Blair

Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Thursday signed into law a bill that establishes a pilot program through the state Department of Agriculture allowing for the cultivation of industrial hemp and distribution of hemp seed "for purposes of agricultural or academic research."

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Mike Gabbard, a Democrat like Ige, and championed by state Rep. Cynthia Thielen, a Republican.

In a press release after the bill signing, Thielen noted that researchers at the University of Alberta's National Institute for Nanotechnology in Canada recently announced "a startling discovery" that seems to indicate that "hemp-based electrodes for supercapacitors outperformed standard supercapacitors by nearly 200 percent."

"Hemp truly is a miracle plant," Thielen. "With the newly signed hemp law Hawaii will be able to tap into this exciting technical field, bringing down the price of energy systems and storage in our islands."

Support for hemp is growing. Read Civil Beat's related reporting:

To Hear The Founding Fathers Tell It, Hemp Can Make America Great Again

Hawaii Lawmakers Need To Finish The Job On Hemp, Medical Pot

SENATE HOLDS INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING ON REVOCABLE PERMIT PROGRAM

WHO: Senate Water, Land and Agriculture (WLA) Committee, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)

WHAT: Informational Briefing

WHEN: Wednesday, July 13, 2016, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Conference Room 224, State Capitol

The Senate Water, Land and Agriculture Committee (WLA), will hold an informational briefing on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 10:30 a.m., in Conference Room 224 to get an update on the Report and Recommendations of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Revocable Permits Task Force.

"It's important for legislators and the public to learn more about the changes being implemented to improve the DLNR's revocable permit program," said Senator Gabbard, chair of the Water, Land, and Agriculture Committee. "The use of public land should be handled in a fair and transparent way."

In February of this year, media outlets, such as the Honolulu Star Advertiser, shined a light on the fact that the DLNR's revocable permit program was fraught with inconsistencies and lacked clear, logical protocols and criteria.

In response, DLNR convened a Task Force to improve its revocable permit in February 2016. On May 27, 2016, the Task Force issued its report and recommendations, which were unanimously approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources on June 24th. The Task Force report, their recommendations, and DLNR's plans for implementation will be addressed at this informational briefing.

Presentations will be made by:
• Department of Land and Natural Resources Revocable Permits Task Force
• Department of Land and Natural Resources

More information on the briefing can be found on the hearing notice:

Ige Signs Act Prohibiting Most Ivory Sales in Hawaii

Retailers of products made out of endangered species have one year to purge their inventory before the sales are banned.

Originally published by Civil Beat; click here to read the article on civilbeat.org.

June 30, 2016
By Courtney Teague

After a battle at the Capitol spanning three years, Gov. David Ige has signed into law Act 125, which will prohibit the sale of many wildlife products.

Hawaii legislators have been trying to pass law to ban most ivory sales since 2013. Even this year, the bill faced opposition during a Senate floor vote.

Investigations found Hawaii has the nation's third-largest ivory market behind New York and California, respectively.

But both New York and California passed legislation restricting ivory sales before Hawaii. Combined with a thriving online black market worth more than $1.2 million, some feared Hawaii was poised to take over as the nation's largest ivory market.

Act 125 will prohibit sales of a wider range of wildlife products, tailored specifically to Hawaii's economy and local species. In addition to banning most sales of ivory, Hawaii's law bans the sale of other species including endangered shark, turtle and ray products.

State Sen. Mike Gabbard, who introduced this year's ivory bill and is chair of the Senate's Water, Land and Agriculture Committee, recalled a 2013 incident where 300 elephants were killed in Africa by cyanide that poachers placed in water holes.

The "heartbreaking" images underscored the importance for Hawaii, considered by some to be the endangered species capital of the world, to join four states – New York, California, New Jersey and Washington – that have enacted laws to ban ivory sales, he said.

"This whole thing is so barbaric,"