STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1449

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 140

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 140 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSES OF AND UPDATE KEY INFORMATION ON, INCLUDING FACTS AND STATISTICS, THE DECLINE OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED PALILA (LOXIOIDIES BAILLEUI) BIRD ON MAUNA KEA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Land and Natural Resources to investigate the causes of and update key information on, including facts and statistics, the decline on Mauna Kea of the critically endangered Palila bird (Loxioides Bailleui), also known as the finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Palila is a critically endangered bird found only in Hawaii, with nearly all of its population residing within the Mauna Kea Conservation District on Hawaii island. Your Committee further finds that for decades, the presence of sheep and goat populations threatened the Mauna Kea Mamane-Naio Forest, which contributed to the decline of Palila in the area. However, despite eradication efforts to remove sheep and goats from the Palila's habitat and the subsequent full recovery of the Mauna Kea Mamane-Naio Forest, the population of mature adult Palila on Mauna Kea is still just one thousand. Therefore, this measure requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources to further study the causes of Palila decline and specifically requests the Department to investigate what effect the eradication of sheep and goats had on the Palila population.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment to its title for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 140, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 140, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair