The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for more public input on its September proposal to list 49 species of plants and animals in the Hawaiian Islands as endangered species. ADVERTISING The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for more public input on its September proposal to list 49 species of plants and animals in the Hawaiian Islands as endangered species.
The federal agency will offer an informational meeting and a public hearing Tuesday in Hilo to gather input. During the informational meeting, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale, 799 Piilani St., FWS staff will answer questions from the public. From 6 to 8 p.m., a public hearing will provide the public the opportunity to submit written or verbal testimony about the species and proposed listing.
In addition, the service reopened public comment on the proposal. Comments can be submitted through Feb. 24.
“We want to hear and learn from the people of Hawaii during this public comment period and the public hearing to help ensure our analysis is based on all of the relevant information available about these unique plants and animals,” Mary Abrams, the service’s field supervisor for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, said in a statement.
Endemic yellow-faced bees, anchialine pool shrimp and the orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly are among the 49 plants and animals the service is proposing to classify as endangered species. Forty-eight of the 49 species occur nowhere on Earth except Hawaii. Twenty-two of the suggested species were historically or are currently found on Hawaii Island.
The federal agency says the species are at risk of extinction because of habitat loss and degradation caused by invasive species, recreational and human activities, erosion, floods, and fires.
Listing the species, which were already candidate species for protection, will enhance conservation efforts and improve ecological health of the Hawaiian Islands, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency has one year to make a determination on the proposal, which was slated to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register.
Comments can be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov or via mail to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R1–ES–2015–0125, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
