Uninhabited, boomerang-shaped Lehua Island is being considered for a federal restoration project. Lehua is located three-quarters of a mile off the northern tip of Ni‘ihau, and about 17-and-half miles west of Kaua‘i across the Kaulakahi Channel. The serrated sea cliff
Uninhabited, boomerang-shaped Lehua Island is being considered for a federal restoration project.
Lehua is located three-quarters of a mile off the northern tip of Ni‘ihau, and about 17-and-half miles west of Kaua‘i across the Kaulakahi Channel.
The serrated sea cliff sides of the rocky island are home to Hawaiian sea birds, wild rabbits and rodents. Kaunuakala, its 699-foot-high main peak, is topped by a simple navigation signal.
A meeting on the project is set for Wednesday, June 9 at the Lihue Neighborhood Center on Eono Street, and is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The Fish and Wildlife Service say in a press release that the meeting is a first step in developing a joint federal/state environmental document that would analyze the project.
“We’re proposing to restore native seabird, insect, and coastal plant populations through eradication of non-native rodents and rabbits from Lehua Island,” said Chris Swenson, project biologist for the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office. “At this point, we’re seeking the public’s help in identifying issues that need to be addressed during the environmental review process.”
“The input we receive will help us ensure that all points of view are considered in the planning process,” Swenson said. The U.S. Coast Guard, who has jurisdiction over the island, is working with the federal and state agencies on the paper.
The Fish and Wildlife Service say 17 species of seabirds have been recorded on Lehua, including nesting Laysan and black-footed albatross, and Newell’s shearwaters. The island is a designated state seabird sanctuary, and is also home to
several species of native coastal plants and insects.
The island is also home to non-native rats. Rats are known to have eliminated many seabird species from islands around the world. They also feed on native plants and insects, and can suppress or eliminate many of these species as well. In addition, non-native rabbits were introduced to Lehua during or before the 1930’s.
The environmental plan is aiming at eradication of the non-native mammals would allow re-colonization and restoration of several species of plants and seabirds, as well as the capability to rapidly respond to future reintroductions of non-native mammals.
Written comments regarding the proposed action from individuals, organizations, and agencies are being sought. The mailing address is Chris Swenson, Project Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Honolulu, HI 96850, or faxed to 808-792-9580, and be postmarked by June 23.
