State and federal officials have targeted Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative in an investigation into the unauthorized killing of protected seabirds. The power company is required to have an incidental take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because its
State and federal officials have targeted Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative in an investigation into the unauthorized killing of protected seabirds.
The power company is required to have an incidental take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because its power lines, facilities and unshielded lights may unintentionally harm endangered or threatened species such as Hawaiian petrels or Newell’s shearwaters, officials said yesterday.
But to obtain this permit, KIUC must first develop a Habitat Conservation Plan to minimize and mitigate impacts on Kaua‘i’s seabird population, according to KIUC spokeswoman Anne Barnes.
“We’ve been working with agencies on our plan since 2002. … Hopefully, we’ll get it approved shortly,” KIUC President Randy Hee said. “We take this investigation very seriously.”
KIUC could end up paying thousands of dollars to reconfigure and bury power lines, he said, particularly in problematic areas such as river valleys where seabirds fly at lower altitudes.
Unshielded lights — such as those found on cruise ships, resorts and stadiums — attract seabirds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Keith Swindle said.
The birds, especially fledglings unaccustomed to artificial light, can become blinded or disoriented, crashing into buildings or other barriers.
Although KIUC has now shielded some 3,000 street lights, the lights on its structures throughout the island continue to draw seabirds.
Since the late 1970s, people on Kaua‘i have found more than 32,000 birds on the ground, Swindle said. More than 28,000 of those 32,000 have been threatened Newell’s shearwaters.
“It’s a huge problem. A lot of the time the birds are alive when they’re found but they can’t regain flight easily off the ground. They’re used to jumping off cliffs and need a slope or headwind — they’re like a small B-52 plane,” he said. “On the ground they’re at the mercy of cats, dogs and cars … so unless someone comes and picks them up, they’re pretty much doomed.”
Newell’s shearwaters and Hawaiian petrels are endemic to Hawai‘i. The petrels, protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 1967, are only found on the main Hawaiian Islands, Swindle said.
“The vast majority of the world’s population of Newell’s shearwaters nest on Kaua‘i only,” he said. “Populations have been in steep decline over the past couple decades.”
KIUC has funded and implemented the Save Our Shearwaters program for the last several years, Hee said.
The program coordinates the rescue, rehabilitation and release to the wild of hundreds of downed seabirds annually.
“We’re very much in favor of keeping our Newell’s shearwaters and Hawaiian petrel populations intact,” Hee said. “Quite frankly, we were surprised by the Department of Justice letter because we’d been working with agencies.”
The U.S. Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division on March 16 notified KIUC of its investigation, a KIUC news release issued Friday states.
DOJ officials had not returned phone calls by press time yesterday.
KIUC issued the news release because it is a cooperative owned by the residents of Kaua‘i, Barnes said.
“Something of this importance, our members need to know,” she said.
KIUC plans to continue its current operations as it works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the press release states.
KIUC hopes to submit its Habitat Conservation Plan and incidental take application within the next 60 days, according to Barnes.
“Right now to date, we haven’t negotiated a resolution, but we remain committed to a comprehensive resolution,” she said. “We accept the responsibility of looking after threatened and endangered species.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawai‘i officials declined to say how long their investigation has been ongoing or when it may be completed.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
