Final DRAFT EA for Alala Release on East Maui 2023.10.16-converted-checked for 508 compliant.pdf

The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposes a pilot release of ‘Alalā or Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) in the Naholoku Section of Kīpahulu Forest Reserve on east Maui. This effort is consistent with the statutory missions and responsibilities of the DLNR and USFWS. The ʻalalā is known historically from the island of Hawai‘i and currently survives only in captivity at two conservation breeding centers, one on Hawai‘i Island and one on east Maui. There have been two attempts to release ʻalalā on Hawaiʻi Island. Both failed largely due to predation on released ʻalalā by ʻio or Hawaiian hawk (Buteo solitarius). ‘Io inhabit Hawai‘i Island only. Sub-fossil bones of ‘alalā or a crow species very similar to ‘alalā have been found on east Maui.
Montane native forest on east Maui is similar to native forest on Hawaiʻi island, except east Maui forest, generally, is wetter. The multi-stakeholder pilot project will allow managers to evaluate whether ʻalalā will breed in wet forest on east Maui and have better survival in habitat absent of ʻio. To comply with their respective obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Hawaiʻi’s environmental review process pursuant to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343, the USFWS and DLNR are preparing a joint environmental assessment (EA) to address the impacts of the release of a limited number of ‘alala in Kīpahulu Forest Reserve on east Maui. This EA provides background information concerning methods for release of ‘alalā and outlines the proposed action, potential impacts, and strategies to avoid and minimize potential negative effects of the pilot release within the project area on east Maui.