Final Environmental Assessment for Pilot Release of ʻAlalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) on East Maui, Hawai‘i.pdf

The ʻalalā or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) is the only native Hawaiian corvid (Corvidae: family of crows, ravens, magpies, and jays) still extant in Hawai‘i and is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 87 Stat. 884) and the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (Chapter 195D). 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. This environmental assessment (EA) analyzes the impacts of the proposed action to release ʻalalā on the island of Maui, Hawai‘i. 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). Montane native forest on east Maui is similar to native forest on Hawaiʻi island, except east Maui forest, generally, is wetter, and ʻio are not present on Maui. The proposed action will allow managers to evaluate whether ʻalalā will breed in wet forest on east Maui and have better survival in habitat absent of ʻio, which fulfills the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) mandates for promoting long term conservation and recovery of the endangered ʻalalā.