Kaua'i habitat plan draws protests
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Koloa landowners will challenge a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to designate almost the entire Koloa-Po'ipu region as critical habitat for two tiny cave insects.
"We are very concerned. It affects a lot of our lands," said Allan Smith, Grove Farm's chief operating officer.
The firm, owned by AOL-Time Warner chief Steve Case, holds title to more than half of the 4,193 acres of proposed critical habitat.
A&B Properties has about 500 acres affected by the proposed boundaries, and is concerned that critical habitat designation could affect a range of development activities.
"Our concern is that whenever you designate critical habitat, the local authorities are going to look at it and send it to the federal government for comment, and that adds time," said A&B Properties vice president Tom Shigemoto.
The developer has already set aside 10 acres within its 1,000-acre Kukui'ula resort and residential project for preservation after cave insects were located there.
Furthermore, many projects in regions near the coast require county Shoreline Management Area permits. This permitting process is based on a federal Coastal Zone Management program. If that is considered a federal program for critical habitat purposes, it could mean that many coastal projects in the region would need to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Shigemoto said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service designation of critical habitat means any federal action on the affected properties must be managed to minimize or avoid harming the creatures' habitat. Private landowners would be affected if they seek any sort of federal permit, license or funding. For instance, federal money for a highway would trigger the protections.
The service, under federal court pressure to establish critical habitat for Hawai'i's endangered species, conceded it is worried that the designation could backfire by enticing people into the caves, where they might inadvertently harm the animals.
"We are publicly identifying these habitat areas with some bit of trepidation ... These species are particularly sensitive to human disturbance," said Anne Badgley, the service's Pacific regional director.
"We appeal to cave explorers to help us protect the Kaua'i cave wolf spider and amphipod by staying out of these caves."
The Kaua'i cave amphipod is a shrimp-like creature about a third of an inch long. It feeds on rotting roots and other vegetative material that gets into underground lava and limestone caves. It has been found in just six caves in the region.
The wolf spider is a blind hunting animal that preys on other creatures in the caves, perhaps including the amphipod. It has been found in five caves in the Koloa area.
Both are on the federal endangered species list. The land proposed for their critical habitat includes a wide triangle running along the coast from Kukui'ula east to Maha'ulepu and inland to Waita Reservoir, including both Koloa town and parts of the Kukui'ula-to-Po'ipu resort area. There also are two smaller areas on the hillsides between Maha'ulepu and Kipu Kai.
The proposal to establish nearly 100,000 acres of Kaua'i as critical habitat for endangered plants has drawn considerable criticism, but most of that land is government property or restrictively zoned land in remote areas.
By contrast, the Koloa region is the center of the island's visitor industry, including hotels, condominiums, shopping complexes and golf course, as well as residential and commercial areas. Around that development is a vast region of undeveloped rocky terrain, some of it zoned for growth and some in various agricultural or pastoral uses.
All but 311 acres of county and state property — about 7 percent of the 4,193-acre area being proposed for critical habitat — is privately owned.
"Because it covers so much of our property, it hurts our flexibility to do anything on the property. In the future, one of our businesses or lessees is going to use government funds," Smith said.
He said the firm plans to meet with the Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the plans and to suggest a less broad-brushed approach. "In some places, it's appropriate and in some places some other mitigative actions should be put in place."
The Po'ipu Beach Resort Association has assigned a board of directors member to study the proposal before taking a position, said Executive Director Margy Parker.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment through late May. For details, call 541-3441.
