MEDIA RELEASE

The National Park Service has announced the availability of the draft plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) aimed at protecting and restoring native ecosystems by managing non-native ungulates (hoofed mammals) within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The purpose of the draft plan/DEIS is to develop a comprehensive and systematic framework for managing non-native ungulates that supports long-term ecosystem protection, promotes recovery and restoration of native vegetation and other natural resources, and protects and preserves cultural resources.

A copy of the draft plan/DEIS is available for review and download online at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/havo_…. Hard copies of the draft plan/DEIS are also available for review at the park’s Kīlauea Visitor Center, and state public libraries.

A limited number of CDs and hard copies may be obtained by calling the park Superintendent’s office at (808) 985-6026. The project website for Protecting & Restoring Native Ecosystems by Managing Non-Native Ungulates Plan/EIS is at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/havo.

Hawaii supports a rich diversity of native plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Many of these unique species are rare and in danger of becoming extinct. Ungulates are an issue of concern because Hawaiian ecosystems evolved without large mammalian herbivores and are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of non-native ungulates.

Non-native goats, pigs, sheep, mouflon sheep, axis deer and cattle destroy habitat, degrade watershed, inhibit native forest regeneration, cause loss of sensitive native species (including state and federally listed threatened and endangered species), and have potential to damage archeological sites and cultural landscapes. Hawaii Volcanoes provides habitat for more than 50 native species that are federally listed as threatened, endangered, or are candidates for either list. Among these are the Ka‘u silversword, Hawaii creeper, and nēnē.

The park has actively managed non-native ungulates since the 1920s, allowing for the recovery of native species in many areas of the park. The park’s current EIS addressing ungulate control is more than 30 years old. The new plan/EIS will provide a park-wide framework to guide non-native ungulate management activities over the next decades that considers the recently acquired Kahuku unit, new invasive species challenges, and current NPS policy and guidance.

Using the initial comments received by the public and incorporating input from a team of scientists, the National Park Service has developed a range of management alternatives. The no action and four action alternatives were analyzed for impacts on natural and cultural resources and the broader human environment, and the analysis is included in the draft plan/EIS now available for public comment.

The public is encouraged to comment by attending upcoming public open house meetings, or by submitting written comments electronically on the project website, or by mail.

Three public open house meetings are scheduled on the Island of Hawaii: 6-8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 at the park’s Kilauea Visitor Center, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Naalehu Community Center, and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Kona Outdoor Circle Educational Center.

Written comments can be submitted at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/havo_… or by mailing correspondence to: Cindy Orlando, Superintendent, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, PO Box 52, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718.

All written responses must be postmarked or transmitted no later than midnight MST (8 p.m. HST), Jan. 20, 2012.

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