The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and Pacific Legacy Inc. will hold a series of community meetings across the state in October and November seeking community input on proposed Hawaiian monk seal recovery actions.
Specifically, the groups want people to address potential adverse effects to historic properties, including traditional cultural properties, as well as information on potential impacts to cultural resources and practices that may result from the implementation of actions proposed in the draft programmatic environmental impact statement for Hawaiian monk seal recovery efforts.
Examples of proposed actions include capture, veterinary treatment, and transportation and release of monk seals on shorelines throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. None of the proposed actions would alter or destroy any structure, land, shoreline or seafloor substrate, an announcement of the meetings said.
All meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following locations in Maui County:
* Monday, Molokai High School.
* Tuesday, Lanai High and Elementary School.
* Nov. 14, Hana High and Elementary School.
* Nov. 15, Lahainaluna High School.
Input from the meetings will be incorporated into a revised cultural impact assessment for the programmatic environmental study and will form an important component of NOAA's compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106.
The draft study can be found at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/hawaiimonkseal.htm.
For more information or to request sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids, contact Paul Cleghorn at cleghorn@pacificlegacy.com or call (808) 236-4800.
