S1165MAY19

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Week Ending May 19, 2006

S.1165 A bill to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii.

The bill would expand the boundaries of the Honolulu Hawaii wildlife refuge to include 1,100 acres by authorizing the Secretary of Interior to acquire the land and modify the refuge boundaries.

The Refuge was created in 1979 and is included with a closed sugar plantation, the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge and the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge to make the Oahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Campbell himself was an 1850 resident of Maui, a carpenter from New York, who acquired over the years great amount of property and eventually established sugar mills and later became a state legislator. With his death cam a trust that expires in January 2007.

The bill, then, is best described by this report segment: “This land is divided into two non-contiguous segments known as the Kii and Punamano Pond units. It is comprised of a mix of naturally occurring spring-fed marshes, man-made ponds, freshwater springs and water impoundments. While there are approximately 75 endangered species of plants and animals residing within the Refuge, it was specifically established to protect four highly imperiled species of waterbirds: Hawaiian coot, Hawaiian duck, Hawaiian moorhen and Hawaiian stilt. The Service is currently negotiating with the Campbell estate to acquire additional high-value wetlands that would provide essential habitat for migratory birds, shore birds and other waterfowl. These lands are critical to the survival of these birds because nearly 90 percent of the wetlands on the island of Oahu have been destroyed. The Refuge is open to the public from August 1st to February 15th each year and is closed for the stilt breeding season.

“Under the terms of this legislation, the Refuge would be increased by approximately 800 acres of land. This target property is owned by the James Campbell estate which has indicated it is willing to sell this land to either a private conservation organization or the Fish and Wildlife Service. By purchasing this property, the Fish and Wildlife Service would connect the two existing units of the Refuge, historical wetland habitat would be restored, a new protected flyway would be created and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would have the opportunity to provide some badly needed flood protection for the neighboring town of Kahuku. In addition, this refuge expansion would protect the last remaining large scale coastal dune ecosystem on Oahu, preserve native strand plants, and protect coastal wildlife including threatened green sea turtles, migratory shorebirds and endangered Hawaiian monk seals.

“There are currently ten tenants who are involved in shrimp aquaculture activities within the proposed boundary expansion area. According to the Ko'olau Loa Agriculture Coalition, these farms represent about 50 jobs and more than $20 million in capital investments over a thirty-year period. Based on information provided to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans, three tenants are operating on month-to-month leases and the remaining seven tenants have existing leases that expire prior to 2014. In addition, all tenants were advised in 2001 that the Campbell estate was selling the property; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has offered lease extensions to five tenants through 2023 contingent on federal acquisition of the property.”

Sponsor: Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI)

Vote: The bill passed the Senate December 2005 by Unanimous Consent. Passed House by voice vote May 16, 2006

Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates that the agency would spend $19 million over the next three years to purchase about 750 acres of land that would be added by the bill to the refuge's administrative boundary. About half of this land, worth an estimated $7 million, is the subject of an existing agency proposal to expand the refuge administratively and might be purchased even in the absence of this legislation (but possibly not for several years). We estimate that the USFWS would spend about $500,000 a year to restore and manage the acreage added by the act once it has been acquire.”

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