Papahanaumokuakea Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Marine National Monument Draft Monument Management
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Papahanaumokuakea Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Marine National Monument National Marine Draft Monument Management Draft Monument Management Plan Environmental Assessment U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service * National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration * State of Hawai’i April Plan ATMOSPH ND ER A IC IC A N D A M E I C N I O S L T Volume II A R N A T O I I O T N A N U .S E . C D R E E PA M RT OM MENT OF C Volume II All cover photos c James Watt with the exception of the upper left which is courtesy of Andy Collins/NOAA Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Draft Environmental Assessment April 2008 Prepared by: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument United States Fish and Wildlife National Oceanic and Atmospheric Hawai‘i Department of Land and Service Administration Natural Resources 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5-231 6600 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite 300 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 130 Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813 Draft Environmental Assessment Note to Readers: This Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) represents the Co-Trustees’ analyses in compliance with their individual agency policies and State and Federal environmental review law and statutes, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and Chapter 343, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS). In keeping with the purpose of environmental review and to avoid unnecessary repetition, the EA incorporates by reference many of the descriptors and background from the draft Monument Management Plan (MMP) and other documents accompanying the MMP. Therefore, although the MMP and EA are in different volumes, the two should be read together to obtain a clear understanding of the environmental consequences of the actions in the MMP. The Co-Trustees remind the reader that prior to its designation by Presidential Proclamation 8031 issued by President Bush on June 15, 2006, several Federal conservation areas existed within the Monument, namely the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, managed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce, and the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) within Department of the Interior. Nothing in the establishment of the Monument, the MMP, or the environmental assessment will diminish the responsibilities and requirements by the Federal agencies to continue to manage these areas. Furthermore, the Proclamation establishing the Monument expressly stated it did not diminish or enlarge the jurisdiction of the State of Hawai‘i, therefore, the State’s responsibilities and requirments to manage its areas also remain intact. In 2005 the State designated all of its waters in the NWHI as a State Marine Refuge, and it has jurisdiction over the State Seabird Sanctuary at Kure Atoll, the northwesternmost emergent island in the NWHI. To provide for the most effective conservation and management of the natural, cultural, and historic resources of the NWHI, Governor Lingle on December 8, 2006, entered into an agreement with the two Secretaries to have State lands and waters in the NWHI managed as part of the Monument, with the three parties serving as Co- Trustees. The agreement also provided for the inclusion of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs into the monument management process to provide a voice for Native Hawaiians in the management of the Monument and its cultural resources. Just as the Draft MMP is written with activities representing various levels of specificity; so too does the environmental assessment represent various levels of analysis. The Co- Trustees agencies provide the following summaries of their respective analyses represented in this document: NOAA This draft EA analyzes NOAA activities at a programmatic level. That is, the analysis focuses on the scope of actions proposed by NOAA in the context of the 6 priority management needs, each of which is focused on targeted management needs for the Monument through 22 separate action plans to address these needs. Specific actions associated with strategies outlined in each action plan have already been analyzed through project-specific environmental reviews for activities listed in the No Action Alternative. Likewise, any new or expanded activities would be analyzed as appropriate under NEPA and NOAA policy implementing the Act. FWS The draft EA provides the public with a description of the refuge-based alternatives considered for implementation as well as analysis of these alternatives’ known and potential environmental effects. The activities within the MMP are both general and specific for the FWS, and thus require either a programmatic level or a more detailed, site specific analysis for the environmental consequences of implementing the alternatives. The EA identifies those actions for which NEPA and other compliance requirements are covered through this document as well as those activities for which additional compliance may be required by FWS. The MMP and EA satisfy the FWS’ requirements for National Wildlife Refuge System Comprehensive Conservation Planning. State of Hawaii The State of Hawai‘i worked cooperatively with our Federal partners to prepare this EA for activities resulting from the implementation of the MMP. This joint Federal and State EA for the MMP satisfies the State’s statutory requirements under HRS 343. However, implementation of future activities within the Monument may trigger further environmental review and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if additional environmental analysis is needed. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 1.1 Overview and Background ...................................................................................1 1.2 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action ..........................................................2 1.3 Scope of Analysis..................................................................................................6 1.4 Alternatives Considered But Not Analyzed..........................................................6 1.5 Description of No Action Alternative ...................................................................7 1.5.1 Marine Conservation Science ...................................................................7 1.5.2 Native Hawaiian Culture and History.......................................................8 1.5.3 Historic Resources....................................................................................9 1.5.4 Maritime Heritage...................................................................................10 1.5.5 Threatened and Endangered Species ......................................................11 1.5.6 Migratory Birds.......................................................................................13 1.5.7 Habitat Management and Conservation..................................................14 1.5.8 Marine Debris.........................................................................................14 1.5.9 Alien Species..........................................................................................15 1.5.10 Maritime Transportation and Aviation....................................................16 1.5.11 Emergency Response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment ........17 1.5.12 Permitting................................................................................................18 1.5.13 Enforcement............................................................................................19 1.5.14 Midway Atoll Visitors Services..............................................................19 1.5.15 Agency Coordination..............................................................................20 1.5.16 Constituency Building and Outreach......................................................21 1.5.17 Native Hawaiian Community Involvement ............................................22 1.5.18 Ocean Ecosystems Literacy ....................................................................22 1.5.19 Central Operations..................................................................................23 1.5.20 Information Management........................................................................24 1.5.21 Coordinated Field Operations.................................................................25 1.5.22 Evaluation ...............................................................................................26 1.6 Description of Proposed Action Alternative .......................................................27 1.6.1 Marine Conservation Science .................................................................27 1.6.2 Native Hawaiian Culture and History.....................................................29 1.6.3 Historic Resources..................................................................................32 1.6.4 Maritime Heritage...................................................................................34 1.6.5 Threatened and Endangered Species ......................................................34 1.6.6 Migratory Birds.......................................................................................38 1.6.7 Habitat Management and Conservation..................................................39 1.6.8 Marine Debris.........................................................................................43