RFQ-HCP-EIS.Pdf
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May 20, 2020 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement For KIUC’s Long-Term Habitat Conservation Plan I. PURPOSE The Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (“KIUC”), in conjunction with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”), is soliciting statements of qualification from consultants with experience and expertise in the successful development of Environmental Impact Statements (“EIS”) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347 (“NEPA”), and the Hawaiʻi Environmental Protection Act, Hawaii Revised Statutes (“HRS”) § 343-1 et seq. (“HEPA”). One or more selected consultants will be asked to prepare detailed scopes of work for a Draft EIS and Final EIS for KIUC’s Habitat Conservation Plan (“HCP”) on the Island of Kauaʻi. The USFWS will be the lead federal agency for the EIS. The selected consultant(s) will enter into a contract with KIUC and will conduct all work under the direct supervision of USFWS. This solicitation is open to all qualified parties and is intended to draw a wide range of responses from as many interested and qualified parties as possible. II. PROPOSED ACTION The Proposed Action is USFWS’s issuance of an Incidental Take Permit (“ITP”) under Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. (“ESA”), and the State of Hawaiʻi, Division of Fish and Wildlife’s issuance of an Incidental Take License (“ITL”) under HRS Chapter 195D, for the “Covered Activities” proposed in the HCP, described below in Section V. The HCP outlines specific measures to avoid and minimize impacts of the Covered Activities on the following listed species: Common Name Hawaiian Name Scientific Name Newell’s shearwater ʻaʻo Puffinus auricularis newelli Hawaiian petrel ʻuaʻu Pterodroma sandwichensis Band-rumped storm-petrel ʻakēʻakē Oceanodroma castro Hawaiian stilt aeʻo Himantopus mexicanus knudseni Hawaiian gallinule ʻalae ʻula Gallinula galeata sandvicensis Hawaiian coot ʻalae keʻokeʻo Fulica alai Hawaiian duck koloa maoli Anas wyvilliana Hawaiian goose nēnē Branta sandevicensis 408562.1 1 These species are collectively referred to as the “Covered Species,” and are described below in Section IV. The proposed ITP and ITL permits will be issued to KIUC for the entire Island of Kauaʻi for a period of thirty (30) years. The EIS will analyze and evaluate the environmental effects of implementing the HCP and issuing an ITP and ITL. III. PLAN AREA The Plan Area for the HCP covers the entire County of Kauaʻi, State of Hawaiʻi. IV. COVERED SPECIES The following are the species covered by the HCP and a short summary regarding each: ʻAʻo (Newell’s shearwater, Puffinus auricularis newelli) The ʻaʻo is found on all the main Hawaiian Islands, except Kahoʻolawe, but primarily nest on Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. (Ainley et al. 1997). The ʻaʻo forages over deep water in areas where tuna and other large, predatory fish have chased squid and other prey near to the ocean surface (Ainley et al. 1997). ʻAʻo nest on vertical cliff faces and rock crevices, laying a single egg per pair between June with fledging occurring in October and November. The estimated population of ʻaʻo on Kauaʻi is 24,310 birds. This is based upon 2006 at sea population estimates (Joyce 2013), 90% of which is estimated to occur on Kauaʻi (Ainley et al. 2001). Population trend estimates indicate the ʻaʻo population has declined by 94 percent between 1993 and 2013 (Raine et al. 2017). Primary threats to the ʻaʻo include artificial nighttime lighting (Reed et al. 1985; Telfer et al. 1987; and Cooper and Day 1998), collisions with power lines (Cooper and Day 1998; Podolsky et al 1998; and Travers et al. 2019), predation by introduced predators (Ainley et al. 2001; Raine et al. 2019a; Raine et al. 2019b; and Raine et al. 2020) particularly cats, rats, feral pigs, and barn owls, and changes to breeding habitat due to introduced invasive plants (Duffy 2010; Troy et al. 2014). ʻUaʻu (Hawaiian petrel, Pterodroma sandwichensis) The ʻuaʻu breed and nest on Kauaʻi, Maui, Lanaʻi and Hawaiʻi. On Kauaʻi, ʻuaʻu breed within interior valleys and excavate burrows beneath dense vegetation along valley headwalls, especially near steep slopes covered with ferns (R. David, unpublished field notes 2003). The ʻuaʻu begin egg-laying in late-April/May with chicks hatching in July and August and fledging occurring in November to mid-December (Simons 1985 and Raine et al. 2019a). The ʻuaʻu are nocturnal feeders that forage widely across the central, northern, and eastern Pacific Ocean (sometimes more than 5,000 kilometers from their breeding colony) for squid, fish, and crustaceans near the sea surface (Pitman 1986, Adams 2007). The estimated population of ʻuaʻu on Kauaʻi is 17,221 individuals. This is based upon 2006 at sea population estimates (Joyce 2013) and that ʻuaʻu on Kauaʻi represent approximately 33% of the population in the main Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii Seabird Hui). Population trend estimates indicate the ʻuaʻu population has declined by 78% between 1993 and 2013 (Raine et al. 2017). ʻAkēʻakē (Band-rumped storm petrel, Oceanodroma castro) 408562.1 2 The ʻakēʻakē is a small seabird that feeds on fish, squid, crustaceans, and oily scraps of marine carcasses on the ocean surface (King 1967: Harris 1969). To date, nests have only been found on Hawaiʻi Island, but based on breeding in other locales, the ʻakēʻakē nest in crevices, holes, and protected ledges along cliff faces, where they will lay a single egg per year (Harris 1969, Galase 2019 and Antaky, Galase, & Price 2019). Only a few hundred pairs of birds are estimated to live in Hawaiʻi, and because these are the only ʻakēʻakē within the borders of the United States, ʻakēʻakē are a high priority for conservation efforts (Harrison et al. 1990). On Kauaʻi, both adults and fledglings of ʻaʻo, ʻuaʻu, and ʻakēʻakē are known to collide with power lines while flying between their nesting colonies and feeding areas at sea. They are also attracted to, and may become confused by, bright nighttime lights. Disoriented birds, particularly fledglings, are commonly observed circling repeatedly around exterior light sources, leading to exhaustion, confusion, collisions, and groundings. Typically, these seabirds require open spaces with strong updrafts and vertical drop offs to be able to take off from land. Without these conditions, the birds may be grounded, unable to fly, and subject to predation by dogs, cats, and other mammals, and to injury by vehicles or other human activity. Absent human intervention, downed seabirds are assumed to die in most instances due to starvation, predation, and vehicular traffic. These ongoing impacts, in combination with other land-based threats such as predation and habitat alteration, are thought to have contributed to the population decline of these seabirds on Kauaʻi. Aeʻo (Hawaiian stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) The endangered aeʻo is found on all the main Hawaiian Islands, except Kahoʻolawe. According data collected for aeʻo collected between 2006 and 2016 the population ranges from 1,400 to 2,200 individuals. Aeʻo use a variety of aquatic habitats such as ephemeral lakes, anchialine pools, prawn farm ponds, marshlands, and tidal flats. Aeʻo forage in water with depths of nine inches or less and perennial vegetation that is limited and low-growing. Aeʻo eat a wide variety of invertebrates and other aquatic organisms such as water boatmen (Corixidae), beetles (Coleoptera), possibly brine fly (Ephydra riparia) larvae, polychaete worms, small crabs, Mozambique tilapia (Tilapia mossambica), western mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis), and tadpoles (Bufo spp.) (Service 2011). Aeʻo prefer to nest on freshly exposed mudflats interspersed with low growing vegetation (Service 2011). Nesting also occurs on islands (natural and manmade) in freshwater or brackish ponds (Shallenberger 1977, Coleman 1981). The aeʻo nesting season extends from mid-February through August, with peak nesting varying among years (Robinson et al. 1999). ʻAlae ʻula (Hawaiian gallinule, Gallinula galeata sandvicensis) The ‘alae ‘ula is listed as endangered. ‘Alae ‘ula generally occur in wetland habitats, below 410 feet in elevation on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu (Service 2011). 2016 summer surveys counted 596 birds on Kauaʻi and a total of 755 individuals throughout the State of Hawaiʻi. ‘Alae ‘ula are the most secretive of the native waterbirds, preferring to forage, nest and rest in dense late succession wetland vegetation. Key habitat features include interspersed dense stands of robust late succession vegetation near open water, floating or barely emergent mats of vegetation, and water 408562.1 3 depth less than three feet (Service 2011). ‘Alae ‘ula nest year-round, but most activity occurs from March through August (Service 2011). Platform nests are constructed in dense vegetation over water or near the edge. The diet of the ‘Alae ‘ula diet likely varies with habitat, but includes algae, grass seeds, insects, snails, introduced fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, emergent grasses, and wetland plants (Service 2011). ʻAlae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai) The endangered ‘alae ke‘oke‘o occurs on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, and the island of Hawaiʻi. The ‘alae ke‘oke‘o population is estimated between 1,500 to 2,800 birds (DOFAW 1976-2008, Service 2011). ‘Alae ke‘oke‘o occur within wetland habitats with suitable emergent plant growth interspersed with open water, especially freshwater wetlands, but also freshwater reservoirs, cane field reservoirs, sewage treatment ponds, taro loi, brackish wetlands, and limited use of saltwater habitats. The species typically forages in water less than 12 inches deep, but will dive in water up to 48 inches deep (Service 2011). Nesting habitat includes freshwater and brackish ponds, irrigation ditches, reservoirs, small openings in marsh vegetation, commercial prawn farm ponds and taro fields (Shallenberger 1977). Floating nests are constructed of aquatic vegetation and found in open water or anchored to emergent vegetation (Byrd et al.