i 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................ iii Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Background and Current Condition .......................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Site Description (Physical and Biological Resources) ........................................................4 1.1.1 Location .............................................................................................................................................4 1.1.2 Climate ...............................................................................................................................................6 1.1.3 Geology ..............................................................................................................................................7 1.1.4 Soils .....................................................................................................................................................7 1.1.5 Native vegetation ..............................................................................................................................9 1.1.6 Native wildlife ................................................................................................................................ 15 1.2 Land Use ................................................................................................................................ 17 1.2.1 Land designation and history ....................................................................................................... 17 1.2.2 Public use ........................................................................................................................................ 18 1.2.3 Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................. 18 1.2.4 Related planning documents ........................................................................................................ 19 1.2.5 Partnerships .................................................................................................................................... 20 1.3 Cultural Resources, Archaeological and Historic Sites ................................................... 22 1.4 Summary of Major Threats and Management Issues ..................................................... 24 1.4.1 Invasive Species - Ungulates ........................................................................................................ 24 1.4.2 Invasive Species - Plants ............................................................................................................... 25 1.4.3 Invasive Species - Other Animals ................................................................................................ 27 1.4.4 Fire ................................................................................................................................................... 28 1.4.5 Disease ............................................................................................................................................. 28 1.4.6 Climate Change ............................................................................................................................. 29 1.5 Overview of Existing Management .................................................................................... 29 1.5.1 Fencing and Ungulate Management ........................................................................................... 29 1.5.2 Forest Recovery .............................................................................................................................. 30 1.5.3 Rare Plant Restoration .................................................................................................................. 33 1.5.4 Non-Native Invasive Plant Control ............................................................................................ 34 1.5.5 Research and Survey ...................................................................................................................... 35 1.5.6 Infrastructure Management ......................................................................................................... 36 2 Planned Management Actions.................................................................................................................. 37 i 2.1 Restoration ............................................................................................................................ 38 2.1.1 Forest Recovery .............................................................................................................................. 38 2.1.2 Forest Bird Recovery ..................................................................................................................... 44 2.1.3 Seabird Recovery ........................................................................................................................... 48 2.1.4 Bat Recovery ................................................................................................................................... 50 2.1.5 Invertebrate recovery .................................................................................................................... 51 2.2 Threat Abatement ................................................................................................................ 53 2.2.1 Ungulate Management ................................................................................................................. 53 2.2.2 Invasive plant control .................................................................................................................... 55 2.2.3 Predator control ............................................................................................................................. 57 2.2.4 Fire prevention and response ....................................................................................................... 58 2.2.5 Non-native insects and disease .................................................................................................... 59 2.3 Information and Education ................................................................................................ 61 2.4 Research and Survey ............................................................................................................ 63 2.5 Infrastructure Management................................................................................................ 65 3 Management Action Summary and Budget ........................................................................................... 67 References .................................................................................................................................................................. 73 Appendix A Nakula NAR Plant Species List (Developed by Hank Oppenheimer, Maui PEPP) ... 79 Appendix B Nakula NAR Birds (birds currently found in the NAR). ................................................ 84 Appendix C Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project .................................................................................... 85 C.1. Nakula Experimental Restoration Trials Summary (as at 1 September 2015) .......................... 85 C.2. Maui Parrotbill (kiwikiu) reintroduction plan .............................................................................. 86 Appendix D Nakula seabird restoration plan ......................................................................................... 86 Appendix E Rare plant restoration plan ................................................................................................. 86 ii SUMMARY OF ACRONYMS BLNR Board of Land and Natural Resources CIP Capital Improvement Project DHHL Department of Hawaiian Homelands DLNR Department of Land and Natural Resources DOFAW Division of Forestry and Wildlife FR Forest Reserve FY Fiscal Year GIS Geographic Information System HISC Hawai‘i Invasive Species Committee HRS Hawai‘i Revised Statutes LHWRP Leeward Haleakalā Watershed Restoration Partnership MISC Maui Invasive Species Committee MFBRP Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project MNSRP Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project NARF Natural Area Reserve Fund NAR Natural Area Reserve NARS Natural Area Reserves System NEPM Native Ecosystems Protection and Management NIP Native Invertebrate Program NPS National Park Service PEPP Plant Extinction Prevention Program RCUH-PCSU Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i - Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit T&E Threatened and Endangered USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey YCC Youth Conservation Corps iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Figure 1. View of Nakula Natural Area Reserve from the highway. Nakula Natural Area Reserve (NAR or Reserve) is situated on lands within the upper portions of Nakula and Kahikinui Ahupua‘a in the Hana District on the south slope of Haleakalā, Maui (Figure 1). The Reserve was formally established in 2011 by Governor’s Executive Order 4365 from lands withdrawn from the Kahikinui Forest Reserve (FR). The 1,500 acre (ac) (607 hectare (ha)) Reserve was created to protect leeward Haleakalā koa (Acacia koa) forest and natural communities, including