Kamakou Preserve Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i DRAFT Long‐Range Management Plan Fiscal Years 2013–2018 Submitted to the Department of Land & Natural Resources Natural Area Partnership Program Submitted by The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i May 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 1 RESOURCE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................... 3 GENERAL SETTING ......................................................................................................................................... 3 FLORA AND FAUNA ........................................................................................................................................ 3 MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................................... 8 MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ............................................................................................................................ 9 Program 1: Non‐Native Species Control ............................................................................................... 9 Ungulate Control .............................................................................................................................. 9 Invasive Plant Control .................................................................................................................... 14 Invertebrate, Small Mammal, and Other Pest Control .................................................................. 19 Program 2: Resource Monitoring, Rare Species Protection, and Research ........................................ 20 Resource Monitoring ..................................................................................................................... 20 Rare Species Protection ................................................................................................................. 22 Research ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Program 3: Community Outreach ...................................................................................................... 24 Program 4: Fire, Emergency, and Safety ............................................................................................ 26 Program 5: East Moloka‘i Watershed Partnership ............................................................................. 27 BUDGET SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ 28 BUDGET TABLE ........................................................................................................................................ 30 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................................... A1 Appendix 1. Native Natural Communities Of Kamakou Preserve .................................................. A1 Appendix 2. Rare Native Plants Of Kamakou Preserve .................................................................. A2 Appendix 3. Rare Native Birds Of Kamakou Preserve .................................................................... A4 Appendix 4. Rare Land Snails Of Kamakou Preserve ..................................................................... A5 Appendix 5. East Moloka‘i Watershed Partnership Fact Sheet ..................................................... A6 Appendix 6. Research conducted at TNC’s Moloka‘i Preserves, July 1994‐June 2011 .................. A8 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1. Kamakou Preserve ......................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2. East Moloka‘i Watershed Partnership ........................................................................................... 6 Figure 3. Kamakou Preserve natural communities ....................................................................................... 7 Figure 4. Kamakou Preserve management areas and fences ..................................................................... 12 Figure 5. Ungulate activity in Kamakou, 1990 to present (all transects) .................................................... 13 Figure 6. Moloka‘i Understory Monitoring (MUM) transects and condition ............................................. 21 Figure 7. Kamakou NAPP Budget/Effort by Program, FY13–FY18 .............................................................. 28 Table 1. Overview of Kamakou Preserve Accomplishments by Programs, FY 2007–FY 2011 (5 Years) ....... 2 Table 2. Priority Weed Species of Kamakou Preserve (in order of priority) ............................................... 17 Table 3. Control Estimates for eight weed targets in Kamakou Preserve, FY07–FY11 ............................... 18 Table 4. Kamakou Preserve hikes, 2007–2011 ........................................................................................... 24 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i is an affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, an international private, non‐profit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. The Conservancy’s mission is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Since 1980, the Conservancy has directly helped protect more than 200,000 acres of Hawai‘i’s best natural lands and established a statewide system of 10 preserves totaling almost 36,000 acres. Today, we are taking conservation to a new level in Hawai‘i by working in partnership to protect the larger landscapes and biological systems of which our preserves are a part. Together with other public and private landowners, we are protecting over 1.6 million acres of ecologically important lands through voluntary, cooperative partnerships that allow landowners to share expertise and resources and work across ownership boundaries. The State’s Natural Area Partnership Program (NAPP) is an innovative program that aids private landowners in the management of their native ecosystems. NAPP provides matching funds ($2 state to $1 private) for the management of qualified private lands that have been permanently dedicated to conservation. On Moloka‘i, the Conservancy manages three NAPP Preserves: Kamakou, Mo‘omomi, and Pelekunu, and is the main coordinator/manager of the East Moloka‘i Watershed Partnership (EMoWP) which is directly responsible for management programs in Kamalō, Kapualei, and Kawela. The three NAPP preserves total just less than 10,000 acres and the EMoWP (including Kamakou and Pelekunu Preserves) encompasses over 30,000 acres. Kamakou was approved for NAPP funding in 1995. This long‐range management plan updates the previous long range plan (FY 2007–2012). This plan was prepared in compliance with the Natural Area Partnership agreement between the State and The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i. The FY 2013–2018 plan documents management programs to be undertaken during the next six years at Kamakou Preserve. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), which administers the NAP program, is kept apprised of our progress in the preserve through written reports and an annual inspection. Operational plans are submitted annually (the Conservancy has adopted a July 1–June 30 fiscal year). In addition, a six‐month semiannual report is sent to DLNR each February. These documents are available upon request to others who are interested. The first section of this plan is a brief overview of the native natural resources that are protected at Kamakou Preserve. In the second section are management considerations that have shaped our programs. Finally, each management program is discussed in turn. Program goals are followed by an explanation of the management method we have chosen. Annual objectives and costs for each program from FY2013–FY2018 are also listed. We successfully implemented the resource management projects of the previous six‐year long‐ range plan, as well as many others. See Table 1. Kamakou LRMP FY13‐FY18 Page 1 Table 1. Overview of Kamakou Preserve Accomplishments by Programs, FY 2007–FY 2011 (5 Years) Indicator Measure of Success Ungulate Control Total animal sweeps 247, including 29 conducted by Prohunt Total animal catches 293 animals (not including 92 caught in traps) Miles of fence inspected, 5 miles consistently inspected and maintained maintained and/or replaced in Kamakou Number of ungulate surveys 10 Invasive Plant Acres and number of Over 5367 acres swept total for 8 species Control priority invasive plants See Table 2, Weed Control Estimates treated or removed Monitoring and Percent activity on ungulate From 14% activity in FY07 to 5.4% activity in FY11 Research transects Acres swept for weed 5,367 not including aerial (addtl. 13,636) monitoring Moloka‘i Understory 3 Monitoring surveys Number of research projects 32 supported in Kamakou Rare Species Numbers of new rare plant 3 PEPP targets ‐ Phyllostegia hispida (3 locations), Protection locations discovered Cyanea solanacea (3), P. mannii (1) Also