STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1876

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 334, 591

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 334 and 591, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

Endangered Species Recovery Committee

G.M. No. 334	CLIFFORD W. MORDEN, for a term to expire 6-30-2009; and
G.M. No. 591	PATRICK JAMES HART, for a term to expire 6-30-2011,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Clifford W. Morden and Patrick James Hart to have the necessary qualifications to be appointed to the Endangered Species Recovery Committee. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Clifford W. Morden from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  Dr. Morden earned his Ph.D. from Texas A & M University.  Presently, he works as an Associate Professor of Botany and the Center for Conservation Research and Training at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he teaches courses on the Natural History of Hawaii, Conservation Biology, and Hawaiian Native Plants.  Dr. Morden also serves as the Interim Director of the Lyon Arboretum and is the Director of the University of Hawaii's Herbarium.  In September of 2006, Dr. Morden was appointed on an interim basis to the Endangered Species Recovery Committee where he has fully participated in efforts that promote the recovery of endangered species.  Dr. Morden's vast knowledge and experience in conservation biology, experience with the conservation of endangered plants, and his knowledge of geographic dispersal of native species makes him a valuable component of the Endangered Species Recovery Committee.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Patrick James Hart from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.  Dr. Hart earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a B.A. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.  Presently, he is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo where he teaches courses on the Natural History of Hawaii, Biology, Ecology, and Statistics.  His research focuses on the conservation of endangered species and Hawaiian forest birds.  Dr. Hart has been active in Hawaiian conservation for the last fifteen years and his work has been instrumental in guiding conservation and endangered species management programs.  Dr. Hart's extensive knowledge and experience in conservation biology, endangered birds and plants, and the recovery needs of native species, will provide the Endangered Species Recovery Committee with a heightened understanding of the complex issues involved in the development of programs and policies to foster protection of Hawaii's native ecosystems.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair