STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1783

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.C.R. No. 50

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 50 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO PROVIDE UPDATED STATISTICS AND FACTS RELATING TO THE DECLINE OF PALILA ON MAUNA KEA AND INVESTIGATE THE FACTORS CAUSING THE DECLINE OF THE PALILA POPULATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide updated statistics and facts relating to the decline of palila on Mauna Kea and investigate the factors causing the decline of the palila population.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the palila bird is a rare and critically endangered species of honeycreeper that can only be found on certain slopes of Mauna Kea and that at last count in 2021, had an estimated population of only three hundred despite several efforts over the past forty years to recover the population.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 50 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair