The indefatigable C.S. Judd, forester for the Territory of Hawai’i, was exuberant in his description of Makua Valley’s botanical wonders. Of all of Hawai’i’s “rich botanical mines,” Makua Valley was “probably the greatest bonanza of all, fairly crammed with concentrated ore.” In one small gulch, Judd reported finding 42 different species of native plants within a radius of 150 yards.1
Sixty years later, Judd’s bonanza is on the verge of being mined out. A plant survey in 1977 identified 340 species of plants, 163 of which are to be found only in Hawai’i. Of those 163, 22 were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1976.
In October 1991, the Fish and Wildlife Service placed on the endangered species list 26 more plants of the Wai’anae mountains, at least six species of which are believed to remain in Makua Valley.
The federal Endangered Species Act prohibits any “taking” of endangered animal species – that is, it bans any action that would directly or indirectly lead to the death of a member of the protected species. It does not, however, extend the same prohibition to plants. Under Hawai’i law though, any species that is on the federal list is subject to Hawai’i’s own endangered species law, which does prohibit the taking of plants.
Section 7 of the federal law requires federal agencies (including the Army) to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service whenever agency actions could result in harm to endangered species. While the Army has consulted with the FWS in regard to the endangered snail, Achatinella mustelina there has been to date no consultation on any of the listed plant species.
Yet, according to the Federal Register of October 29, 1991, which contained the official listing of the 26 Wai’anae Mountain plants, “fire threatens 16 of the 26 taxa” covered in the listing, “particularly those located upslope from Makua Military Reservation and Schofield Barracks” (on the inland side of the Wai’anae range). “Within a 14-month period in 1989 and 1990, for example, a total of 10 fires resulted from firing activities in the Makua Military Reservation. Of these, eight occurred outside of the fire break installed by the Army… A 300 acre (120 hectare) fire in July 1989 may have destroyed a population of Neraudia angulata and came within 0.25 miles of a population of Nototrichium humile. Although most fires have been contained within 0.02 acres, the July 1989 fire is evidence of the potential for escape into the fire-prone habitat of 16 of the taxa in this rule.” (Both Nototrichium humile, a member of the amaranth family, and Neraudia angulata, of the nettle family, are listed endangered species.)
1 See C.S. Judd, “Botanical Bonanzas,” in Thrum’s Hawaiian Annual, 1932, pp. 61-69.
Volume 3, Number 5 November 1992