    [Senate Hearing 114-478]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                            S. Hrg. 114-478

     OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN INTEGRATED
        WATER MANAGEMENT AND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE WATER SECURITY IN HAWAII

    =======================================================================

                                 FIELD HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                                  COMMITTEE ON
                          ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                        ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 SECOND SESSION

                                   __________

                                OCTOBER 18, 2016

                                   __________

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                           Printed for the use of the
                   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                               _________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

     22-849                 WASHINGTON : 2017
    ____________________________________________________________________
     For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office,
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             Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov
                   COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

                        LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska, Chairman
    JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming               MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
    JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho                RON WYDEN, Oregon
    MIKE LEE, Utah                       BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont
    JEFF FLAKE, Arizona                  DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan
    STEVE DAINES, Montana                AL FRANKEN, Minnesota
    BILL CASSIDY, Louisiana              JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia
    CORY GARDNER, Colorado               MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico
    ROB PORTMAN, Ohio                    MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii
    JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota            ANGUS S. KING, JR, Maine
    LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee           ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts
    SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia
                          Colin Hayes, Staff Director
                    Patrick J. McCormick III, Chief Counsel
                     Kellie Donnelly, Deputy Chief Counsel
      Lucy Murfitt, Senior Counsel and Public Lands and Natural Resources
                                    Director
                Angela Becker-Dippman, Democratic Staff Director
                    Sam E. Fowler, Democratic Chief Counsel
         Melanie Stansbury, Democratic Senior Professional Staff Member

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------

                               OPENING STATEMENTS

                                                                       Page
    Hirono, Hon. Mazie K., a U.S. Senator from Hawaii................     1

                                    WITNESS

    Ige, Hon. David, Governor, State of Hawaii.......................     4
    Gabbard, Hon. Mike, State Senate, State of Hawaii................     9
    Yamane, Hon. Ryan, State House of Representatives, State of
      Hawaii.........................................................    13
    Anthony, Stephen, Director, Pacific Islands Water Science Center,
      U.S. Geological Survey.........................................    17
    Moore, Randy, Regional Forester, Pacific Southwest Region, Forest
      Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture........................    22
    Smith, David, Administrator, Division of Forestry and Wildlife,
      Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii......    34
    Gonser, Matthew, Extension Agent, Community Planning and Design,
      University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program.................    47
    Menard, Trae, Chair, Hawaii Association of Watershed
      Partnerships, and The Nature Conservancy.......................    54
    Gon, Dr. Sam, Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor, The Nature
      Conservancy of Hawaii..........................................    58

              ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL SUBMITTED

    Anthony, Stephen:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    17
        Written Statement............................................    19
    Gabbard, Hon. Mike:
        Statement for the Record.....................................     9
        Written Statement............................................    11
    Gon, Dr. Sam:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    58
        Written Statement............................................    60
    Gonser, Matthew:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    47
        Written Statement............................................    49
    Hirono, Hon. Mazie K.:
        Opening Statement............................................     1
    Ige, Hon. David:
        Statement for the Record.....................................     4
        Written Statement............................................     6
    Menard, Trae:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    54
        Written Statement............................................    56
    Moore, Randy:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    22
        Written Statement............................................    24
    Smith, David:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    34
        Written Statement............................................    36
    Yamane, Hon. Ryan:
        Statement for the Record.....................................    13
        Written Statement............................................    15

     OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN INTEGRATED
        WATER MANAGEMENT AND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE WATER SECURITY IN HAWAII

                                  ----------

                           TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2016

                                           U.S. Senate,
                     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:01 a.m. HST at
    the Hawaii State Capitol, Honolulu, Hawaii, Hon. Mazie K.
    Hirono, presiding.

     OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO, U.S. SENATOR FROM
                                 HAWAII

        Senator Hirono [presiding]: Good morning, everyone.
        It is nice to see so many of you. Aloha.
        [Group respond: Aloha.]
        Senator Hirono. Good. We have to start with that, you know,
    to get the mood going.
        Welcome to this important field hearing of the Senate
    Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
        I would like to start by thanking the Committee Chair,
    Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Ranking Member, Senator Maria
    Cantwell, for recognizing the importance of this issue for
    Hawaii and scheduling this field hearing.
        I would like to also thank their staff who have worked with
    my staff to prepare for this field hearing, and I welcome the
    two Committee staff who traveled here from Washington, DC, hard
    job, to join us. [Laughter.]
        Could you raise your hands, our two staff members from the
    Committee?
        Today we have an opportunity to explore how organizations
    and Federal, State, and local governments can work together to
    protect Hawaii's native forested watersheds. A watershed is
    quite simply an area of land, such as a mountain or valley,
    which collects rainwater into a common outlet. In Hawaii the
    most common outlet is the ocean, but some of our rainwater is
    absorbed by plants, some percolates into underground aquifers
    and some flows into surface rivers and streams. Native forests
    are a critical component of how a watershed can collect
    rainwater.
        Fog condensing on trees up high in the mountain regions can
    increase the collection and absorption in our watersheds by up
    to 30 percent annually. This is particularly important in
    Hawaii where we depend on ground water for 94 percent of our
    public water supply, the highest rate in the country. We need
    water to survive and in Hawaii the health of our watersheds is
    deeply connected to our way of life.
        Although there are 72 watersheds on Oahu, the Ko'olau
    Mountain Range provides nearly half of our drinking water and
    generates up to $14 billion to our economy every year.
        The stakes are clear. We need a holistic approach to water
    security and to protect our forested watersheds. Forested
    watersheds supply hundreds of billions of gallons of fresh
    water every year. Without healthy forests most rainfall would
    simply run off into the ocean.
        As Hawaii's population has grown over the past century, our
    aquifers have shrunk at an alarming rate. The Pearl Harbor
    aquifer, which supplies over 60 percent of Oahu's municipal
    drinking water, has shrunk by 50 percent compared to levels
    monitored in 1910. A number of issues have contributed to where
    we are today. Hawaii has been seeing decreased rainfall over
    the past 30 years.
        The proliferation of invasive flora and fauna also poses a
    growing danger to our forested watersheds. Feral ungulates,
    such as pigs and goats, increase deforestation, spread invasive
    plant species, and decrease native flora. Invasive plants also
    decrease ground water recharge and increase the risk and
    severity of wildfire.
        In East Hawaii strawberry guava forests reduce ground water
    recharge by 85 million gallons per day, enough to fill 128
    Olympic-sized swimming pools every single day. Native Hawaiian
    forests, by comparison, are 30 to 50 percent more efficient at
    recharging aquifers than strawberry guava forests. Meanwhile,
    an expanding population combined with Hawaii's tourism
    industry, places increased stress on Hawaii's ground water
    reserves.
        Climate change will accelerate these issues and create new
    ones. As temperatures continue to rise we face the prospect of
    salt water intrusion into ground water as well as increased
    evaporation and drought. Fortunately, Hawaii has also proven to
    be an incubator for innovative strategies to protect our
    forested watersheds.
        The East Maui Watershed Partnership, established in 1991,
    connects private landowners with Federal and state resources
    for conservation. Over the past two decades we have exported
    the East Maui model to encompass ten partnerships across the
    state.
        The Hawaii Community Foundation is also doing excellent
    work to promote water security in Hawaii. Recently, in 2013,
    they organized the Hawaii Fresh Water Initiative which brought
    together a range of stakeholders to identify a goal of
    generating an additional 100 million gallons of fresh water per
    day by 2030. In 2015 they published a blueprint for action that
    lays out a number of steps we can take over the coming years to
    help achieve this goal. I am certainly looking forward to
    working with them to accomplish our shared goals.
        Another recent example of what can happen through
    conservation partnerships is Hawaii's Island Forests at Risk
    Collaborative Landscape Proposal. I worked hard with the
    National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the
    Forest Service and the Interior Department to ensure that this
    proposal was included in the President's budget. This proposal,
    which has received Federal funding in the President's budget
    now for two years from the Land and Water Conservation Fund,
    includes 13 Federal, state and local partners and seeks to
    expand protected habitat here in Hawaii.
        The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a very important
    fund, and it is authorized by the Committee that is holding
    this hearing. Earlier this year we successfully passed
    permanent funding authorization for the Land and Conservation
    Fund, both through this Committee and in the Senate bipartisan
    energy bill. I will continue to work closely with my Senate
    colleagues to ensure that permanent authorization becomes law.
    This Land and Water Conservation Fund, as a lot of you know, is
    a very popular fund, but it is not permanent. It is huge
    progress for us to make this a permanent fund.
        Protecting Hawaii's water at the source is critical to
    safeguarding Hawaii's water security. I am interested in
    hearing from all of our witnesses today about the many programs
    underway at the Federal, state and local levels to protect
    Hawaii's forested watershed. I hope our discussion will provide
    some new and creative ideas about how the Federal Government
    can partner and support these initiatives, and I am committed
    to continuing my work on this Committee to support those
    initiatives.
        We have some very knowledgeable witnesses and leaders
    joining us this morning. It is organized into three panels,
    comprised in the first panel of the Governor and members of our
    state legislature. The second panel comprises Federal and state
    agency officials, and the third panel is comprised of local
    stakeholders.
        Governor Ige, you have made watershed protection a priority
    for the state, as was made clear with your announcement at the
    IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Hawaii recently, to
    protect 30 percent of Hawaii's priority watersheds by 2030. I
    know that you cannot stay for the full hearing, but I do
    appreciate you changing your schedule to join us today to share
    your views.
        I also want to welcome Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair of the
    Senate Committee on Water, Land and Agriculture. Senator, I
    know you have recently had some bills come through your
    committee that are relevant to today's hearing, including one
    that sets ambitious standards for water reuse and reclamation
    and another that establishes the Water Security Advisory Group
    that will support water innovation.
        I also want to welcome Representative Yamane, Chair of the
    State House Water and Land Committee. Your committee has also
    been very hard at work on various water bills during this past
    legislature, and you note in your testimony that the number and
    diversity of water bills that recently passed are really at the
    forefront of what we need to do to address our water security
    needs.
        So I commend all of you for your leadership.
        Here is how this works. You see the light in front of you?
    Okay. You will each have five minutes for your opening
    statement, and the lights will signal how much time you have
    remaining. When you see the yellow light that means you have
    two minutes to go, and of course, when the red light goes on,
    that is it. [Laughter.]
        Of course, your full written statements will be included in
    the Committee record.
        We will start with you, Governor Ige. Thank you so much for
    joining us.

         STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID IGE, GOVERNOR, STATE OF HAWAII

        Governor Ige. Well, thank you, Senator Hirono.
        I just wanted to start off of my prepared remarks and thank
    you for bringing the Committee here and giving all of us, here
    in Hawaii, an opportunity to really talk about this most
    important subject.
        And you were quite accurate that Senator Gabbard and
    Representative Yamane had a tremendous session this past
    session, really focused on water, water security and the
    general issue of ensuring that we will have clean, fresh water
    for our citizens forever. And so, I just wanted to start by
    commending them. You definitely have included two of the best
    people, the most inspiring advocates for water.
        As an island state, Hawaii is completely dependent on
    internal sources for our supply of fresh, clean water. There
    are no nearby states from which we can draw to meet our fresh
    water needs for drinking and agriculture.
        Our rainforests play a critical role in the capture and
    storage of water. Our forests, particularly the Hawaiian Koa-
    Ohia rainforests, capture moisture from the trade winds and
    allow it to soak slowly through the layers of trees and ferns
    and mosses, into our streams and aquifers. When the forests are
    healthy, our water source is secure and clean. When damaged by
    invasive species or fire or disease or loss of species, the
    forest loses its integrity and water-capturing capability.
    That's why a major component of my administration's Sustainable
    Hawaii Initiative focuses on watershed protection.
        During the World Conservation Congress held in Honolulu
    last month, I made an ambitious commitment to the global
    community to protect 30 percent of Hawaii's priority watershed
    forests by 2030. Currently, about 15 percent of these priority
    watershed forests are protected.
        We can only reach this goal, and go beyond it, through
    public/private partnerships of landowners and managers who
    recognize that the best way to protect our forested watersheds
    and the source of our fresh water is through collaborative
    management across landscapes. Watershed partnerships are
    voluntary public/private alliances that allow us to steward
    native forested watersheds without regard to boundaries. Hawaii
    has ten active watershed partnerships covering 2.2 million
    acres, roughly half the land of the entire state. They are
    helping to plan, identify funding and carry out the dedicated,
    hard, on-the-ground work that is necessary to combat threats to
    our forests.
        In addition to working with the watershed partnerships,
    Hawaii has adopted specific policies to protect our water at
    its source. This year the legislature passed, and I signed, Act
    172, establishing a two-year pilot program for a water security
    advisory group to establish public-private partnerships that
    increase water security, including increasing ground water
    recharge.
        Federal funding for on-the-ground forest protection by or
    through the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Natural
    Resources Conservation Service and the National Park Service,
    along with research conducted by the United States Geological
    Survey, is absolutely critical to these efforts. We sincerely
    appreciate the support of the Federal agencies that allow us to
    stay on track to fund and accomplish watershed protection.
        Effective forest management means we have the basic
    infrastructure and stewardship in place to control the core
    threats to Hawaii forests. Currently, our greatest threat is a
    fungal disease called Rapid Ohia Death on Hawaii Island.
        The Ohia is the most abundant native tree in the state of
    Hawaii. It is the core structure of our native forested
    watersheds. The Ohia provides habitat for many native species
    and the spiritual and cultural importance of this tree in and
    to the Hawaiian culture is beyond compare. This fungal disease
    is currently killing thousands of Ohia trees on Hawaii Island,
    so far engulfing over 50,000 acres. We have established a Rapid
    Ohia Death Working Group, made up of numerous public and
    private partners, including our Federal partners. This group's
    work is key to advancing research into the cause and extent of
    the disease and a pilot field project to seek ways to contain
    the spread of the disease.
        This is not the only threat to our forests, which are
    comprised of native and endangered species. Hawaii is home to
    one-third of the endangered species listed in the nation.
    Forty-nine new species were added to Hawaii's list of
    endangered species this year alone, some of which may have been
    avoided if adequate funding had been available in the past.
        Increased Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species
    funds, in addition to the proposed ``Recovering America's
    Wildlife Act,'' can provide urgently needed support for our
    endangered plants and wildlife and their habitats.
        In addition, reauthorization of the Land and Water
    Conservation Fund will be critical to protecting high priority
    lands, including watershed lands, from changes in use that
    would destroy their natural function.
        I thank the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for
    this opportunity to focus on the threats to and potential
    support of our native forested watersheds, the source of life
    here in the Hawaiian Islands.
        Thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Governor Ige follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much, Governor.
        If your schedule means that you need to leave us, I know
    our Senator and Representative and our guests will understand.
        Thank you very much.
        Senator Gabbard.

     STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE GABBARD, STATE SENATE, STATE OF HAWAII

        Mr. Gabbard. Aloha, Senator Hirono, and mahalo nui for the
    opportunity to provide testimony at this field hearing
    regarding opportunities for Federal and non-Federal
    partnerships in integrated water management and efforts to
    improve water security in Hawaii. I commend the U.S. Senate
    Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for seeking this
    input and for looking for ways to collaborate to help our state
    improve its stewardship of this precious natural resource. As
    the Chair of the State Senate's Water, Land and Agriculture
    Committee, I can assure you that this topic will continue to be
    a top priority in my policymaking efforts.
        And as you mentioned in your remarks, Senator, our state
    had an incredible privilege last month to host the World
    Conservation Congress for the first time in our nation's
    history. At that event, which included over 10,000 delegates
    from 192 countries from around the world, it proved to be a
    perfect opportunity to showcase our leadership in
    sustainability through our Aloha and Challenge targets and to
    forge partnerships for future efforts.
        During his opening address at the Congress, Governor Ige
    announced our state's commitment to protecting 30 percent of
    our watersheds by 2030. And as you mentioned, the Hawaii Fresh
    Water Initiative has become a cornerstone of our state's
    efforts to improve integrated water management and water
    security in the state. Through this collaborative effort, led
    by the Hawaii Community Foundation, three aggressive water
    strategy areas have been identified: conservation, recharge and
    reuse. The principal goal of the initiative is to create 100
    million gallons per day in additional reliable fresh water
    capacity for our islands by 2030, including recharging our
    aquifers through rainwater capture with a goal of 30 million
    gallons a day. Achieving these ambitious goals is directly tied
    to the successful stewardship of our watershed areas.
        On June 30th I participated in a bill signing ceremony for
    seven water supply-related bills. This is the most water-
    related bills in memory and the direct result of a close
    partnership between the Water and Land Committee in the House
    and our Committee in the Senate. I assure you that this issue
    will remain at the forefront in coming sessions.
        A few of the highlights include:
        Act 169, of Senate Bill 2645 provides funding for and
    requires the adoption of a five-year statewide water loss audit
    program to encourage our water utilities to track leaks and
    prevent water waste.
        Act 170, which was House Bill 1749, amends the Hawaii State
    Water Plan to include the utilization of reclaimed water at all
    state and county facilities for all uses other than potable/
    drinking water needs. The new law sets an ambitious goal for
    the water sector just as Hawaii has adopted a nation leading
    standard around 100 percent renewable energy.
        Act 172, House Bill 2040, establishes a two-year Natural
    Capital Investment Partnership under the State Department of
    Land and Natural Resources to spur water innovation and public/
    private partnerships in the water sector.
        So as we look to our future priorities, it's important that
    the State and Federal Governments provide sufficient financial
    resources to enable our Watershed Partnerships and the state
    DLNR to protect more of our watershed forests. We should also
    continue to encourage the EPA and the State Department of
    Health to work together to find good uses for the funding
    available through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
        Going beyond state and county buildings, we need to update
    our plumbing and building codes to include the latest
    efficiency and reuse potential and conserve our water
    resources. The State Legislature will also revisit legislation
    to create a program that offers incentives to local residents
    who invest in water conservation systems.
        This field hearing is a welcome addition to the dialog
    about how Hawaii can begin to lead in creating holistic,
    integrated solutions to our water challenges. With the impacts
    of climate change already altering our reality in the Islands,
    the Legislature will continue to take water seriously and to
    the best of our ability, push aggressively to ensure that every
    drop of water that hits our islands is efficiently captured,
    distributed and reused where possible.
        I am grateful that the Federal Government continues to be a
    key partner in this effort.
        Mahalo, once again, for taking the time and effort to
    receive this input.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Gabbard follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you, Senator Gabbard.
        Representative Yamane.

    STATEMENT OF HON. RYAN YAMANE, STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
                            STATE OF HAWAII

        Mr. Yamane. Senator, nice to see you again and thank you
    for bringing this Committee to Hawaii and welcome home.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Mr. Yamane. Before I begin I would like to highlight that
    this legislative session, in collaboration with the Senate,
    took water very seriously. We came up with about 27 bills, and
    out of that 27 bills we passed 14 into law.
        As part of the idea beyond the water essence, we looked at
    water as being the lifeblood of our island. And together with
    the Senator, we looked at the whole process, looking at water
    from the mountains to the sea. So we came up with a wide
    variety of bills, many of them noted by the previous speakers,
    which included looking at not only protecting our watershed but
    also looking at how our water is used on a daily basis.
        And I wanted to highlight, Senator, that I was able to go
    to Texas and California, seeing the extremes. In one area
    helping with disasters due to flooding and in another area
    helping in California due to drought with wildfires.
        So coming home, working with the Senator, we took water and
    water access and having clean, fresh water for our use as not
    only an economic issue, but a cultural and spiritual issue that
    we needed to address.
        So as we move forward knowing that with the concerns with
    the increase in climate change, with the reduction of rainfall
    by 19 percent over the last 20 years, we needed to do something
    now to be ahead of the game and potentially help continue that
    discussion on water reuse, water capture and water
    sustainability.
        So some of the bills previously highlighted were the issues
    of doing water audits, looking at water infrastructure loans,
    so that way we can build and support infrastructure that looks
    at water irrigation with the concept of using water wisely and
    actually, prevention and reduction in evaporation so water can
    reach its goal.
        Also we looked at water, not only as recharging our
    aquifers but also how we use it. And we did do something, I
    think, that's led the nation in which we passed the first law
    that bans the discharge of sewage into the oceans within ten
    years.
        Senator, one of the things we wanted to do was make sure
    that we supported our dams and reservoirs as well as the staff
    and workers at the Department of Land and Natural Resources. So
    we also invested $16 million to upgrade and protect our dams
    and reservoirs so they can be used for local farmers and food
    production.
        Senator, you know, one of the things I would like to
    highlight is we have a very good relationship with the Federal
    Government in so many ways and we would like that to continue.
    We would like to continue the opportunity to work with the
    Federal Government in investing in water reclamation, water
    reuse, water metering, storm water recapture and ground water
    recharging projects.
        We also would like to highlight that the Federal water
    conservation grant, like Water Smart funding, is important to
    Hawaii and if it can continue and expand it would be greatly
    appreciated.
        I wanted to throw out that we have been working with the
    Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, EPA and USDA,
    National Fish and Wildlife and FEMA and other Federal
    Government entities and their ability to work in partnership
    with us is greatly appreciated.
        So, thank you.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Yamane follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much.
        It is clear that your leadership is bearing results and I
    commend all of you and especially the legislature, the two of
    you, for leading your two very important committees and
    focusing on reuse, recharge, infrastructure, all really
    important, as our water infrastructure all across the country
    is in a bad state of repair. You are putting in the
    appropriations which the Governor has to sign into law.
        Thank you very much for your partnering, and I look forward
    to working with all of you to identify Federal resources. It
    would be great if we could bring more Federal resources,
    especially in the area of our fight against invasive species,
    because I recognize that we do not get as much of the pie that
    we probably should be getting. So we will work together to make
    that happen.
        Mahalo nui, to you all.
        Mr. Gabbard. Thank you.
        Mr. Yamane. Thank you.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        So we will bring up the second panel.
        You are going to be testifying in the order that I will be
    identifying you. We have Steve Anthony, who is the Director of
    the Pacific Islands Water Science Center, U.S. Geological
    Survey (USGS). Randy Moore is a Regional Forester with the
    Pacific Southwest Region, Forest Service, U.S. Department of
    Agriculture. David Smith is the Administrator at the Division
    of Forestry and Wildlife with the Hawaii Department of Land and
    Natural Resources.
        The USGS is part of the Department of the Interior, and it
    is doing important research in Hawaii and across the Pacific
    Islands. The Regional Forester, Randy Moore, your division, or
    your service, is housed within the U.S. Department of
    Agriculture. So we have Department of the Interior, Department
    of Agriculture, and then David Smith is with the State
    Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
        I did have the opportunity last week to meet with DLNR
    Chair, Suzanne Case, and David to learn more about the
    Department's responsibility to protect our watersheds.
        Welcome to all of you. Let's get started, and we are going
    to start with you, Steve.

     STATEMENT OF STEPHEN ANTHONY, DIRECTOR, PACIFIC ISLANDS WATER
                 SCIENCE CENTER, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

        Mr. Anthony. Senator Hirono, thank you for inviting me to
    discuss the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) role in
    integrated water resource management and efforts to improve
    water security in Hawaii.
        In Hawaii, water resources help shape our culture, economy
    and environment. As climate variability and change continues to
    stress limited water resources, water security will continue to
    grow as a national concern. As a result, integrated water-
    resource management will be critical to support healthy,
    thriving environments and societies.
        The Department, through the U.S. Geological Survey,
    National Park Service, Pacific Islands Climate Science Center
    and the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative, is working
    to bring people together to ensure a sustainable and secure
    water future. Through this process, the Department partners
    with cultural stewards to help scientists understand culturally
    sensitive water resources. The Department also works with
    academic researchers to forecast climate change as potential
    impacts on water and with watershed managers and state and
    local agencies to understand how management activities can
    impact water resources.
        As part of this effort, the USGS provides objective science
    for the nation's water resources to support human well-being,
    healthy ecosystems, economic prosperity, and to anticipate and
    help resolve impending water-resource conflicts and
    emergencies.
        The USGS also serves society through water-resource
    monitoring and research to provide tools that managers and
    policymakers can use for preserving the quality and quantity of
    water resources. In Hawaii, the USGS is working in cooperation
    with the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management and
    other state and local agencies to expand and enhance monitoring
    of rainfall, ground water, stream flow and water quality,
    assess ground water recharge and availability, estimate low-
    flow conditions in our streams needed to establish instream
    flow standards, quantify the impacts of high-priority non-
    native and dominant native plant species on freshwater
    availability and to assess water quality related to land-use
    activities.
        USGS is also developing information tools to evaluate
    ground water availability on several of the main islands as
    part of the regional study of the nation's principle aquifers.
        With respect to water use, USGS compiles and estimates
    water use information every five years in cooperation with
    State, Federal and local agencies.
        The USGS is providing a funding opportunity to the state to
    enhance the understandings of surface water use in Hawaii.
        Finally, the USGS is assessing the effects of droughts and
    other climate variability on water resources.
        As mentioned previously, the Hawaii Fresh Water Initiative
    was launched in 2013 to bring multiple, diverse parties
    together to develop a forward-thinking and consensus-based
    strategy to increase water security in Hawaii. Organized by the
    independent nonprofit Hawaii Community Foundation, the
    Initiative relied on a blue ribbon advisory panel of experts
    including farmers, landowners, scientists, conservationists and
    government officials.
        DOI will continue to partner with the public and private
    sectors in Hawaii to support the understanding of watershed-
    management activities that affect water security and to develop
    cost-shared activities for understanding how best to ensure a
    water-secure future. Given its mission, the USGS is ideally
    positioned to use and develop the best science and technology-
    based tools to evaluate water supply solutions and continue
    helping water managers to establish adaptive-management
    strategies that address water sustainability and to partner
    with cultural stewards to understand the importance of long-
    term water security needs.
        This concludes my statement, and I would be happy to answer
    any questions you have at the end of the panel.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Anthony follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Mr. Moore.

    STATEMENT OF RANDY MOORE, REGIONAL FORESTER, PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
         REGION, FOREST SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

        Mr. Moore. Senator Hirono, thank you and the Committee for
    holding this important hearing and inviting me to testify on
    behalf of the USDA and the Forest Service regarding our
    partnership efforts to maintain and improve watershed
    conditions and the security of our water supply in Hawaii and
    across the United States.
        My name is Randy Moore, and I am the Regional Forester for
    the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service.
        The history of the Forest Service and the National Forest
    actually began with the specific mandate to protect forested
    lands and to secure favorable conditions for water flow. Today,
    we are furthering that tradition with employees working across
    research and development, state and private forestry and a
    National Forest System in support of a healthy forest and
    grasslands across ownership boundaries and jurisdictions.
        We recognize that our world is increasingly complex and
    constantly changing. We could not be successful today without
    the efforts of our many partners at the State, Federal and
    local levels working side-by-side with us. Our work is vital to
    securing clean, abundant supplies for water for human use, for
    recreation, for agriculture purposes and to support fish and
    wildlife populations and energy production. This is especially
    true in the context of a changing climate.
        My submitted testimony highlights several examples of our
    efforts in Hawaii and across the Western Pacific Islands. I
    would like to use this opportunity to describe just a few of
    the successful, national efforts on the way that are pieces of
    the whole effort of the Forest Service in securing our nation's
    water future.
        Collaborative efforts such as our partnership with Coca-
    Cola are making a big difference on the ground. Since 2013 we
    have worked on 13 projects in six national forests across the
    country that have engaged hundreds of volunteers contributing
    nearly 5,000 hours while increasing the water capacity of
    thousands of acres of land. Coca-Cola, National Fish and
    Wildlife Foundation, and others have invested more than $2.1
    million to date which has been matched by partners, including
    the National Forest Foundation, for a total investment of $4.5
    million.
        Restoration work accomplished through this partnership
    return more than a billion liters of water to the National
    Forest System which is the source of drinking water for more
    than 60 million Americans.
        Working with the National Forest Foundation projects such
    as the Hayman post fire restoration work in Colorado brought
    together more than 20 partners to leverage more than $3.3
    million to restore severely burned areas and watersheds that
    serve as municipal water supplies to Colorado and along the
    front range communities. Solutions were developed
    collaboratively and implemented using a mixture of volunteers,
    contractors and agency resources to restore streams, reduce
    sedimentation, control invasive species and improve vegetation.
        In Northern Arizona the Forest Service partnered with the
    National Forest Foundation, the Salt River Project and other
    stakeholders in the Northern Arizona Forest Fund which focuses
    on streams and wetland restoration, sediment and erosion
    management.
        In California, the Pacific Southwest Region signed the
    first massive stewardship agreement between the Forest Service
    and Joint Powers Watershed Authority comprised of six water
    agencies in three counties, the Upper Makelumne Watershed
    Authority. The goal of this partnership is to enhance water
    supplies and protect water quality and the environment both in
    the Upper Makelumne River Watershed as well as downstream.
        Another successful partnership has been forged between the
    U.S. Forest Service and the California Natural Resources
    Agency. In 2015 we entered into a MOU to work in partnership to
    implement the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program which
    is called the WIP. The WIP is a coordinated, integrated,
    collaborative program to restore the health of California's
    primary Sierra Nevada watersheds to increase investments and
    needed policy changes. The activities undertaken by WIP
    benefits wildfire management, mitigation investment,
    restoration efforts, water and air quality, carbon storage,
    fish and wildlife and community resilience.
        Beyond these specific projects the National Forest System
    has undertaken an evaluation of watersheds using a watershed
    condition framework. This provides a tool for each forest and
    district to assess threats and deteriorated conditions and to
    prioritize work to ensure a strategic, targeted approach to
    improving watershed health.
        Water is perhaps the most fundamental of natural resources,
    and engaging youth and conservation stewardship in promoting
    healthy, active lifestyles is critical to the future management
    and the health of our nation's water supplies. The Forest
    Service, with other government agencies and partners at every
    level of the public and private sector, is dedicated to a
    continuing conservation legacy in an effort to secure our water
    future.
        Well Senator, that concludes my statement and I would be
    happy to answer any questions you might have at the end of the
    panel.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Moore follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much.
        I love the way that you all stay within the five-minutes.
    [Laughter.]
        You must have done this before.
        Alright, Mr. Smith.

     STATEMENT OF DAVID SMITH, ADMINISTRATOR, DIVISION OF FORESTRY
     AND WILDLIFE, DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, STATE
                               OF HAWAII

        Mr. Smith. I will see if I can stay to that. [Laughter.]
        I am David Smith, Administrator with the Division of
    Forestry and Wildlife, and I appreciate this opportunity to
    examine opportunities for Federal and non-Federal partnerships
    in integrated water management and efforts to improve water
    security in Hawaii.
        In the late 1800s, vast areas of Hawaiian forests were
    cleared by grazing, unregulated logging and fires. As forests
    disappeared, our water supply was threatened and streams and
    springs began to dry up across the state. In 1903, Hawaii
    established the first state forestry division in the nation,
    spurred by the recognition of the important connection between
    forests and water security.
        In the early 1900s, our agency undertook an ambitious
    effort to fence a million acres of forested watershed, remove
    introduced grazing animals, control wildfires and plant trees
    to restore deforested areas. A century later this work is no
    less relevant, and the State of Hawaii continues to prioritize
    watershed protection through the Governor's Sustainable Hawaii
    Initiative.
        With the recognition that 66 percent of Hawaii's forests
    are in private hands, we worked cooperatively with our Federal
    and private partners to establish the Watershed Partnership
    Program in 1991, an innovative voluntary partnership of forest
    landowners, organizations and agencies dedicated to the
    protection of forested watersheds. This groundbreaking model
    has been very successful in Hawaii allowing landowners to work
    across ownership boundaries to cooperatively manage watersheds.
        A number of federal agencies assist with watershed
    protection, research, and management actions in Hawaii. They
    assist the state with the landscape scale protection, watershed
    protection, management of ecosystems and native species and
    forest management on state and private lands.
        The U.S. Geological Survey's Pacific Islands Water Science
    Center has been conducting important research that quantifies
    how our forests protect our water supply and how forest
    degradation can dramatically decrease water availability.
    Research by the Biological Resources Division informs our
    management of wildlife and plant populations throughout the
    state.
        National parks and national wildlife refuges protect some
    of Hawaii's most impacted native forests. The Department of
    Defense and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered
    Species Programs are central to restoring populations of birds,
    plants and invertebrates that are part of an interdependent
    network essential to overall forest ecosystem health.
        The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its U.S. Forest
    Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm
    Service agency provides technical and funding support for
    Hawaii's watershed projects. In particular, the USDA
    competitive grants programs, offered through the landscape
    scale restoration, forest legacy, joint chiefs restoration and
    regional conservation partnership programs, directly contribute
    to forest management that enhances water quality and quantity
    in Hawaii. These competitive programs, in addition to the U.S.
    Forest Service and NRCS base programs, have expanded important
    work in upland forests and are critical for water security.
        With the growing threats to the nation's forests there is a
    need to increase the scale of proactive management; however,
    wildfire suppression costs are consuming the U.S. Forest
    Service's funding for preventative management to restore forest
    health and resilience, protect clean water supplies and support
    climate change adaptation strategies. There is a clear need to
    have separate fire and emergency response funding for wildfire
    suppression to maintain the Forest Service restoration
    management programs that promote proactive management of the
    nation's forests and will ultimately result in healthier, more
    resilient landscapes.
        Measures such as the proposed Wildfire Budgeting Response
    and Forest Management Act, the Recovery in America's Wildlife
    Act and the existing Healthy Forest Restoration Act can all
    help to promote sustainable forest management. Further,
    management of these diverse forest threats require up to date
    research as provided through programs such as the U.S. Forest
    Service's Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. They provide
    expertise in critical natural resource management needs for us
    here in Hawaii.
        Hawaii is faced with other urgent forest health concerns.
    The Governor talked about Rapid Ohia Death and the leadership
    from federal agencies such as the Forest Service, Agriculture
    Research Service, the USGS and the National Park Service have
    helped to provide research and guidance helping us to
    characterize and contain this disease.
        Federal agencies have also provided expertise to support
    the state's development of new mechanisms for watershed
    protection through programs that promise to provide financial
    incentives through private sector partnerships such as payments
    or credits for ecosystem services and carbon sequestration.
        Hawaii was an early leader in watershed protection and
    continues to engage on a national scale. Federal agencies add
    to the efforts of our local agencies and organizations and are
    essential to the success of our interconnected watershed
    partnerships.
        Thank you for holding this hearing on this important issue.
    Hawaii has a long history of forest protection and partnerships
    and we hope that Federal support and collaboration will
    continue to expand as both the threats and the importance of
    these forests are magnified in the future.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much to all of our
    panelists.
        I have some questions for each of you as well as for the
    panel at large, if we can get to those.
        Mr. Smith, given the Governor's recent announcement for the
    state to pursue the goal of protecting 30 percent of priority
    watersheds by 2030 and right now we are protecting, as he said,
    some 15 percent, it is clear that watershed protection and
    water security are priorities for our state.
        Can you speak more to how high of a priority these are for
    the state and how does this compare to the importance and
    prioritization these are afforded by the state ten or 20 years
    ago? And how do you think that these will be ranked 20 years
    from now? It is a series of questions. Along those lines, what
    needs to happen for the state to achieve its goal of protecting
    30 percent of priority watersheds by 2030? And are there clear
    ways in which the federal agencies can contribute to helping
    the state reach this goal?
        Mr. Smith. Yes, there is currently a real strong push from
    the state government to protect forested watershed. This is a
    continuation, I mean, the baseline for our agency is watershed
    protection, so this has been a tradition in our agency since
    its inception, you know. It is over 100 years worth of
    protection. Just recently there has been a very strong push.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Smith. From the recent administrations to protect
    native forested watershed. And you know, we expect that to
    continue on to the future. Our legislative leaders recognize
    the need, and the Governor is certainly strongly committed to
    it. And so, with continued support, funding support at the
    state level, we should be able to reach our goals.
        It is definitely an ambitious program and we are looking
    for legislative support. But we have been getting it and it is,
    along with leveraging through partnerships, you know, that is
    really one of the really keys here is to be able to leverage
    those partnerships.
        You are going to hear from stakeholders in a little while.
    They are the folks that we work with out on the ground to get
    some of this work done.
        The Federal agencies are key, you know, for things like
    Rapid Ohia Death and a lot of our forest management programs,
    you know, the U.S. Forest Service is a key agency.
        I think one real important thing is this fire borrowing. We
    need to fix that because that is taking money away from a lot
    of these sustainability programs.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Smith. And so, something needs to be done to make sure
    that we are able to put water into sustainability in forest
    health and resilience of the forest so they can adapt to some
    of the fire threats, especially in the Western United States.
    But even though it is the Western United States, fire problems
    affect us because the fire borrowing takes from the Forest
    Service and then employees are affected by having the programs
    that really support Hawaiian watershed forests.
        Senator Hirono. I am sure you are aware, or maybe you are
    not, but you certainly are Mr. Moore, that the Energy Committee
    in the Senate has had a number of sessions regarding the fire
    borrowing and what that is doing to the budget.
        For the Forest Service, while our Committee is well aware
    of the extent of fire issues all across our country, of which,
    by the way, Hawaii is on par in terms of the percent of acreage
    that burns. Of that, our Committee is very aware. We just have
    to get everybody else to understand that this continual fire
    borrowing is very detrimental. Of course we will continue to
    push for all of that.
        Do you feel that in the State of Hawaii with everything
    that is happening with Rapid Ohia Death, climate change,
    etcetera, that you are seeing a sense of urgency?
        You did say that we have been doing these kinds of programs
    for a hundred years, but do you feel more of a sense of urgency
    now with everything that is happening and what we need to do in
    Hawaii?
        Mr. Smith. Absolutely, and we've really stepped up the
    efforts in the last several years. The legislature and the, you
    know, at the Governor's request and legislative support has
    provided millions of dollars that was not previously allocated
    for watershed protection and management.
        And so, there certainly is a sense of urgency. People are
    starting to understand and seeing the effects of climate change
    and what not, and we're going to feel that very strongly here
    in Hawaii because we are out in the middle of the Pacific, all
    our water comes from rain. The Hawaiians said that the rain
    follows the forest and they understood, very clearly, that
    forest and water is interrelated.
        Senator Hirono. I think that our panelists from the Federal
    Government, you are very well aware that Hawaii is very
    uniquely situated and that we get so much of the water that we
    need from our aquifers and rain, as opposed to rivers and dams.
    We do not have those in Hawaii, so the partnership with the
    Federal Government becomes even more important, the various
    programs that we have.
        I am glad that the Governor mentioned Rapid Ohia Death
    because to the extent that is covering, I believe he said, some
    50,000 acres, and we have not figured out how to stem this
    Rapid Ohia Death issue in our forested areas.
        Mr. Smith. Yes, it's really a scary issue. Ohia is the
    keystone species for the Hawaiian forest. Losing it would be
    devastating. So those types of issues help to underlie, you
    know, the level of urgency on these.
        Senator Hirono. And in that we probably could use more help
    from the Federal agencies.
        Mr. Smith. Absolutely.
        Senator Hirono. Particularly, would it be the Department of
    Agriculture or what Federal agency do you think would be the
    most appropriate?
        Mr. Smith. We work primarily with Agriculture and are also
    working with the National Park Service because they have some
    big land holdings on the Big Island.
        But really being able to characterize the disease, figure
    out how it is spreading and be able to contain it, are our
    focus right now and the Forest Service is going to want to
    remain a partner to that.
        Senator Hirono. By the way, since a large part of our
    blueprint for what we need to do regarding water usage is to
    improve our community's understanding, you are also focusing on
    practices of the health department, I really do not know which
    state department, conservation aspects, and that we need to use
    less water in the State of Hawaii per person.
        Mr. Smith. Yes, absolutely.
        Senator Hirono. Can you get involved in that area?
        Mr. Smith. Absolutely. It is not necessarily in our main
    mission on the conservation side, but we do work closely with
    the water resource agencies looking at how water is delivered
    to residential and agricultural customers and working on ways
    to deliver water more efficiently, that they are turning some
    of the old ditch systems which had a lot of leakage into pipe
    systems so it is more efficient.
        I know Senator Gabbard, for instance, and Rep. Yamane are
    very keenly aware of the water conservation side of the
    equation.
        Senator Hirono. For Mr. Moore, I know that USDA has
    partnered with the Department of the Interior to pilot the
    Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership in six Western states
    and you did mention that in your testimony, I believe? That is
    in the continental U.S. for the purpose of reducing wildfire
    risk to water supplies. As you know, Hawaii is on par with
    Western states, as I mentioned, on percent land burned, and
    invasive species contribute to wildfire risk and threaten our
    watersheds.
        Do you think this partnership should be made permanent
    because right now it is a pilot program? And do you see
    benefits to expanding the partnership to Hawaii and other
    Pacific Islands, and if not this specific partnership, do you
    see benefits and opportunities for the Forest Service or more
    broadly, USDA, to engage in similar partnerships in Hawaii?
        Mr. Moore. Thank you, Senator.
        I certainly think that it has been very helpful in terms of
    engaging the greater community and to securing all water flows
    and water rights.
        You know, one of the things that we are noticing though is
    that this is going to be a long-term issue and what we have
    done in the past which we have to improve upon is engaging our
    youth because this is going to be, like I said, a long-term
    issue and our youth need to understand the importance and the
    connection with these urban areas, with these rural areas that
    provide the water supply.
        And I will give you an example in terms of how that is
    being affected. You know, a lot of the reservoirs supply
    hydroelectric which provides energy into urban populations. And
    when you have a wildfire and it really affects a number of
    things. One, the carrying capacity of the reservoir to generate
    that electricity. But the other piece is the burning down of
    utility corridors and having to reroute the energy and in some
    cases, do without energy.
        And having these partnerships really allows the greater
    community to be engaged in, not only what we do, but how we go
    about being responsive to the water flow.
        Senator Hirono. Since this is a pilot program right now
    with your agency, do you think that it should be made permanent
    and can we have something like this in Hawaii?
        Mr. Moore. I think if it is made permanent it would be a
    good thing, and I certainly think it can apply to Hawaii. I
    think Hawaii has a unique opportunity. The area, it is almost
    like a little enclosed island.
        Senator Hirono. Well, it is. [Laughter.]
        Mr. Moore. But what I have noticed is that----
        Senator Hirono. Most remote land is.
        Mr. Moore. It is a family environment and that most of
    your, the key non-profit, special interest groups, they work
    together quite well as compared to some of the mainland
    opportunities where there's a lot of consternation and
    sometimes litigation because we cannot agree on things. So I
    think putting this in Hawaii would be a great place because you
    have the partnerships and your relationships there.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you. I will be wanting to work with
    you on how to make----
        Mr. Moore. I would be happy to.
        Senator Hirono. This happen and to come to Hawaii.
        Mr. Anthony, in your testimony you mentioned the Secure
    Water Act and the work that USGS is doing to better understand
    water availability under that authority. The Act authorizes a
    number of programs to address water security in the West,
    including programs to study and improve security through a wide
    range of activities.
        Unfortunately, Hawaii is not eligible for many of these
    programs because Hawaii is not a traditional Reclamation state.
    And as an island state that faces severe, really challenging,
    water issues, I believe there is a need for Hawaii to access
    the same kinds of federal programs and assistance that have
    been so important in other Western states.
        What kinds of opportunities would strengthen federal
    engagement and support for addressing Hawaii's water security
    and what do you think are some of the opportunities and
    challenges to improving federal and non-federal partnerships to
    help address Hawaii's water challenges?
        Mr. Anthony. Thank you for that question.
        Yes, it is true that Hawaii is not termed a Reclamation
    state and if you would like more information on that and what
    it would take for Hawaii to become a Reclamation state I could
    have folks look into that and respond to the record for that.
        But what we have been able to do within the Department of
    the Interior is we have an initiative called Water Smart, and
    Water Smart stands for Sustainable and Managed America's
    Resources for Tomorrow. This Water Smart initiative allowed
    some collaborative efforts with USGS and the Bureau of
    Reclamation, and USGS' primary role in that is a national water
    census. That effort is extremely important because for us to
    secure our water future we need to understand how much water we
    are using and for what aspects of our sector, whether that be
    the industrial, utilities for public supply or agriculture.
        And our water use reporting in our nation is lacking. We,
    at USGS, work with states and federal agencies and local
    agencies to pull that information together every five years;
    however, that is not at a frequency that is sufficient enough
    to really assist decision-makers. Also through the National
    Water Census we have been able to provide grant funding to
    states to try to improve water use reporting.
        There are other aspects with the National Water Census that
    we are involved in related to estimating stream flow at
    ungauged sites or in our nation as well as assessing ground
    water availability and Hawaii is one of the areas where we have
    been doing these regional ground water availability studies,
    building island-wide ground water flow models for the island of
    Oahu, Mokelumne, sorry, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. Those models
    allow us to look at the impacts of developing ground water on
    stream flow as well as salinity within the aquifers.
        Also, as part of the National Water Census, we are looking
    at evaporation losses such as evapotranspiration and the role
    of ecology in the importance of sustaining ecological services
    and how the development of water resources does have
    consequences on our ecology and it is important to find a way
    to balance our needs for humans as well as ecology.
        And then finally under the Water Smart activity that USGS
    has there are geographic focus area studies that are being
    undertaken and there are three currently underway within the
    U.S. I am hoping that we could bring one of those focus area
    studies to Hawaii in the future.
        Senator Hirono. I would like to work with you on a number
    of those issues including enabling the State of Hawaii to
    access all of these programs that other Western states have
    access to.
        Now, there have been several of our witnesses who commented
    on a ``Blueprint for Action.'' I do not know if the two of you
    have had a chance to read this, but one of the suggestions that
    applies to what you were just talking about is regarding the
    reporting. The council that put together this blueprint
    recommends that USGS and our Water Commission and County Water
    Departments develop and establish consistent methods, standards
    and indicators to monitor the status and trends in fresh water
    availability, etcetera. If all of these different agencies are
    not using comparable measurements, that makes it difficult for
    decision makers to figure out what is really going on.
        So is this something that you can work with us on to
    develop these consistent measurements?
        Mr. Anthony. Yes, in fact just this year in cooperation
    with the State Water Commission, the USGS is engaging in a
    cooperative effort with them to identify what our water
    resource monitoring needs are in our state.
        Over the number of the last few decades there has been a
    decline in monitoring as money has gotten tight for water
    resource monitoring. And so, this effort is focused on trying
    to figure out where do we need to collect rainfall data, ground
    water levels, salinity data in our wells, as well as stream
    flow. And that effort is being undertaken, you know, again, in
    cooperation with the state water commission but also through
    that process we'll be engaging the county water departments and
    other stakeholders.
        And one aspect of that is how do we bring together the data
    that's also collected by others, not just USGS and as that
    initiative talks about ultimately creating a shared environment
    where all the data from the various agencies and others are
    coming together and perhaps one place for that is at the
    University of Hawaii as they've recently have an NSF grant
    called EPSCoR.
        Senator Hirono. Twenty million, I think it is.
        Mr. Anthony. Yes. And so that is a very nice opportunity to
    bring together.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Anthony. The efforts of many.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you very much.
        It is very clear that there are a lot of entities, private,
    public, federal, county, people working in all these areas and
    the word holistic was mentioned by the Governor and others.
        This question is for the entire panel. Can you provide an
    example of really successful landscape-scale management,
    something that you mentioned, you used that term, Dave,
    partnership and landscape scale meaning working across
    boundaries and jurisdictions and taking into account the water,
    land, wildlife, etcetera, for a holistic management approach?
        What aspects allowed the successful partnership to work and
    are those successes translatable to watershed management
    initiatives here in Hawaii? And possibly for the two of you,
    because you have an awareness of what is going on with these
    holistic approaches all across the country, is there a model
    that we can look at?
        Mr. Moore. Yeah.
        Senator Hirono. Mr. Moore.
        Mr. Moore. We don't have a national forest in Hawaii, so
    the experiences would be different. We'd be working through the
    state and looking at landscape but I'll give you some examples.
        In California under the Farm Bill, the Good Neighbor
    Authority, we have been working to use a lot of different
    moneys coming in to look at landscapes. And the thing that
    we've noticed is that watersheds, it just has no boundaries and
    that we need to get together with federal, state, local, and
    special interests and look at what's best for that landscape
    and what's best for that land.
        The Farm Bill authority, particularly under the Good
    Neighbor part of that, has given us the opportunity to have
    state money spent on federal lands and vice versa.
        You can also make investments. And we're exploring
    opportunities now where investment bankers are looking at the
    ideal of investment, restoration of the landscape that they can
    receive some type of a profit. We haven't worked that out yet
    but it's these types of new ideals that are emerging, simplify
    taking a landscape approach and trying to bring the greater
    community into trying to be responsive to needs.
        And so, the state, California, for example, has a cap and
    trade system. Some of already news that's generated from a cap
    and trade system, I noticed the Governor had put about $150
    million into the forested sector for the 2016 budget. And
    whether that's going to go through or not, I don't quite know,
    but it's recognizing the importance of forestry and how that
    greater community needs to be working together.
        So we're working on that now and we have examples across
    the U.S., Arizona, Colorado and other places where we're trying
    to work across boundaries so that it's irrelevant who manages
    those different boundaries, and we're seeing some successes
    there in California.
        We've estimated, I don't know if I'm giving you more than
    what you're asking for, but we've estimated the National Forest
    in California, about 55 to 60 percent of all the water runs off
    the national forest and it's the drinking supply for about 23
    million Californians. And if you had to put a value on that
    water, it's about $9.5 billion per year and that also helps
    support about a $38 billion agriculture industry.
        And so because you have most of that coming off the
    national forest, we're beginning to look at ways to explore and
    engaging a lot of other people in what we do because in the
    past the Federal Government, we would sit down and say here's
    what we think. What do you think about what we think?
        And what we're finding now through collaboration and
    facilitating the different expertise out in that greater
    community is that we sit down together and we decide what we
    want to think about and what we want to do. And I think--so I'm
    very hopeful moving into the future that that's the way to go,
    a more collaborative, facilitative approach. And using some of
    the authorities like under the Farm Bill and the Good Neighbor
    Authority is helping us to do that from the federal side.
        Senator Hirono. So it is not necessarily a one-size-fits-
    all, of course.
        Mr. Moore. No.
        Senator Hirono. But the key is for the stakeholders to be
    sitting together.
        Mr. Moore. Yes.
        Senator Hirono. And to identify what resources there are at
    the state, local and federal levels and to leverage those
    resources.
        Something you mentioned that was interesting is that you
    are getting the financial industry in California to step in. I
    do not recall that there are any of our financial industries
    who are involved in these issues?
        Mr. Smith. Well, we're working on models for carbon
    sequestration and getting different private organizations
    involved so folks like Hawaiian Airlines and Coca Cola have
    been already mentioned, and we're looking at--perhaps Disney.
    Some of these folks that cater to the visitor industry and
    looking at trying to calculate carbon impacts of traveling and
    going on vacation and flying and all that.
        These private companies are very interested in
    participating and trying to figure out how they can give back,
    how people that are traveling, how they can provide
    opportunities for people that are traveling to help offset some
    of the impacts of their activities. And so, that's----
        Senator Hirono. I think that is really important, because I
    would have liked to have somebody from our tourism industry be
    able to work with us today but we were not able to do that.
    Tourism is our number one industry and they, obviously, use a
    lot of water so they need to be at the table. Thank you very
    much for working toward that goal.
        Did you want to add anything to this conversation?
        Mr. Anthony. Yes, I'd like to point out two examples of
    partnership activities that, I think, are a good model to be
    thinking about.
        And one being an effort that's taking part in the Western
    part of the United States is it has to do with the National
    Drought Resilience Partnership that President Obama had called
    for where it's bringing together federal agencies to form a
    federal action plan to help states and local entities build
    resilience toward drought.
        And as you're well aware, there are many federal agencies
    that have a role in water, and there are efforts needed to help
    bring us together. This partnership, from what I'm hearing, has
    been quite effective and it's something that we've heard from
    the Western States Water Council that they're frustrated with
    federal agencies in that there are so many of them that deal
    with water and there needs to be better alignment in working
    toward common goals. And I think this partnership seems to be a
    good example of that.
        The other is something that's been going on locally here in
    Hawaii which is a NOAA-funded effort called Pacific Research.
    With that effort there are researchers at the East-West Center
    and others at the University of Hawaii, and USGS is partnering
    with them to try to bring together decision making tools that
    are addressing not only water but land management decisions.
    One of their focus areas is Maui, and they've been interacting
    with county and state government officials trying to understand
    what are the land management plans of the future. And then
    USGS' role in that is trying to figure out how those changes in
    land use may impact prime water recharge and ultimately ground
    water availability.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        I know that I am going to be working/following up with both
    of you regarding the various programs and whatever we can do to
    enable Hawaii to access more of the resources and programs and
    any other ideas because what is emerging, of course, is the
    need to bring everybody to the table in a way that doesn't
    drive everybody crazy, right? There are 50 people sitting here.
    We want to be efficient and effective in how we proceed.
        Thank you very much to the second panel.
        We will now move to our third panel, our last panel.
        We have Matt Gonser, he is with the Extension Faculty with
    the University of Hawaii, Sea Grant College Program. The
    University has done a lot of work looking at water security
    issues and, as mentioned, recently received a $20 million grant
    from the National Science Foundation to study over the next
    five years water sustainability issues in Hawaii.
        Next we have Trae Menard, Chair of the Hawaii Association
    of Watershed Partnerships. Trae works on Kauai and will provide
    not only the perspective of on the ground watershed protection
    but also some activities that are ongoing on our neighboring
    islands.
        Next is Dr. Sam Gon, who is the Senior Scientist and
    Cultural Advisor with the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, or
    TNCH. Dr. Gon, I look forward hearing from you, not only on the
    various watershed protection activities that TNCH is doing but
    also the importance of watershed protection in water security
    to the native Hawaiian community.
        We will start with you, Matt.

        STATEMENT OF MATTHEW GONSER, EXTENSION AGENT, COMMUNITY
      PLANNING AND DESIGN, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SEA GRANT COLLEGE
                                PROGRAM

        Mr. Gonser. Aloha and good morning. Thank you, Senator
    Hirono and the Committee for scheduling this hearing and
    allowing us to speak on the subject of integrated water
    management and efforts to improve Hawaii's water landscape. I
    also thank my fellow speakers for your important contributions
    on the subject today. Lastly, I thank Dr. Darren Lerner, the
    Director of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program,
    Interim Director of the UH Water Resources Research Center and
    the University Director of the Pacific Islands Climate Science
    Center, for affording me this opportunity to speak and
    represent the Hawaii Sea Grant program.
        The following is a summary of my full testimony which has
    been duly submitted for the record.
        Thank you to the Senate for passing S. 2848, the Water
    Resources Development Act of 2016. There are critical
    reauthorizations, modifications and additions designated in
    that bill, specifically those in Title VII, Subtitle B and C,
    relating to clean water infrastructure and innovative
    financing, respectively.
        We are also grateful to you, Senator Hirono, for
    highlighting areas that are important for Hawaii, such as
    making it easier for the Federal Government to enter into
    public/private partnerships for water infrastructure projects
    and directing the EPA to promote green storm water
    infrastructure projects.
        Hawaii has a history of water quality and quantity
    challenges. In the last two years alone heavy summer rains from
    both named and unnamed storms resulted in significant
    disruptions, ground water advisories and temporary beach
    closures due to sewage spills at multiple locations.
        In my work as an Extension Agent and member of the Hawaii
    Sea Grant faculty, I've heard strong local interest in
    receiving additional support, guidance and concentrated
    attention on topics of community greening, green infrastructure
    and flood risk reduction and resilience.
        In addition to certain rain and storm water conservation
    and efficiency practices of water capture, recycling and reuse
    and the regulation of storm water at the parcel and building
    scale, there are opportunities for interventions within the
    public right of way that can provide multiple community co-
    benefits. This highlights the integrated management and
    resource needs connecting agencies such as the National Academy
    of Building Sciences, Federal Highways Administration, HUD and
    non-profit professional organizations with national memberships
    in the design and planning fields.
        A case study in the challenges we are discussing today is
    the Ala Wai Watershed. The State, City, and County of Honolulu
    Corps of Engineers and community stakeholders have been engaged
    in efforts to understand and better manage the Ala Wai
    Watershed. These efforts were advanced this past legislative
    session with the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 61
    which endorses and supports the Ala Wai Watershed Partnership.
    With interest in a holistic systems approach to solving issues
    in the Ali Wai Watershed through Waikiki there are visions for
    ecosystem restoration, water quality improvements, flood
    mitigation and risk transfer and a coordinating entity to
    implement these visions. Partners encourage the Congress'
    continued support of the Corps in the Ali Wai Watershed through
    necessary appropriations and authorizations and urges to use
    the full suite of tools provided through WRTA.
        Trees are possibly the most conspicuous piece of
    environmental infrastructure and one that accrues benefits and
    becomes more valuable over time while also addressing other
    community, environmental and social justice disparities, choose
    our long-term investments with significant underappreciated
    returns on that investment.
        I currently sit on the Advisory Council for the State DLNR
    Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program. This program
    focuses on improving the health and viability of trees in
    Hawaii's urban and town centers. Funding for this program comes
    from the State and Private Forestry Branch of the USDA Forest
    Service. The work at DLNR, the Watershed Partnerships and
    Kaulunani are critical for a future green Hawaii and the
    programs appreciate Congress' continued support.
        Lastly, communities statewide have benefited from various
    technical assistance opportunities offered through the EPA, FTA
    and NOAA. Just last week Hawaii Sea Grant in partnership with
    the City and County of Honolulu submitted an application to the
    EPA to gain support toward flood resilience. If awarded, your
    small investment into the EPA's Research and Services will be
    further leveraged and extended through Hawaii Sea Grant's
    statewide extension network providing greater returns on the
    EPA's building blocks for sustainable communities program.
        The service of organizations such as Sea Grant within NOAA
    and WRRC and PI-CSC with the USGS continue to serve important
    research extension and education outlets for the vast and
    developing green infrastructure and climate and water
    resilience resources developed by EPA and others. Such
    activities only further federal resources, which is consistent
    with interagency partnerships and a 2011 Memorandum of
    Agreement between the EPA and NOAA, for example. This
    particular partnership identifies a strong Sea Grant role in
    delivering products, services, and research results to local
    community decision makers to meet the partnership's potential
    to serve state and local governments.
        In closing, we thank the committee for its willingness to
    conduct this field hearing and work on these critical issues.
        Thank you Senator Hirono for the opportunity to speak today
    and with respect to today's subject, we thank you for your
    continued support of the University of Hawaii and its Sea Grant
    College Program, Water Resources Research Center and Pacific
    Islands Climate Center.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Gonser follows:]

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        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Mr. Menard.

        STATEMENT OF TRAE MENARD, CHAIR, HAWAII ASSOCIATION OF
           WATERSHED PARTNERSHIPS, AND THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

        Mr. Menard. Aloha, Senator.
        Senator Hirono. Aloha.
        Mr. Menard. My name is Trae Menard, and I am providing
    testimony in my capacity as the Chair of the Hawaii Association
    of Watershed Partnerships and also from my perspective as the
    Coordinator of the Kauai Watershed Alliance for the last 11
    years.
        Really, you know, much of my testimony has already been
    covered so I'm going to excerpt it somewhat.
        The fundamental concept behind the watershed partnership
    model stems from the realization that the only way to address
    the primary threats to the forest is to work across landowner
    boundaries and apply the necessary management actions
    consistently and at a large scale.
        Before the partnerships these actions were occurring mostly
    on state and federal lands with very little private landowner
    cooperation. This resulted in fragmented protection.
        For example, before the Kauai Watershed Alliance was formed
    in 2002 there was very little communication between the state
    and private landowners and virtually no forest protection
    actions taking place on private lands and very little interest
    in conservation in general. Today, as David Smith mentioned,
    the private landowners account for a significant portion of our
    watershed lands, upwards of 66 percent, and these private
    landowners are now committed to protecting watersheds and
    conserving native forests.
        The partnership meetings are a forum to discuss everything
    from a variety of topics of the environment ranging from
    endangered species, invasive species, water issues and
    pollution. Whenever federal agencies are planning a particular
    action, like critical habitat designations, endangered species
    listings, they contact watershed partnerships so that we can
    facilitate communications with those private landowners.
        For the past 25 years the coordinators of these
    partnerships and their staff have been constructing fences and
    removing destructive feral, hooved animals from thousands of
    acres of priority watershed areas throughout the state and
    controlling invasive plants, some of which use significantly
    more water than the native vegetation. In many cases, they've
    been active in preventing and controlling wildfires, combating
    forest diseases and pests, like Rapid Ohia Death, planting
    native trees and restoring degraded areas, educating the public
    about the cultural, economic and environmental importance of
    our forests. All of these actions are detailed in watershed
    management plans which are developed by the coordinators and
    approved by partners in each of the partnerships and then
    implemented by the coordinators and their staff.
        The coordinators are responsible for compiling most of the
    environmental documentation and acquiring permits, with the
    help from their staff at the State Division of Forestry and
    Wildlife and holding public meetings. A typical day for the
    coordinators and their staff can include working with local
    hunters on the location of the next fence, managing complex
    helicopter operations in bad weather, hiking miles through
    dense forest and rugged terrain, crossing raging streams or
    rappelling off cliffs. This is a difficult and dangerous job
    and requires highly-trained, very skilled and dedicated staff,
    willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the goals.
        We've mentioned Governor Ige's goal, the 30 by 30, 30
    percent of our watershed forests should be protected by 2030.
    We are currently protecting 15 percent and 5 percent of that
    has become protected in the last five years. If we are to meet
    this ambitious goal, we need to maintain the pace of adding new
    fenced and managed acres while maintaining the acres that have
    already been fenced and protected. Daunting as it may seem, the
    watershed partnerships are fully prepared to make this goal a
    reality. We have the technology, the experience, and the proven
    track record of success.
        What we need is a constant flow of funding and this is
    where agencies like the Department of the Interior, the
    Department of Agriculture and even the Department of Defense
    can play a decisive role. We have a long history of working
    with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park
    Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resource
    Conservation Service and the U.S. Army among many more and hope
    to continue that relationship in the coming years.
        In closing, I wanted to leave you with a quotation from
    Hawaii's first Territorial Forester, Ralph. S. Hosmer, ``In
    Hawaii, the most valuable product of the forest is water,
    rather than wood. It follows that conservation of its
    watersheds by keeping them permanently clothed in protecting
    forests, is the chief duty of the forester.''
        The first foresters in Hawaii recognized the importance of
    watershed protection to sustain our fresh water resources and
    now it's our duty to carry on that vision and secure our future
    of Hawaii and its people.
        Mahalo for inviting me to present to this committee.
        [The prepared statement of Mr. Menard follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Dr. Gon.

        STATEMENT OF DR. SAM GON, SENIOR SCIENTIST AND CULTURAL
               ADVISOR, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF HAWAII

        Dr. Gon. Senator Hirono, if you'll indulge for a moment
    before I begin.
        [Chants in Hawaiian.]
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Dr. Gon. Aloha, Senator.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Dr. Gon. So, aloha, I'm Sam Gon, Senior Scientist and
    Cultural Advisor for The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, State
    Chapter of the National and Global Conservation NGO.
        In Hawaii we manage 14 preserves and work in 19 coastal
    sites partnering with government, private parties and local
    communities to help manage forests and coastal areas.
        So, mahalo again for allowing me to testify at this field
    hearing.
        Hawaii's native ecosystems once extended from the summits
    from each of islands to the sea and our cultural traditions
    reflect a long, close relationship with native forests.
    Hawaiians traditionally see ourselves as part of, not separated
    from, nature considering the plants and animals that share our
    world as kin, elders, ancestors. The land is aina, that which
    feeds us and its rich diversity help nurture and shape an
    equally rich and thriving island culture.
        The forested upland watersheds, in particular, we're
    considered wao akua, the realm of gods and not for human
    incursion except for very specific needs and it restricts
    ceremonial protocols. Water came from the sacred forested realm
    to feed agricultural fields and fish ponds. Forest trees
    provided wood for temples, houses, canoes, tools. Forest plants
    were gathered for medicine, food, ornament and many other
    purposes.
        Today, roughly half of our native land cover is gone,
    particularly from the lowlands and the vast majority of native
    plants and animals find refuge in our upland forests. We too
    still depend on that native forest for our survival and well-
    being.
        Our forests are our primary watersheds. They protect our
    reefs and our beaches from runoff. They clean and cool our air.
    They soothe and renew our spirits.
        And while historical impacts from agriculture, grazing,
    logging and development are responsible for much of the initial
    loss of native ecosystems, the threat today is ongoing
    degradation by invasive, non-native species, invasive animals
    that prey upon native species and spread disease and invasive
    plants that compete with and displace native ecosystems. In
    doing so they transform our forests by simplifying forest
    structure, altering soil composition, increasing the risk of
    fire and diminishing watershed function. Fresh water is
    actually quite a limited resource in the middle of the Pacific.
        Hawaii's latitude at 20 degrees is not a high rainfall
    zone, but for the topography and the forest cover of our
    Hawaiian high islands we would actually have very little fresh
    water. Trade winds moving across the ocean encounter our tall
    islands. Air is pushed upward rapidly into lower temperature
    and pressure. Airborne moisture condenses creating clouds and
    rain, the classic orographic effect.
        But cloud and fog interception by Hawaii's forest increase
    total water input by as much as 50 percent above the base
    annual rainfall. The 30 percent you cited earlier, that was
    from previous studies and it was on Kahala, in fact, the most
    recent numbers indicate closer to 50 percent.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Dr. Gon. Intact Hawaiian forests, therefore, act as a
    living sponge, collect fallout rain and moisture and slowly
    deliver this water into our aquifers and streams, absorbing
    greenhouse gases and greatly reducing runoff. And on Oahu it's
    where 85 percent of Hawaii's population lives, the forested
    Ko'olau Mountains alone provide 135 billion gallons of fresh
    water annually or about half of Oahu's ground water recharge.
        Seen or unseen that same forest function operates on all
    the main islands providing each island's water supplies.
        Despite some reprieve during the last two El Nino years,
    several locations in the state have experienced prolonged
    drought and it's intensifying again. Now we're seeing more
    frequent and more severe storms that increase destructive
    runoff, but at the same time we see less total rainfall overall
    at higher temperatures that impact our watershed health and
    encourage outbreaks of pests and diseases.
        We've seen a century long trend of decline of rainfall here
    and even sharper declines in recent decades. Recent studies
    have shown that native forests are better at capturing rain
    water and recharging aquifers that forests degraded by invasive
    species. In response to these troubling development we're
    taking action to mitigate and adapt to bolster the resilience
    of our natural and human communities.
        Conservancy is working with our conservation partners,
    public and private throughout the islands to protect our
    precious forested watersheds. Our strategic approach is focused
    on managing our statewide network of forest preserves and--oh,
    really, no. [Laughter.]
        And integral parts of the larger public/private watershed
    partnerships.
        In conclusion, we see opportunities here for greater
    collaboration and we want to take this opportunity to thank you
    for being a champion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund's
    Hawaiian Forests at Risk project.
        We want to fix the U.S. forest wildfire funding mechanism,
    as you pointed out.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Dr. Gon. And provide equity for Hawaii and the Federal
    Endangered Species recovery funding so that it's more truly
    proportional to the very large numbers of the threatened and
    endangered species found here.
        Thank you very much.
        [The prepared statement of Dr. Gon follows:]

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Senator Hirono. Thank you, and I want to thank you for
    starting your testimony with a chant. Thank you very much.
        Okay, so, I want to thank the panelists. This is the last
    panel, and this is a question for all of the witnesses. Do you
    think there is a role for federal agencies to play in
    landscape-scale watershed protection in Hawaii? If so, what
    would that role look like and would it be a program to provide
    grants for certain activities? Would it be the federal agencies
    assisting existing partnerships to provide technical
    assistance? What would the ideal federal role look like to you?
        Mr. Gonser. Sure, thank you.
        I would just like to offer and go back to your original
    points about what a watershed is and reminding ourselves that
    in our discussions today we're certainly focused on our upper
    forested watersheds, but that common outlet is the sea. So we
    need additional consideration for where we inhabit so, the
    state urban lands and understanding that landscape scale
    strategies will be vastly different in the conservation lands
    versus those urban and town centers.
        The landscape of funding opportunities seems to be shifting
    more toward competitive opportunities. I'm a little cautious
    toward that because of, you know, our small population. There's
    only so much new initiative we can try to take on at any one
    point in time.
        So if there are ways to increase some of the support for
    programs that were discussed earlier today and from my
    colleagues here, that would be beneficial, but also
    reconsidering ways we can utilize the state revolving water
    funds for infrastructure type projects, either for both clean
    drinking water, but also some of the green infrastructure and
    the recharge to reduce the rainfall runoff would be
    additionally beneficial.
        Senator Hirono. I will get back to you after the other two
    witnesses have made a comment.
        Mr. Menard. Sure.
        I think, you know, from the watershed partnership's
    standpoint, we do work with multiple federal agencies both in
    the funding aspect as well as some of the technical expertise
    like, for instance, from the USGS.
        I think one of the main benefits of working with the
    Federal Government is through the funding, obviously, and the
    ability of the watershed partnerships to be able to leverage
    state funding, private funding, to help actually provide match
    for federal funds.
        In the past, we've been able to get federal funding for
    fencing projects, particularly on Kauai, where I work, during
    the downturn, economic downturn, we were able to get funding
    through the Forest Service through the ARRA program. And that
    was--and that enabled us to actually hire a local fence
    contractor to construct our fence. And that actually saved a
    lot of jobs.
        And so----
        Senator Hirono. Are you talking about the ARRA?
        Mr. Menard. Yeah, the ARRA funds in 2011, I believe?
        Senator Hirono. Okay, yes.
        Mr. Menard. So----
        Senator Hirono. It was a one shot deal.
        Mr. Menard. It was a one shot deal.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Menard. But it came----[Laughter.]
        Senator Hirono. Thank you for maximizing what you did with
    that money.
        Mr. Menard. Yeah.
        You know, I think going forward, one of the biggest
    challenges I mentioned in my testimony is not only building
    more fences to keep pace and to achieve that 30 percent goal,
    but also to maintain the areas that we've already fenced off.
        And I think one of the, you know, like there's a quote from
    Kurt Vonnegut, that I like to use that one of the fundamental
    human flaws is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants
    to maintain. And I think that, you know, the more funding we
    can get to, not only build more fences, but also enable us to
    maintain what we've already got is going to be, you know, very
    important to reach that goal.
        Senator Hirono. In line with that comment we have huge
    infrastructure needs throughout our country to the tune of
    trillions. We need to address those.
        Did you want to add something, Dr. Gon?
        Dr. Gon. Certainly.
        I'm currently serving as the Chair of the Hawaii
    Conservation Alliance. That Alliance is a group of Federal,
    state and private organizations that together have combined to
    try to minimize the amount of duplication and to maximize the
    optimization of our efforts together in conservation in Hawaii.
    It includes the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife
    Service, the Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii,
    Kamehameha schools, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, State of Hawaii
    Division of Aquatic Resources. You name it. If it's an
    organization in Hawaii that's dealing with conservation, the
    Hawaii Conservation Alliance includes those members.
        Now it was through our efforts that we were able to pull
    together the resources and the arguments to bring the world to
    Hawaii for the----
        Senator Hirono. IUCN?
        Dr. Gon. Right, yes. Just recently and it was an amazing
    opportunity for us to demonstrate the power of that kind of
    collaboration of Federal, state and private organizations and
    bringing a focus on conservation.
        Therefore, the idea of how to fund our efforts here in
    Hawaii is a matter of coordination of the existing programs and
    ensuring that the highest priority management occurs. And in
    the conservation alliance the idea of protecting those large
    watersheds, those large landscapes of remaining native
    dominated ecosystems in Hawaii that provide so many services to
    us, is the way to go. And we get together and talk about what
    the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and
    all of the federal agencies are doing and how we can best
    coordinate those kinds of efforts.
        So, I think that that would be one excellent route to bring
    to bear focus and optimize the federal opportunities that might
    be here.
        Senator Hirono. So, Matt, just very briefly I know that UH
    recently, as I mentioned before, received $20 million. Was that
    a competitive grant that the University of Hawaii sought and
    got?
        Mr. Gonser. I actually am not so familiar with the
    opportunity that was offered.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Mr. Gonser. I believe it was the Science Foundation. I
    can't actually----
        Senator Hirono. Yes, so the National Science Foundation. It
    is a five-year study. That is a hefty amount for a study,
    sustainability in terms of water. So we will talk to the
    appropriate person. I guess it is not you, but you are doing
    other good things.
        Mr. Gonser. Thank you.
        Senator Hirono. Alright.
        Some of the things you mentioned leads me to this next
    question to all of you. Do you think that it would be helpful
    that federal agencies, such as the EPA, NOAA, DOI, USDA and I
    think I also heard FTA, DOD, all these federal agencies that
    have something to do with the subject matter at hand, formed a
    watershed protection council at the federal level to align
    their various watershed protection efforts and make accessing
    information and resources easier and support on the ground
    efforts that folks, such as you, are doing? Would that help to
    create a Federal Watershed Protection Council?
        Mr. Gonser. I'm not sure on say, the specifics of a title
    for it, but it sounds sort of in line with what has been a
    really successful Federal partnership between EPA, HUD, and
    DOT, the partnership for sustainable communities which really
    helps to educate the interconnectedness of all these systems
    that impact whether it's water resources, health or
    environmental quality.
        So along those lines but perhaps there are certainly better
    ways to bring in some of those federal agencies that don't
    necessarily get so engaged in the extension and education
    whether it's FEMA, through flood risk reduction because that,
    obviously, has a landscape and water component, others in NOAA
    and USGS as well.
        Sure, I could certainly see to Sam's, Dr. Gon's, point of
    better opportunities for coordination just to continue to
    maximize the investments that are already in place.
        Mr. Menard. Yeah.
        Senator Hirono. Mr. Menard.
        Mr. Menard. I think from my experience working with
    multiple agencies, it would be beneficial to have some kind of
    council where they could coordinate a lot of their actions, in
    particular, from the funding standpoint. Some agencies have
    certain requirements for grants that are different than other
    agencies, and certain agencies are going to be focused on
    funding a particular thing, like if there's a lot of endangered
    species in a particular area then that's the place to go, you
    go to the Fish and Wildlife Service. If it's a forest
    protection project, then you go to the Forest Service.
        I mean, I think that coordinating between those agencies
    and being able to say, okay, let's make sure that these guys
    get enough money to do the endangered species stuff and
    protect, you know, this much watershed and enough to get to the
    Forest Service to make sure that there's enough fire protection
    and other forest pathogens and pest money to go toward also
    protecting that.
        I think sometimes I wonder if there's somewhat of a
    competition for funding and maybe there could be some better
    coordination so there's maybe less overlap and conflict.
        But yeah, I mean in general I think it works fairly well. I
    mean, we've, like I said, we've gotten a lot of support from
    the federal agencies.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Menard. And we've been able to make that work.
        Senator Hirono. So this is not an idea to try to get
    another group of people who are siloed. The whole idea is to
    break through the silos?
        Mr. Menard. Right.
        Senator Hirono. And to maximize our resources which are
    scarce enough as they are.
        Did you want to comment?
        Dr. Gon. Yes, certainly.
        I think that the model that we have here in Hawaii with the
    Hawaii Conservation Alliance, as I mentioned, was built out of
    exactly that kind of frustration with the idea of slightly
    differing mandates, different ways of mobilizing funds,
    different mission statements.
        And so, what the conservation alliance has been able to do
    over the course of its existence since, gosh, well before this
    millennium, certainly, is to identify what each of those
    mandates allow them to do and then to work to optimize the
    total picture of what the state, federal and private
    organizations within the state can do. So it was built, kind
    of, out of a desperation of the fact that we had so many
    endangered species, limited size, great pressures on our native
    ecosystems to preserve them and you know.
        As a result we have been able to work out a very amazingly
    cooperative relationship, and I think that same kind of
    relationship can be forged at a national level.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Because it is not the easiest thing to identify all of the
    various federal resources and whatever grants there are because
    each one has a slightly different set of requirements and
    outcomes and all of that. It would help if everything were,
    sort of, put in one place so that as we deal with these issues
    that are common to all of us then we can do a better job. I
    will probably continue to talk with you folks and some of our
    federal agencies to see whether this is a fruitful idea.
        Trae, do you think that the state's goal of protecting 30
    percent of Hawaii's priority watersheds by 2030 is adequate and
    achievable? You noted that prior to 2002 there was not that
    much private sector, private landowner engagement in protecting
    our forested watersheds and now they are much more engaged.
    Maybe you can explain why this changed? Were there some tax
    incentives or something like that, and do you think that 30 by
    30 is an achievable goal and what do we have to do to get
    there?
        Mr. Menard. Okay.
        Well let me start with, you know, I'm at mainly on Kauai.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Mr. Menard. There was not a lot of private landowner
    involvement. There has been, prior to that, there was quite a
    bit of private landowner involvement on East Maui where the
    first watershed partnership was formed.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Menard. And so I think that was the model that we were
    following on Kauai.
        Senator Hirono. Yes. And there are now ten, right?
        Mr. Menard. Yeah.
        Senator Hirono. Those partnerships?
        Mr. Menard. Correct, yeah.
        But yeah I think when I first started as a Coordinator on
    Kauai and we started with the first watershed partnership
    meetings, and we got everybody in the same room together and
    people were just, kind of, looking at each other and going,
    wow, this is the first time we've ever really all sat down and
    had a conversation.
        And so I think from there, you know, I think that really
    developed into a base of trust so that when we were able to
    start moving forward on a plan and developing, you know, plans
    for fencing and for large scale invasive species control that
    would cross boundaries. I think that that level of trust needed
    to happen prior to that, you know. So now we're able to build
    fences across boundaries and including multiple landowners. I
    think before the partnership that probably wouldn't have
    happened.
        So that gets to the point of is it achievable? I believe it
    is because with these partnerships the communication is
    important because now when we do these large scale projects,
    you know, all the rights of entry, all the legal paperwork, all
    the, you know, differing processes that each landowner has and
    each agency has, you know, we can consolidate that into one
    meeting, essentially, and say, okay, this is the plan. How many
    of--you know, everybody is on board. There's a--it kind of
    greases the wheels administratively to get these things done.
    And so when we do get the money we're able to mobilize and get
    the money on the ground quickly and get the job done within the
    timeframe, you know, the allotted timeframe.
        I think that the reason I believe it's achievable is, like
    I said, we've achieved that in the last five years we've got
    that five percent. And so if we stay on track and maybe with a
    little bit of an acceleration, by 2030 I think we'll be really
    close to 30 percent. Yes, I do think it's achievable.
        Is it going to be easy? No. It's not going to be easy. And
    it's probably going to be increasingly more difficult as we
    get, as we approach that 30 percent goal.
        I think right now when we first started doing this we
    really kind of grabbed the low hanging fruits in terms of the
    lands that we were going to target, the most logistically
    simple, the politically simple, places that didn't have much
    conflict. And I think as we approach that 30 percent at the end
    we're going to need to really work hard to, you know, with
    communities and be able to really focus on achieving that. But
    I think, I do believe it is possible. Yes.
        Senator Hirono. I do realize that on the neighboring
    islands projects such as fencing, are really important. I
    wonder whether on Oahu, which is a much more urban situation,
    are we doing enough to pay attention to the call outs on
    Makaha, for example, in terms of protecting the watersheds on
    Oahu?
        Mr. Gonser. I'll let Trae speak more about the partnerships
    in general but for example, the Ko'olau watershed partnership,
    as you might imagine, stretches the entire range of the
    watershed. But the similar practices of removal of invasive
    flora and fauna and the reintroduction of native species in
    combination with the fencing, as I understand, is still the
    primary strategy and has proven successful across the state.
        Mr. Menard. Yes, I would say that yeah, it has improved
    quite a bit in the last few years. The watershed partnership in
    the Ko'olau has been able to put in some significantly sized
    fences and really achieve some pretty big goals.
        I think really when you look at the Ko'olau it's a
    challenging, it's a really challenging watershed partnership
    because when you look at, if you look at a landowner map
    there's, I don't know, a lot. There's probably more landowners
    per acre on the Ko'olaus than anywhere in Hawaii.
        And so that's always a challenge because when you're trying
    to do a big project with multiple thousands of acres that's
    even more landowners that you have to get and have an agreement
    with and being able to really, kind of, coordinate with. But
    nonetheless, they've been, they've really worked hard and
    they've been very successful so far at getting some areas
    fenced off in the central part of the Ko'olaus.
        The other challenge, I think, in the Ko'olaus is that it is
    an interface of very intensive urban development. So like,
    particularly in the Southern Ko'olaus where you folks work, I
    mean, I think that's even more critical to work in
    collaboration with the more urban watershed partnerships and be
    able to come up with strategies that span that interface. And I
    think that's going to be challenge but I think that's where
    it's exciting. I think it's a very exciting opportunity to do
    that.
        Dr. Gon. I'd like to add to that by pointing out that since
    85 percent of the population of the state is on the island of
    Oahu there is an opportunity to educate and bring awareness up
    for the majority of the state's population by engaging more
    focused effort in the protection of both Ko'olau and Wai'anae
    watersheds.
        The watershed history, as Dave Smith pointed out earlier,
    in 1903 the very first forest reserves in what would be the
    United States, is something that means that there's a long
    standing tradition of protection of our watersheds and
    recognition that those upland forests are essential, essential
    to our survival in the long run.
        It's easy to be disconnected from that system but I think
    everyone looks up into the mountains, sees that green watershed
    and it's easy to make that connection visually that that forest
    is essential to our life and to the water supply of this
    island, the most populated one.
        So, if we were going to put together a program to enhance
    both watershed development and protection on both the Wai'anae
    Mountains and Ko'olau, it's been done before. The arguments are
    there in place. We have a long history of very compelling
    statements about the importance of this. The Board of Water
    Supply would be right on it, of course. And I think that
    everyone in the state and on the island of Oahu is in a
    position to understand, grasp and appreciate how important
    those kinds of projects would be.
        Senator Hirono. Mr. Menard, you talked about all of the
    multiple landowners. How do we incentivize them to work with
    all of you to protect our watersheds? As I mentioned, are there
    tax incentives in place or what do we have to encourage them to
    come to the table?
        Mr. Menard. Well I think there are tax incentives in place
    for entering into conservation agreements, conservation
    easements and so forth and I also work for The Nature
    Conservancy and they've done a fair amount of those as well as
    the Mayan Trust and so forth. Those are, obviously, probably,
    the most direct incentive to, you know, to do conservation on
    their lands.
        You know, from the standpoint, like on Kauai, the
    landowners were incentivized by the very need for water.
        Senator Hirono. Okay.
        Mr. Menard. Some of our landowners were particularly
    concerned about the availability, the future availability of
    water, some of them had hydroelectric operations, others had
    agricultural operations that relied on the water from the
    forest.
        And so, when we first started talking about protecting the
    watershed they didn't really approach it from hey, this is
    going to be--we need some kind of a financial incentive to do
    this. They actually saw the need for it, and they actually
    realized it.
        You know one of the things like we talked a little bit
    about dams and so forth, when sediment runs down streams and
    fills up reservoirs or clogs up intakes, that's a big
    maintenance issue for them. And I think one of the landowners
    that we worked with on Kauai was particularly interested in
    eliminating a lot of the causes of that erosion.
        So, you know, there are incentives outside of just basic
    tax incentives and financial incentives, at least in the short
    term.
        Senator Hirono. I have a question for you, Dr. Gon. You and
    many folks in this room today know the land in Hawaii, of
    course, is very expensive and add to that the resources
    necessary to protect and conserve the land or in some cases,
    rehabilitate the land, and pretty soon you have a very large
    price tag.
        Can you speak to the importance of the Land and Water
    Conservation Fund, in helping landowners and land managers here
    in Hawaii to protect our forests and our watersheds?
        Dr. Gon. Certainly the idea of being able to protect the
    lands and waters, the forests and the ecosystems that we rely
    on with funds that are devoted to the protection of those
    resources, that's an extremely important incentive. It goes
    hand in hand with just the inherent value, cultural, water and
    other of the values that go with those forested ecosystems.
        So, we certainly, as we said, thank you for being a
    champion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and I think
    that there are huge opportunities in Hawaii for the application
    of those funds.
        The nice thing is that we've got a limited acreage. We know
    where those important forested areas are. We know the
    connections between the land and water resources. And so we
    would be able to move quickly to apply those funds in Hawaii.
        Senator Hirono. You were talking about you thinking that
    there is an awareness in the state of the importance of our
    watersheds. Do you agree with that, that there is a general
    population awareness of the need to conserve water and that it
    is not a finite resource in Hawaii?
        Mr. Menard. I would say that it needs to be, that that
    needs to improve.
        Dr. Gon. There's always a need for improvement, but I think
    that the Board of Water Alliance and various other folks have
    made it pretty clear to the population at large of the need to
    conserve of the fact that we have limited water supplies and
    maybe, to a lesser extent, of where that water comes from and
    what it depends on in order to maintain a supply into the
    future.
        Senator Hirono. For example, you said that on Kauai the
    landowners there saw the need, so it is not as though they
    needed a financial incentive to step forward and do what needed
    to happen. Places like California, where they experience
    droughts and where it is very clear that water is a finite
    resource there, and they put in all kinds of programs that we
    have never had to do here such as not flushing toilets and all
    of that.
        I am just not sure whether there is that connection from a
    consumer standpoint, because don't we consume more water in the
    state per capita than any other state?
        Dr. Gon. That may be true.
        Senator Hirono. We are way up there in terms of
    consumption.
        Dr. Gon. We also, at least on this island, have huge water
    resources, and I think that that has allowed us to be
    complacent about these kinds of things.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Dr. Gon. Therefore, the recent droughts on Maui and Hawaii,
    in particular, are beginning to draw attention to the fact that
    one size does not fit all across the archipelago, that there
    are places in which the water resources are in a different
    state and that there's much more need for conservation and for
    protection of the sources of that water.
        Oahu might be, you know, it rains pretty much every day and
    so people get a feeling of, they get complacent about that kind
    of thing. They look up into the mountain and they see that it's
    generally green and so you get the feel that our forests are in
    good shape. Whereas, those who know the conservation challenges
    of invasive weeds and the simplification of our forest
    watersheds and therefore a degradation of their ability to act
    as watershed. Those kinds of things are not so forefront in the
    minds of people, and I think that that needs to be enhanced.
        Senator Hirono. Yes, especially as the reality is that our
    aquifers are having to support a lot more people, a lot more
    tourists, and I think there is more we can do along those
    lines.
        Do you think that there is a particular awareness among the
    Native Hawaiian community as to the importance of water?
        Dr. Gon. I think that there is very easy to find very
    cogent arguments for the importance and the connection between
    forested watersheds and water supply in Hawaii in traditional
    knowledge.
        And so, that is certainly clear in the messages that were
    placed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.
        And so, the impression was that people in Hawaii were
    cognizant of those kinds of things. But I think that although
    Hawaiian knowledge is going to be important in pointing out and
    making the connections between people and place and people and
    forests and the importance of native species and forests, in
    general. Not everyone is in the state of sufficient
    enlightenment along those lines. And there's always room for
    education and improvement in awareness.
        Senator Hirono. Before you began your testimony you did a
    chant. Could you just briefly tell us what----
        Dr. Gon. Yes. It talked about how Oahu is clad in Oku Oku
    and the mist that cleans the mountain and that this is a mist
    that provides water to the Ohi Alawaka which is a type of Ohia
    tree in legend with white flowers on one side and red flowers
    on the other. And it talks about how that mist comes into the
    mountains and how the upright cliffs allow the rains to come
    and provide water to us, to us all.
        It speaks to an integration of the nature of just natural
    phenomena in the mythology and in the stories and in just the
    awareness of natural process to bring water to the land and
    provide life to people. So, that's what that totally was about
    it.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        Dr. Gon. I felt that it was an appropriate one for this
    particular session.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Dr. Gon. So that's why I shared it.
        Senator Hirono. It was.
        Dr. Gon. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to
    point out some of the features of that oli and why it was
    shared.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you.
        The cultural aspects of how the people of Hawaii feel about
    our environment are very unique.
        Dr. Gon. And in fact, rapid Ohia death on Hawaii island,
    where Mary Monarch came it was an opportunity for disaster if
    the world came to Hawaii, moved around on the island there and
    then moved to other islands and spread that disease to other
    islands.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Dr. Gon. But it was the Hawaiian community and the Mary
    Monarch organizers that took the leave and make sure to
    minimize the amount of Ohia Lehua that was going to be used in
    ornamentation.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Dr. Gon. And also to make sure that there was an
    opportunity to dispose of any lay materials so that it stayed
    on that island rather than moving back to the other islands. I
    think that cultural awareness and the cultural practitioners
    were really important in staving off what could have been an
    archipelagic disaster.
        Senator Hirono. Yes, thank you for pointing that out.
        Matt, you bring to the table the unique perspective of
    planning and design. Do you feel that groups in Hawaii
    understand the importance of and are amenable to designing
    urban spaces to incorporate green infrastructure and decrease
    demand on Hawaii's fresh water resources? And can you provide
    some examples or your assessment of what future projects and
    developments of this perspective may be particularly important
    for?
        Mr. Gonser. Thank you for that question.
        I shared their sentiments about levels of awareness and
    education and always opportunities to increase that. I'm glad
    you asked this question because I was going to offer that
    though we're speaking about water volume or water quantity
    which is a very important discussion, I think we need a really
    full court press on water quality issues, particularly in our
    urban and community areas.
        The same ways that we can make that direct connection with
    the environmental services at green or public spaces or trees,
    as I alluded to before, serve as they're trying to work in the
    upper forest to really manage water where it falls. We need a
    similar approach in our community and town centers.
        Either we need to do it voluntarily or in the next several
    rounds of our NPPS permits we'll be required to. So it's really
    the opportunity to get ahead of the game, to manage it onsite.
        I alluded to the public right-of-way because I really think
    it's a public right-of-way meaning either building-to-building
    or sidewalk-to-sidewalk. It's really our streets that the
    conspicuous relationship that we all have with this, which is
    our public space, though primarily for automobiles. If we can
    reintroduce nature and think about urban street trees through
    our Kaulunani urban and community forestry program and other
    programs at the county levels, I think that's a huge
    opportunity to both mitigate heat island as well as manage
    water onsite and will just become more and more important as
    our rain conditions evolve and change.
        Research coming out of an arboretum in Illinois recently
    found that of all the water inputs into a bioswale that had
    trees planted, so a bioswale meaning a slightly depressed area
    for water to infiltrate, filter somewhat, perhaps overflow into
    another area from the irrigation and rainfall these trees in
    bioswales were managing 50 to 75 percent of that water. So it
    was evaporating?
        So just the ability of these, I would call them, urban
    forests to help us both green Hawaii's communities and manage
    rainfall onsite, I think, would become integral as we move
    forward.
        Senator Hirono. Urban forests, that is an interesting
    thought. Do we have any such thing on Oahu?
        Mr. Gonser. We do.
        Senator Hirono. Where?
        Mr. Gonser. Actually Oahu has some of the best information
    of its urban canopy. There's a new urban kind of via assessment
    going out in the next couple of years and through Administrator
    Smith's--as I mentioned, the Urban and Community Forestry
    program which receives Forest Service funding from the USDA and
    is managed through the DLNR. They've been the ones managing the
    grant moneys to then do these assessments.
        The sad story is in this next roll out I believe we'll have
    seen a five-percent decrease over five years of our urban
    canopy. So, as I mentioned, these are long-term investments.
    They hopefully have long and healthy lives. So we need to start
    planting them now for the future.
        Senator Hirono. When you talk about urban forests, do you
    mean is it a matter of planting trees, maybe particular kinds
    of trees in our urban environment?
        Mr. Gonser. I would say the science is out. We still need
    more information on which species could provide those benefits
    I alluded to of urban heat mitigation and the storm water
    management.
        But when I say urban forestry, I really mean everything
    outside of our state conservation lands. It would be that
    expansive from our densely urban to our suburban and even to
    our rural town centers.
        Senator Hirono. So, for example, if we had pocket parks
    throughout our community then it would matter what kind of
    trees are planted in those parks because I don't know that
    there was much consideration given to those aspects of helping
    our water issues.
        Mr. Gonser. Yeah, and again, I'm just going to make a plug
    for the streets as they're essentially rivers or conduits for
    rainwater to flow.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Gonser. Expediently to the ocean. So if there are ways
    to repurpose.
        Senator Hirono. Yes.
        Mr. Gonser. Again, that which is our public space, to
    provide these other sustainability and community benefits that
    I believe are consistent with the values of a lot of the
    residents of the state. I think that's a very important
    opportunity to re-envision how we can be a green community and
    a model moving forward.
        Senator Hirono. Are we doing well in terms of the kind of
    considerations in our landscape that you just mentioned?
        Mr. Gonser. In short, we can do better but we do have
    complete streets policies which is a little bit off topic but
    it's about reallocating space for multiple modes of moving
    about our communities. And there are segments in there that
    include considerations for green infrastructure and urban
    forests.
        Senator Hirono. Thank you. Thank you very much. I want to
    thank our three panels and, of course, the Governor and our
    Senator and Representative and our people who came from the
    mainland. Thank you very much.
        I hope that maybe you can spend at least another day here
    or so to see what our environment is like and what our culture
    is like because I very much welcome the opportunity for Members
    of the Administration to come to Hawaii and to see that Hawaii
    is much more than a tourism and military place, important as
    those activities are to the State of Hawaii.
        Please, feel free to work with my staff on any places that
    you could go to experience some of the aspects of Hawaii that
    will enable you to become advocates for us as we go forward.
        For this last panel, thank you very much for all that you
    do.
        There will be an opportunity for people who want to submit
    questions, let me see, there are magic words that I am supposed
    to say. [Laughter.]
        In terms of the record being open.
        The official record for this Committee hearing will be open
    for two weeks and after this hearing should anyone want to
    submit any written testimony, you can do so by sending your
    testimony to testimony@hirono.senate.gov. For Senators and
    their staff, Members of the Committee or not, questions for the
    record are due by the close of business tomorrow.
        Thank you very much. I know that we will be working with
    you as we go forward. This is a very important topic. While the
    Energy Committee deals with what would seem to be energy
    issues, I really wanted to bring focus on the importance of our
    forested watersheds and that it is a part of the Energy
    Committee's jurisdiction.
        Mahalo nui loa to each of you.
        This hearing is adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 12 p.m. the hearing was adjourned.]