[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 801--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  ESTABLISHMENT OF HANALEI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND PEARL HARBOR 
            NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself and Mr. Schatz) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works:

                              S. Res. 801

       Whereas, on October 17, 1972, Pearl Harbor National 
     Wildlife Refuge was established as mitigation for the 
     construction of the Honolulu International Airport Reef 
     Runway;
       Whereas effective management of Pearl Harbor National 
     Wildlife Refuge has necessitated partnerships between the 
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Navy, the Federal 
     Aviation Administration, the State of Hawaii, and several 
     private conservation organizations, as well as the general 
     public;
       Whereas Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge protects some 
     of the last remaining wetlands on Oahu and is home to 
     threatened and endangered wildlife and plants;
       Whereas the Honouliuli and Waiawa units of Pearl Harbor 
     National Wildlife Refuge are managed under a cooperative 
     agreement with the Navy to provide wetland habitat for 4 
     endangered waterbirds: the aeo (Hawaiian stilt), the alae 
     keokeo (Hawaiian coot), the alae ula (Hawaiian moorhen), and 
     the koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck);
       Whereas the Honouliuli unit of Pearl Harbor National 
     Wildlife Refuge has served as a conservation site for the 
     endangered endemic Ko oloa ula shrub (Abutilon menziesii) 
     since its translocation there in 2002 and 2003;
       Whereas the Kalaeloa unit of Pearl Harbor National Wildlife 
     Refuge was established in 2001 to protect and enhance the 
     habitat for 2 endangered plants, the akoko and the ewa 
     hinahina, and is home to the largest and second largest 
     populations of these plants, respectively;
       Whereas all 3 units of Pearl Harbor National Wildlife 
     Refuge are closed to the general public to protect endangered 
     wildlife but provide educational and volunteer opportunities 
     during the nonbreeding season of the aeo;
       Whereas the Honouliuli unit of Pearl Harbor National 
     Wildlife Refuge serves as the site of the wetlands education 
     program conducted by the Hawaii Nature Center, bringing more 
     than 4,000 third-grade students to the Honouliuli unit during 
     the fall semester to learn about the recovery of Hawaii's 
     waterbirds and the value of wetlands;
       Whereas Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge was established 
     under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (Public 
     Law 89-669; 80 Stat. 926) on November 30, 1972, to aid in the 
     recovery of threatened and endangered species, including the 
     aeo, the alae keokeo, the alae ula, the koloa maoli, and the 
     nene (Hawaiian goose);
       Whereas Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge consists of 917 
     acres in Hanalei Valley on the north shore of Kauai island 
     and includes a portion of the Hanalei River, a designated 
     American Heritage River;
       Whereas Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge provides an 
     important habitat for a diverse array of fish, wildlife, and 
     plants, including 27 species of migratory waterfowl, 23 
     species of migratory shorebirds, and all 5 species of endemic 
     Hawaiian oopu (amphidromous gobies);
       Whereas kalo farming has occurred for several hundred years 
     in Hanalei Valley and remains an ecologically, culturally, 
     and economically important practice on Hanalei National 
     Wildlife Refuge;
       Whereas kalo farming in the greater Hanalei watershed, 
     including Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, provides shallow-
     water habitat for threatened and endangered waterbirds and 
     generates at least 40 percent of all kalo grown in the State 
     of Hawaii; and
       Whereas the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is opening the 
     new Hanalei Viewpoint to provide residents and visitors with 
     increased opportunities to learn about and connect with the 
     natural and cultural history of Hanalei Valley and the 
     Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates and celebrates Pearl Harbor National 
     Wildlife Refuge and Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge on the 
     50th anniversary of their establishment;
       (2) acknowledges the range of natural and cultural wonders 
     that make up the other national wildlife refuges of the State 
     of Hawaii, including--
       (A) Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge;
       (B) Huleia National Wildlife Refuge;
       (C) Kakahaia National Wildlife Refuge;
       (D) James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge;
       (E) Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge;
       (F) Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge;
       (G) Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge; and
       (H) Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge; and
       (3) encourages the people of Hawaii and of the United 
     States to learn about, support, and appreciate those national 
     wildlife refuges, which are national treasures.

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