Endangered birds delay construction

By NANCY COOK LAUER 

Stephens Media 

The presence of endangered Hawaiian stilts and coots is delaying a $12 million upgrade to the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

The county must work around the nesting schedule of the birds, Dora Beck, acting director of the county Department of Environmental Management, told the Environmental Management Commission on Wednesday. 

Both waterfowl are endangered species, with counts by Ducks Unlimited and the Hawaii Department of Forestry and Wildlife in the late 1990s showing only 130 stilts and 196 coots on the Big Island, primarily in West Hawaii. 

Beck said her staff met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel in mid-February to discuss their concerns about the project. The county is now awaiting a determination on a schedule and mitigation plan from the federal agency, she said. Phone messages left with the agency were not returned Wednesday. 

“Worst case, this could result in some delays,” Beck said. “Hopefully whatever they propose is not too ridiculous.” 

The county had originally planned to start the project in the second quarter of this year. The County Council in February unanimously approved a $12 million bond authorization and authorized Mayor Billy Kenoi to work with the Department of Health for a State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund loan to get the project moving. 

The delay means the upgrade won’t go out to bid until the third quarter of the year at the earliest. Construction is anticipated to begin in the last quarter of this year or early 2014, Beck said. 

The plant’s aeration upgrade project will restore the facility’s treatment capacity to its intended 5.1 million gallons per day, ensure compliance with an existing variance allowing the discharge of suspended solids, allow future upgrades to provide water that can be used for irrigation in public areas and reduce electricity costs, according to DEM. That will help accommodate future increased discharge at the facility prompted by closures of cesspools. 

The $42 million wastewater treatment plant, located makai of Queen Kaahumanu Highway near Hale Makai Place, opened in mid-1993. Original plans called for effluent to be treated there and reused for irrigating the area. Those plans are still in the works, with effluent planned to be used at some point in the future at businesses located along the highway, Beck said. 

Commission Chairwoman Anne Lee praised Beck and the department for their work on wastewater issues. Lee said the County Council seemed very supportive of wastewater projects and she predicted the projects will be a priority in the coming year. 

Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.c

http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/endangered-birds-delay-construction.html

Bird nests halt construction of Willits bypass

By MELODY KARPINSKI

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 6:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 6:26 p.m.

The construction of the controversial Willits bypass off of Highway 101 has stuttered after the discovery Monday of a bird nest that interfered with the first day of construction.

Two bird nests were discovered on the site, the first of which CalTrans officials suspected to be man-made. A second nest was removed for analysis by a California Department of Fish & Wildlife environmental scientist.

The discovery of the second nest caused CalTrans to voluntarily suspend construction until consultations with Fish & Wildlife were complete, said Phil Frisbie, a Mendocino County CalTrans official.

The bypass project has met opposition from environmental groups and local busineses, and caused a 24-year-old Willits woman to stage a tree-sit protest. Environmental groups have said that CalTrans is out of compliance with the federal Migratory Bird Protection Act.

“Our main concern is that this is the migratory season,” said Sara Grusky, a leader of the group Save Our Little Lake Valley, which is protesting the bypass. “They shouldn't be allowed to remove that vegetation.”

CalTrans is abstaining from the removal of further vegetation pending re-evaluation of the area in conjunction with the Fish & Wildlife department, Frisbie said.

“We are working with them to make sure we are meeting with all state and federal regulations,” Frisbie said.

Prior to the discovery of the nest and the need for re-evaluation, Frisbie maintained that CalTrans followed the law and remained within their permit constraints.

One point of contention is the allegation that the first nest found on the site was man-made, something Grusky calls “outrageous.” Frisbie said a CalTrans biologist and permit compliance officer Jerome Washington made the allegation based on how the nest was woven and where it was found.

Construction briefly resumed Tuesday until two protesters, Grusky and Jamie Chevalier, stepped in front of the excavators, which paused construction a second time. Frisbie said the construction was stopped due to the crew running out of materials, and not because of the protesters.

The tree-sitting Willits woman calling herself “Warbler,” remains in a pine tree just off of Highway 101, still hoping to stop the bypass. “Warbler,” whose real name is Amanda Senseman, ascended the tree Jan. 28 and has refused to come down despite concerns from local law enforcement and a rash of snowy weather.

Senseman's actions have attracted a number of supporters and critics. Senseman disagrees with the stigma of some of the labels critics have attached to her, saying she does not consider herself a radical environmentalist or a hippie anarchist.

“I don't consider myself any of those things. I'm just someone with common sense who's looking towards the future,” Senseman said. “We don't need another four-lane freeway, we need more sustainability.”

Frisbie said CalTrans is currently taking a “hands-off” approach to Senseman's actions in an effort to respect her freedom of speech. Construction on the bypass is expected to resume by the end of the week.

You can reach Staff Writer Melody Karpinski at 521-5205 or melody.karpinski@pressdemocrat.com.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130227/ARTICLES/130229579/1010/sports?p=2&tc=pg

Rare birds halt Shell Cove marina project

The appearance of rare birds at the Shell Cove boat harbour construction site has prompted Shellharbour City Council and Australand to delay building a section of a three-metre-high earth noise barrier.

In recent weeks Illawarra bird-watching groups have spotted a number of rare and endangered birds in the Shellharbour Swamp area, including the endangered painted snipe and several migratory birds including Latham's snipe and the pectoral sandpiper.

A council spokeswoman said to accommodate the migratory birds, Shellharbour Council and Australand sought approval from authorities to delay the north-eastern segment of the wall until the threatened species migrated in April, while allowing works to continue some distance away from that section of the bund wall.

This pond area and swamp, once part of the former council rubbish tip site, will eventually be filled in as part of the approved boat harbour development, but will be used as part of the water management process during the early stages of construction.

Michelle Rower, who is a member of the Illawarra Birders and the Illawarra Bird Observers Club, said she was delighted.

The sightings, particularly of the painted snipe, had created a buzz among local bird watchers.

"The Latham's snipe will likely migrate between February and mid-March and the pectoral sandpipers will hang around for another month," Ms Rower said.

"The painted snipe pops up in different places so you don't really know how long it will stay, but hopefully it will be gone by the time they start constructing the wall."

Continued:  http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1254445/rare-birds-halt-shell-cove-marina-project/?cs=12