With the announcement on Sep 29 2021 that 9 more species are now extinct in Hawai’i, it should spark more concern more for Critically Endangereed Species of Kaua’i.
This 25 acre parcel planned for this development is habitat for 2 species found nowhere else in the world. Both the Kaua‘i cave wolf spider and the Kaua‘i amphipod are found only in the Koloa area of Kaua‘i. They occur in the Koloa-Poipu underground cave ecosystem, these two species are only to be in found in less then a dozen caves and lava tubes.
Both of these cave animals are threatened by habitat destruction due to construction and unsuitable pesticide use. If the caves cracks or voids are drafty or exposed to drying conditions the cave animals will retreat, if possible, to more suitable habitats.
The will not only loose more critical habitat but are also at risk of becoming completely extinct due to habitat loss.
The Koloa lava tubes of Kauai and their associated endangered fauna were identified as one of the ten most endangered cave communities in the world (Tongvig and Mylroie, in litt. 1998; Belson 1999)
April 9, 2003, the USFWS designated 272 acres in southern Kauai as critical habitat. One year earlier, the agency had proposed that 4,193 acres should be designated as critical habitat, but changed the proposal because it would have been very costly to private landowners in Hawaii.
The longest known cave on Kauai was located upslope from Kiahuna, between the Koloa Mill on the east and Koloa Town on the west.
The adjacent subdivision directly across from this property “Wainani”, actually got OK to destroy 3 caves during development!
Please help by signing and sharing this petition to help spread awareness of Kauai`s critically endangered species and cave ecosystem.
Donate to our non profit 501(C)(3)
E Ola Kakou Hawai’i
Venmo- Eolakakouhawaii311