HI SB2078

Appropriates funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct breeding ecology and foraging ecology studies on the pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl) statewide, in collaboration with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Studies shall be conducted in each county in sequential phases: City and County of Honolulu, County of Hawaii, County of Kauai, and County of Maui, with each phase beginning upon completion of the previous phase.

Funds may be used for hiring necessary staff, equipment, and dissemination of research to identify preferred breeding and foraging habitats and ensure the continued survivability of the pueo.

Recognizes the pueo's cultural significance to Hawaii, noting it is an endemic subspecies revered by ancient Hawaiians as an 'aumakua (ancestral guardian) and known as the "bird of wisdom."

Takes effect on July 1, 2051.