HI SB2755

Appropriates funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to collaborate with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources on a state-wide species assessment of pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl) populations.

Requires species assessments to be conducted in each county in phases, beginning with the City and County of Honolulu, followed by the County of Hawaii, County of Kauai, and County of Maui.

Funding includes allocation for vehicles and supplies, one full-time lead researcher and one full-time technician, one full-time volunteer coordinator, and overhead costs for fiscal year 2020-2021.

Recognizes pueo as an endemic subspecies with cultural significance in Hawaiian traditions and notes that a comprehensive assessment of pueo populations across the main Hawaiian islands has never been conducted.

Takes effect on July 1, 2050.