§195D-25 Endangered species recovery committee. (a) There is established within the department for administrative purposes only, the endangered species recovery committee, which shall serve as a consultant to the board and the department on matters relating to endangered, threatened, proposed, and candidate species. The committee shall consist of two field biologists with expertise in conservation biology, the chairperson of the board or the chairperson's designee, the ecoregion director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the director's designee, the director of the United States Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division or the director's designee, the dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of natural sciences or the dean's designee, and a person possessing a background in native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, as evidenced by:
Nongovernmental members shall be appointed by the governor pursuant to section 26-34. Nongovernmental members shall not serve for more than two consecutive terms. Nongovernmental members shall serve for four-year staggered terms, except that one of the members first appointed shall serve for two years.
Governmental members from the federal agencies are requested but not required to serve on the committee. The ability of the committee to carry out its functions and purposes shall not be affected by the vacancy of any position allotted to a federal governmental member.
(b) The endangered species recovery committee shall: