A project to eradicate rats on a tiny island off of Niihau started today with the first of three bait applications of rodenticide.

The Department of Agriculture approved a permit Tuesday for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to apply the first round of rodenticide on Lehua island in an effort to create a predator-free sanctuary for endangered and threatened seabirds.

DLNR Spokesman Dan Dennison said the bait application started at about 7 a.m.

The project has sparked community concerns involving the rodenticide to be scattered throughout the 284-acre island located nearly a mile off of Niihau and how it would impact marine life and environment.

In a news release, the agriculture department said, “The HDOA has worked closely with State Senator Ron Kouchi and State Representative Dee Morikawa in addressing the Kauai community’s concerns to ensure that appropriate safety measures and procedures were developed to minimize any adverse effects to marine mammals, fish and wildlife.”

Boats are advised to stay out of the channel between Lehua island and Niihau during the bait application today. Diphacinone in cylinder-shaped pellets will be spread throughout Lehua island from a hanging bucket on a helicopter. The helicopter will be flying back and forth across the channel during the application.

Agriculture Department Chairman Scott Enright is on Niihau to monitor the procedure. Pesticide enforcement staff are also on Lehua island.

State Rep. Dee Morikawa who represents Niihau, Lehua, Koloa and Waimea said there’s still a lot of residents who are angry about the project.

Morikawa said she hopes the project will be successful in eradicating rodents without harming any marine life. “I’m hoping for the best.”

There will also be an active monitoring program after the rodenticide is applied to address any environmental concerns.

Earlier this month, Morikawa had sent a letter to DLNR requesting the state to delay the project until concerns were addressed. The land agency originally planned to start the bait application on Aug. 8 but was still awaiting permits from the agriculture department.

“Residents are very concerned about the process of dropping poison on Lehua island to kill rats, especially as we enter the hurricane season. There are also questions about the possible effects of the poison on the coral reef, the endangered monk seal and green sea turtle, and fish near the island,” Morikawa said in the letter.

Suzanne Case, chairwoman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, responded to her letter where she said the rodenticide will have no significant impacts on marine life and the environment.

Morikawa had attended a July 25 public informational meeting, the third informational meeting on the eradication project, where the state and consultants were to discuss the final environmental assessment on the project. But the meeting was contentious, and “angry exchanges” occurred between residents and consultants.”

This is the state’s second attempt to rid the island of rodents. The first attempt took place in 2009 during the winter season. The project didn’t completely eradicate the critters. A factor was vegetation was abundant for rats to consume rather than the bait pellets.

Kauai residents also raised concerns about the timing of the bait application because of the hurricane season where strong winds and heavy rain could cause bait pellets to wash into the ocean.

In the letter to Morikawa, Case said they will monitor weather forecasts to ensure there are no heavy rain forecasts “for at least three days after the application, and no winds above 25 mph during the application.”

Regarding concerns raised on whether the rodenticide would have any impacts on marine life, Case said monk seals were not impacted by the rodenticide in the 2009 rat eradication project. Diphacinone also wasn’t detected in tissue samples of fish in surrounding waters.

Case also said there are no records of Hawaiian green sea turtles nesting on Lehua island. Data also showed the rodenticide did not impact coral.

“Given the relatively low toxicity of the product being used and the successful use of this technique around the world, we feel confident that the project will succeed in removing rats with no significant impact to the surrounding environment,” she said in the letter.

The Garden Island newspaper on Kauai published a piece in its editorial page Saturday from Case where she addressed community concerns.