(LYDGATE PARK, KAUA'I) A trio of endangered Newell’s Shearwaters, or ‘a‘o was blessed and released this morning from Lydgate Park on Kauaʻi by a group of 40 Island School students and the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP). The practice has become an annual rite of passage, both for students and for the seabirds, rehabilitated by KESRP.
Forestry & Wildlife
HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are one step closer to protecting forest birds from mosquito-borne diseases in key high-elevation native forest bird habitat on Kauaʻi, with their proposal to employ Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to reduce mosquito populations. A jointly prepared Environmental Assessment (EA) has been finalized and issuance of a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) at the state and federal levels.
(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) - For three days, Jake Kane watched piles of mulch smolder and smoke after it ignited in the August 8 wildfire. The mulch was used in his work as owner of Kane’s Legacy Tree Services. Days after the fire that devastated Lāhainā, Maui County firefighters were still pouring thousands of gallons on the stubborn, burning layers of mulch.
(HONOLULU) – A trio of divisions under the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources are set to begin a three-month-long pilot project which allows state conservation enforcement resource officers to issue tickets and/or fines on the spot for violations of rules.
(HONOLULU) – The Moloka‘i community came together to clean-up Pāpōhaku Beach, after a boat, grounded on the reef, broke apart in heavy surf and littered the shoreline with debris. DLNR Deputy Director Laura Kaakua said the actions of local residents, who cleaned most of the vessel’s debris off the beach, made a big difference. “This was a good example of a community and government coming together. DLNR extends our heartfelt appreciation to the Maunaloa community for their care of Pāpōhaku,” Kaakua said.
(WAIHOU SPRING FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Two days shy of the two-month anniversary of the start of the 1,000-acre Olinda Fire, daily fire patrols continue. Firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) continue checking for hot spots and smokers.
(HONOLULU) – October is “Stop the Ant Month” in Hawaiʻi and a multi-agency effort throughout the month will encourage residents to collect and submit ants from their properties to help detect and control the spread of invasive little fire ants (LFA) and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state.
(KAHULUI) — A unique plant first seen in the high forests of West Maui in 2020 has now been officially recognized as a new Hawaiian species. The plant, now named Clermontia hanaulaensis, was found during routine surveys by botanist Hank Oppenheimer of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP), a partnership with DLNR and the University of Hawai‘i.
(KEKAHA, Hawaii) – The Department of the Navy signed a $4.14 million Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Cooperative Agreement award with the State of Hawaii to fund conservation programs around the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands on Kauai.
(HONOLULU) - Three grant opportunities to assist landowners in reducing fire risk and restoring landscapes are now open and accepting applications via the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The opportunities include Landscape Scale Restoration grants, Community Wildfire Defense grants, and Wildland-Urban Interface grants. All three opportunities are funded by the US Forest Service and full details are available through the Hawaiʻi Awards and Notices Data System.