(Honolulu)–Beginning on February 1, 2019 the operating hours of the ‘Iolani Palace State Monument grounds will change from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to an earlier closure time of 6:00 p.m.
State Parks
(Honolulu) - The carcass of a sperm whale, first spotted off-shore from Kewalo Basin yesterday is now “hard-a-ground” adjacent to Sand Island State Recreation Area. Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), are working with NOAA’s Marine Mammal Response team, and City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety on plans to try and remove the carcass on Saturday.
(Kailua-Kona) – The Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding the public that West Hawai‘i State Parks will close early at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, New Year’s Eve. Parks closing early include Hāpuna, Kīholo and Kekaha Kai (Mahai’ula and Kua Bay sections).
HONOLULU -- Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) is one of Hawaii’s most iconic geological features and a significant natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resource. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of State Parks (Hawai‘i State Parks), is seeking to improve and diversify the visitor’s experience and recreational opportunities at Diamond Head State Monument.
(Honolulu) – The annual First Day Hike on the Makapu’u Light House Trail at the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline on O‘ahu is arguably the most unique of the nearly 1,200 hikes in America’s State Parks each New Year’s Day. While far from the most difficult it is one of the best attended with an estimated 700 people making the short, two-mile-roundtrip hike to an overlook where participants can see the first sunrise of 2019.
(Hilo) – Today at 7:45 a.m. the gate to Lava Tree State Monument in the Puna District on Hawai‘i Island will open for the first time in more than seven months. The state park within eyesight of the East Rift Zone’s Fissure 8 was closed shortly after Kīlauea began erupting in May.
(Honolulu)–Early risers who are planning to hike the popular Makapu‘u trail next Tuesday are advised that the DLNR Division of State Parks is planning maintenance work on November 27, 2018. The maintenance work is planned for both the Makapu‘u parking lot and lighthouse trail. The parking lot will be closed until 10 a.m. that morning.
HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks has received a $100,396 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Marine Debris Program to install water bottle filling stations in 15 State Parks statewide over the next three years. The goal of the project is to reduce the use of single-use plastic water bottles which can become marine debris and harm Hawai‘i’s environment and marine life.
(Hilo) - Next week staff from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee, the DLNR Divisions of State Parks and Forestry and Wildlife will be working to fell and remove several `ohi`a trees that show symptoms of the fungal disease known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). After the first suspected detection at Kalōpā State Recreation Area in late July, three trees were sampled in the park and three in an adjacent forest reserve. Five of the six samples tested positive for C. lukuohia, one of a pair of fungi associated with Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death and the most aggressive of the two.
(Honolulu) - Grassroots groups Ka Iwi Coalition and Livable Hawaii Kai Hui (LHK), together with the DLNR Division of State Parks, will unveil and dedicate a bronze commemorative plaque during a ceremony at noon on Thursday, November 8, 2018. The ceremony is open to everyone. The date marks the 30th anniversary of the historic Sandy Beach Initiative vote, a key turning point in the people-powered defense of the open-space wilderness between Hanauma Bay and Makapu’u.