(HILO) - A group of people who have illegally taken over a portion of Wailoa River State Recreation Area were notified this morning to cease and desist by 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan. 6). Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) taped one order on a sign the group had put up at the park’s entrance. Another was presented to the group’s leader and another was posted in a small encampment.
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(Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i) – A woman, reported to be in her 70’s, was taken to the hospital this morning after what appears to be a shark bite incident. The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), in conjunction with Hawai‘i County authorities have placed shark warning signs, one-mile, on either side of Anaeho‘omalu Bay on the Kohala Coast at Waikōloa, after the woman was injured around 8 this morning.
(Honolulu) – DLNR has completed its independent review of the Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan implementation by the University of Hawai‘i (UH). Over the past seven months, the review was conducted independently for DLNR by Kuiʻwalu Consulting, to provide DLNR and the Board of Land and Natural Resources relevant information as to whether Mauna Kea is being effectively managed.
(Kaunakakai, Moloka‘i) – Surveys and investigations by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) staff suggest that recent instances of deer dying on Moloka‘i are due to severe drought conditions. DOFAW began receiving reports earlier this month of deer being found both on roadways and on private lands in West Moloka‘i.
(Honolulu) – The Waikīkī-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area (SFMA), O‘ahu, will be closed to fishing for one year, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2021. The SFMA encompasses the nearshore waters between the ‘Ewa wall of the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and the Diamond Head Lighthouse, from the high-water mark on shore to a minimum seaward distance of 500 yards, or to the edge of the fringing reef if one occurs beyond 500 yards. The area is closed to fishing during odd-numbered years.
(Kailua-Kona) –On Thursday December 31, 2020, the DLNR State Parks Division will be closing Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area, Kīholo State Park Reserve and Kekaha Kai State Park (Mahai’ula and Kua Bay sections) early at 5 p.m. Closing of the parks early is to discourage fireworks. All fireworks are prohibited in state parks to protect the natural resources of the area. The parks will resume their normal hours on Friday January 1, 2021.
(Lāhainā) – Hawai‘i’s rich collection of unique, native plant species has added a new member to its ranks: a new species has been described for the first time. Only one individual of the new species, named Cyanea heluensis, is currently known from a remote location in West Maui. While exploring the steep slopes of Helu above Lahaina, botanist Hank Oppenheimer and colleague Jennifer Higashino found a single large plant in the deep shade of a healthy ʻōhiʻa forest.
(Honolulu) - The beaches of Waikīkī are chronically eroding, and the backshore is frequently flooded, particularly during high tides and high surf events. Without beach improvements and maintenance, sea level rise is likely to result in total beach loss in Waikīkī long before the end of the century. The DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) will be holding a virtual scoping meeting next month regarding the Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice (EISPN) for the Waikīkī Beach Improvement and Maintenance Program.
(LĪHU‘E) – For the first time, the more virulent of two fungal pathogens known to cause Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death has been confirmed in the Kōke‘e area along Miloliʻi Ridge Road within Nā Pali Kona Forest Reserve. During helicopter surveys this month, one tree was flagged as highly suspect for the infection that leads to Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.
(Honolulu) -- The Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) will hold public hearings online for an update to the State Water Projects Plan (SWPP) in January 2021. The SWPP is one of five component plans that together constitute the Hawai‘i Water Plan. The major objective of the SWPP is to provide a framework for planning and implementation of water development programs to meet projected water demands for State projects, such as schools, harbors, parks, agricultural parks, and office buildings.