(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) is investigating the possible destruction of four, endangered Hawaiian ʻānunu vines in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve on the backside of Pu‘u Huluhulu. This is where thousands of protesters have been illegally blocking Mauna Kea Access Road since mid-July. In addition to the alleged cutting of these vines, DOCARE officers found evidence that other rare plants have been trampled, either inadvertently or intentionally.
Main
(Honolulu) – The severe and widespread coral bleaching event predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is already occurring along reefs across the state. Last week, a team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) conducted a rapid assessment of coral health at Molokini and along Maui’s south shore from Makena to Maalaea.
(Honolulu) – Fee increases for users of Hawai‘i small boat harbors and boating facilities will be implemented soon, after they were signed into law by Governor David Ige on August 13, 2019. “Our goal was to set fees that are fair according to use,” said Ed Underwood, Administrator for DLNR's Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR). "DOBOR is only allowed to collect fees to pay for expenses of operating, maintaining, and managing our facilities. The revenues from the fee increases over time will help to reduce the significant backlog of deferred maintenance so we can make our harbors safe and appealing once again.”
(Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area) - 45 women, mostly from Hawai‘i, spent the last few days being schooled in outdoor skills during the first-ever “Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW)” retreat in Hawai’i. This is the Aloha State’s initial foray into a 20-year-old international program that sponsors skill-development weekends in 41 states, seven Canadian provinces and seven other countries.
(Līhuʻe) – In April 2018, severe floods caused serious damage to the Līhu‘e-Kōloa Forest Reserve and the road that runs through it, Loop Road, leaving it dangerous to the community. The DLNR Kaua’i Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will provide an update on the status and timeline for the Lihue Koloa Forest Reserve Loop Road restoration.
(Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park) – This holiday weekend, fishermen from Kaua‘i’s west side and from the north shore joined forces with a team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) to try and remove invasive Black Chin Tilapia from Nu‘alolo Bay here.
(Līhu‘e) - Recent helicopter surveys prompted foresters with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) to sample 10 dead ‘ōhi‘a in two locations within the Līhu‘e-Kōloa Forest Reserve. Six trees tested positive for Ceratocystis lukuohia, the more virulent of the two fungal pathogens causing Rapid ʻŌhi‘a Death, the disease killing ‘ōhi‘a across the state.
(Hilo) - Since last year’s ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest at the Imiloa Astronomy Center, the less virulent of two strains of the fungal disease known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, was detected in single trees on O‘ahu and Maui. The disease has now been detected on Kaua‘i, Maui, O‘ahu and on Hawai‘i Island. Ground zero continues to be the Big Island, where both strains of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death have killed hundreds of thousands of trees. This is the reason the ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest was conceived three years ago.
(Honolulu) - Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program, indicates Hawai‘i’s coral reefs are entering a major bleaching event within the next two months, if not sooner.
(Waimea)-The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and Hawaii Island Senator Lorraine Inouye are jointly hosting an informational meeting to provide an update on the North Kohala Agricultural Water Study. The meeting will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, August 30, 2019 at the Kohala Village Hub, located at 55-514 Hawi Road, in Hāwī, North Kohala, Hawaii.