(HONOLULU) – Kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill) is the most endangered native Hawaiian bird. The small yellow honeycreepers live only in high elevation forest on windward Haleakalā, Maui. With an estimated population of less than 150 individuals, it is at high risk of going extinct within a few years.
Media
(Honolulu) – Winners of the 2021-2022 Hawai‘i Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp Art Contest were announced this week by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). DOFAW would like to thank all the wildlife artists that submitted entries for this year’s contest. A committee reviewed all submissions and two winners were chosen:
(Waikīkī) – A small mountain of marine sand has emerged on Kūhiō Beach, as the planned beach maintenance/sand replenishment project enters the final sand placement stage of the project in the heart of Hawai‘i’s major tourism district. The project started on January 26 and has been successful in retrieving approximately 20,000 cubic yards of offshore sand and stockpiling it on the beach in anticipation of final placement in the Royal Hawaiian to Moana Beach cell.
(LĪHUʻE) – Just in time for Earth Day 2021, Lehua Island, the tiny, but mighty island off Kaua‘i’s west shore has been declared free of damaging, introduced (invasive) rats. After many dec-ades, the island is free of invasive vertebrates, enabling Hawaii’s seabirds to safely nest on the steep rocky shores, and native plants to flourish once again.
(HONOLULU) – First responders, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and personnel from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources are responding to a report of a non-fatal shark incident near the Kukio Resort Club House on Hawai‘i Island.
(Līhuʻe) – The fishing season for rainbow trout at Pu’u Lua Reservoir on Kaua‘i will begin June 21st. Due to COVID-19, the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) announce there will be a lottery system in place for opening weekend (June 19-20), then the season will open as usual on June 21 from 6 am to 6 pm through September 30. The lottery system will allow fishers to access the reservoir for one 4-hour session, either in the morning or afternoon, on Saturday or Sunday of opening weekend.
(Koke’e) – A DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Koke’e Fuel Reduction project is scheduled to begin work on Monday, April 19th. This Kaua’i DOFAW project is expected to take approximately three months depending on weather conditions.
(Waimānalo Bay Beach Park) – The City and County of Honolulu (C&C) Dept. of Parks and Recreation is keeping this park closed today, following the removal this morning, of the body of a Hawaiian Humpback whale. The 25 to 35-ton carcass was first spotted in the ocean off the beach yesterday morning, along with at least three large Tiger sharks that were feeding on it. Overnight, as expected, the whale’s body washed into the shore break.
(HONOLULU) - Five proposed changes, including four additions totaling roughly 8,100 acres and one withdrawal of about 2.7 acres, are being considered for the State Forest Reserve System (FRS), which is managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The FRS represents the state’s largest public forest lands that provide a variety of benefits including aesthetic benefits; watershed restoration; native, threatened, and endangered species habitat protection and management; cultural resources; and recreational and hunting opportunities, among others. DOFAW will hold a virtual hearing at 6:00pm on April 28, 2021, to receive testimony on the proposed changes affecting the FRS.
(Waimānalo) – At least three large Tiger sharks have been spotted feeding on the decomposing carcass of a Hawaiian Humpback whale, just off-shore from Waimānalo Bay Beach Park. Shark warning signs are up, and lifeguards and law enforcement officials have been warning people to stay out of the water.