(Honolulu) – A 22-year veteran of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) was recognized today as “Hawai‘i Wildlife Officer of the Year” by Shikar-Safari Club International Foundation. The club and its foundation support educational projects nationwide and in Canada related to wildlife management, hunting and shooting sports.
DOCARE
(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has closed a portion of Public Hunting Unit H in the Pu‘u ka Pele Forest Reserve on the west side of Kaua‘i until further notice. The closed portion of the hunting unit is bounded by Makaha Ridge Rd., Kokee Rd., Nualolo Trail and the coastline. Please note that Miloli‘i Road and Nu’alolo trail within this area are both closed. This is due to continuing search and recovery efforts associated with a helicopter crash in the Koke‘e area.
(Honolulu) – For many years, officers of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) have worn blue uniforms, which in some cases made it difficult for people to tell them apart from county police officers. Beginning next year, DOCARE officers have a complement of new uniforms that better reflect their duties and responsibilities protecting and enforcing Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural resource laws.
(Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park) – One of the sure signs of the new management paradigm for this state park and the adjoining Hā‘ena State Park on Kaua‘i is a truer wilderness experience for people hardy enough to hike 11-miles one-way to Kalalau Beach.
(Kīhei, Maui) – No one was hurt this morning, when a 10-12-foot-long Tiger shark deflated an inflatable stand-up paddle board about 200 yards off shore from 1681 Halama Street.
(Li‘hue) – Off-leash dogs and feral cats are responsible for the massacre of between 140 and 150 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (ʻUaʻu kani) on Kaua‘i during this year’s nesting season. The shoreline burrowing seabirds are easy prey for both dogs and cats. In the most recent incident, earlier this week at least 35 birds were found dead.
(Hilo) – Administrative fines totaling $48,500 have been affirmed by Circuit Judge Greg K. Nakamura in a Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) decision against illegal commercial lava boat tours on Hawai‘i Island; in a ruling issued on September 27, 2019. Those fined are Henry K. Pomroy, Bill A. Fujimoto, and Ho‘okupu Fish Company, LLC.
(Honolulu) – Today, following-up on a citizen complaint, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) recovered an estimated 1,000 feet of unattended lay net within Kaneohe Bay.
(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.
(Maunakea Access Road) – Lino Kamakau is a 33-year veteran of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). He’s camera-shy, likely because he’s a product of Hawai‘i Island, a Native Hawaiian, and during the current stand-off between protesters objecting to the TMT project, the ideal man to dialog with protest leaders. This is not a role he ever expected, nor one he particularly signed up for. “You see what you get,” said Kamakau who is the DOCARE Hawai‘i Island Branch Chief. “I don’t speak with a forked tongue. There are times I can’t tell the protesters everything I know, but I try to be completely honest with them.”