Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case signed an order today, temporarily closing certain State unencumbered lands adjacent to Haleakala National Park land on Maui. Hawai‘i State Administrative Rules (HAR 13-221-4) allow the DLNR Chair to close or restrict public usage for the purposes of safe transit and personal safety.
DOCARE
Veteran DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Officer James Ridzon has been selected as the first recipient of the DLNR/DOCARE Officer of the Year award. Ridzon has been with DOCARE for more than eight years and has earned a reputation as an effective investigator and strong protector of Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural resources.
More than 60 hikers were either cited or warned today for trespass into the closed Kohala Forest Reserve on Hawai‘i island. A team of eight officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) wrote citations to 49 adults and gave written warnings to 14 hikers under the age of 18.
A three day operation last week in the Kalalau section of Kauai’s Napali Coast State Wilderness Park resulted in additional arrests and the dismantling of large, illegal camps in Kalalau Valley.
With tens of thousands of people lining the banks of Magic Island and more on shorelines, sidewalks, piers and docks there were no reported incident in the water during the four-hour-long parade of wa'a leading to the Hōkūleʻa’s temporary overnight mooring off Magic Island. Hundreds of others in canoes then greeted the vessel as it was being tied up. A months-long, highly coordinated effort between federal, state, and city and county law enforcement and water safety agencies ensured the trouble and injury-free homecoming.
The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) launched the new app to help people connect directly with conservation officers, view alerts, and submit anonymous tips from smartphones. It is an important extension of the agencies DLNR & You brand.
Work to restore the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park to its true wilderness character continued during a three-day law enforcement operation this week. A dozen officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the Dept. of Public Safety’s Sheriff Division arrested eleven people for being in a closed area without a permit in the Kalalau area of the park. A twenty-year-old man, who could not produce an identification, was handcuffed and flown out of the park and booked on charges at the Kaua‘i Police Department. So far in May, a total of 28 people have been arrested for failing to have the permit required for traveling past the two-mile marker on the famed Kalalau Trail. During law enforcement efforts over the past two years more than 200 people have been arrested.
With the goal to ensure a peaceful and safe family atmosphere this Memorial Day weekend at Ahu O Laka, the Kaneohe sandbar, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding everyone of the no-alcohol rule that will be in place this weekend, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Memorial Day.
Seventeen people were arrested at the Kalalau Section of the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park, during a pair of law enforcement sweeps earlier this week. Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) arrested people without valid permits for being in a closed area. They believe among the 17, were three people who’d been illegally residing in Kalalau Valley for long periods of time.
(Hilo) - Assistance provided by the Native Hawaiian community allowed officers from the Hawai‘i Branch of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) to make contact with a suspect in the recent case of graffiti damage found at the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (NAR). As a result of this contact and investigation, Hope Cermelj of Kalapana, Hawai‘i was issued a citation for violating Rule 13-209-4 (3), Prohibited Activities within a Natural Area Reserve. Cermelj will be required to appear in Hilo District Court.