(HONOLULU) – A recent survey of Hawai‘i residents shows that the vast majority (93%) consider invasive species a serious issue. The State is half-way through the implementation of the 2017-2027 Hawai‘i Interagency Biosecurity Plan to fill the gaps in invasive species prevention and control, and with the aim to increase awareness in helping to protect Hawai‘i.
Forestry & Wildlife
(HONOLULU) – Starting Monday, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will conduct maintenance work in the Kamananui Valley, commonly referred to as Moanalua Valley, on Oʻahu. The Kamananui Valley Road Trail and the Kulana‘ahane Trail will be intermittently closed for vegetation clearing and road improvements.
(KAHULUI) – The Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary on Maui is the oldest wetland managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). It is unique; sandwiched between the ocean, a busy urban and commercial area, and an international airport.
(HONOLULU) – The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Readiness and Environmental Integration Program (REPI) is awarding Hawai‘i $7,123,851 for restoration and recovery projects on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island.
(KAPA‘A, KAUA‘I) - The cause of death of a 56-foot-long, 120,000-pound sperm whale, that appeared on the reef fronting Lydgate Park, won’t likely be determined for some time.
(HONOLULU) – Small invertebrates and microfauna, like endangered Hawaiian picture-winged flies, play an important role in providing balance to our natural ecosystems.
(Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i) - The Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) is holding its annual Hawaiian blessing for the 2023 field season, which for at least two species of Hawaiian honeycreepers is a critical year.
(Lehua Islet) - After being declared rat-free in 2021, restoration and monitoring efforts continue on Lehua Islet (Lehua), a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Kauaʻi. Monitoring of native seabird species breeding on the islet by the Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) indicates a success story, based on increased reproductive success following eradication of the rat population. Work on Lehua is now in the restoration phase. Lehua is a State Seabird Sanctuary managed by DOFAW.
(KAHULUI) – A female nēnē was struck and killed by a passenger truck on Haleakalā Highway near the Dairy Road/Keolani Place junction in Kahului last Tuesday. This outcome has become too familiar in recent years and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) wants to bring awareness to Hawai‘i residents that these human-caused deaths are preventable.
(Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve, Hawai‘i Island) – Native hawaiian honeycreepers face multiple threats from predation, habitat loss, and disease. Their declining populations contribute to Hawaiiʻs unfortunate reputation as the “Extinction Capital of the World”. However, the decades-long reforestation of Puʻu Makaʻala provides an outstanding example of the value of native forest restoration and endangered species protection.