(HILO) – Less than 24-hours after the current eruption of Mauna Loa began, Steve Bergfeld, the Hawai‘i Island Branch Chief with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) worried most about the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve (NAR) on the southeast side of the mountain. At that time lava flows were headed into the northeast rift zone of Mauna Loa.
Forestry & Wildlife
(HILO) - The Mauna Loa Forest Reserve was closed shortly after the volcanic eruption began one week ago. Yet, even after a public viewing area was closed for multiple hours today due to the discovery of unexploded ordnance (UXO) many people continue to trespass into the closed area.
(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is issuing a call to artists for submittals to the annual art contest for the 2023-24 Hawai’i Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp.
(HILO) – Effective immediately, due to continuing volcanic activity on Mauna Loa, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has closed all hunting in the portion of Unit A of the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and Game Management Area South of Daniel K. Inouye Highway across from the Gil Kahele Recreation Area.
(HILO) – As lava continues to flow into the Northeast Rift zone from Mauna Loa’s summit caldera, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is closing additional recreation areas on the mountain.
(HILO) – Periodically, this afternoon when clouds hugging the summit of the world’s largest volcano lifted, you could spot a field of lava on the northwestern flank of Mauna Loa.
(HILO) - Many of the hikers contacted today, by officers from the Hawaii Island Branch of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), claimed to be unaware that traveling beyond closed signs at a collection of waterfalls known as Narnia is illegal without a permit or hunting license.
(Waimea) – Established 23-years-ago, Waimea Nature Park is the go-to place for family fun. Operated and maintained by the Waimea Branch of The Outdoor Circle the park was a tangled mess of invasive trees with the ground covered in Christmas berry.
(HONOLULU) – A new animated video highlights the success story of how biocontrol, a process where a carefully selected living organism is used to control an invasive species, helped to save the native Wiliwili tree. The video, produced by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) in collaboration with the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, also shows how biocontrol can continue to be an important tool in managing invasive species in Hawaiʻi.
(PU‘U MAKA‘ALA NATURAL AREA RESERVE) – This high-elevation Natural Area Reserve is one of six locales on Hawai‘i Island where teams from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and the University of Hawai‘i Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU) are trapping mosquitoes to detect the presence of avian malaria.