(Honolulu) - Who takes care of the landscapes and seascapes across Hawaiʻi? Where do stewardship projects overlap, and where are there gaps? To address these questions, the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, a DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) program announces the launch of the online interactive Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP).
Forestry & Wildlife
(Kanaio, Maui) – Over the next three weeks, an estimated 175 abandoned derelict cars and trucks are being removed from unencumbered State land in a remote area of Maui. This morning, two flatbed tow trucks hauled seven vehicles down the long and winding road, after they’d been towed to the paved highway several miles beyond Ulupalakua Ranch. It’s the same trip the tow operators will make dozens of times until all of the vehicles are removed and transported to a salvage yard.
(HONOLULU) – Kaniakapūpū, the summer palace of King Kamehameha III, lies within a restricted watershed in a densely forested part of Nuʻuanu. The site is closed to people, with the exception of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners or permitted caretakers.
(HONOLULU) – One of the most dramatic and troubling impacts of accelerating climate change is the expansion of mosquito range into upper elevation Hawaiian forest. Avian malaria, a disease transmitted by invasive mosquitoes, is driving the potential extinction of four native honeycreepers: ‘akikiki, ‘akeke‘e, kiwikiu, and ʻākohekohe. Kiwikiu and ‘akikiki have fewer than 200 birds remaining and could go extinct in the next two years. A single bite from an infected mosquito can kill.
(HILO) – A newly released study by federal and university researchers provides “encouragement and guidance” for land managers wanting to reestablish ʻōhiʻa stands wiped out by the fungal disease, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, or impacted by other disturbances like volcanic activity and wildland fires.
(Līhuʻe) – One or two days, nearly every spring, you can find Sabra Kauka in Lydgate County Beach Park speaking to kekei about the life of shearwaters. They’re the tiny seabirds that, after fledging, leave land and stay out at sea for two years or longer. Her expertise and delight in sharing the stories of these remarkable, rehabilitated birds and much of the other natural life of Hawai‘i has made her a revered kumu, a highly respected educator, and a much sought-after conservationist.
(Honolulu) - Are you passionate about trees and their value for our well-being? Do you have professional experience you would like to apply to improving our urban and community forests and green spaces across the state? The Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program is seeking qualified and enthusiastic applicants for its Urban & Community Forestry Advisory Council.
(Lānaʻi City) - The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announce a special 2022 Lānaʻi Mouflon Sheep control hunt. Hunting days will be Saturdays and Sundays during the month of April 2022: April 2-3, April 9-10, April 16-17, and April 23-24, 2022.
(Pōhakuloa Training Area) – You can’t miss the signs on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, on either side of the U.S. Army’s Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA), with large red letters spelling out, “Extreme Fire Danger.” Vegetation on the slopes of Mauna Kea is tinder dry and because of ever-worsening drought conditions is ripe for another wildfire like the 2021 Mana Road fire. At more than 40,000 acres, it was one of the largest wildland fires in recorded Hawai‘i history.
(HONOLULU) – Honolulu Police and DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers are currently investigating a burglary at the Makiki Baseyard of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).