(HONOLULU) – Most of Hawai‘i is beginning to experience drought conditions, during the time of year when rain is normally plentiful and regular. The State Commission of Water Resource Management (CWRM) is advising people to take immediate actions to reduce water use in Maui County especially, describing current drought conditions as historic.
Forestry & Wildlife
(Honolulu) – Individuals wishing to collect foliage, fruit, trees, or other items from State Forest Reserves can now apply for permits through an easy-to-use online system. The new platform, developed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), covers both personal-use collections and commercial harvesting.
(HILO ) – Two trucks, an utility task vehicle (UTV), and a tilt trailer stolen from a DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) base yard last November, have all now been recovered. Today a joint task force from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the Hawai‘i Police Dept. (HPD) recovered the $18,000 UTV from a property in the Puna district.
(HONOLULU) – As Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Month (HISAM) drew to a close, a series of award winners were announced by the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC). The awards recognize community members and organizations that have made substantial contributions to protecting Hawaiʻi from the impacts of invasive species.
(HONOLULU) – In a 73-page decision today, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the First Circuit Court’s ruling upholding the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (Board) decision on a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Incidental Take License (ITL) for the Na Pua Makani wind power project on the north shore of O‘ahu.
(HONOLULU) – A roughly 300-acre parcel mauka (upland) of the Hawaiʻi Loa and Niu Valley subdivisions has been officially designated as a new Hawai‘i State Natural Area Reserve (NAR). Governor David Ige signed an Executive Order on February 3, creating the Pia Valley NAR.
(KIHEI) - Four mineral sunblock dispensers are up on this Valentine’s Day on south Maui shores, encouraging all to “love the ocean the right way.” Two are at the ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u Natural Area Reserve and a pair are to be installed at Mākena State Park. Thousands of people enter the ocean at these locations every day.
(OLINDA, MAUI) – Bird conservation projects across Hawai‘i rely entirely on government funding, as well as grants from non-government organizations and donations from non-profits. It’s a constant struggle to stay financially afloat, particularly in the face of serious threats to numerous forest bird species.
(Hilo) - The opening of the 2022 spring bearded turkey hunting season begins on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The spring season will run for 46 consecutive days through Friday, April 15, 2022. The spring season will be for bearded turkeys only, in locations identified below.
(LĪHU‘E) – Almost four years after Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) was first detected in a lower-elevation forest in northeast Kaua’i, the fungus known to exclusively infect ʻōhiʻa has been found in a dead ʻōhiʻa in the pristine wilderness area of the Alakaʻi at 4,100-feet elevation.