(HONOLULU) - Five proposed changes, including four additions totaling roughly 8,100 acres and one withdrawal of about 2.7 acres, are being considered for the State Forest Reserve System (FRS), which is managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The FRS represents the state’s largest public forest lands that provide a variety of benefits including aesthetic benefits; watershed restoration; native, threatened, and endangered species habitat protection and management; cultural resources; and recreational and hunting opportunities, among others. DOFAW will hold a virtual hearing at 6:00pm on April 28, 2021, to receive testimony on the proposed changes affecting the FRS.
Forestry & Wildlife
(Kula) – On the southern slopes of Haleakalā, an area once used for livestock grazing has been gradually turning back into native forest. Though the boundaries of the Kahikinui Forest Reserve has changed considerably since its establishment in 1928, the overarching goal of forest restoration and management has endured. Now, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), is seeking input on a draft management plan for the Kahikinui State Forest Reserve that will guide management priorities for this area over the next decade.
(HILO) – The species recovery effort, known as The ʻAlalā Project, is announcing the next steps in the recovery efforts of ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow). Last October, in response to mortalities of released ʻalalā, including predation by ‘io (Hawaiian hawk), conservationists brought the remaining birds from the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve, on Hawaiʻi Island, back in from the wild - returning them to the conservation breeding program at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center.
(LĪHUʻE) –Keahua Bridge and parking lot will be closed beginning today through early next week due to repairs of the bridge surface and pedestrian railings. In addition to the bridge repairs, contractors will be felling seven large albizia trees in the immediate vicinity of Keahua Bridge and parking lot areas.
(Honolulu) – The Poamoho Trail has been closed due to a large landslide event. The trail will remain closed and access permits will remain suspended until a hazard mitigation team has assessed the damage and potential hazards on-trail.
(HONOLULU) – An extension of the Ka‘ena Point Natural Area Reserve and the addition of Pia Valley in east O‘ahu, to the state’s Natural Area Reserves (NAR) System are on the table for input from people in March. The NAR System, a program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), seeks to keep native ecosystems as intact as possible to preserve Hawaii’s natural heritage.
(Hilo) – Archery hunting in the Pu‘uanahulu Game Management Area (GMA) begins Sunday, March 7, 2021, and continues weekends and state holidays through Sunday, June 27, 2021. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) also announce that the annual closure of the archery season in this GMA will be from July through February.
(Hilo) - The opening of the 2021 spring bearded turkey hunting season begins on Monday, March 1, 2021. The spring season will run for 46 consecutive days through Thursday, April 15, 2021. The spring season will be for bearded turkeys only, in locations identified below. The season length, bag limits, and hunting areas are those established in Title 13, Chapter 122, “Rules Regulating Game Bird Hunting, Field Trials and Commercial Shooting Preserves.
(Lānaʻi City) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announce that online applications for a combination 2021 Lānaʻi Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep Season will be available to the public beginning Monday, February 22, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hunters will be required to apply online for this hunt.
(Līhuʻe) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and Division of State Parks (DSP) will be sponsoring a forest products auction for Kaua’i Native Hawaiian wood. All wood has been salvaged and harvested from DLNR lands on the island of Kaua’i over the last several years.