(HONOLULU) – Kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill) is the most endangered native Hawaiian bird. The small yellow honeycreepers live only in high elevation forest on windward Haleakalā, Maui. With an estimated population of less than 150 individuals, it is at high risk of going extinct within a few years.
Forestry & Wildlife
(Honolulu) – Winners of the 2021-2022 Hawai‘i Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp Art Contest were announced this week by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). DOFAW would like to thank all the wildlife artists that submitted entries for this year’s contest. A committee reviewed all submissions and two winners were chosen:
(LĪHUʻE) – Just in time for Earth Day 2021, Lehua Island, the tiny, but mighty island off Kaua‘i’s west shore has been declared free of damaging, introduced (invasive) rats. After many dec-ades, the island is free of invasive vertebrates, enabling Hawaii’s seabirds to safely nest on the steep rocky shores, and native plants to flourish once again.
(Koke’e) – A DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Koke’e Fuel Reduction project is scheduled to begin work on Monday, April 19th. This Kaua’i DOFAW project is expected to take approximately three months depending on weather conditions.
(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.
(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.