Land

(HONOLULU) On Friday, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) will consider a request from Maui County to utilize land currently under DLNR’s jurisdiction as a final disposition site for disposal of fire debris from the August 8 wildfires.  The County of Maui’s current landfill in central Maui is 25 miles away from Lāhainā. The site suggested from the Solid Waste Division of the Maui County Department of Environmental Management, next to the closed Olowalu Landfill, is within five miles of the impact zone.  

(HONOLULU) – Governor Josh Green, M.D., signed a second Emergency Proclamation last Friday, regarding the former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel. It extends the first disaster emergency relief period designated in the July 18, 2023, proclamation, until November 13, 2023.

(KAHALUI, MAUI) – The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources is providing aerial video and photos from flyovers today, of all four fires spread this week by winds from a hurricane passing south of the state. All images and video courtesy: Hawai‘i DLNR 

(HILO, HAWAI‘I) – The dilapidated and condemned Uncle Billy’s hotel will have a perimeter fence constructed around the entire property beginning this month.  

(HONOLULU) – The state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) today voted to approve the dismantling of the Diamond Head Breakwater in front of Shangri La to address and deter unsafe behavior. Boulders from the breakwater will be relocated to create a natural rocky shoreline fronting the Shangri La estate seawall.

(HONOLULU) – On Friday, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) will decide whether to approve the selection of  Banyan Drive Management LLC (BDM) to conduct a $20 million dollar renovation of the former Country Club Condominiums complex. It is one of six buildings on state-owned land, along iconic Banyan Drive in Hilo. 

(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. 

(KAPALUA, MAUI) – A conflict between private property rights and recreational access along the rugged Nāpili coast, highlights the competing interests and strong emotions often evident in these disputes. 

(Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i) - Several dozen people who’d established long term camps on state conservation lands on Koki Road in Wailua moved out today.  More than a month ago they were warned by the DLNR Land Division to vacate the property, which is adjacent to the former Coco Palms Resort and tucked into a neighborhood with homes directly across the road. 

(KAHULUI) – The rusting fence around the Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary on Maui is closer to being replaced with a predator-proof fence, with Governor Ige’s Wednesday release of initial funding for the project. The bird sanctuary, surrounded by urban and industrial development, has also been a focus of this week’s mass clean-up of trash, vehicles, and camps from adjacent Amala Place.