The Department of Land and Natural Resources announces the opening of the 2017-2018 game bird hunting season on Saturday, November 4, 2017. The fall game bird hunting season will run through Sunday, January 28, 2018. A valid hunting license and a game bird stamp are required for all game bird hunting on public and private lands. All game bird hunting is regulated by Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 13, Chapter 122 (see https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw “Administrative Rules” for all legal hunting days).
News Releases
Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree ruled today that, based upon a Hawaiʻi Supreme Court opinion issued on September 6, 2017, existing permits for use of fine mesh nets to catch aquatic life for aquarium purposes are illegal and invalid. Judge Crabtree also ordered the DLNR not to issue any new permits pending environmental review.
In the early 1800’s Queen Ka‘ahumanu visited Hanauma Bay, considered one of O‘ahu’s crown jewels over the decades. In modern times more than one million people each year, from all over the world, visit the bay to take in its vast marine and coral life. They snorkel, dive, spend time tanning on the beach, and otherwise enjoy the bay’s natural beauty. Before going into the water, they are educated about the living reef environment and safety practices to help ensure their continued enjoyment of the bay. The State, through the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL); the City and County of Honolulu, through the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services; the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Program, and the non-profit Friends of Hanauma Bay (the Friends) work together to protect the bay’s unique underwater resources and best ensure the health of fish, corals, marine mammals, and visitors of the bay.
The State Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) will hold public hearings on proposed amendments to its administrative rules pertaining to water use, wells and stream diversion works. These proposed amendments will: increase the maximum fine amount from $1,000 to $5,000 for violations, consistent with the State Water Code; and increase the filing fee for well construction and pump installation from $25 to $300.
In response to today’s filing of a petition for a writ of mandamus with the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court by the plaintiffs in Umberger v. DLNR, the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources provides the following statement
The mediated settlement, approved by the Hawai‘i State Water Commission in April, to immediately restore continuous flows in West Kaua‘i’s Waimea River, is the subject of a video mini-documentary produced by the DLNR.
The public is invited to provide input on the future of State lands at Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point at a community open house on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. The State of Hawai‘i acquired these lands in 2014, following a tremendous effort by the community, guided by the Save Honolua Coalition, the State’s political leaders and others to prevent development of the agricultural lands surrounding Honolua Bay.
Every Sunday morning, for the past twelve years, members of the Manoa Cliff Restoration team trudge up the Maona Cliff Trail in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve to begin another day of work. This is a labor of love; one born out of concern for the health of native forests being choked out by invasive species.
Want to better understand the Hā‘ena Community-Based Subsistence Fishery Area (CBSFA) and rules, and how Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hui Maka‘āinana o Makana are working towards co-management? Come down and join us for a fun-filled afternoon on Sunday, October 22 from 12 to 3 p.m. at Camp Naue YMCA, 7420 Kūhiō Highway in Hā‘ena.
School children from Island School helped release three fledgling ‘A‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters) and one ‘Ua‘u Kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) as part of the annual E Ho‘opomaika‘i ‘ia na Manu ‘A‘o (A Cultural Release of the Native Newell’s Shearwater) event held at Lydgate Park today. The event was organized by the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) project. Children from Kanuikapono Charter School in Anahola will attend a similar event tomorrow.