(Wailuku) – The DLNR Division of State Parks reopened ʻIao Valley State Monument November 21 on Maui. The scenic park had been closed during most of the COVID-19 period due to crowding concerns and budgetary constraints. ʻIao Valley, one of the most visited parks on Maui, contains a short hiking path and iconic views of Kuka‘emoku, popularly known as the ʻIao Needle. Visitors are reminded to adhere to social distancing rules and wear protective masks when visiting the often-crowded park. The new hours will be 7am-6pm, daily.
News Releases
(Honolulu) – The DLNR State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) will be transitioning from its current submission process for the review of projects and federal undertakings to digital submission through the Hawaii Cultural Resource Information System (HICRIS). After the transition is complete, HICRIS will be the only way that submittals for project review under Hawai’i Revised Statues or the National Historic Preservation Act will be accepted.
(Mākena State Park, Maui) – It’s become a Sunday night tradition that regulars on Maui fiercely defend. Every week, for years, hundreds of people gather at Little Beach (Puʻu Ōlaʻi) to view the week’s first sunset. Long-time participants claim it’s a spiritual gathering. There’s a drum circle and dancing. Drummer George Chyz claimed that drumming is rooted in culture and this is a way for people to show their respect.
(HILO) – In a steady rain you hear the chorus of native Hawaiian birds. Jackson Bauer, with the DLNR Na Ala Hele Trails and Access Program, identifies the sing-song chirp of the ‘ōma’o and then the ‘elepaio, calling its own name. Such are the sounds of the native forest along the new Kaulana Manu Nature Trail on Hawai‘i island. Add in the natural beauty of ‘ōhi‘a and koa trees, and an intact profusion of native plants, shrubs and insects -- one even known as the happy-face spider -- and it lives up to its billing as a nature lovers paradise.
(Makena State Park, Maui) – A team of eight officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) conducted a law enforcement operation this evening at Little Beach in Makena State Park on Maui.
(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) announces the launch of a virtual class for thrill craft certification by Windward Community College (WCC). The new and improved virtual certification course for new thrill craft owners and operators will be live on Monday, November 23, 2020.
(LIHU‘E)— To reduce the risk of fires in the Pu‘u Ka Pele Forest Reserve on Kaua‘i, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife ( DOFAW) is proposing forest thinning and fire break maintenance. Community members are invited to provide input on the proposed efforts via a virtual public meeting. This meeting will be at 9:00am on December 1, 2020. In addition to gathering people’s input, this meeting is intended to address questions or concerns regarding this project.
(Honolulu) – A roughly 1,260-acre parcel in Waiea, on Hawai‘i island is being proposed as an addition to the Hawai‘i Natural Area Reserve (NAR) System. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will hold a virtual hearing at 6:00 p.m. on November 30, 2020 to receive community testimony about this proposal. The area is contiguous to other land parcels that are under management for forest, wildlife, and water conservation, and its addition would strengthen native ecosystem protection in the South Kona area.
(Honolulu) – While organizers always hope for more people to participate, experience has shown that the first meeting of community members, experts, and researchers, to discuss wildfire, always leads to good things.
(Honolulu) - The COVID-19 pandemic is providing the opportunity for ‘ōhi‘a lovers across Hawai‘i to participate in the annual ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest, which previously has been held as an in-person event in Hilo. Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Hawai‘i’s most abundant tree, ‘ōhi‘a lehua, during this week-long virtual event.