News Releases

  (Honolulu) – As more and more restrictions on outdoor activities are being lifted, many people are returning to Hawai‘i’s forests to hike, hunt, and to participate in other recreational activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, additional infections of the fungal disease known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death have occurred.

(Līhuʻe) – Deer hunters can now apply to hunt as the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announce the opening of the black-tailed deer hunting season on the island of Kaua‘i.  Rules and conditions regulating game mammal hunting in Title 13, Chapter 123 will be in effect.

(Honolulu) – Once again DLNR is urging people not to disturb endangered Hawaiian monk seals, resting on beaches.

(Honolulu) – All of the O‘ahu Offshore Island State Seabird Sanctuaries normally listed as open for restricted access are reopening to keep in sync with Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s opening of beaches. Those islands are Mokuauia, Popoia, Kapapa, and the Mokulua Islands.

(Honolulu) — Effective June 15, 2020, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) district and administrative offices will begin issuing hunting licenses and stamps for the new hunting season (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021). A valid hunting license is required for hunting on public and private lands.

(Honolulu) - The DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) has again received reports of another party being promoted on social media at the Kāneʻohe sandbar (Ahu O Laka) for this weekend.

(Kailua-Kona) – Off-road vehicles are driving in an area that has been cordoned off to protect a Hawaiian monk seal mother and her four-week-old pup named Hiwahiwa (means precious), in the Mahaiʻula section of Kekaha Kai State Park.

(Līhuʻe) – One reef monitoring project by the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) staff on Kauaʻi has focused efforts at ʻAnini Reef over the past year. Recently monitoring teams observed signs of recovery since a prolific coral disease was recorded in September-October of 2019.

(Honolulu) -  The DLNR Division of State Parks is lessening restrictions and reopening park areas in conjunction with various county-specific rules and guidelines. Passive beach use is now allowed at all State Parks beaches, although some gates will remain locked for resource management, people’s safety and due to fiscal constraints. COVID-19 rules and social distancing guidelines remain applicable, following each county’s emergency orders. 

(Līhuʻe) – A team of eight law enforcement officers from the Kaua‘i Police Dept. (KPD), and the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) wrote 15 citations yesterday to people in the Kalalau Section of the Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kaua‘i.