(Honolulu) – Albatross numbers at Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve continue to climb to record highs after being protected in 2011 by a predator-proof fence. In the 2018 season, 106 albatross pairs attempted to breed, and the number of wedge-tailed shearwater chicks have more than tripled in the last seven years.
State Parks
(Kailua-Kona) –The Mahaiula section of Kekaha Kai State Park will be closed from Monday February 11th until Wednesday February 13th, with re-opening scheduled for Thursday February 14th.
(Lihue) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will open a special feral goat hunting opportunity in the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park. The area open to hunting will be called Nualolo Kai.
(Honolulu)–Beginning on February 1, 2019 the operating hours of the ‘Iolani Palace State Monument grounds will change from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to an earlier closure time of 6:00 p.m.
(Honolulu) - The carcass of a sperm whale, first spotted off-shore from Kewalo Basin yesterday is now “hard-a-ground” adjacent to Sand Island State Recreation Area. Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), are working with NOAA’s Marine Mammal Response team, and City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety on plans to try and remove the carcass on Saturday.
(Kailua-Kona) – The Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding the public that West Hawai‘i State Parks will close early at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, New Year’s Eve. Parks closing early include Hāpuna, Kīholo and Kekaha Kai (Mahai’ula and Kua Bay sections).
HONOLULU -- Diamond Head (Lē‘ahi) is one of Hawaii’s most iconic geological features and a significant natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resource. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of State Parks (Hawai‘i State Parks), is seeking to improve and diversify the visitor’s experience and recreational opportunities at Diamond Head State Monument.
(Honolulu) – The annual First Day Hike on the Makapu’u Light House Trail at the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline on O‘ahu is arguably the most unique of the nearly 1,200 hikes in America’s State Parks each New Year’s Day. While far from the most difficult it is one of the best attended with an estimated 700 people making the short, two-mile-roundtrip hike to an overlook where participants can see the first sunrise of 2019.
(Hilo) – Today at 7:45 a.m. the gate to Lava Tree State Monument in the Puna District on Hawai‘i Island will open for the first time in more than seven months. The state park within eyesight of the East Rift Zone’s Fissure 8 was closed shortly after Kīlauea began erupting in May.
(Honolulu)–Early risers who are planning to hike the popular Makapu‘u trail next Tuesday are advised that the DLNR Division of State Parks is planning maintenance work on November 27, 2018. The maintenance work is planned for both the Makapu‘u parking lot and lighthouse trail. The parking lot will be closed until 10 a.m. that morning.