Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Lihu`e) – A year long project at the Port Allen Small Boat Harbor has completed with new slips opened today. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation project involved the removal of existing, badly deteriorated fixed concrete piers and the installation of new aluminum framed floating docks with plastic lumber decking, including all new electrical and water utilities.

(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.

(HONOLULU) – Oahuʻs Forest Reserves are set for expansion. Nearly 2,900 acres are being proposed for addition to the State Forest Reserve System on Oʻahu. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is inviting community comments on two proposed additions

(Honolulu) – A large panel van, full of hundreds of pounds of construction debris was towed from alongside the coastline at east O‘ahu’s Maunalua Bay this afternoon.  The truck sporting graffiti, broken windows, and flat tires was apparently towed to the bay’s parking lot several months ago and abandoned.

(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) – On Friday, four officers with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) were recognized for their efforts to revive an unconscious, lifeless man at Keehi Small Boat Harbor on O‘ahu in July.

(Honolulu) – During a ceremony today, six experienced law enforcement officers became the first graduates of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Academy.  Over the course of six weeks the officers, all of whom come from municipal, state or federal police agencies, received immersive training in conservation enforcement. 

(Lihue) - Rapid ʻŌhi‘a Death (ROD), a disease killing ʻōhiʻa trees, has been confirmed at two new locations on Kaua‘i. Since ROD was discovered in Moloa‘a State Forest Reserve in 14 trees earlier this year, a collaborative team of scientists from state, federal, and private organizations has been working together to survey the island and develop response plans to an introduced disease threat facing Hawai‘i’s native tree. ʻŌhiʻa is considered foundational to Hawaiian forests and culture.

HONOLULU – The year 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the formal opening of the Hawai‘i State Capitol. Dedicated on March 15, 1969, the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Hawai‘i Statehood Bill by Congress, the building stands unique among the other 49 state capitol buildings, proclaiming Hawai‘i to be part of the United States, but not part of America.

(Honolulu) – Mosquitos and rats can be pests for people, but they’re also very harmful to our endangered native birds. The Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) is starting an end-of-the-year fundraising and outreach campaign to help the native birds on the island recover their population.