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(HONOLULU) – A rapid response team of experts from state and federal agencies and non-government organizations formed over the last week to investigate the deaths of several ʻōhiʻa trees in the Moloa‘a Forest Reserve on Kaua‘i’s northeastern side.

(HILO) – Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) are seeking information about the person or persons who butchered a 250-pound green sea turtle at Onekahakaha County Beach Park in South Hilo. A DOCARE officer estimates the turtle’s shell as at least 80 centimeters in size. Officers report that the turtle’s front two flippers were amputated and it appeared the suspect(s) was interrupted and left the scene without the turtle.  

(HONOLULU) – Following a series of statewide public hearing on proposed changes to rules regulating activities within Hawaii’s Forest Reserve System, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife is reminding everyone that input and comments on the rules will be accepted until May 11, 2018. The rule changes are in response to evolving natural resource concerns and the needs of managers and forest users.

LIHU‘E – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announces an open fishing season for rainbow trout in the Koke‘e Public Fishing Area (PFA) on Kaua‘i, beginning Saturday, June 16, 2018.

(Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i) – The men and women charged with the responsibility of preventing, fighting and managing wildfires around the State of Hawai‘i gather on Hawai‘i Island next week for the yearly Hawai‘i Wildfire Summit organized by the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO). The week begins with two days of professional training from the National Fire Protection Association which focuses on “Assessing Structure Ignition Potential from Wildfire.”

(South Kona, Hawai‘i)  It’s a long and rough four-wheel-drive road to reach a black sand beach at Manukā Natural Area Reserve (NAR) on Hawai’i Island.  That doesn’t deter some 30 people – Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund staff, representatives from federal and state agencies and volunteers – from making the trip for nine consecutive Earth Days with a singular mission in mind. That’s to remove plastic debris, derelict fishing equipment and nets and the typical trash produced by all of us.

(LIHUE) – Two major State Parks on Kaua‘i will remain closed indefinitely. Hāʻena State Park and the adjacent Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park (including the Kalalau Trail) on Kauai are closed due to flood damage affecting both parks. Kuhio Highway, the only way in and out of both parks has been closed by multiple landslides since record-breaking rains pounded the north shore of Kaua‘I last weekend. Closures will likely be for an extended period, while damage assessments and repairs are completed.

(HONOLULU) – Had it been something other than a sharp fishing knife perhaps the video would have been endearing?  A Hawaiian monk seal pup named Manu‘iwa recently weaned from its mother on a Hawai‘i Island beach.  Staff from Ke Kai Ola, a hospital operated by The Marine Mammal Center at Kailua-Kona and officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) have been monitoring the pup’s health and growth. 

MAKENA, MAUI --  On Thursday morning, April 12, 2018, the DLNR Division of State Parks will be conducting maintenance work at Makena State Park to trim overhanging and hazardous branches in the park. For public safety, the first park entrance (first paved parking lot at the north end) will be closed approximately 5 hours, from 7 a.m. through 12 noon.  All other sections of the park, with the exception of the project area, will remain open. 

(HONOLULU) – Since President’s Day weekend the road system at Ka‘ena State Park has been mostly closed to try and prevent additional resource damage caused by off-road vehicles. The two-mile-long unpaved road is popular with fishermen who use it to access the north shore waters and over the years it’s also been popular with off-road enthusiasts.  “Unfortunately,” explained Curt Cottrell, administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks, “After we clearly marked and designated the only roads in the park where driving is permissible we’re still experiencing some drivers wanting to go off-road – meaning they are not staying on designated routes which were specifically designated to prevent the common practice known as mud-bogging.”