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(HONOLULU) – Nine employees of the Coca-Cola Company based in Hawai‘i played hooky from work today.  They volunteered on behalf of the Ko‘olau Mountains Watershed Partnership (KMWP) by hiking up a trail on the west side of the mountain range in order to plant native koa.  This was a continuation of The Coca-Cola Company’s nationwide commitment to replenish all water it uses in its bottling operations. There are two bottling plants on O‘ahu and last April the company announced it was donating $200,000 to KMWP for ungulate fencing that eventually will surround much of the sprawling Waiawa Watershed, which supplies drinking water to the majority of O‘ahu’s residents.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Resources (DOBOR), operator of the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, will host its second public meeting on planning for use of various sites in the harbor.

(HONOLULU) –  Each time a team of officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) flies into the Kalalau section of the Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, they find fewer illegal camps and write fewer arrest citations to people in the area without required permits. As Hawai‘i’s largest and most remote state park, it is in the best shape in decades, due to the concentrated efforts of DOCARE and the DLNR Division of State Parks, which manages it.

HILO, HAWAII -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks has completed repair work to the 0.4-mile loop trail at Akaka Falls State Park necessitated due to accidental damage caused by earlier removal of invasive albizia trees in February this year.

In celebration of Arbor Day in Hawaii on November 4, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) invites native plant enthusiasts to plant sales and giveaways happening across the state this weekend. DOFAW plant nurseries on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi island will be offering a variety of native plants to encourage their use in home gardening and landscaping.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), O‘ahu Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and the Moanalua Gardens Foundation (MGF), in conjunction with Community Planning & Engineering, Inc. (CPE) have begun road repairs to the Kamananui Valley Road in Moanalua Valley. Kamananui Valley Road and the popular Kulana‘ahane hiking trail will remain open during regular trail hours; however, some phases of the project will require periodic, full-valley closures.

In the early 1800’s Queen Ka‘ahumanu visited Hanauma Bay, considered one of O‘ahu’s crown jewels over the decades. In modern times more than one million people each year, from all over the world, visit the bay to take in its vast marine and coral life. They snorkel, dive, spend time tanning on the beach, and otherwise enjoy the bay’s natural beauty. Before going into the water, they are educated about the living reef environment and safety practices to help ensure their continued enjoyment of the bay. The State, through the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL); the City and County of Honolulu, through the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services; the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Program, and the non-profit Friends of Hanauma Bay (the Friends) work together to protect the bay’s unique underwater resources and best ensure the health of fish, corals, marine mammals, and visitors of the bay.

The mediated settlement, approved by the Hawai‘i State Water Commission in April, to immediately restore continuous flows in West Kaua‘i’s Waimea River, is the subject of a video mini-documentary produced by the DLNR.

Every Sunday morning, for the past twelve years, members of the Manoa Cliff Restoration team trudge up the Maona Cliff Trail in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve to begin another day of work. This is a labor of love; one born out of concern for the health of native forests being choked out by invasive species.

School children from Island School helped release three fledgling ‘A‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters) and one ‘Ua‘u Kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater) as part of the annual E Ho‘opomaika‘i ‘ia na Manu ‘A‘o (A Cultural Release of the Native Newell’s Shearwater) event held at Lydgate Park today. The event was organized by the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) project. Children from Kanuikapono Charter School in Anahola will attend a similar event tomorrow.