Department of Land and Natural Resources

(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.

(Wai`anae) –The Wai`anae Small Boat Harbor comfort station will undergo renovations over the next few months. The project is slated to begin on November 26, 2018 with completion in late February 2019 but could take an additional few months for completion. The project contractor is Maxum Construction of Hawaii, LLC at a cost of $384,215.

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks has received a $100,396 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Marine Debris Program to install water bottle filling stations in 15 State Parks statewide over the next three years. The goal of the project is to reduce the use of single-use plastic water bottles which can become marine debris and harm Hawai‘i’s environment and marine life.

(Hilo) -  Next week staff from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee, the DLNR Divisions of State Parks and Forestry and Wildlife will be working to fell and remove several `ohi`a trees that show symptoms of the fungal disease known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). After the first suspected detection at Kalōpā State Recreation Area in late July, three trees were sampled in the park and three in an adjacent forest reserve.  Five of the six samples tested positive for C. lukuohia, one of a pair of fungi associated with Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death and the most aggressive of the two.