(Hilo) – The flow from fissure #8 is slowly creeping to the State of Hawai‘i’s Pohoiki Boat Ramp adjacent to Hawai‘i County’s Issac Hale Park. During an assessment of eruption impacts today, steam and volcanic gasses from the nearby ocean entry wafted over the tall trees in the park’s now empty parking lot. Stephen Schmelz, Hawai’i Island Branch Manager for the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) estimates the lava, if it maintains its current course and speed, could overtake Pohoiki and Issac Hale Park within the next few days.
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(Honolulu) – At least ten people on a Hawaiian Lava Boat Tours vessel were injured this morning after an explosion sent lava through the roof of the boat’s passenger cabin. Other reports indicate as many as 12 passengers were hurt. Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) along with the Hawai‘i County Police Dept. are investigating the incident.
(Honolulu) A juvenile whale shark with heavy gauge line wrapped around its mid-section was spotted a second time this week. Initial reports of the entangled whale shark were received on Sunday off Olowalu and then on Thursday several commercial snorkel/dive tour companies reported the shark on the backside of Molokini, off Maui’s south shore.
(Honolulu) – Today the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s (DOFAW) Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program reached a major milestone. For the last two years a group of volunteers in Kailua have been gathering information on individual trees in Kailua. They measure and map each tree and their data provides valuable information about urban trees that helps resource experts better manage these important community assets. In recognition of the first team of Citizen Foresters, DLNR/DOFAW presented them with a DLNR & YOU Citizen Conservationist award.
(Honolulu) – When it comes to food Hawaiian monk seals behave much like dogs. Feed them once and they’ll come back for more. That’s one of the messages the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is relaying to fishers who frequent the small bay adjacent to the Kahe Power Plant on O‘ahu’s Wai‘anae coast.
(Puna) – The East Rift Zone Eruption event has destroyed important populations of two of Hawaiʻi’s endangered plants. This loss highlights the importance of managing other threats to native species across the state and the need to increase resilience of such populations.
(Honolulu) – One benefit of a smaller and quieter than usual 4th of July Waikiki flotilla was a big reduction in the amount of trash accumulating in the ocean and on the beach. For several years volunteers from Sustainable Coastlines and other beach clean-up organizations had boats in the water and people on the beach to pick-up after the ocean-going party. This year the groups elected to focus their attention on regularly scheduled beach clean-ups and were not able to support post-flotilla rubbish removal.
(Halawa, Moloka‘i) -- It took a community effort over several weeks to successfully clean up various kinds of marine debris from the beautiful beaches at the east end of Moloka‘i. More than 60 big bags full of trash were collected during a team effort between Moloka’i volunteers, a school class, staff from a local ranch, and help from several agencies. The biggest challenge was a net mass that was described as the size of a large SUV in one gigantic doughnut-like ball, about 25-30 yards across.
(Honolulu) – Compared to the past two Independence Day flotillas off Waikiki, this year’s was tame. Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) joined with counterparts from the Honolulu Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division and the U.S. Coast Guard to show an enormous safety presence at today’s annual ocean gathering.
(Honolulu) – The current eruption of Kīlauea has forever destroyed the Waiopae Tidepools Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). Less than 1% of the marine environment in Hawai‘i is fully protected by these districts, so the loss of Waiopae is extremely significant.