LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is seeking public input and comments on a draft forest reserve management plan for Nounou and Kâlepa Forest Reserves on the island of Kaua‘i.
HONOLULU – Black Band disease was found at nearly half of the reef sites surveyed for the presence of the disease in near-shore waters on Kauai. These are the findings contained in a final report authored by the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). Researcher Chris Runyon and her team surveyed 47 coral reef sites over the past year and found the disease in 23 (48%) of them. Runyon said, “A weak relationship was found between the abundance of the disease and water temperature. The lesions caused by black band disease become more active in the summer.” Previous work established the disease is affecting three species of Montipora, or rice, corals and also showed disease "hotspots" at Makua and Anini beaches.
This posting is for the State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Commission on Water Resource Management. The position is located on the Island of Oahu.
HONOLULU -- Helping the State of Hawai‘i create more effective management of Hawaii’s near shore marine resources is the goal of the Makai Watch Volunteer Program, which is assisting the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) by acting as the ‘eyes and ears’ of conservation enforcement in the community.
KAHULUI -- “E ola ‛oe. E ola mâkou nei,” Malia Heimuli whispers as she removes a koa seedling from its container and buries its roots in the soft, dark earth. “It means you live, so we live.”
HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) continues to respond to reports of possible Japan Tsunami Marine Debris items that arrive on island reefs and beaches. Today, a DLNR crew retrieved a reported 20’ skiff at Sandy Beach area, bearing Japanese characters and vessel registration numbers. It is the seventh boat reported since February this year, following six others that arrived on Hawaii shores. Three were on the Big Island, at Kohanaiki, Kawaihae and Kawa Bay. One was overturned on Maui near the Aston Mahana, and two on Oahu were reported, at Kahuku and Punaluu.
HONOLULU -- Today the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks (DSP), reached an interim revocable permit agreement with Pro Park, Inc. for a parking operation at Diamond Head State Monument. Pro Park will begin operating and collecting entrance fees effective tomorrow (Wed., April 22, 2015) and the park will operate as normal.
Kapalua, Maui– A group of volunteers, led by staff from the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, banded 150 adult wedge-tailed shearwaters at a Kapalua colony in West Maui last night. Spring nighttime efforts to capture returning adults to look for banded birds recruiting into the breeding population began in 2008. Additionally unbanded adults are banded during the project.
(Honolulu) – On March 25, two critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus schauinslandi) were successfully returned to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument after being rehabilitated at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital in Kona. The seals were rescued last year in an emaciated state, one on Kure Atoll and another on Laysan Island, during NOAA Fisheries Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program’s field camp season.
HONOLULU – A relatively rare set of weather conditions led to erosion issues this winter in Waikiki, particularly in the area near the Royal Hawaiian Groin. Sam Lemmo, administrator of the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) said, “Weather conditions influence sand deposition in Waikiki. Under normal trade wind conditions, sand generally moves along the shoreline in the Ewa direction. This winter sand has moved in the opposite direction, due to a weather anomaly, resulting in a serious erosion hotspot at the groin.” Kyoya, the owner of the Royal Hawaiian, responded to the “washout” surrounding the stairs, by installing sandbags. Exposed metal on the Royal Hawaiian groin was removed to prevent injuries to ocean users. Late last year, media reports focused on the loss of sand on the beach adjacent to the Kuhio Beach groin.
