Division of Forestry and Wildlife

(Kīlauea, Kaua‘i) – At the Nihoku predator-proof enclosure at the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, it was designated Newell’s Shearwater (‘A‘o) Chick #8. On Sunday evening this healthy chick left its manmade burrow and headed out to sea; one of eight young birds that had been translocated to Nihoku as part of an extraordinary effort to save Hawai‘i’s endemic seabirds from extinction.

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE 2016-2017 GAME BIRD HUNTING SEASON  The Department of Land and Natural Resources announces the opening of the 2016-2017 Game Bird Hunting Season on Saturday, November 5, 2016.  Department biologists are predicting a… Read More »

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife has set a makeup hunt on Saturday and Sunday, October 29-30, 2016 for those hunters impacted by cancellation of the Lana‘i mouflon sheep rifle hunt originally set on September 3-4, 2016.

The State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is pleased to announce that application forms for the 2017 Lanai Axis deer hunting season, together with instruction sheets,… Read More »

HILO -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will conduct animal control activities specifically for trapping mouflon/feral sheep hybrids; staff hunting, and/or aerial shooting from helicopters for feral goats, feral sheep, mouflon and mouflon/feral sheep hybrids within palila critical habitat in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve (Unit A), Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (Unit K), Palila Mitigation Lands, and the Ka‘ohe Game Management Area (Unit G) on the island of Hawai‘i.

HANALEI – Once on the edge of extinction with only 50 birds remaining in the wild, it is today possible for Hawai‘i visitors and residents to see nēnē in the wild across Kaua‘i and the state thanks to conservation efforts, including captive breeding, that have worked to preserve these birds and re-establish them in their native habitat. The nēnē or Hawaiian goose was officially designated Hawai‘i’s state bird on May 7, 1957, and in 2003, September 26th was officially designated Nēnē Awareness Day by Governor Linda Lingle.

(Honolulu) – A series of aerial surveys of six Hawaiian Islands reveals that the fungal disease, known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death has impacted nearly 50,000 acres of native forest on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. That’s an increase of some 13,000 acres from surveys done earlier in 2016. “It’s important to note that the aerial surveys still need verification by conducting ground-truthing and lab tests,” said Philipp Lahaela Walter, State Resource & Survey Forester for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). While some of the increase is due to expanding the survey area, much of it is due to new tree mortality.

HONOLULU - Travelling past lush ‘a‘ali‘i and ‘aweoweo bushes, and under monkey pod and Christmas berry trees laden with liliko‘i vines, Angelica Stevens turns to smile as she explains the plans for her parents’ nine acre agriculture parcel in Kona.

(Honolulu) – You’ve probably seen them in their bright blue shirts out in the forest pulling weeds, planting native trees, restoring trails, or hiking up a mountain side. These are participants from Hawaii’s Youth Conservation Corps that are helping environmental agencies tackle today’s natural resource problems and care for Hawaii’s fragile ecosystems.

(Lihue, Kaua‘i) - A tiny Newell’s Shearwater chick, rescued from the Hono o Na Pali Natural Area Reserve on Kaua‘i, in late August, is thriving and doing well at the Save our Shearwaters (SOS) facility. The lost chick was collected by KESRP staff members, Heidi Ingram and John Hintze. They carried it up the side of a mountain to a helicopter landing zone on a remote ridge. The bird was put into a carry box and flown to Lihue where it was then taken to SOS at the Kaua‘i Humane Society.