Division of Forestry and Wildlife

(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.

DLNR CANCELS SCHEDULED WEEKEND HUNT DUE TO APPROACHING TROPICAL STORM MADELINE AND HURRICANE LESTER HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife is canceling this weekends scheduled hunt… Read More »

(Honolulu) -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the IUCN’s Oceania Regional Office (ORO) are hosting the Hawaii-Pacific Pavilion during the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016, which will take place at the Hawai‘i Convention Center from September 2-9.

(Honolulu) – When Silene perlmanii, an extremely rare small shrub with delicate white flowers, was discovered on O‘ahu by botanist Steve Perlman in 1987, just 20 individuals remained in the wild. Within three years, only 6 plants remained, dwindling to a single individual by 1994. The decline of this species at the last known wild site has been attributed to aggressive weeds and introduced ungulates damaging the habitat.

(Lihue, Kauai) Hawaii’s forest birds are one of the best examples anywhere in the world, of what’s known as adaptive radiation. This means a few founding individual species evolved into a multitude of species. They’re also a key reason Hawaii holds the unenviable nickname of “extinction capitol of the world”, as many species have disappeared since the arrival of people to the islands. Most of the remaining are highly endangered and the subject of intense conservation efforts. Habitat loss and degradation, non-native predators, landscape-altering invasive weeds, and avian disease spread by mosquitoes have all contributed to the current predicament faced by these species.

HONOLULU -- As global climate change progresses, what will happen to Hawai‘i’s aquifers and the ecosystem services which healthy forest watersheds provide? Will we be able to meet our future fresh water needs for drinking and agriculture?

(Molokai) – Scattered across an expansive coastline of valleys, sea cliffs, boulders, and beaches, is a problem that affects everyone. “It doesn’t matter the name you give it, marine debris, ocean litter, coastal trash, or where it came from,” says James Espaniola of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. “The best thing to do is to get busy and do something about it.” That is exactly what The Nature Conservancy Molokai (TNC-Molokai), Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KNHP) and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s (DOFAW) Natural Area Reserves System decided to do.

(Honolulu) – The deep, beautiful orange and black hue of Hawai’i’s official state insect is well known by visitors to native forests, and cultural practitioners. It is considered a critical pollinator for numerous native plants. The Kamehameha butterfly, like so many insects, plants, and animals in Hawai’i, is being crowded out of its traditional habitat by ever-encroaching human presence, the introduction of invasive predator species, and global climate change. Although the butterfly is historically known from all the main Hawaiian Islands (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lanaʻi, Maui, and Hawai’i), it is no longer found in some areas where it used to be common and it appears to be declining. The Pulelehua Project includes an effort to map current populations of the Kamehameha butterfly using observations submitted by the public, combined with surveys of remote areas by scientists. Pulelehua is the Hawaiian word for butterfly.

KAHULUI - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will close the Kula Forest Reserve, Walpoli Access Road, Kahananui Forest Reserve – Papa‘anui Tract, and Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area from Monday, September 12, 2016, through Friday, September 23, 2016, to allow scheduled road repairs, road safety improvements, and fuel mitigation work (such as removing underbrush) and to be completed for both the unpaved and paved sections of the road.