Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Maunakea, Hawai‘i) –On Sunday and Monday a half-dozen Palila, hatched and raised at the San Diego Zoo Global’s (SDZG) Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, flew in the open air for the first time in their lives. Palila, a distant relative of finches are the last surviving members of sixteen species of finch-billed, seed-eating birds in the main Hawaiian Islands. They were once found on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu, but are now found only high on the slopes of Mauna Kea. 

(Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve) – Towering above the highest trees in this Hawai‘i Island Natural Area Reserve, a 105-foot-high meteorological tower, with millions of dollars of high-tech sensing equipment attached to it, is the final component of the National Ecological Observatory Network or NEON.

(Hilo) – The late Hawai‘i Island State Senator, Gilbert Kahele, was a champion for the stewardship and improvement of facilities at the formerly named Mauna Kea State Recreation Area; renamed Mauna Kea Recreation Area when management was transferred from the State of Hawai’i to the County of Hawai’i five years ago.

(Honolulu) – The vessel, Skye, also known as the Navatech is expected to be lifted from the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor tomorrow. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) notified the boat’s owner some months ago that he would need to remove his vessel as he was $16,000 in arrears in mooring fees and the Skye had become non-seaworthy and could not leave the state’s largest small boat harbor under its own power.

(Wailua Loop Road, Kaua‘i) –  Until a week ago, the Keahua Bridge, better known as the Wailua Loop Road Bridge, had its concrete dividers and walk-way covered in graffiti. The bridge is a popular stop for sightseers, hikers, swimmers and stream-waders.  The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) staff on Kaua‘i contacted the art program at Kapa‘a High School to propose a way to combat the vandalism and beautify the bridge structures, which are only a few years old.

(Honolulu)-Children of all ages are invited to find their own outdoor adventures at the iconic Diamond Head State Monument, on Kids to Parks Day, Saturday May 18th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.The event is included FREE with regular park admission, and includes activities such as, scavenger hunts, hula hoop and jump rope contests, relay races, and guided nature tours (scheduled at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.), and a bring-your-own-kite event. 

(Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve, Hawai‘i) – Two ‘Alalā in the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve have reached a new milestone, one not seen in the forests of Hawaiʻi for almost 20 years. They have built a nest. In early April, team members observed two birds, Mana'olana and Manaiakalani beginning to build a nest platform structure near their 2017 release site.

(Hilo) – One of the most rugged and hard-to-reach beaches in Hawai‘i has been infamously dubbed “plastic beach, trash beach and rubbish beach.” Not so long ago the strips of white sand at Kamilo Point on Hawai‘i Island were chest-high in plastic debris, off all sizes, shapes and variety; washed ashore by ocean currents.

(Honolulu) – Kohala lands within the Kula Iwi (homeland) of Kamehameha the Great on Hawai‘i island; stunningly beautiful coastal pasture in Hāna, Maui; restored access to a Hawaiian fishpond on Kaua‘i’s north shore; and two tracts of high-quality O‘ahu forest can now be protected for public benefit with the help of grant funding from the State Legacy Land Conservation Program.

(Honolulu)-The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has scheduled an open meeting to discuss the recently issued draft of its Tantalus-Round Top Drive Corridor Management Plan (“Draft TRTD-CMP”). The Draft TRTD-CMP identifies management issues in the area and recommends actions that should be undertaken to maintain and enhance the corridor.