Department of Land and Natural Resources

(HONOLULU) – Since President’s Day weekend the road system at Ka‘ena State Park has been mostly closed to try and prevent additional resource damage caused by off-road vehicles. The two-mile-long unpaved road is popular with fishermen who use it to access the north shore waters and over the years it’s also been popular with off-road enthusiasts.  “Unfortunately,” explained Curt Cottrell, administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks, “After we clearly marked and designated the only roads in the park where driving is permissible we’re still experiencing some drivers wanting to go off-road – meaning they are not staying on designated routes which were specifically designated to prevent the common practice known as mud-bogging.”

HONOLULU — The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife would like to thank all the wildlife artists who submitted amazing art entries for the 2018-19 Hawai‘i Wildlife Conservation and Game Bird Stamp Art Contest. A committee reviewed all submissions and two winners were chosen last month.

(HONOLULU) – Two men received citations from DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers on March 30th at Kahana Bay on O‘ahu’s windward coast.

(Kailua-Kona) Kealakekua Bay is one of the most culturally and historically significant places in Hawaii, and a park planning process is moving forward to balance the preservation of the cultural values and historical sites with the recreational use of the state historical park, especially the very popular Kealakekua Bay.

(LIHUE, KAUA’I) – Monitoring teams are observing more albatross on Lehua Island than they have in a long time. There’s also no sign of rats consuming plants or seabird eggs, something that was commonplace a year ago. These are exactly the kind of early indicators project partners might hope to see – signs of a recovering island ecosystem, due to the removal of introduced, damaging (invasive) rats. But there is still work to do!

(HONOLULU) – The Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) is a 100,000 acre property on Hawai‘i Island which is used by the U.S. Army for training activities. Approximately 20,000 acres of the PTA are owned by the State of Hawai‘i and have been leased to the Army since 1964. More than 80,000 acres of land are under the direct ownership or control of the U.S Army.

LIHU‘E – Tips on how to catch more trout at Pu‘u Lua reservoir in Koke‘e will be the subject of two free evening classes being offered on April 16 and 18 on Kaua‘i, by the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources. No registration is required.

(Hilo, Hawai‘i) – In Mrs. Wines’ fifth grade classroom recently, 21 students were hard at work drawing pictures of ʻAlalā, the Hawaiian crow that’s been extinct in the wild for nearly two decades.  Their drawings are part of their assignment to come up with Hawaiian names for the next set of 12 birds scheduled to be released later this year.

(HONOLULU) - In light of evolving natural resource concerns and the needs of managers and people, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is proposing updates to rules regulating activities within Hawaii’s Forest Reserve System.  DOFAW is now inviting input and comments. 

(Wailuku, Maui) – Instream values for four West Maui streams are now protected following a decision yesterday by the Hawai‘i Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM).  The decision was made at the conclusion of a half-day-long hearing in which more than three dozen people testified.