Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Honolulu) - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is aware of and concerned about allegations regarding working conditions on commercial fishing vessels. DLNR is also aware of efforts by various government agencies and the industry itself to investigate these allegations and take appropriate actions.

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.

(WAILUKU) – The Commission on Water Resource Management (Commission) staff confirmed today Wailuku Water Company, LLC (WWC) has provided notice WWC is proceeding with emergency work for the purpose of repairing and conducting stream maintenance activities (i.e., debris removal) to its ‘Īao Intake on Wailuku River pursuant to Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 13-169-55.

(Wailuku, Maui) - When a slow moving thunderstorm dropped an enormous amount of rain on Maui Sept. 13-14, the Wailuku River and several of its tributaries escaped their banks and not only significantly widened the river bed, but caused hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage in ‘Iao Valley State Monument. The popular and iconic Monument, part of the DLNR Division of State Parks system, has been closed since what is considered a 100-year flood event.

HONOLULU -- For centuries, traditional Hawaiian chants have warned about an increased risk of shark bites in the fall, when the wiliwili tree blooms. According to the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), that warning is still appropriate.

(Wai‘anae) – Some 150 residents of a large homeless encampment on DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) land on the Wai‘anae Coast met with a variety of providers on Friday, in the first state-sponsored Community Resource Fair. More than a dozen service providers tallied 467 visits, from homeless people, looking for help with housing, employment, and basic needs.

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.

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I – A public information meeting will be held this Saturday to discuss new, proposed rules for the Makako Bay and Keauhou manta ray viewing sites in Kona. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Boating and Ocean Recreation Division (DOBOR) has scheduled the meeting on September 24, 2016 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Palamanui Campus of Windward Community College, 73-4255 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Room B-126, in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i. The meeting was rescheduled from Sept. 3 due to severe weather forecasts earlier this month.

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.

WAILUKU, MAUI -- 'Iao Valley State Monument, Maui, will remain closed indefinitely due to extensive damage from heavy rain and flooding the night of September 13 and early morning on September 14, 2016. Notice of the park closure is posted at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/