Department of Land and Natural Resources

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is holding a public information and environmental impact statement (EIS) preparation notice scoping meeting for the Ala Wai canal dredging and improvement project on Thursday July 21.

(HONOLULU) - A DLNR Division of State Parks employee reports that two people searching for virtual reality Pokemon Go figures wandered into a sensitive heiau on Kauai where a cultural protocol was underway.

HONOLULU -- Interested community members are invited to an open house at Ha‘ena State Park to discuss changes and updates to the draft master plan and environmental impact statement (EIS) on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), State Parks Division and members of the Ha‘ena State Park Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will host the open house forum so people can visit the site and see the location and scale of proposed park facilities and infrastructure.

WAHIAWA, OAHU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks will completely close the Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area, on Walker Avenue, starting Monday, July 18, 2016. The closure is necessary to ensure public safety while the roadway and parking areas in the park entry are repaved, restriped, and other improvements made for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The park entry gate will remain closed during this period, and the boat ramp will also be closed.

HONOLULU -- Environmental Court Judge Linda Luke in Honolulu District Court imposed a fine of $205 on July 8, upon a defendant who was apprehended taking undersize papio. The case stems from September 2015, when a Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement (DOCARE) officer observed the defendant, Konsida Pelep, taking an undersized papio while fishing with a handline in the Diamond Head area. Upon making contact and inspecting Pelep’s catch, the DOCARE officer discovered six (6) undersized papio. Papio is the Hawaiian term used to identify juvenile phase ulua, which can grow to over 150 pounds. The largest of Pelep’s six fish measured nine inches, weighing less than two pounds.

HONOLULU -- An overturned boat that has been spotted from the air several times since three fishermen were reportedoverdue northwest of Oahu, on Monday July 4, has been found on a remote beach on Kauai’s north shore.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) yesterday began construction of improvements at the Maunalua Bay boat launch ramp to expand the vessel washdown area and construct a roadway around it. Work is scheduled to continue this week and next week.

(KAHULUI, MAUI) –46 criminal citations were written and 10 off-road motorcycles were impounded as evidence after officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) observed illegal dirt biking in Maui’s Kula Forest Reserve on Sunday, July 3, 2016.

(HONOLULU) – Some campers, using the Makua section of the Ka’ena Point State Park Reserve over the holiday weekend, left piles of rubbish, toilet paper and human waste scattered throughout the vegetation. DLNR Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell said, “The continued disrespect of the Makua section and of the Keawaula section of the popular park on Oahu’s far northwestern corner, has prompted State Parks to consider a “rest period” after the busy summer season and a community stewardship effort to help determine future management options. One of those options could be temporarily closure for vehicles, while the beaches would remain open for recreation.

(HONOLULU) – Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) patrolled on land and in the ocean on this Independence Day holiday to keep ocean users safe during what’s become known as the Waikiki flotilla or Floatopia. As of late afternoon only one person had been cited and no one had been arrested or injured as DOCARE officers focused on safety for the estimated 1000 people on boats, stand-up paddle boards, inflatable rafts, mattresses, and an infinite variety of floating toys.