HONOLULU – With the school year ending and the start of the busy summer tourist season, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety & Lifeguard Services Division have combined forces to educate and inform local residents and visitors about resource protection rules and safety considerations related to visits to Oahu Offshore Islets; particularly Mokulua North or Mokunui Islet, the highly visited islet off Kailua and Lanikai beaches. All of the offshore islets are state wildlife sanctuaries. On Mokunui Islet, the state and city & county are working to balance resource protection with visitation.
News Releases
HONOLULU – Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park on Hawaii Island is one of the state’s quintessential and most popular state parks. It attracts thousands of kayakers, snorkelers, hikers, and people interested in learning about Hawaiian cultural resources.
HONOLULU – On May 15, twenty-five Hawaiʻi middle school students were recognized for their poems and short stories selected as top winners in the annual “My Hawai‘i” environmental writing contest for students in grades 6, 7 and 8, sponsored by the Pacific Writers’ Connection (PWC), the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance and multiple state and federal environmental agencies .
HONOLULU – Protection of Hawai‘i lands having valuable cultural, natural, or agricultural resources can be achieved through grants from the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Legacy Land Conservation Program (LLCP).
HONOLULU— The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) reminds the public that the moi fishing season is closed beginning Monday, June 1, 2015. State regulations make it unlawful for any person to take, possess, or sell any moi during June, July, and August.
Honolulu – When the 55-foot sailing vessel Doubloon broke apart off Mission Beach in Laie, it left a 1/2 mile long path of debris. Today staff from the DLNR Land Division and Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) used trash cans, rakes, an ATV and sheer manpower to remove several truckloads of wood, plastic and other materials left after the boat became disabled and sank early Tuesday morning. The debris was so extensive and its path was so long that crews plan to return tomorrow to finish up their work.
Kona-Kailua – He’s known as B-18 and for the past week this endangered Hawaiian monk seal has been spotted repeatedly swimming in and around boats at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor on Hawaii Island. He’s feeding on fish scraps that have been thrown overboard. This has prompted the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) to remind people that it is against the law to dispose of fish scraps in state waters.
Honolulu – The translocation of endangered Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis) to the remote Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument appears to be a success. Staff from the State of Hawaii, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) report that 19 new downy ducklings emerged over the past week.
HONOLULU – Rule changes are now in effect that prohibit and deter the transport and release of introduced wildlife in Hawaii. Introduced species can impact Hawaii’s ecosystems and economy by introducing harmful predation and competition to indigenous species, damaging watersheds, spreading pathogens and diseases, and harming agriculture.
Honolulu – A DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Officer (DOCARE), on routine patrol Sunday morning, cited a Windward Oahu resident for having dozens of undersized fish. This resulted in not only the fish being confiscated for evidence, but also the fisher’s 16-foot skiff and 3500 feet of net.