Department of Land and Natural Resources

(HONOLULU) - Three grant opportunities to assist landowners in reducing fire risk and restoring landscapes are now open and accepting applications via the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The opportunities include Landscape Scale Restoration grants, Community Wildfire Defense grants, and Wildland-Urban Interface grants. All three opportunities are funded by the US Forest Service and full details are available through the Hawaiʻi Awards and Notices Data System.

(click on image for flyer) Please join us for a community informational meeting on Molokai. Chairperson Dawn Chang and First Deputy Laura Kaakua will be joined by staff from multiple ...
Read More 9/25/23 – Molokai Community Informational Meeting

(HONOLULU) - Land acquisition grants from the Land Conservation Fund support efforts by state agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land and protect resources for public benefit. The grants provide a valuable tool to conserve and protect Hawai‘i’s natural beauty and all natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations, which is a key requirement of our State Constitution, Article XI, Section 1.

(HONOLULU) – Tuesday’s marathon meeting of the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) revealed and reinforced many of the issues and plans CWRM staff is working on regarding west Maui water resources. 

(HONOLULU) –The upcoming State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) repair work on the Mākaha Bridge will close part of Farrington Highway from Friday, September 29 through Sunday October 1. Farrington Highway will be fully closed between Kili Drive and Makau Street during the Phase 2 Closure. No through traffic will be allowed during these times. During this time vehicular access to the Kuaokalā Forest Reserve, Mokulē‘ia Forest Reserve and Kuaokalā Game Management Area, managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), will be affected. The forest reserves, game management area and all trails will remain open and accessible from the Mokulēʻia side only, via foot and bike.

ALOHA ‘OE FOR MAUI To view video please click on photo (https://vimeo.com/866206627) Yo-Yo Ma plays Aloha ‘Oe for Maui. (Video of Lahaina Memorial)

(LAHAINA, MAUI) – Remote automatic weather stations (RAWS) have been installed recently in Lahaina in areas with invasive grasses that can be vulnerable to wildfires. The technology enables the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) to collect data to predict fire behavior and monitor fire-stoking fuels.

(MAUNA LOA FOREST RESERVE, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) — For seven years, Alex Wang, Wildlife Biologist with the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), has searched for signs of the band-rumped storm-petrel, or ‘akē‘akē, nesting on Hawai‘i Island. After a long process of night surveys requiring patience, method refinement, and a generous dose of resolve, that day finally arrived in July. 

(HONOLULU) – Governor Josh Green, M.D., signed a second Emergency Proclamation last Friday, regarding the former Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel. It extends the first disaster emergency relief period designated in the July 18, 2023, proclamation, until November 13, 2023.

(HONOLULU) – Natural resources are cultural resources in Hawaiʻi, and managing ecosystems requires an understanding of their cultural context. This is the guiding idea behind a new video series called "ʻIke Kaiāulu,” translated as “Community Knowledge,” produced by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). While the series is ongoing and will expand over time, the first four installments were recently released and feature experts in the fields of la‘au lapa‘au (medicinal plant collection), wood carving, kilo limu (seaweed observation), and stewardship of special areas.