Department of Land and Natural Resources

(HONOLULU) – Billed on social media as a way for young people to escape the bonds of COVID-19 restrictions, four people were cited and as many as 300-400 others were cleared from Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline (a DLNR Division of State Parks unit), by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and Honolulu Police Department officers late Saturday afternoon. 

(Kāne'ohe Bay, O‘ahu) – With a radio call…fire in the hole…repeated three times, U.S. Navy explosive experts detonated a military munition late this morning. The blast briefly sent a column of water an estimated 40-feet into the air. The munition was believed to be 50-years-old or older and was resting in sand, in 13-feet of water, in the Sampan channel.  

(Honolulu) – The He’eia Kea Small Boat Harbor will be undergoing the installation of a new absorption bed system for a future wastewater treatment plant effluent disposal system beginning on September 7th.

(HONOLULU) – Mariners are being cautioned to avoid the Sampan Channel area of Kāne'ohe Bay tomorrow during a U.S. Navy treatment operation to remove two unexploded munitions believed to be 50 or more years-old. They’re resting in approximately 13-feet of water. 

(Honolulu) – Beginning on Wednesday September 1st, Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM) will now be open seven days a week. The hours of operation will remain the same, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last hike). Gates will be closed at 6:00 p.m.

 (Kahului, Maui) – A 60-year-old Georgia man, visiting Ka‘anapali, said he “was very sorry” for lifting a sea turtle out of the water by its shell, last week. He told DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE) officers he didn’t know his actions were against the law. 

(HONOLULU) - The Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD) on O‘ahu’s North Shore has expanded to include the Kapo‘o tide pools, also known as the Old Quarry tide pools.  When the Pūpūkea MLCD was first designated in 1983, the intent was to include the tidepool area. However, an executive order which established the county beach park back in 1956 led to uncertainty as to who owned the tide pools.

(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) will begin hosting virtual talk story sessions for interested fishers next week. These sessions, which are already underway on Kaua’i, will now be expanded to include the other islands. The sessions provide an opportunity for fishers and DAR staff to exchange information, concerns, and ideas.

(HONOLULU) – China Walls, Spitting Cave, and other geological features along the East O‘ahu coastline, stretching from Maunalua Bay to the Hālona Blow Hole, have long attracted cliff jumpers.  

(Haiku) - Today, Alexander & Baldwin and East Maui Irrigation Company, Limited, withdrew its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed water lease for the Nāhiku, Keʻanae, Honomanū, and Huelo License Areas previously filed with both the DLNR Land Division and the State of Hawai‘i Environmental Review Program.