Department of Land and Natural Resources

HONOLULU -- A large quantity of copper wire was located today at Ke‘ehi lagoon area today by enforcement officers of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

HONOLULU -- The small boat harbors and boat ramps have played an important role in the recreational history of Hawai‘i. Although many of the harbors have been upgraded, repaired and expanded over time, many of the original features, including their breakwaters, basins, slips, and channels retain their historic character.

WAILUKU, MAUI -- A groundbreaking ceremony yesterday at the Maui Annex state building at 130 Mahalani Street is preparing the way for demolition of the 57-year old building, and construction starting in early 2017, of a new 7,000 square-foot building on the one-acre state parcel that has housed four divisions of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources Hunter Education Program is expanding education and outreach efforts by offering free Hawai‘i Hunter Education Manuals to the public, while supplies last.

KAPA`A, KAUA‘I -- A large fishing net, estimated to weigh about two tons, was removed from the beach at Kapa‘a fronting the Coral Reef Resort, yesterday.

(Kilauea Point, Kauai) – “An enormous success,” is how people and organizations involved in an effort to further protect endangered Hawaiian seabirds describe the first two seasons of translocating Hawaiian Petrels and the first Newell’s Shearwaters to a predator-proof enclosure at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kaua‘i’s north shore.

(Honolulu) - Leslie Kobata, who has served as the Deputy Registrar in the DLNR Bureau of Conveyances since 2011, has been tabbed as the next Registrar. DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “Les is an outstanding, innovative, and approachable leader. We are fortunate to retain his decades of private sector, high-level business experience, as the Bureau of Conveyances continues a major modernization initiative directed at making its vital State records easily accessible to the public.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is the lead agency in developing and updating the Hawaiʻi Forest Action Plan 2016.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources Divisions of Aquatic Resources (DAR), State Historic Preservation (SHPD), and Engineering offices on Maui will close next week, starting Monday December 5-9, as staff move out of their current location at 130 Mahalani Street in Wailuku, and set up at a temporary location in the Māʻalaea Small Boat Harbor.

LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I -- Kaua‘i landowners are invited to attend a forestry workshop on Saturday December 10, 2016, starting at 9 a.m., to learn about how they can benefit from state and federal landowner assistance programs that support forest restoration efforts.

(Honolulu) - Lead scientists in the fight against Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death on Hawaii’i Island joined Governor David Ige and other top policy makers for the first-ever Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Summit, today at the Hawaii’i State Capital Auditorium. Speakers provided situation reports on the disease and presented the recently completed, strategic response plan which will guide the statewide response to this dire threat to Hawaii’s most iconic tree species.

HONOLULU — Spawning season is here for ‘ama‘ama (striped mullet), which puts the popular nearshore fish off-limits from December through March. “‘Ama‘ama are about to enter their peak spawning season, which increases their vulnerability to fishing pressure,” said Bruce Anderson, DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources administrator. “The annual winter closure is designed to help the fish reproduce successfully and protect the species from overfishing.”

PUNA, HAWAI‘I -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has contracted with Water Resources International, Inc. to plug and abandon two geothermal scientific wells, SOH-1 and SOH-2 located in Pahoa.

LIHU‘E -- The community is invited to attend an information meeting about the project now underway to construct a bridge for vehicles and pedestrians to cross over Keahua Stream. This location is at the end of Kuamo‘o Road, at the Keahua Arboretum in the Lihu‘e-Koloa State Forest Reserve. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Kapa‘a Middle School, 4867 Olohena Rd.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is accepting applications for membership on the Water Security Advisory Group established in Act 172, Session Laws of Hawaii 2016. The Chairperson of DLNR will review the applications and select individuals that are deemed qualified to serve on the Water Security Advisory Group per the requirements of Act 172.

HONOLULU -- State wildfire crews from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife today continued to combat for the fourth day a wildfire that started in the back of Wai‘anae valley and spread uphill into the Wai‘anae-Kai state forest reserve.

(Hamakua Coast, Hawai’i) - From the road, in the Laupahoehoe Section of the Hilo Forest Reserve, Steve Bergfeld of the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources spots the enormous, towering, ōhiʻa tree; its thick branches now completely without leaves. The Hawai’i Island Branch Manager for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife wants to get a close-up look at the tree, after a technician first spotted it and took samples a week ago. Two laboratory tests have confirmed that this very old tree was killed by the fast-moving fungal infection known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.

HILO, HAWAII -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday November 16 to receive testimony on the request of Kamehameha Schools for a 50-year Incidental Take License (ITL) from the Board of Land and Natural Resources for a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) for a 32,280-acre property located near Volcano Village on the island of Hawai‘i.

HONOLULU -- The State Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) will hold a public hearing to receive public testimony on the North Shore Watershed Management Plan, on Thursday, November 17, 2016.

KAHULUI – Visitors to the ‘Ahihi-Kina‘u Natural Area Reserve and Keone‘oi‘o (La Perouse Bay) area are advised that renovation of the Kanahena parking area is expected to create limited parking and traffic delays from Monday, November 14 to January 15, 2017. The project involves improving the parking area surface and drainage with concrete paving at the current location which is away from the ocean. The paved surface will help prevent pollutants from vehicles from entering the surrounding environment.

(Honolulu) - Kalauao valley has a long history of providing for the people of Hawai‘i. Historically, the valley was used to gather plants and herbs used for healing practices at Keaīwa Heiau. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) recently purchased 635 acres in Kalauao Valley from Bishop Museum. Funding for the acquisition was provided by the State’s Legacy Land Conservation Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Land Acquisition Program.

HONOLULU -- The existing path and stairway to the Waianapanapa State Park black sand beach and bay will be closed for about 3 weeks, beginning on Monday, November 7, 2016, as a part of the DLNR Division of State Parks’ ongoing capital improvement project on the pedestrian pathways throughout the park. Pailoa Beach will not be accessible during the construction of a new concrete pathway with steps at that location.

(Honolulu) – The State Bureau of Conveyances, one of the divisions of the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, is now in the second phase of a four-phase project to convert more than 170 years of vital state records into permanent, digital format. The Hawai‘i Bureau of Conveyances is the only single statewide recording office in the country. It examines, records, and indexes more than 344,000 land and property documents and maps each year and it issues Land Court Certificates of Title and certifies copies of matters of record. On a daily basis, the Bureau of Conveyances inputs 1,100-1,500 documents and its documents date back to 1845.

(HONOLULU) – They’re fast and stable; and given Hawai‘i’s frequently rough waters, the two new Sea Blade 23 law enforcement vessels acquired the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), fit the bill. Today one of the 23-foot long, aluminum, center-control console boats, the Malama Kai II, was blessed during a ceremony at the Keehi Small Boat Harbor. It will be based on Oahu and used by DOCARE’s Marine Enforcement Unit. The other vessel has been in service at Kona on Hawai‘i Island for several months and will be blessed at a later date. Officers are using it there to enforce rules associated with swimming with dolphins and other marine animals, as well as for general law enforcement purposes.

WAIMEA, KAUAI – Three (3) bridges along the Mohihi-Camp 10 Access Road in the Na Pali-Kona state forest reserve will undergo construction to replace them, starting Monday, November 7, 2016 through May 31, 2017. Existing bridges are aged, deteriorated and in need of replacement. Project contractor is Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. and the project cost is $2,414,000.

HONOLULU -- The public is invited to the annual Arbor Day plant sale on Friday, November 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife O‘ahu plant nursery at 2135 Makiki Heights Dr., in Honolulu.

(Click on image to watch video) Extraordinary Endangered Seabirds & Extraordinary Steps to Save Them   Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project Pacific Rim Conservation DLNR/Division of Forestry & Wildlife DLNR/Natural ...
Read More 10/29/16 – Extraordinary Endangered Seabirds & Extraordinary Steps to Save Them

LIHU'E – School children from Island School helped release five fledgling ‘A‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters) and one Leach's Storm-petrel yesterday as part of the annual E Ho‘opomaika‘i ‘ia na Manu ‘A‘o (A Cultural Release of the Native Newell’s Shearwater) event. The event was organized by the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) and the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) project.

HOOKIPA, MAUI - Shortly after 5 p.m. today Maui Police Department notified DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) of a shark bite at Hookipa beach park. The male victim was surfing at a point at Hookipa.

HONOLULU -- A draft management plan to help in the restoration and recovery of many rare plants and animals in the Pahole Natural Area Reserve (NAR) of O‘ahu’s Waianae mountain range is now available for public review and comment. The plan, prepared by the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), outlines the planned management activities in the reserve over the next 15 years. It is part of a series of site-specific plans to be prepared by DOFAW for natural area reserves throughout the state.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources announces the opening of the 2016-2017 Game Bird Hunting Season on Saturday, November 5, 2016. Department biologists are predicting a below average season of bird hunting, with lingering drought impacts in many parts of the state. The fall game bird hunting season will run through Sunday, January 29, 2017. A valid hunting license and a game bird stamp are required for all game bird hunting on public and private lands. All game bird hunting is regulated by Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 13, Chapter 122 (see https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw “Administrative Rules” for all legal hunting days).

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON For Immediate News Release October 18, 2016    RESCUED NEWELL’S SHEARWATER CHICK HEADS TO ...
Read More 10/18/16 – Rescued Newell’s Shearwater Chick Heads To Sea; Miracle Bird Highlights Extraordinary Recovery Effort

LAHAINA, MAUI -- Maui legislators Rep. Angus McKelvey, Sen. Rosalyn Baker, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources are jointly hosting a public information meeting on Thursday October 20, 2016, to provide an update on the design of the proposed Lahaina Small Boat Harbor ferry pier improvements.

KIHEI, MAUI – Shark warning signs were posted this morning by Maui County Ocean Safety lifeguards and Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) staff on the Kihei coastline from Kalama Park to Kamaole Beach Park III. This was in response to a report received just before 10 a.m. today that a female snorkeler was bitten by a shark while in waters 40 feet from shore and seven feet deep fronting Charlie Young beach. Ocean conditions were calm, but somewhat murky. The victim, a part-time Maui resident, was transported to a hospital with injuries to her lower left leg.

(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/

(HONOLULU) – Over one billion dollars – that’s how much hunters and anglers contribute each year in the U.S. toward sport fish and wildlife restoration programs through taxes on their sport-related purchases. National Hunting and Fishing Day began in 1972 as a way for states to recognize the contributions of sportsmen and women in wildlife and sport fish conservation and restoration, hunter education and to the shooting sports.

(HONOLULU) – “Clearly Hawai‘i’s commitments to conservation and sustainability are aligned with the world’s priorities and with the strategic issues of importance to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),” observed Governor David Ige, on this last day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Hawai‘i 2016. Thousands of delegates and members from 192 member countries spent the last ten days in Hawai‘i at the planet’s most important and high-level conservation gathering. Governor Ige deemed it a tremendous success and thanked the countless state and federal agencies, elected officials, conservation organizations, and volunteers who consistently spread the message: “What is clear now, more than ever before, is that we are in this together – one canoe navigating Island Earth.”

(Honolulu) – A series of aerial surveys of six Hawaiian Islands reveals that the fungal disease, known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death has impacted nearly 50,000 acres of native forest on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. That’s an increase of some 13,000 acres from surveys done earlier in 2016. “It’s important to note that the aerial surveys still need verification by conducting ground-truthing and lab tests,” said Philipp Lahaela Walter, State Resource & Survey Forester for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). While some of the increase is due to expanding the survey area, much of it is due to new tree mortality.

HONOLULU - Travelling past lush ‘a‘ali‘i and ‘aweoweo bushes, and under monkey pod and Christmas berry trees laden with liliko‘i vines, Angelica Stevens turns to smile as she explains the plans for her parents’ nine acre agriculture parcel in Kona.

(Honolulu) -- Following severe coral bleaching events in 2014 and 2015 within Hawai‘i’s ocean waters, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) has been working to identify management actions that can be taken to promote post-coral bleaching recovery and resiliency in Hawai‘i’s coral reefs.

HONOLULU -- Hawai‘i is at an invasive species crossroads: the islands are home to more endangered species than any other state. Between 80-90% of all food is imported, and there are more than 8 million visitors annually, with hundreds of arriving flights and ships carrying cargo.

HONOLULU -- Beginning in October 2016 on O‘ahu, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Hunter Education Program will expand certification options for the public by offering a Hybrid Hunter Education Course which can be partially completed online. This Hybrid course will consist of two parts: (1) online course and (2) a one-day In-person conclusion course with final exam.

(Honolulu) – You’ve probably seen them in their bright blue shirts out in the forest pulling weeds, planting native trees, restoring trails, or hiking up a mountain side. These are participants from Hawaii’s Youth Conservation Corps that are helping environmental agencies tackle today’s natural resource problems and care for Hawaii’s fragile ecosystems.

(Honolulu) - Climate change is anticipated to have profound effects in the Hawaiian Islands. Key indicators of the changing climate include rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising air and sea temperatures, rising sea levels and upper-ocean heat content, changing ocean chemistry and increasing ocean acidity, changing rainfall patterns, decreasing base flow in streams, changing wind and wave patterns, changing extremes, and changing habitats and species distributions.

OCEAN USERS URGED TO USE REEF-SAFE SUNSCREENS Scientific Evidence Showing Chemicals Cause Damage to Coral Reefs

(Lihue, Kaua‘i) - A tiny Newell’s Shearwater chick, rescued from the Hono o Na Pali Natural Area Reserve on Kaua‘i, in late August, is thriving and doing well at the Save our Shearwaters (SOS) facility. The lost chick was collected by KESRP staff members, Heidi Ingram and John Hintze. They carried it up the side of a mountain to a helicopter landing zone on a remote ridge. The bird was put into a carry box and flown to Lihue where it was then taken to SOS at the Kaua‘i Humane Society.

(Honolulu) - A compound commonly found in sunscreens has been shown to cause serious harm to corals, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is asking people who enter the ocean to avoid using sunscreens which contain oxybenzone. Recent studies have shown that oxybenzone causes deformities in coral larvae (planulae), making them unable to swim, settle out, and form new coral colonies. It also increases the rate at which coral bleaching occurs. This puts coral reef health at risk, and reduces resiliency to climate change.

(HONOLULU) – As the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) was exploring ways to reach more visitors and kama‘āina with information about conserving and protecting natural and cultural resources, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) was engaged in developing a five-year strategic plan. “Coincidentally, the stars were in alignment and what we were thinking turned out to be a perfect fit with the HTA’s strategic plan,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case.

HONOLULU –The Department of Land and Natural Resources is responding to changing forecasts for Hurricane Lester by issuing the following update on area closures:

HONOLULU -- Due to anticipated storm-generated wave heights of up to 15 feet (Hawaiian) which equals a 30 foot wave face on the east-facing shores of O‘ahu, the Division of State Parks is temporarily closing the unimproved foot path that leads down to the popular Makapu‘u tide pools at Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline.

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I – A public information meeting planned this weekend to discuss new, proposed rules for the Makako Bay and Keauhou manta ray viewing sites has been rescheduled due to the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Lester. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Boating and Ocean Recreation Division (DOBOR) will now hold the meeting on Saturday, 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.

DLNR & YOU – World Conservation Congress Opening Ceremony – Governor David Ige (click on image to watch video)

HONOLULU -- Due to the uncertainty over the track of approaching Hurricane Lester, all Hawai‘i island, Maui, and O‘ahu State Park camping and lodging areas will be closed to overnight use beginning Friday, September 2 and will remain closed -- at minimum through Monday, September 5 -- until conditions warrant allowing these activities.

Honolulu – With Tropical Storm Madeline currently impacting Hawai‘i County and Hurricane Lester entering Hawaiian waters over the next several days, the IUCN World Conservation Congress Hawai‘i 2016 and all of its sessions and programs are continuing as scheduled. The Congress begins tomorrow with opening ceremonies at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, and then continues at the Hawai'i Convention Center until Sept. 10, 2016.

(Honolulu) -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the IUCN’s Oceania Regional Office (ORO) are hosting the Hawaii-Pacific Pavilion during the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016, which will take place at the Hawai‘i Convention Center from September 2-9.