Department of Land and Natural Resources

HILO) – At Sunday’s 13th annual Tokunaga Ulua Challenge Fishing Tournament weigh-in, you’d hear a call for “Mr. Barbless Hook.” That would be Kurt Kawamoto, a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Kawamoto earned the moniker as the driving force behind the NOAA and DLNR Barbless Circle Hook Project. Each time a fish caught with a barbless circle hook weighed in, Kawamoto stepped forward to slap a special sticker on it, and hopefully to see a new record. Since initiating the program more than a decade ago, ulua and other fish caught by shoreline fishermen with barbless hooks have weighed in at one hundred pounds or more; winning more than just a few tournaments.

HONOLULU -- Another long-lasting and economical tool to help schools keep their classrooms cool is by planting shade trees in strategic locations on school campuses to maximize their shading and cooling potential.

WAHIAWA, OAHU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks will completely close the boat ramp and parking area at the Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area, on Walker Avenue, from June 13 through July 1, 2016 and reopen on July 2, 2016.

PUAKŌ, HAWAII - An educational workshop is planned on Saturday, June 11, for interested community members who want to learn more about ongoing resource management and conservation in Puakō. Puakō Makai Watch will host, ‘'Ike Kai,” which is designed to inform and engage community members on how they can volunteer with the Puakō Makai Watch program.

HONOLULU -- Beginning on July 1, 2016, all vessel registration transfers in the State of Hawai‘i will require a notarized bill of sale to be presented to registering agency the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR).

HILO — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announces the opening of the hunting season in the Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a Forest Reserve (PWW) Youth and Disabled Hunt and Makai Sections pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting.” DLNR-DOFAW also announces a special Ungulate Control Program for the PWW Mauka section pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123, “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” §13-123-9.

(Hanapepe, Kauai) – With fewer than 500 ʻakikiki, an endemic Hawaiian honey creeper, (Oreomystis bairdi) left in the wild, a loss of even a couple of eggs to predators like rats is considered a setback to the people trying to save this native species from extinction on Kauai.

HONOLULU-The Department of Land and Natural Resources will hold its first public informational meeting on sea level rise adaptation in Hawai‘i, on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. This meeting will be the first in a series of statewide public informational meetings to be held in an effort to educate people about sea level rise adaptation and gather comments regarding key issues and concerns regarding sea level rise.

(LAHAINA) - The chairmen of the senate and house legislative committees, that deal with environmental and conservation issues, encouraged their colleagues to become better educated about the degradation of Hawaii’s coral reefs. They made their comments during a special charter tour of West Maui Reefs on Friday. During the event, hosted by Trilogy Excursions and dubbed the “Boatload of Decision Makers,” Senate Land, Water, and Agriculture Chair Mike Gabbard and House Water and Land Chair Ryan Yamane said it’s important for lawmakers to take the time to get away from the Capitol, to see first-hand, how land-based pollutants and unsustainable fishing practices are killing coral reefs.

(HONOLULU) – The Board of Land and Natural Resources (the “Board”) today issued Minute Order No. 9 (the “Order”) in the Contested Case Hearing for the Conservation District Use Application (“CDUA”) for the Thirty Meter Telescope (“TMT”) at the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. In the Order the Board unanimously denied a motion to disqualify retired Hilo judge Riki May Amano as the hearing officer in the case.

HONOLULU – Just in time for National Trails Day, on Saturday, June 4, 2016, Hawaii’s Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access Program is launching a new website with cutting-edge features and a new design making it the prime resource for state forest trail hikers in Hawaii. National Trails Day is the largest celebration of trails and the thousands of volunteers who maintain trails across the country.

(HONOLULU) – A proposal to close the Ala Wai Canal from the Ala Moana Boulevard Bridge to the Kalakaua Avenue Bridge during the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Sept. 1-10, 2016, will be considered at a meeting of the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) on June 9, 2016.

LIHU'E – The Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) announced today that it will continue its annual seabird radar monitoring work to once again coincide with the start of egg laying for both ‘A‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters) and Ua’u (Hawaiian Petrels) on Kaua’i.

(HILO & KAHULUI) - Dozens of scientists, foresters, surveyors, researchers, and educators are actively involved in the fight to try and stop the spread of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death. The fungal

HONOLULU — With the goal to ensure a peaceful and safe family atmosphere this Memorial Day weekend at Ahu O Laka, the Kaneohe sandbar, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding everyone of the no-alcohol rule that will be in place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

(KAHULUI, MAUI) - Ask anyone who’s had a thorny branch go through their slipper and into their foot, through a tire, or land on their car and you’ll get one answer. Kiawe is a nasty plant that can hurt, can puncture and can scratch. This is not the only reason numerous kiawe are being cut down and removed from ‘Ahihi-Kina‘u Natural Area Reserve (NAR) on Maui’s south shore.

HONOLULU – The imaginative visions of middle school students reveal their insights on the environment in Hawai‘i today, and their dreams for tomorrow. Twenty-five Hawaiʻi middle school students were selected as top winners for their poems and short stories on May 13 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 Hawaiʻi conservation agencies and organizations.

HILO - Anyone who may have witnessed or have knowledge of rocks being placed on the Mauna Kea Access Road, late afternoon, on May 16, 2016, is asked to contact the DLNR

HONOLULU -- A fish with a lot of “fingers” will be hands-off starting June 1. The season for moi, or Pacific threadfin, will be closed from June through August in Hawaii waters.

LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I -- The state is continuing its efforts to restore the Pu‘u Ka Pele Forest Reserve on Kaua‘i and the newly out-planted koa trees within the previously burned and logged area, by carrying out an animal control hunt within a designated portion of the forest reserve. This animal control will begin on June 6, 2016 and extend to the end of December 2016.

LIHUE, KAUAI -- On Sunday May 22 and continuing today, State wildlife officials on Kauai are responding to the discovery of 34 dead Wedge-tailed shearwaters in the seabird colony at Spouting Horn, Lawai area on the south coast. Most of the kills were found near the parking lot end of Lawai road.

(HONOLULU) - They use technology like radar, acoustic monitoring devices and lasers. They reach into cliff-top burrows to monitor breeding birds and they partner with other organizations to protect the birds from introduced predators like feral cats that attack them. They exemplify partnership by forging relationships with numerous organizations, working together to save endangered seabirds on Kauai from extinction. For their efforts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recognized the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP) with its 2015 Endangered Species Recovery Champions Award.

(LIHUE, KAUAI) – When Kawika Smith was a boy, his father would take him trekking through the mud and bogs of the Alakai Plateau. Now as the Kauai supervisor for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s Na Ala Hele Trail Access program, Smith is overseeing the replacement of nearly three-miles of 20-year-old boardwalk that carries hikers above the mud and water. Joined by every Na Ala Hele program staff member from around the state, this is a monumental undertaking.

(HONOLULU) – A spike in shark bites off Maui in 2012 and 2013 prompted the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), with additional support and funding from the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS), to commission a two-year-long study of shark spatial behavior on Maui. The research was conducted by a team from the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB).

HONOLULU – People with mobility disabilities will again be able to join tours at the ʻIolani Palace State Monument. A new custom inclined platform lift will replace an old lift that has been inoperable. The new lift is designed for larger carrying capacity, a higher number of trips each day, and improved reliability through a routine maintenance program.

(HONOLULU) – Government and non-government organizations from across the state today, announced a collaborative effort to raise awareness about the threat of wildfire and drought to Hawaii’s natural resources and to private and public property. Wildfire & Drought Look Out!, is a continuing campaign to keep people across the state informed of current fire and drought conditions, provide tips on protecting life and property from wildfire, and to provide information and education on how to deal with prolonged drought.

HONOLULU – A year-long project to renovate and repair the more than a century-old ironwork fence and plastered wall, that bounds the four sides of the ʻIolani Palace State Monument grounds, has been completed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks. Gates at the ground’s multiple entrances were also included in the renovation project as were the ironwork fence and brick wall enclosing the Royal Tomb Site on the palace grounds.

KAHULUI – Makena State Park will be closed for public safety on Monday May 9, while an early morning helicopter salvage operation is underway, weather conditions permitting, to fly out a vessel that grounded on an inaccessible part of the park shoreline. The park will reopen as soon as this operation is completed.

(HONOLULU) – All seven members of the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources (Board), in a decision released today, directed retired Hawai‘i island Judge Riki May Amano to proceed as the contested case hearing officer for the Conservation Use District Application (CDUA) for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the Mauna Kea Science Reserve.

(HONOLULU) – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and its Division of Boating and Recreation (DOBOR) announced today its decision to select the “no-action” option in a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Keauhou Bay Offshore Moorings project.

HONOLULU -- A draft environmental assessment (Draft EA) detailing proposed improvements to the Mālaekahana State Recreation Area, Kahuku section for continued recreational use including camping, lodging and day use activities is now available for public review and comment.

(HONOLULU) – Today, a certified private arborist inspected the large ficus tree on the Judd Trail in the Honolulu Forest Reserve that fell yesterday, injuring a hiker. His report will become part of the state’s investigation into the accident and provide the basis for clearing the tree from the trail, which was closed after the incident.

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources today posted the Judd hiking trail off Old Pali Road on Oahu as “CLOSED” until further notice due to a banyan tree which fell across the trail and Nuuanu stream this morning. A woman hiking the trail with eight companions was reportedly injured by the falling tree and assisted by Honolulu Fire Department. She was taken to a local hospital by Emergency Services in serious condition. No other injuries were reported. DLNR Enforcement division will further investigate this event.

This is what the Honolulu Star Advertiser had to say about the new film that depicts clean-up and law enforcement efforts in the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park:

(HONOLULU) – 19 year old Shylo Akuna of Eleele, Kauai was arrested this afternoon by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) special agents in connection with the beating of a 17-year old pregnant monk seal on April 26, 2016.

HONOLULU – If you love your fresh-caught local lobster or Kona crab, you'd best catch it quick because the season closes this Sunday. The closed season for ula (spiny lobster), ula papapa (slipper lobster) and Kona crab runs from May 1 through the end of August. During that time it's illegal to take, possess, or sell these shellfish.

(HONOLULU) – Repeated sweeps of the Kalalau Section of the famed Napali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kauai since the first of the year, have resulted in 104 people receiving citations for unpermitted presence in the area. One man was arrested for four different violations. Under State law, only people with camping permits from the DLNR Division of State Parks can travel beyond Hanakapiai Stream, at the two-mile mark of the 11-mile-long trail.

HONOLULU -- To help improve ocean safety awareness for boaters and divers, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is launching an outreach campaign, starting this weekend at the Lanikai Boat Ramp in Kailua, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, 2016.

(HONOLULU) – David Cohen is a proud papa for good reason. He and his team, working at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Oahu’s Sand Island, have now planted 300,000 Native Hawaiian collector urchins (Tripneustes gratilla)into Kaneohe Bay to control two species of invasive algae.

HONOLULU –- The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has commissioned a paving project at Ke‘ehi Small Boat Harbor in Honolulu. The paving will be carried out in three phases.

(HONOLULU) – Today the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) issued an order directing Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., and East Maui Irrigation Company, Ltd. (collectively A&B) to commence the environmental review process in support of A&B’s application for a lease of water from the license areas of Honomanu, Keana, Huelo and Nahiku.

Following a number of comments raised during our scoping period, the Fish and Wildlife Service and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has put together a resource for frequently asked questions regarding the Rodent and Mongoose Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold a public meeting to provide information and receive public comments relating to the proposed Hāʻena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) Management Plan. The public meeting will be held at Kilauea School Cafeteria, 2440 Kolo Rd, Kilauea, Kaua‘i on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, from 6 to 9 p.m.

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) will hold a public informational meeting on Friday April 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kealakehe High School cafeteria, to discuss the Draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed Keauhou Bay Offshore Moorings project.

The State Historic Preservation Division will conduct a one day Conference with SHPD staff on Friday April 8, 2016.

LIHU‘E – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announces an open fishing season for rainbow trout in the Koke‘e Public Fishing Area (PFA) on Kaua‘i, beginning Saturday, June 18, 2016.

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced today that retired Hawaii island circuit court judge Riki May Amano (Ret.) has been selected as the hearings officer to conduct the Mauna Kea contested case hearing relating to the application for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. DLNR Chairperson Suzanne Case issued a minute order to the contested case parties today announcing Judge Amano’s selection.

(LIHUE, KAUAI) - Captive-reared puaiohi flew into the forests of Kaua‘i today, marking the end of a successful breeding program for the species and beginning the next step in its recovery. Conservation biologists from the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP), State of Hawai’i's Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR-DOFAW), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office (USFWS-PIFWO) and San Diego Zoo Global’s Hawaiian Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP) worked together to bring the group of birds to the forest for release.

HONOLULU --- Enforcement officers of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) today towed a piece of sperm whale remnant several miles out to sea before releasing it for currents to take it away from the islands. Earlier this morning, the remnant weighing several tons was found about 200 yards offshore from Kalanianaole Beach Park (formerly Nanakuli Beach Park). At least one shark was seen feeding on the remains throughout the morning.

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources has posted shark warning signs this afternoon on the west Maui coastline from Lone Pine (milepost 13 on Honoapi‘ilani Highway) to the Olowalu Recycling Center, following a report received just before 2 p.m. today that 46-year old female visitor was bitten on the fin by a shark. The woman was snorkeling in the late morning with a tour group a half-mile off Olowalu. She was in 18 feet of murky water when she felt a tug on her fin, and looked back to see a gray-colored shark swimming away. She was treated on the boat for a minor injury to her foot.

NANAKULI, O‘AHU --- Following the arrival on shore this afternoon about 2 p.m. of a 25’ section of decomposed sperm whale at Nanakuli Beach Park, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is currently looking at extraction options to remove the carcass.

(HONOLULU) – One week after the 2,500 acre Nānākuli wildfire started, Susan Ching of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program and Marigold Zoll of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife venture deep into the burned area. They’re expecting the worst as they trudge across the now desolate landscape and toward the last nāʻū or Gardenia brighamii, growing in the wild on O‘ahu. Forest managers, conservationists, and cultural practitioners feared it had been killed by the intense heat and flames.

WAIMANALO -- Department of Land and Natural Resources Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers cited a man today for violations relating to his use of a gill net in waters offshore of Kaiona Beach Park. Officers responded to reports that a gill net had been laid in the water, and contacted a male, John Edwards, 39. Through investigation, the officers learned that Edwards had laid a gill net overnight, and had retrieved it just prior to the officers' arrival. The investigation also revealed that the net used was not registered and tagged as required by law.

HILO -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources yesterday reopened the Muliwai hiking trail on the far cliff side of Waipio Valley and its campground in the next valley, Waimanu, following the reopening of the Waipio valley access road yesterday by Hawaii County officials.

HONOLULU - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) has received grant funding to pilot an innovative Resources Enforcement Educating Fishers (REEF) project, starting this spring. The funding is provided by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

WAHIAWA, OAHU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks is making multiple improvements from March through November at the Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area, on Walker Ave. Work will include the repair, repaving and striping of the park entry, roadways and parking areas; replacement of connecting sidewalks; renovations to the comfort station including a new foot rinsing area. The day use pathway will be replaced with a new concrete pathway; new and replacement picnic tables; and the construction of a new accessible picnic table and pathway in the upper parking area. Work is expected to be completed by December 1, 2016 or sooner as conditions allow.

KAHULUI, MAUI -- Enforcement officers with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Community Fisheries Enforcement Unit (CFEU) will be at the Kahului Boat Ramp on Sunday, March 20, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to help educate fishers about Hawaii’s fishing laws. Information on Maui-specific rules for uhu or parrot fish species and goat fish species such as kumu, moano kea, and weke will be available.

HONOLULU — Hawaii Environmental Court Judge David W. Lo issued a $2,000 criminal fine last Friday to an Oahu seafood retailer who was caught offering undersized Ahi for sale.

(Wailuku, Maui) - The demand for playing time for local softball and baseball teams just got a little easier with the opening of the first phase of the Central Maui Regional Sports Complex. Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and DLNR Deputy Director of Water Commission Jeffrey Pearson were among community leaders who threw the ceremonial “first pitches”during an opening and blessing at the complex today. The first teams to take to the new softball fields are players competing in the 2016 MGSA-Maui Girls Softball Association season opener. All games are scheduled to be played at the complex.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will have applications for the 2016 Lana‘i Mouflon sheep hunting season, together with instruction sheets, available at all its forestry and wildlife offices statewide beginning Monday, March 21, 2016.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), and the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service (USFS) are seeking public comments on a Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) in connection with a proposed management plan for Laupāhoehoe forest on the island of Hawaiʻi.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has closed those portions of land within Kipuka ‘Ainahou and Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and public hunting areas, situated at Humu‘ula, Hawai‘i and belonging to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL).

LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources is pleased to announce the opening of archery, muzzleloader, and regular rifle hunting seasons for feral goats on the island of Kaua‘i. Pursuant to Title 13, Chapter 123 “Rules Regulating Game Mammal Hunting,” the following rules and conditions will be in effect for the hunt:

(Honolulu) – Seventeen Hawaii hunter education instructors were honored today by DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and First Deputy Director Kekoa Kaluhiwa during a service award presentation kicking off Hawaii’s annual instructor meeting. The volunteer instructors, responsible for training youth and adult hunters at 75 classes annually, were recognized with awards for from 50 hours of service to 4500 hours of service. In total, the awards presented today represent more than 20,000 hours of combined, total service.