Department of Land and Natural Resources

(HILO, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – Hilo community members are invited to an open house and planning meeting to help redefine the Waiākea Peninsula on Monday, December 4 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

(HILO, HAWAI‘I) – Asbestos abatement work on the former Uncle Billy’s Hotel along Hilo’s historic Banyan Drive, will begin next week. Isemoto Contracting Company, Ltd., a locally owned Hilo company, is the demolition contractor that began mobilizing equipment today.

(click on image for flyer) Please join us for community listening sessions on Oʻahu. There are two options to participate. Chairperson Dawn Chang, and Deputies Laura Kaakua and Kaleo Manuelwill ...
Read More 11/21/23 – OAHU COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSION

(HONOLULU) – Four surf instruction companies received permits last week in a lottery conducted by the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), for the right to operate in Kahalu‘u Bay on Hawai‘i Island.  

(KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – In an effort to better manage large crowds of surfers and commercial instructors in Hawai‘i Island’s Kahulu‘u Bay, four surf instruction companies were awarded permits in a first-of-its-kind lottery, this morning. 

(WAIMEA, HAWAIʻI ISLAND) - The same day as four wildfires sparked on Maui, including the Lahaina fire, firefighters were also battling seven hurricane wind-driven fires on Hawaiʻi Island.

(HILO, HAWAI‘I) – Alleged sheep poachers were cited on Hawaiʻi island by alert officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE). Being in the right place at the right time paid off for a pair of DOCARE officers last Thursday morning. 

(HONOLULU) – Native trees including Koa, ‘Ōhi‘a, and the native fern Uluhe were burned within the 1,600-acre scar left by the still-smoldering Mililani Mauka fire. While flames are no longer visible, the landscape is a mosaic of blackened native trees interspersed with invasive ones, like Albizia. 

(HONOLULU) – Nine men were cited by DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers for illegal fishing in a North Shore marine conservation district on Saturday. 

(HONOLULU) – Communities in Hawaiʻi rely on fresh water from our mauka forests to maintain homes, farms,and businesses. A new federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) will provide $5 million for forest enhancement in Hawaiʻi under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPPP).  

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is hosting a public meeting on Monday, November 13 to discuss the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the North Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor improvements project on Hawaiʻi Island.

(HONOLULU) –Conservation hui throughout the state will host events this month to share information and encourage the planting and protection of ʻōhiʻa lehua, a keystone species of our native forests and State Endemic Tree of Hawaiʽi.

(HONOLULU) – Firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) continue providing support for the Honolulu Fire Dept. (HFD), and military firefighters trying to bring the Mililani Mauka Fire under control.

(HONOLULU) – Arbor Day is November 4 and celebrations will take place across Hawaiʻi this weekend. Events sponsored by a variety of organizations will feature tree giveaways, educational booths, cultural activities, and workshops.

(KOKE‘E-WAIMEA CANYON STATE PARK, KAUA‘I) – A dozen researchers and technicians on Thursday began releasing incompatible male mosquitoes to try and stop the near-certain extinction of at least four species of Native Hawaiian honeycreepers. A first for Hawai‘i, the release took place just off a road on the Alaka‘i Plateau on Kaua‘i. 

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a pilot release of ʻalalā, or Hawaiian crow, on east Maui. The draft EA is available for public comment for a 37-day period.

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) announces the opening of the 2023-2024 Game Bird Hunting Season on Saturday, November 4, 2023. The fall game bird hunting season will run through Sunday, January 28, 2024. A valid hunting license and a game bird stamp are required for all game bird hunting on public and private lands.

(HONOLULU) On Friday, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) will consider a request from Maui County to utilize land currently under DLNR’s jurisdiction as a final disposition site for disposal of fire debris from the August 8 wildfires.  The County of Maui’s current landfill in central Maui is 25 miles away from Lāhainā. The site suggested from the Solid Waste Division of the Maui County Department of Environmental Management, next to the closed Olowalu Landfill, is within five miles of the impact zone.  

(Kailua-Kona) – A lottery next month will be conducted to determine four applicants eligible to receive a Kahalu‘u Bay ocean waters commercial use permit for surf school operations. After the maximum number of permits is reached, the lottery will continue and remaining participants will be placed on a waitlist in the order of lottery selection, in case another applicant drops out. The four permitted commercial operators in Zone A of the bay can have no more than four students in the water, regardless of the number of instructors in the ocean. Zone A is the only part of Kahalu‘u Bay where commercial surf instruction is allowed.

(OLOWALU, MAUI) – From the banks of Ukumehame Stream, looking to the top of the West Maui Mountains, you’d imagine you’re taking in a view of the desert Southwest. The barren landscape provides a dramatic example of how climate change and drought are impacting lands and how limited water resources are allocated.

(ALAKOKO FISHPOND, KAUA‘I) – It was an impressive sight. People of all ages, in a half-mile long line, each placing rock after rock on an ancient wall that protects the Alakoko fishpond, just outside Līhu‘e.  Organized by the non-profit Mālama Hulē'ia as the organizations five-year anniversary workday, it appears the ambitious goal to have 2,000 volunteers helping today was realized. 

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) invites the community to an informational meeting on Wednesday November 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for recovery and operational updates regarding Lāhainā Harbor and Māla Wharf, including updates from the following DLNR divisions:

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) is notifying 15 landowners in the Marconi Point area of Kahuku on O‘ahu’s north shore, of potential violations involving unauthorized clearing of land, tree removal, and spreading of mulch in a state Conservation District. 

(LYDGATE PARK, KAUA'I)  A trio of endangered Newell’s Shearwaters, or ‘a‘o was blessed and released this morning from Lydgate Park on Kauaʻi by a group of 40 Island School students and the Kaua‘i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project (KESRP). The practice has become an annual rite of passage, both for students and for the seabirds, rehabilitated by KESRP.

(HONOLULU) - Imagine a Day Without Water is a day observed nationally to pause and reflect on the many ways that water and water systems impact our lives and communities, and to commit to ensuring a sustainable water future for generations to come. 

HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are one step closer to protecting forest birds from mosquito-borne diseases in key high-elevation native forest bird habitat on Kauaʻi, with their proposal to employ Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to reduce mosquito populations. A jointly prepared Environmental Assessment (EA) has been finalized and issuance of a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) at the state and federal levels.

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) – After receiving a trailer from Maui County, this morning, to serve as staff space at Māla Wharf, the facility is reopening much sooner than anticipated. The ramp and facilities will reopen full-time for recreational vessel activity on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6:00 a.m. People will be able to use the facility to access vessels moored offshore. 

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) - For three days, Jake Kane watched piles of mulch smolder and smoke after it ignited in the August 8 wildfire. The mulch was used in his work as owner of Kane’s Legacy Tree Services. Days after the fire that devastated Lāhainā, Maui County firefighters were still pouring thousands of gallons on the stubborn, burning layers of mulch.

(HONOLULU) – A pair of DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers, on marine patrol, came to the aid of a visitor Sunday morning and are credited with saving her life.  Officer Lokene Fao was on a personal watercraft (PWC) at around 9:40 a.m. in the Three Tables area of Pūpūkea on O‘ahu’s shore when he noticed someone on the beach waving their arms to get his attention. 

(HONOLULU) – A trio of divisions under the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources are set to begin a three-month-long pilot project which allows state conservation enforcement resource officers to issue tickets and/or fines on the spot for violations of rules.

 (HONOLULU) – Dawn Chang, Chairperson of the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), announced today that Kaleo Manuel, 1st Deputy to the Chairperson of CWRM, will return to his post effective immediately. On August 15, 2023, the Attorney General had requested that Manuel be deployed to another DLNR Division until her investigation of certain personnel events related to the August 8, 2023, Maui wildfires was completed. 

(HONOLULU) – The Moloka‘i community came together to clean-up Pāpōhaku Beach, after a boat, grounded on the reef, broke apart in heavy surf and littered the shoreline with debris. DLNR Deputy Director Laura Kaakua said the actions of local residents, who cleaned most of the vessel’s debris off the beach, made a big difference. “This was a good example of a community and government coming together. DLNR extends our heartfelt appreciation to the Maunaloa community for their care of Pāpōhaku,” Kaakua said.

(WAIHOU SPRING FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Two days shy of the two-month anniversary of the start of the 1,000-acre Olinda Fire, daily fire patrols continue. Firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) continue checking for hot spots and smokers. 

(HONOLULU) – DLNR Chair Dawn Chang listened to and responded to dozens of questions from West Maui recreational boaters and commercial tour operators during a virtual information meeting on Tuesday. More than 450 community members, commercial operators, fishers, and other interested stakeholders dialed into the virtual meeting to get updates from the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) about the status of West Maui’s commercial and recreational vessel activities.

(Kahului, Maui) – Shark warning signs are up from Ho‘okipa to Baldwin Beach Park after a 45-year-old Haiku woman sustained minor scrapes in an apparent encounter with a shark at around 1:00 p.m. today. 

(Lāhainā, Maui) – The 150-year-old Banyan Tree, which shades nearly a full block between Front Street and Wharf Street in downtown Lāhainā, continues to show positive signs of recovery following the August 8 wildfire.  It is not the only tree, however, receiving attention from a group of volunteer arborists and landscapers who have banded together as the Lāhainā Treescape Restoration Project. The title was coined by arborist Steve Nimz who initiated care and watering for the historic Banyan tree. 

(KAUNAKAKAI, MOLOKA‘I) – Of all the main Hawaiian Islands, Moloka‘i is the poster child for the concept of mauka to makai. Barren landscapes and forests laid bare by decades of invasive hooved animals and water diversions have sent sediment from high country erosion onto the Friendly Isle’s fringing coral reef, described as a national treasure. 

(HONOLULU) – October is “Stop the Ant Month” in Hawaiʻi and a multi-agency effort throughout the month will encourage residents to collect and submit ants from their properties to help detect and control the spread of invasive little fire ants (LFA) and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state.

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Engineering Division announces an improvement project to encase seven of the existing 11 Ala Wai Canal stairwells between Ainakea Way and McCully Street, beginning Monday, October 2, 2023.

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) – A team from the DLNR State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), joined by the Lead Environmental Advisor from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have made preliminary conclusions that some of the most notable historic structures burned in the Lāhainā fires can be rehabilitated.

(KAHULUI) — A unique plant first seen in the high forests of West Maui in 2020 has now been officially recognized as a new Hawaiian species. The plant, now named Clermontia hanaulaensis, was found during routine surveys by botanist Hank Oppenheimer of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP), a partnership with DLNR and the University of Hawai‘i.

(KEKAHA, Hawaii) – The Department of the Navy signed a $4.14 million Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Cooperative Agreement award with the State of Hawaii to fund conservation programs around the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands on Kauai.

(HONOLULU) — Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, City and County of Honolulu Ocean Safety, and the Honolulu Fire Department, participated in a joint search and rescue exercise in the waters off Magic Island on O‘ahu’s south shore Wednesday morning.

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is hosting a virtual community informational meeting on October 3 to provide status updates on DOBOR facilities in West Maui and answer questions related to resumption of commercial vessel operations in West Maui 

(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.

(LAHAINA, MAUI) – Three sophisticated sampling instruments are now gathering information from the ocean waters just off the coast of this fire-ravaged west Maui community. The devices, on loan from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will collect data over time. 

(HONOLULU) – Some owners of commercial ocean tour companies, not only lost their vessels in the Lahaina fire, several lost homes as well. DLNR Chair Dawn Chang acknowledged their losses during a virtual meeting with nearly 100 operators today. The Lahaina recovery meeting was intended to answer as many questions as possible about the status and futures of the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, Mala Wharf, Ma‘alaea Small Boat  Harbor, and Ka‘anapali launch area in west Maui.

(LĀHAINĀ, HAWAI‘I) – Always mindful of the human toll and property destruction around them, 13 owners of vessels moored in the Lāhainā Small Boat Harbor were granted access Monday to check on their boats. 

(WAIMEA, HAWAI’I ISLAND) - As many as 1,000 people were expected to attend a wildfire fair today, organized by the Waimea Resilience Hub, at the Mana Christian 'Ohana's Kahilu Town Hall.  Planning for the fair began last winter, well in advance of wildfires on Hawai’i Island and recent ones on Maui, including the blaze that leveled Lāhainā town and killed more than 100 people, with five dozen others still unaccounted for. 

(LĀHAINĀ, HAWAI‘I) – Prior to the August 8 fire, the Lāhainā Small Boat Harbor was a busy port for private vessels, commercial tour operators, and the interisland ferry service.  Waterway access to the harbor is currently restricted by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), in coordination with the County of Maui, until a full assessment of damage is completed. This will be followed by the removal of potentially dozens of boats, many of which remain safety and navigational hazards as they rest below the ocean surface.

(HONOLULU) – Organizations across Hawai‘i are encouraged to apply for grants to protect and enhance our urban and community trees and forests. The funding source is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and grants are made available from the US Forest Service through Kaulunani, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Program which is part of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).

(WAIHOU SPRING FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Indicative of serious drought conditions, in upcountry Maui, is the need for daily attention along the fire lines of the 1,000-acre Olinda fire. It started the same day, August 8, as the devastating fire that leveled Lāhainā town and left hundreds dead or unaccounted for. 

(LĀNAʻI CITY)-Applications for the 2024 Lānaʻi axis deer hunting season will be available this month, beginning Monday, September 18, 2023. The Lānaʻi axis deer season will consist of four hunts: an archery hunt, a youth hunt, a muzzleloader hunt, and a general rifle hunt.

(HONOLULU) - The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is requesting interest in managing the parking lot operations at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. To be considered, interested parties must submit a qualifications questionnaire to DOBOR by September 15, 2023.

(HONOLULU) – Despite being some of the rarest, slowest-moving creatures on Earth, our kāhuli (Hawaiian land snails) are popping up in living rooms across the country. Their sudden appearance is thanks to a new episode of the Pacific Heartbeat series produced by local nonprofit Pacific Islanders in Communication and broadcast nationally by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The hour-long episode, titled “Hawaiʻi’s Precious Resources,” combines three short documentary films that feature natural and cultural resources in Hawaiʻi.