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(HILO, HAWAIʻI) – A temporary rule change will go into effect this Saturday, Sept. 27, 2024 for hunting at Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve (Unit F) and Puʻu Anahulu Game Management Area (Unit E) on Hawaiʻi Island. The rule change coincides with the opening of the hunting season for muzzleloaders and shotguns (with slug) and pertains to the makai areas of these hunting units.

(HONOLULU) – Invasive coqui frogs have been found at higher elevations than previous infestations on Oʻahu. The Department of Agriculture confirmed in June, following a report from a citizen, the distinctive chirp of the coqui roughly 200 meters below the summit of Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail on the leeward side of the mountains. Surveys were subsequently performed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), and the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC).

(HONOLULU) – Community forestry efforts brought the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Kaulunani program together with partnering educators, nonprofits, agency representatives, cultural practitioners and students at the UH West Oʻahu campus for an empowering, role-celebrating event.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 24, 2024   CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HAWAI‘I WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION (HILO, HAWAI‘I) – Elizabeth Pickett, the long-time co-executive director of the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) was honored today at a ceremony in New York City, as one of the 2024 ...
Read More 9/24/24 – CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HAWAI‘I WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

(HONOLULU) – It’s for the bird’s sake. From now, until mid-December people across Hawai‘i are being encouraged to have a small towel and box in their vehicles in the event they spot a seabird that has fallen to the ground. People can also help by using bird-safe lights at homes and businesses.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 20, 2024   ARCHITECTURE BRANCH MANAGER SELECTED AS NEW STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ADMINISTRATOR (HONOLULU) – Jessica Puff has been chosen to lead the DLNR State Historical Preservation Division (SHPD), succeeding Dr. Alan Downer who retired earlier this year. Since October 2022, Puff has served ...
Read More 9/20/24 – ARCHITECTURE BRANCH MANAGER SELECTED AS NEW STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ADMINISTRATOR

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 18, 2024 UPDATE ON REOPENING OF KALALAU   HONOLULU —  The Kalalau Trail in the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park will remain closed to visitors beyond tomorrow following the recent norovirus outbreak among park visitors. DLNR will be partially opening the trail to Hanakāpīʻai ...
Read More 9/18/24 – UPDATE ON REOPENING OF KALALAU

(PUNA, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is closing the Kahaualeʻa Natural Area Reserve in Puna for 90 days due to a shift in eruptive activity at Kīlauea Volcano. The closure, effective immediately, may be extended if hazardous conditions continue.

(POLULŪ, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) -  Land adjacent to the Pololū Trailhead on the Kohala Coast of Hawai‘i Island is planned to be donated to the state by a private donor.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 2024   MAUI COMMUNITY INVITED TO REVIEW NEARSHORE MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL (MAUI COUNTY) – Maui residents are encouraged to attend one of three upcoming information exchange sessions to provide feedback on managing Maui’s nearshore waters. The community-nominated “Maui Navigation Team” has developed a management ...
Read More 9/9/24 – MAUI COMMUNITY INVITED TO REVIEW NEARSHORE MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 6, 2024 ENTIRE KALALAU SECTION OF THE NĀPALI COAST STATE WILDERNESS PARK NOW CLOSED Testing of Water, Soil, and the Environment Underway  (NĀPALI COAST STATE WILDERNESS PARK, KAUA‘I) – The DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP), in consultation with the Hawai‘i Dept. of Health ...
Read More 9/6/24 – ENTIRE KALALAU SECTION OF THE NĀPALI COAST STATE WILDERNESS PARK NOW CLOSED

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 4, 2024 OPENING DAY OF LOBSTER SEASON LEADS TO CITATIONS FOR FOUR MEN (KAWAIHAE, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – State conservation enforcement officers cited four Big Island residents for illegal take of lobsters on the opening day of lobster fishing season on Sunday. The DLNR Division ...
Read More 9/4/24 – OPENING DAY OF LOBSTER SEASON LEADS TO CITATIONS FOR FOUR MEN

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 3, 2024   GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS FELLS NUMEROUS CAMPERS AND CLOSES POPULAR WILDERNESS CAMP AREA (HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP), on the recommendation of the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH), is closing the Kalalau Section of the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness ...
Read More 9/3/24 – GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS FELLS NUMEROUS CAMPERS AND CLOSES POPULAR WILDERNESS CAMP AREA

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Sept. 3, 2024   HIKERS ARRESTED AFTER ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO HA‘IKŪ STAIRS CONSTRUCTION ZONE Officials Fear Someone is Going to Get Hurt or Killed   (HONOLULU) – 14 hikers have been arrested since last Thursday on the Kāne‘ohe side of the Ha‘ikū Stairs by the Honolulu ...
Read More 9/3/24 – HIKERS ARRESTED AFTER ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO HA‘IKŪ STAIRS CONSTRUCTION ZONE

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 30, 2024  AERIAL WAR AGAINST BIRD-KILLING MOSQUITOES ON KAUA‘I AND MAUI   (ALAKA‘I PLATEAU, KAUA‘I) — An airborne war against avian-malaria-spreading mosquitoes is actively underway on Kaua‘i, and on Maui.  In the 2013 film “Planes,” audiences of all ages became familiar with a crop ...
Read More 8/30/24 – AERIAL WAR AGAINST BIRD-KILLING MOSQUITOES ON KAUA‘I AND MAUI

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2024 MOANALUA SECTION OF THE HONOLULU FOREST RESERVE REOPENS (HONOLULU) – The Moanalua Section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve has reopened after being closed for safety reasons since June 12. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) had closed the section ...
Read More 8/30/24 – MOANALUA SECTION OF THE HONOLULU FOREST RESERVE REOPENS

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR KE KIAʻĀINA GOVERNOR GREEN SELECTS CIARA KAHAHANE AS HEAD OF THE COMMISSION ON WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 26, 2024 HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, M.D., has appointed Ciara (pronounced Key-ruh) Kahahane, currently serving in the Complex Litigation Division of the Dept. of the Attorney General (AG), to be ...
Read More 8/26/24 – GOVERNOR GREEN SELECTS CIARA KAHAHANE AS HEAD OF THE COMMISSION ON WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

(HONOLULU) – Seven forestry projects have been selected by Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry, a program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), to receive funds to strengthen community connections with trees. Funding from Kaulunani will support these projects on Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island over the next three years.

HONOLULU – The plan for a small group workday in the closed section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve known as Middle Ridge, grew into a larger volunteer event last Saturday for DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) staff. Thanks to community leaders Klayton Kubo and David Nixon, the collaboration served as a powerful example of how partnerships between the state and community can accomplish greater gains.

(HONOLULU) – The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has announced a $644,758 grant to the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project (KFBRP) to support on-the-ground efforts in its battle against avian malaria. The grant was awarded Tuesday.

(OLINDA, MAUI) – More than two dozen firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and staff from the Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) were recognized today with a U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) award for outstanding performance.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 14, 2024   KAMEHAMENUI FOREST WILDLIFE CONTROL HUNT ANNOUNCED Hunter assistance requested between August 15 and October 31 (KULA, MAUI) – Controlled hunting in the Kamehamenui Forest Reserve on Maui, begins tomorrow. The reserve was established for the protection and preservation of Hawaiʻi’s unique ...
Read More 8/14/24 – KAMEHAMENUI FOREST WILDLIFE CONTROL HUNT ANNOUNCED

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 13, 2024 CAMPING SUSPENDED AT SAND ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA (HONOLULU) – Due to constant disregard of numerous state parks camping rules, reckless nighttime behavior, and campers frequently leaving campsites littered with rubbish and used camping gear, the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) ...
Read More 8/13/24 – CAMPING SUSPENDED AT SAND ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2024 ʻUPOLU WELL IMPROVEMENTS TO BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER (NORTH KOHALA, HAWAIʻI) – Improvements are scheduled to begin on ʻUpolu Well, a much-anticipated agricultural water resource project on Hawai‘i Island. The scope of work consists of installing a pump and piping for the existing ...
Read More 8/12/24 – ʻUPOLU WELL IMPROVEMENTS TO BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER

(LAHAINA, MAUI) – Much like their police, fire and rescue colleagues, officers with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) never expected to be thrust into the middle of a literal fire storm that destroyed the town of Lahaina a year ago. One hundred two people perished in the inferno.

(HONOLULU) - Approximately 200 corals have been reattached to a possibly anchor-damaged area of Kewalo Basin seafloor, by DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) biologists and staff, alongside members of Kuleana Coral Restoration, community-based nonprofit, over the past three weeks.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 5, 2024   FUEL DOCK AT LAHAINA SMALL BOAT HARBOR TO REOPEN TOMORROW FIRST BUSINESS TO REOPEN IN THE BURN ZONE   (LAHAINA, MAUI) – Today, at a news conference held at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, it was announced that the fuel dock ...
Read More 8/5/24 – FUEL DOCK AT LAHAINA SMALL BOAT HARBOR TO REOPEN TOMORROW

(HONOLULU) – Four hotels and five commercial vendors are receiving official cease-and-desist notices from the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), for alleged continued violations of a Hawai‘i Revised Statute (HRS) prohibiting presetting of commercial beach equipment on certain beaches under state jurisdiction.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2024 KAUAʻI HUNTING UNIT L REOPENED (KEKAHA, KAUAʻI) – Hunting Unit L has reopened as of today, August 1. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) had closed the area on July 23 for wildfire suppression efforts. We appreciate hunters’ patience and ...
Read More 8/1/24 – KAUAʻI HUNTING UNIT L REOPENED

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2024 NEW EXPLORE OUTDOOR HAWAI‘I WEBSITE LAUNCHES (HONOLULU) – A new website launched today helps Hawai‘i residents and visitors easily find recreational services available across the state. DLNR’s jurisdiction encompasses nearly 1.3 million acres of state lands, beaches and coastal waters as well ...
Read More 7/31/24 – NEW ACT 182 DLNR WEBSITE, EXPLORE OUTDOOR HAWAI‘I, HAS BEEN LAUNCHED

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2024 LEGACY LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM SEEKS APPLICATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 LAND ACQUISITION GRANTS Applications due on October 11, 2024 (HONOLULU) – DLNR’s Legacy Land Conservation Program invites grant applications from state agencies, counties and nonprofit land conservation organizations for Fiscal Year 2025. ...
Read More 7/29/24 – LEGACY LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM SEEKS APPLICATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 LAND ACQUISITION GRANTS

PUNALUʻU, OʻAHU – Volunteer efforts to monitor and care for Punaluʻu Beach Park on the Windward coast of Oʻahu are combatting accelerated erosion driven by sea level rise. A new feasibility study examines the nature-based solutions applied at Punaluʻu for beneficial use in similar situations.

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 22, 2024   TEN YEARS OF FIGHTING RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH AND THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS CONTINUES (HILO, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – For more than a decade, land managers, scientists, and pathologists have been fighting and looking for ways to protect trees from a fungal disease, called Rapid ʻŌhiʻa ...
Read More 7/22/24 – TEN YEARS OF FIGHTING RAPID OHIA DEATH