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News Release
| DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR |
SUZANNE D. CASE
CHAIRPERSON |
For Immediate News Release: April 25, 2019
EXPERTS RULE OUT TIGER SHARK AS SPECIES THAT BIT CALIFORNIA VISITOR
Exact Species Can’t Be Determined
(Honolulu) – Personnel from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), in consultation with the former director of the International Shark Attack File, have ruled out a tiger shark as having been involved in Tuesday’s incident at Anaeho‘omalu Bay on Hawai‘i Island, in which a California woman was bitten on her leg.
It’s believed the shark was probably a Galapagos shark, 6-8 feet long, but a definitive determination can’t be made because it’s difficult to distinguish what are known as requiem sharks based solely on injuries. The term requiem shark is now used on the State shark website to refer to any unidentified member of the Carcharhinidae family of sharks, except tiger sharks. These include Galapagos, blacktip, blacktip reef, gray reef, whitetip reef, and sandbar sharks.
In addition, only shark encounters that involve someone being injured are listed, not when a shark bites a board or boat. A previous incident at Anaeho‘omalu Bay on March 26, 2019 has therefore been removed from the list, as analysis of the evidence suggests that the person involved was not bitten by the shark.
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For more on sharks in Hawai‘i and ocean safety tips please visit:
Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Read more http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/black-bears-are-on-the-move-what-to-do-and-what-not-to-do
RAPID OHIA DEATH SYMPOSIUM
Questions & Answers Part Two
People who participated in the community forum on Rapid Ohia Death held at the West Hawaii Civic Center in Kona on March 30, 2019, again break into small groups for a second question and answer session with the experts.
View all presentations at: https://vimeo.com/album/5882632
News Release
| DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR |
SUZANNE D. CASE
CHAIRPERSON |
For Immediate News Release: April 23, 2019
M LAMA HAWAI‘I CAMPAIGN: ON-THE-AIR, IN-THE-AIR, IN-YOUR ROOM
DLNR Launches Campaign to Focus Visitors and Residents on Being Safe, Sound, Secure
To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/album/5625814
(Honolulu) – In the coming days and months it’s going to be hard to avoid the phrase, “Mlama Hawai‘i,” when flying, staying in a hotel room, watching TV or enjoying the outdoors throughout the Hawaiian Islands. DLNR and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) have partnered to launch Mlama Hawai‘i, a comprehensive campaign designed to educate and remind visitors and kama‘ina about being respectful of the islands’ natural resources, protecting wildlife, and staying safe at all times while in Hawai‘i.
DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and HTA Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs Kalani Ka‘an’an announced the campaign at a news conference today. Case explained, “Two years ago, we utilized state funding to support Hawai‘i tourism to commission the design and placement of 30 large Mlama Hawai‘i outdoor conservation messaging signs at key state parks and trail heads around O‘ahu. Now, we’re taking the very same messages on these beautiful signs and expanding them across a wide variety of communications platforms.”
HTA Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs Kalani Ka‘an’an said, “All of us have a responsibility to take care of our island home and ensure its sustainable future. Through this collaboration with DLNR and industry partners amplifying the message, the Mlama Hawai‘i campaign encourages travelers to be safe, mindful and respectful while enjoying the islands’ natural beauty.”
As part of the campaign, seven Mlama Hawai‘i public service announcements (PSAs) will be available for Hawaiian Airlines guests to watch onboard the carrier’s Airbus A330 aircraft on flights between Hawai‘i and North America and its international destinations. The 30-second videos focus on various topics essential to caring for the land, ocean and wildlife, which include staying on authorized hiking trails, refraining from trespassing on private lands or in restricted areas, respecting cultural sites and supporting conservation efforts.
Hawaiian Airlines was the first carrier to agree to include the PSAs in its digital entertainment offerings on flights from the U.S. mainland. AirAsia X is beginning to play audio versions of the announcements. Discussions are also underway with both domestic and international carriers to show the :30-second spots. In addition, the PSAs will run in 27,000 hotel rooms around the state, reaching an estimated three million guests each year.
Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant Louise Pacarro and her husband have a non-profit organization dedicated to cleaning-up beaches so several of the public service announcements resonated with her. “I hope that we are able to convey to our passengers how important it is to protect our natural resources here in Hawai‘i,” Pacarro said. She added, “I think people will really be attracted to the natural beauty depicted in the videos. I feel like most of our visitors and locals want to naturally protect things that are special and these messages help explain how to do that.”
Funding support provided by Hawai‘i Tourism is being utilized for outreach and educational materials about preventing Rapid ‘Lhi‘a Death, visitor surveys of Hawai‘i State Parks and the establishment of a carbon credit system.
Case added, “We are most appreciative of the support we’re getting from the visitor industry, which recognizes the strong linkage between the health of our natural and cultural resources and the health of Hawai‘i’s biggest and most important economic sector. Clearly you cannot have one without the other.”
To kick-off the Mlama Hawai‘i campaign, for the next seven weeks, DLNR’s Facebook page will feature the PSAs and show people how to be safe, sound and secure in Hawai‘i.
Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
News Release
| DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR |
SUZANNE D. CASE
CHAIRPERSON |
For Immediate News Release: April 23, 2019
WAIMEA AND HANAPEPE PROPERTY OWNERS MAY BE FACED WITH MANDATORY FLOOD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
(Lihue)-The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has determined the Waimea and Hanapepe levees on Kaua‘i do not provide a high level of protection and are to be de-accredited. New preliminary flood maps, effective in 2020 show areas behind the Waimea and Hanapepe levees to be in a high-risk flood zone.
The DLNR Engineering Division, FEMA and Kaua’i County would like to inform home and business owners behind these levees that the new preliminary FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM’s) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) are available for viewing at the Kaua’i County Department of Public Works, Engineering Office at 4444 Rice Street, Suite 175 in Lihue.
The updated maps will help community officials and residents better identify known flood risks. A property’s flood risk may change and consequently so will the requirement for federally mandated flood insurance, as well as construction standards.
Affected residents and property owners are encouraged to attend community informational meetings scheduled next month in Waimea and Hanapepe:
SAVE THE DATES:
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Ele’ele Elementary School Cafeteria (4750 Uliuli Rd, Ele’ele, HI 96705)
6:00pm – 8:00pm
&
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Waimea Neighborhood Center (4556 Makeke Rd, Waimea, HI 96796)
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Representatives from Kaua’i County, FEMA, and the DLNR Engineering Division will be available to answer questions, concerns, and provide information on the mapping timeline and appeals process at these community meetings.
Anyone requiring the use of auxiliary aids or having questions can contact the Kaua‘i County Floodplain Administrator, Stanford Iwamoto at (808) 241-4896 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before May 10, 2019.
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RESOURCES
More information: http://www.fema.gov/preliminaryfloodhazarddata or http://gis.hawaiinfip.org/fhat.
National Flood Insurance Program map changes and Flood Insurance factsheet:
http://dlnreng.hawaii.gov/nfip/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/04/FEMA_MapChange.pdf
Media contact:
AJ McWhorter
Communications Specialist
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
808-587-0396 (Communications Office)
News Release
| DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR |
SUZANNE D. CASE
CHAIRPERSON |
For Immediate News Release: April 23, 2019
FIGHT AGAINST RAPID »LHI»A DEATH IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY
Joining Forces with Land Managers & Scientists in the Battle
To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/331280910
(Honolulu) – While the complete data is still being analyzed, aerial surveys of Hawai‘i Island, Kaua‘i, and parts of east Maui earlier this year covered 1,081,000 acres of »Mhi»a forest being potentially impacted by the serious fungal disease known as Rapid »Lhi»a Death (ROD). The overflights conducted by the Arizona State University (ASU) Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science in Hilo, utilize a high-tech turboprop aircraft loaded with sophisticated mapping and detection equipment. The $250,000 surveys were funded by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) as one of several ROD initiatives HTA is supporting to help educate people about Rapid »Lhi»a Death and to learn more about the disease.
Kalani Ka‘an‘an, HTA’s Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs commented, “During this week of the annual Merrie Monarch Festival, it’s important for us all to be mindful of the natural and cultural significance of »Mhi»a lehua as our keystone native tree species for protecting Hawai‘i’s forests and watersheds. ROD is devastating hundreds of thousands of acres of native forest. Forests are life-giving in Hawai‘i in a multitude of ways. They are often the first image visitors see when flying into Hawai‘i and it’s critical we do everything possible to keep them healthy.”
Dr. Greg Asner leads the ASU team that operates the airborne observatory. This year was its third time surveying forests to collect data on symptomatic trees. Asner said, “Our January 2019 mapping update on suspected ROD trees will be coming out shortly, which will extend our total coverage of the Big Island for three consecutive years. We’ve also added parts of Maui and Kaua‘i along the way. Altogether, the mapping will continue to increase our knowledge of the rate, pattern, and overall threat level of ROD in the Hawaiian Islands. We are very proud to be working closely with DLNR, the USDA Forest Service, and all the organizations that depend on island-wide mapping results.”
DLNR and its partners conduct regular “sketch mapping” aerial surveys of »Mhi»a forests across the state to detect new disease outbreaks. These surveys are done from helicopters, but the data collected by ASU’s high-altitude aerial platform is much more precise and provides highly accurate location data on trees suspected to be infected with ROD.
“The HTA support has helped expand our outreach to visitors who could potentially move ROD from island to island and allowed us to utilize state-of-the art forest monitoring technologies to better map the disease,” said Rob Hauff, State Protection Forester, for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Over the past year Hawai‘i Tourism has provided more than $400,000 in funding support for numerous ROD initiatives, including: $20,000 for trailhead sanitation stations and signs, $20,000 for bio-sanitation workshops for eco-tour operators, as well as support for the annual »Lhi»a Love Fest in Hilo.
DLNR Chair Suzanne Case remarked, “The support from Hawai‘i Tourism is invaluable in helping get the word out about what each of us can do to help stop the spread of this insidious tree disease.”
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Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
News Release
| DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR |
SUZANNE D. CASE
CHAIRPERSON |
For Immediate News Release: April 19, 2019
DIVISION OF CONSERVATION & RESOURCES ENFORCEMENT CONFISCATES ILLEGAL LAY NETS
(Honolulu) – Nearly one thousand feet of suspected illegal lay net was confiscated by officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) this morning. This, after a DOCARE officer on routine patrol on the shoreline adjacent to the La Mariana Sailing Club Restaurant on Sand Island, spotted a man tending several large bags at about 6:30.The officer suspected the bags were filled with what appeared to be lay nets.
A team of DOCARE officers inspected seven bags and found that four of them contained an estimated 100 undersized fish as well as live coral. The fish species include Papio, Kala and Moi. The four nets with the illegal take were seized and 47-year-old Gary Shigematshu of Salt Lake received approximately ten citations.
DOCARE officers want to remind people about responsible and legal netting and protecting and conserving Hawai‘i’s natural resources. People can report suspicious activity via the free DLNRTip application of by calling the statewide hotline at 643-DLNR (3567).
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Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0396
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RAPID OHIA DEATH SYMPOSIUM
Outreach Program Updates
In this video presentation from the community forum on Rapid Ohia Death held at the West Hawaii Civic Center in Kona on March 30, 2019, JB Friday of the University of Hawaii Extension Service chronicles the community outreach and education efforts underway statewide to bring attention to this fungal disease.
Tomorrow: Rapid Ohia Death Symposium-Questions & Answers Part Two
View all presentations at: https://vimeo.com/album/5882632
RAPID OHIA DEATH SYMPOSIUM
Forest Effects & Aerial Surveying
Dr. J.B. Friday of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources presents the latest research on the effects of Rapid Ohia Death on Hawaii’s forests and latest data from statewide aerial surveys conducted to try and detect ROD. The research was conducted by Dr. Flint Hughes of the USDA Forest Service and Ryan Perroy of the University of Hawaii-Hilo.
Tomorrow: Rapid Ohia Death Symposium: Outreach Program Updates
View all presentations at: https://vimeo.com/album/5882632
Read more http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2019/04/21/nr19-082-2/