Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement | |
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Abbreviation | DOCARE |
Agency overview | |
Annual budget | $8.1 million |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Hawaii, USA |
Governing body | Hawaii Legislature |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Conservation and Resources Enforcement Officers (CREO)s | 120 (2009) |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources |
Website | |
DLNR DOCARE |
The Hawaii Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and also known as the Hawaii DLNR Police, is the law enforcement agency for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. It is tasked with full state police powers to enforces all State laws and Department rules, with primary jurisdiction involving State lands, State Parks, historical sites, forest reserves, aquatic life and wildlife areas, coastal zones, Conservation districts, State shores, as well as county ordinances involving county parks, for enforcing Hawaii's fishing and recreational boating laws and protecting reefs and other marine resources, patrolling harbors and coastal areas, and conducting marijuana eradication missions. [1]
Officers patrol 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) of state ocean waters, 3,200,000 acres (13,000 km2) of state land or conservation land, and 750 miles (1,210 km) of coast line. Statewide, there are approximately 120 conservation officers divided among six islands. [2]
DOCARE established Fisheries Enforcement Units in 2011, on Maui, Big Island and Kaua'i, that consist of one supervisory captain, two field officers to increase enforcement of Hawai'i's nearshore fisheries to increase sustainability. This will be financed by a joint-initiative between the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, Conservation International and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. [3]
The Illegal hunting, fishing, and Koa theft top state enforcement concerns in 2010 on the Island of Kauai. [4]
In 2010 DLNR Police had about 100 officers used to patrol from the mountains tops to 3 miles off shore. They also have 20 boats and 2 jet skis which are used statewide. The breakdown of Officers by island is: Oahu-42, Big Island-22, Maui County-22 and Kauai 14.
In May 2011, William Aila, Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources said, "eventually the department will need four times as many conservation officers as it does now to properly serve all the enforcement expectations of the department, which has jurisdiction over all state lands and the near-shore waters". [5]
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i is among a long list of groups that have advocated for more DOCARE officers. Others are the Sierra Club, the Conservation Council for Hawai'i, KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, the Hawaii Audubon Society, the Pacific Fisheries Coalition and Malama Hawai'i. "It doesn't matter if it's from the conservation community, the fishing community or the recreational user community, there are not a lot of things we agree on, but there is one thing we agree on: We'd all like to see more capacity and a greater level of enforcement," said Mark Fox, director of external affairs for The Nature Conservancy. Maui fisherman Darrell Tanaka said, "many people engaged in illegal activities that contribute to overfishing don't worry about getting caught. Tanaka is part of a growing group of fishers who have become advocates for DOCARE and laws promoting sustainable fisheries". [6]
On 4-wheels, by boat and on foot - DLNR police officers were on patrol - enforcing new rules at the Kaneohe sandbar, including a ban on alcohol. In response to overcrowding and incidents involving drugs and alcohol at the sandbar, the state stepped in to keep the crowds calm. "We recognize this behavior can no longer be allowed to occur," said State Conservation Officer Randy Awo. State sheriffs, narcotics agents and Attorney General Investigators were also working double duty. "We'll do whatever we need to do to ensure compliance is being attained," said Awo. "We are taking this initiative very seriously." [7]
DLNR Police became actively involved in eradication for a number of reasons:
Safety and welfare of forest users like hunters, hikers, DLNR employees, researchers and flower gatherers is a priority for our Department. Hostile encounters and booby traps along with a variety of other criminal acts have been associated with the illegal cultivation of marijuana on State land, jail time ranges from 5 years to 20 years. [8] Cultivation has the potential of destroying native habitat due to the introduction of herbicides, clear cutting, fertilizers, pesticides, rodenticide, alien species, and trash. This in turn has a direct negative impact on our fragile natural resources and disrupts sensitive wildlife species.
Large tracts of State land are being used for marijuana cultivation. Since much of this land is under the jurisdiction of DLNR, we have the primary responsibility to eradicate these plants.
It has been estimated that approximately 75% of all marijuana eradicated in Hawaii was found on DLNR land. More plants could and would be eradicated if adequate funding were available.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."
The University of Hawaiʻi System, formally the University of Hawaiʻi and popularly known as UH, is a public college and university system that confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, three university centers, four education centers and various other research facilities distributed across six islands throughout the state of Hawaii in the United States. All schools of the University of Hawaiʻi system are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The UH system's main administrative offices are located on the property of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu CDP.
Kahoʻolawe, anglicized as Kahoolawe, is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands of the Hawaiian Islands. Unpopulated, it lies about seven miles (11 km) southwest of Maui. The island is 11 mi (18 km) long by 6.0 mi (9.7 km) wide, with a total land area of 44.97 sq mi (116.47 km2). Its highest point is the crater of Lua Makika, at the summit of Puʻu Moaulanui, about 1,477 feet (450 m) above sea level.
Ahupuaʻa is a Hawaiian term for a large traditional socioeconomic, geologic, and climatic subdivision of land. It usually extends from the mountains to the sea and generally includes one or more complete watersheds and marine resources. The predominant traditional system in the eight high islands of the Main Hawaiian Islands was based on the ahupua’a. Each ahupua‘a contained a cross section of island resources and they were managed within a complex social system associated with each area. The general belief is that each ahupua‘a met the needs of the local population with an excess for tribute and trade. Each ahupua`a contained resources the Hawaiian community needed like wood from the Koa tree to build homes or food like fish and taro.
Lehua Island is a small, crescent-shaped island in the Hawaiian islands, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) north of Niʻihau, due west of Kauai. The uninhabited, 285-acre (1.15 km2) barren island is a tuff cone which is part of the active Niʻihau volcano.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Currently the Director is Daniel Eichinger. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is a part of the Hawaii state government dedicated to managing, administering, and exercising control over public lands, water resources and streams, ocean waters, coastal areas, minerals, and other natural resources of the State of Hawaiʻi. The mission of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources is to "enhance, protect, conserve and manage Hawaiʻi's unique and limited natural, cultural and historic resources held in public trust for current and future generations of the people of Hawaiʻi nei, and its visitors, in partnership with others from the public and private sectors." The organization oversees over 1.3 million acres of land, beaches, and coastal waters and 750 miles of coastal land.
The Hawaiian coot, also known as the ʻ'alae ke'oke'o in Hawaiian, is a bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. In Hawaiian, ʻalae is a noun and means mud hen. Kea or its synonym keo is an adjective for white. It is similar to the American coot at 33–40.6 cm (13–16 in) in length and weighing around 700 g. It has black plumage and a prominent white frontal shield. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, coastal saline lagoons, and water storage areas. The bird was federally listed in October 1970 as an endangered species and is considered both endemic and endangered by the state of Hawaii. It is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators such as the small Asian mongoose. The Makalawena Marsh on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi has been listed as a National Natural Landmark to preserve one of its last nesting areas.
A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician/technologist, game warden, park ranger, forest watcher, forest guard, forester, gamekeeper, investigator, wildernessofficer, wildlifeofficer, or wildlife trooper.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR also issues hunting and fishing licenses for the state. The department promotes wise stewardship and enjoyment of the state's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Supporting those divisions are seven support sections: Accounting, Diversity and Recruiting, Engineering, Information and Education, Information Technology, Legal, and Personnel and Payroll.
Established in 1973, ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve includes a coastal lava field and surrounding waters on the southwest coast of the island of Maui, Hawaii. It consists of 1,238 acres (501 ha) on land and 807 acres (327 ha) of ocean along 3 miles (4.8 km) of Maui's southwestern coastline. The reserve includes several popular snorkeling/diving sites and many cultural and geologic sites as well as habitat for numerous rare and endangered species. The purpose and intent of the Reserve is to preserve and protect three unique components: the geologic setting of the most recent lava flow on Maui; unique assemblages of nearshore coral reef ecosystems; and the anchialine ponds found there.
The Massachusetts Environmental Police is a Massachusetts, US, state government law enforcement agency, which is the primary enforcement agency of Massachusetts's boating and recreation vehicle laws and regulations and is responsible for registering boats, off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles in Massachusetts. The agency is also responsible for the enforcement of fish and game laws, including commercial and recreational harvesting of the living marine resources along the state's coastline.
The Hawaiian wild cattle are a feral breed of domestic cattle introduced at the end of 18th century. Thousands of them are still freely roaming forested areas on the Island of Hawaiʻi. It was listed as "extinct" in The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, published by the FAO in 2007; it is not among the cattle breeds reported to DAD-IS by the National Animal Germplasm Program of the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Kīholo Bay is located in the ahupua`a of Pu`u Wa`awa`a in the North Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii. the land surrounding the bay is flanked to the South by a lava flow from Mount Hualalai ca. 1801 and another flow from Mauna Loa in 1859. The land surrounding Kīholo Bay is under the authority of Hawai‘i State Parks. Approximately 2 miles long (3.2 km), it is one of the island's largest bays. Kīholo Bay is now a popular site for tourists and nature enthusiasts.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbor Police (HP) is the principal maritime law enforcement agency of the State of Hawaii, headquartered at Honolulu Harbor. HP is unique because they are one of the few U.S. police forces dedicated exclusively, but not limited to port activities. The Hawaii Director of Transportation appoints Harbor Enforcement Officers who are authorized to:
Atyoida bisulcata, also called ʻŌpae kalaʻole or ʻŌpae kuahiwi in Hawaiian, is a species of freshwater shrimp endemic to Hawaiʻi in the family Atyidae. It was described in 1840 by John Witt Randall and is the type species for the genus Atyoida.
Roberta Kuʻulei Keakealani is an educator, cultural practitioner, poet, storyteller, and activist from a paniolo family from Puʻuanahulu, North Kona, Hawaii. She was a director of Ahahui O Puʻu Waʻawaʻa, a member of the Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Advisory Council in consultation with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the president of Hui ʻOhana Mai Puʻu Anahulu A Me Puʻu Waʻawaʻa. Keakealani is the cultural and educational director of Hui Aloha Kīholo and the Director of Ka Pilina Poina ʻOle which are heavily involved in restoration and conservation work in Kona. She is also the Native Hawaiian Community Representative Director at the Kaʻūpūlehu Foundation. She was involved with the creation of the Hawaiian language immersion preschool Pūnana Leo o Waimea and the early childhood program Mālamapōki‘i. She wrote RK Branding Day and articles in Ke Ola Magazine, and directed the short films The Paniolo Way, Last of the Hawaiian Cowboys, and Ka Nohona Makamaeo nā Paniolo: The Treasured Lifestyle of the Paniolo.
Suzanne Case is a conservationist and natural resource manager in Hawaii.