Hawaii Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement

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.

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