Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources

Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources
Name	Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources
Formed	1893 (territorial antecedents); 1959 (statehood reorganization)
Jurisdiction	State of Hawai‘i
Headquarters	Honolulu, Oʻahu
Chief1 name	Chairperson
Parent agency	Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources

Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources is the statewide body charged with stewardship of public lands, coastal resources, forests, cultural sites, water rights, and mineral resources in the State of Hawai‘i. The board operates within the administrative framework of the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and interfaces with federal entities such as the National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on matters affecting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Nā Pali Coast State Park, and other protected areas. It also engages with Native Hawaiian organizations, county agencies like the City and County of Honolulu, and educational institutions including the University of Hawaiʻi system.

History

The board traces its antecedents to royal land stewardship under the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and the land reforms of the Great Māhele (1848), followed by administrative changes during the Provisional Government of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii. After Hawaiian annexation (1898) and eventual Hawaiian statehood (1959), the modern institutional framework emerged amid postwar land management debates involving figures connected to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and gubernatorial administrations such as those of John A. Burns and Ben Cayetano. The board’s regulatory role expanded alongside federal conservation milestones like the creation of Haleakalā National Park, the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and state-level statutes including the Public Land Trust jurisprudence from the Hawaii State Supreme Court.

Organization and Membership

The board is statutorily composed of appointed citizen members, with appointments made by the Governor of Hawaii and subject to confirmation by the Hawaii State Senate. Membership often reflects engagement from stakeholders connected to Native Hawaiian rights groups, environmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, labor unions, and academic researchers from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Administrative support is provided by the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources divisions, including the Forestry and Wildlife Division (DLNR), the Division of Aquatic Resources, the Land Division, and the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands. The board convenes public meetings in compliance with the Hawaii Sunshine Law and interacts with agencies like the Hawaiʻi State Historic Preservation Division and county planning departments in Maui County, Hawaii County, Kauai County, and Honolulu County.

Powers and Responsibilities

Statutory authority flows from the Hawaii Revised Statutes governing public lands, water resources, and conservation, empowering the board to issue leases, manage public trust lands, adjudicate water rights under the Commission on Water Resource Management, and regulate coastal zone uses pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act. The board grants or denies permits affecting areas such as Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Molokini Crater, and state forest reserves like Puu Kukui. It also enforces conservation easements, oversees reforestation projects tied to the Conservation Reserve Program analogs, and collaborates with federal partners during incidents such as volcanic eruptions at Kīlauea or invasive species responses involving Miconia and Coqui frog eradication efforts.

Major Programs and Initiatives

Programs administered or overseen by the board include habitat restoration partnerships with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, watershed protection initiatives on East Maui and Kauaʻi, invasive species control coordinated with Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, and marine resource management involving the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument co-management frameworks. The board has advanced initiatives for public access and cultural site protection at locations such as Waimea Canyon, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, and Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove, and has supported renewable energy siting on public lands aligning with Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Initiative goals. Collaborative projects have involved the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaiian Electric Industries, and community groups in co-management and stewardship agreements.

Controversies and Legal Challenges

The board’s decisions have provoked litigation and public controversy on issues including lease renewals for resorts near Kāʻanapali Beach, contested water diversion cases affecting the Hāmākua and Mauiʻs East Maui Irrigation systems, and disputes over development permits on lands tied to the Public Land Trust or cultural sites such as Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site. Controversial actions have led to hearings before the Hawaii State Judiciary, appeals to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and involvement by organizations like the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, Earthjustice, and Conservation Law Foundation. Allegations of inadequate consultation with Native Hawaiian communities have prompted administrative complaints invoking the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and the State Historic Preservation Act.

Notable Decisions and Actions

Noteworthy board actions include approvals and denials that have shaped shoreline access at Haleʻiwa, leases affecting Kāneʻohe Bay aquaculture, establishment of conservation easements on Mauna Kea foothills, and rulemaking affecting hunting seasons in the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge complex. The board played a central role in management responses to the 2018 lava flows from Kīlauea and in adopting policies to implement protections within Papahānaumokuākea. Decisions have also influenced large-scale renewable energy projects, water adjudications that affected agricultural users in Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, and landmark settlements with plaintiffs represented by Earthjustice and the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation.

Category:State boards of Hawaii Category:Environmental organizations based in Hawaii Category:Land management agencies of the United States