Reorganization of DLNR
B Sager
The following are opinions expressed in Caucus discussion. The Caucus has not taken a position on this issue. This discussion will help us reach a positon.
First, rename DLNR to the Department of Natural Resources and remove all non-resource management responsibilities from the department. Specifically the Division of Land Management is a real estate organization responsible for leasing and selling state land. The Division of Conveyances is a document management organization. Both divisions should be removed from the Department of Natural Resources.
Recognize that managing natural resources is a process of managing complex ecosystems. This means that the organization that manages our natural resources must have very diverse capabilities. Our managers must recognize the complexities of the resources they are mandated to care for. Specialized organizations cannot can't accomplish this. We need many natural resource management disciplines working together. Moreover we need boots on the ground that can get the work done. This means that the Division of Natural Resources must have resource managers on each island who have the authority to develop and implement management plans for their specific island. They should be guided by policies set by the governor, department heads and division administrators, but they must have the authority to implement their island management plans.
Department and division managers must be good administrators but most important they must have natural resource management training with at least a bachelor of science degree.
Policies should be clearly defined and should eliminate conflicts between and within resource management organizations. The division of forestry should be a model for distributed management within the Department of Natural Resources. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife is mandated to protect and preserve pristine ecosystems and to manage ungulates as game animals. That is an inherent conflict that must be resolved.
State Parks is managed from a Oahu. Island administrators must get approval from Oahu before taking any actions. It doesn't work.
The Division of Aquatic resources is totally disorganized. The staff for aquatic resource management on all islands has been reduced to the point that their aquatic biologists cannot do their job.
The division of boating and ocean recreation is not a resource management agency and does not belong in the Department Of Natural Resources.
Historically, DLNR divisions have not worked together. There is very little discussion between divisions and no inter-division planning. For instance, the Division of State Parks is mandated to manage park natural resources to provide for public recreation. They have no natural resource management expertise and should consult with the Division of Forestry and with the Division of Aquatic Resources on natural resource management matters.
The engineering division is mandated to manage state water resources and provide engineering support to the department. Everything they do should be in support of other divisions within the department. Because the engineering division's activities directly affect streamflow their work must be in support of natural resource management programs.
In summary, DLNR must be reorganized to eliminate non-resource management activities from the department and decentralized to allow Island managers to implement clearly defined policies on their islands.
Bill Sager
The Bills to fund DLNR are HB 1082 and SB 1314; if you Google "DLNR proposed legislation" you will get these two bills and some other good and bad bills. The bill that "streamlines Industrial "Parks" is a bad one because DLNR and the state in general do not have good setback guidelines (in WA state they cannot be located less that 1/4 mile from a stream bank, riparian area, wetland, or estuary/coastal water body) or even sustainable design criteria (WA state requires that no significant changes in hydraulic conditions can be caused by increased impervious surfaces); in general, almost all "Industrial Areas" (note that they are not "Parks") are located in bad locations in Hawaii (eg., Sand Island, banks of Nawiliwili Stream, banks of Puali Stream, etc.).
Finally, Hawaii is badly in the need of a bill/state law like that passed by Oregon in 1993 (http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/54l.html) that:
Establishes and partners with "Watershed Councils" Focuses on Watershed Stewardship, Water Rights, and the Protection and Enhancement of Watershed Resources
Although DLNR has made public its statewide "Watershed Conservation and Enhancement Program", it is focusing only on the upper forested reaches of the watersheds, does not include the broad watershed community, and it does not focus as it should on the living aquatic resources and their habitats (ie., the stream, rivers, estuaries, wetlands and the adjacent coral reef ecosystems!
Watershed must be managed as in the old days when the ahupaa recognized the importance of managing from the mountains to the sea.