STATE OF HAWAI’I
KA MOKU ‘AINA O HAWAI’I

NOTICE OF ANIMAL CONTROL ACTIVITIES AND TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF MAUNA KEA FOREST RESERVE, MAUNA KEA ICE AGE NATURAL AREA RESERVE,
PALILA MITIGATION LANDS, AND KA’OHE GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

Legal Notice DOFAW

HILO — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will conduct animal control operations targeting feral goats, feral sheep, and mouflon/feral sheep hybrids on the island of Hawai?i. This will involve ground-based and aerial control methods within Palila critical habitat areas, including:

Mauna Kea Forest Reserve (Unit A)
Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (Unit K)
Palila Mitigation Lands (Pu’u Mali & Ka’ohe Restoration Areas)
Ka’ohe Game Management Area (Unit G)

Aerial shooting is required to comply with the federal court order mandating the removal of sheep and goats from critical habitat for the Palila, a bird endemic to Hawaii with a dwindling wild population. The portion of Mauna Kea Unit A south of the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area (bordering Pohakuloa Training Area) will remain open for mammal hunting.

Control is scheduled for August 27-28, 2025. Public access to Mauna Kea Forest Reserve, Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve, Palila Mitigation Lands, the Ka’ohe Game Management Area, and Mauna Kea Hunter Access Road will be restricted and allowed BY PERMIT ONLY for animal salvage purposes on the following dates:

07:00 a.m. August 27, 2025
06:00 a.m. August 28, 2025

Public Access & Salvage Permits

These actions are pursuant to HAR§ 13-130-19 and § 13-104-23(a) (3). The Mauna Kea Observatory Road will remain open. The temporary closure is necessary to minimize the risks associated with incompatible uses in the forest area and to ensure the safe conduct of animal control activities. To implement the closure, the Hale Pohaku, Kilohana, and Pu’u Ko’ohi gated entrances to Unit A and G, and the gate behind Gilbert Kahele State Recreation Area, will be locked/reopened as follows:

Gates will be locked at 8:00 p.m. on August 26, 2025, and reopened at 7:00 p.m. on August 28, 2025.

Copies of the map illustrating the area subject to aerial shooting on these dates are available for inspection at the Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office.

Due to high public participation, telephone call-ins to the DOFAW Hilo Office at (808) 974-4221 for receiving salvage permits will be conducted from 9:00 a.m. on August 20, 2025, to 10:00 a.m. on August 26, 2025. One permit will be issued per caller for one vehicle per day. Applicants can have their names added to a stand-by list for additional days, should other applicants not fill all slots. No standby permits will be issued on the days of the operation, and no one without a permit will be allowed access to the area. The driver, occupants, vehicle license plate number, and make/model of the vehicle are required when calling in. A maximum of 15 permitted vehicles will be allowed at the Pu?u Ahumoa location and 15 permitted vehicles at the Pu?u Mali location. Permittees must arrive promptly at the designated meeting spot. No late entries will be allowed. Permittees must be prepared to remain at the salvage site for up to eight hours, equipped with appropriate gear/supplies (e.g., water, coolers with ice). There will be no exit from the salvage site until the day’s operation is completed or in the event of an emergency. Each permittee must also participate in digging the hole where entrails are to be discarded. Failure to adhere to the above conditions may preclude the permittee’s participation in future salvage operations.

Carcasses taken during the shoot will be available to the permitted public for salvage at the following locations (a four-wheel drive vehicle is required, and access permits will be issued). However, there is no guarantee that animals will be able to be salvaged.

Salvage locations are subject to change:

On August 27, 2025, at Pu’u Ahumoa. Permittees must meet at the
Kilohana check-in station at 7:00 a.m. sharp.
On August 28, 2025, at Pu’u Mali. Permittees must meet across from
the Waimea Veterinary office on Mana Road at 6:00 a.m. sharp.

Contact the Division of Forestry and Wildlife in Hilo at (808) 974-4221 for more information about meat salvage or access permits.

Done at Honolulu this 29th day of July 2025.

Dawn N. S. Chang, Chairperson
Department of Land and Natural Resources
(WHT1501263 8/01/25)