Senate committee backs permanent Makai Watch coordinator position for DLNR
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Summary
The Senate Committee on Water and Land advanced HB 86 to create a permanent, civil‑service Makai Watch coordinator position at the Department of Land and Natural Resources, with supporters saying the role would stabilize volunteer programs and community engagement.
The Senate Committee on Water and Land on March 14 advanced House Bill 86, House Draft 2, a measure that would appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to establish a full‑time equivalent, permanent Makai Watch coordinator position.
Supporters told the committee the coordinator would provide stable oversight and strengthen the statewide volunteer Makai Watch program, which helps communities monitor shoreline and nearshore activity. "Makai Watch has been a critical component," Dawn Chang, representing DLNR, said, "and the purpose of the coordinator position is to maintain interaction with these various groups, and to coordinate the activities of the program statewide."
The bill would create a civil‑service position at DLNR, replacing the current RCUH‑contracted coordinator whose funding is philanthropic and grant‑based. Committee members asked about salary and total cost; DLNR said the civil‑service title would be Program Specialist 5 with a base salary of $71,016 and that "including fringe would be about a hundred $10,000," per Dawn Chang. Testimony from community representatives stressed that a permanent position would help tie volunteer Makai Watch efforts to government reporting and training. Kevin Chang, testifying for Ku Aina'ulu Au Amo, said the role functions "like Konohiki" in connecting communities and government.
Testimony filed in support included the Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Ocean Legislative Task Force, Hawaii Farmers Union, HAPA and at least a dozen other organizations and individuals. Committee members voted to pass HB 86, House Draft 2, unamended during the hearing's decision‑making session.
The bill as discussed would shift funding for the coordinator from uncertain philanthropic and grants to regular state appropriations and make the position civil‑service rather than contracted. Supporters told the committee the change would improve continuity of training, reporting of violations, and statewide coordination among existing Makai Watch groups on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and other islands.
DLNR and community witnesses emphasized the program's expansion beyond nearshore waters, its regular collaboration with community‑based subsistence fishing area rules, and the hope that a permanent coordinator would strengthen those partnerships.
