DLNR outlines biennial budget priorities: recruitment, wildfire response, rockfall mitigation and invasive‑species funding

The Department of Land and Natural Resources told the House Committee on Finance on Oct. 12 that its top budget goals for FY2026–27 center on staffing capacity, infrastructure repairs and public‑safety projects.

DLNR Chair Don Chang said the department’s mission is to “enhance, protect, conserve, and manage Hawaii’s unique and limited natural, cultural, and historic resources held in public trust.” He highlighted requests that include more staff, greater special‑fund ceilings, funding to close cesspools under an EPA consent order, and capital projects ranging from rockfall mitigation to small boat harbor repairs.

Why it matters: DLNR oversees about 1.3 million acres of land and three miles of ocean waters. The department told lawmakers it still has roughly 24% vacancy across its workforce and needs money both to fill positions and to preserve public safety at parks, harbors and infrastructure such as dams and reservoirs.

Primary asks and projects: - Workforce: DLNR reported about 1,100 full‑time equivalent positions and a roughly 24% vacancy rate, and described a delegated recruitment process that has shortened hiring times. Chair Chang said, “We have gone from a high of … 27% vacancies to this past year, we saw a reduction down to 24%.” (quote attribution: Brenna Hashimoto quote appears later in the transcript; see DHIRD article.) DLNR asked for recurring operating increases and additional positions in multiple divisions to close that gap. - Wildfire and watershed protection: The department asked for funding to support wildfire prevention, pre‑suppression and post‑fire restoration, including a $5 million CIP request for statewide watershed protection and millions for equipment and fuel‑break work. Michael Walker, DLNR’s statewide fire protection forester, described a shift from suppression toward prevention, saying prevention includes fuel breaks, water‑resource development, and post‑fire out‑planting. - Rockfall and dam safety: DLNR requested recurring funds for rockfall monitoring and mitigation and staffing to implement the dam improvement/removal grant program created under Act 134 (Session Laws 2023). The department described a federal FEMA grant match and requested special‑fund ceilings to create recurring grant capacity. - Cesspool closures: For statewide cesspool closures required by an EPA consent order, Land Division Administrator Russell Tsuji said the department’s funding request covers closure work only and “the estimate does not include the replacement of it.” He explained property reuse would require either county sewer connections or an independent wastewater system, and that rent‑credit incentives exist to help lessees afford infrastructure changes. - Invasive species and Hawaii Ant Lab: DLNR sought more than $4 million to fund multi‑island coordination through the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and $500,000 recurring for the Hawaii Ant Lab to stabilize staffing and community outreach. Chelsea Arnott, HISC program support, said the Ant Lab “survey[s] for all invasive ants” and that stable funding would expand both field work and community training. - DOCARE and public enforcement: DLNR requested pay and equipment increases for the Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement, arguing higher salaries and gear are necessary to recruit and retain officers who perform emergency response and marine enforcement. - State parks revenue generation and operations: Kirk Cottrell, administrator for State Parks, told the committee that special‑fund income for state parks has grown substantially and that the division is expanding reservation and parking systems at high‑use sites. Cottrell said the parks’ policy is “less people, more income,” describing reservation systems that reduce crowding while generating revenue to cover operations and improvements.

What lawmakers pressed: Committee members asked about the cost to convert cesspools to alternative systems, the details of transferring land to the Department of Agriculture under Act 90, and how DLNR is working with community groups through watershed and stewardship partnerships. Kevin Moore of DLNR’s Land Division described ongoing transfers of roughly 56,000 acres with mapping and surveying still in progress.

Where things go next: DLNR’s budget requests will move through the committee process. The department said many of its requests are timed to leverage federal matches or to make special funds recurring so divisions can rely on user fees and grants.

Ending note: DLNR emphasized the balance between preserving infrastructure and expanding community co‑management as part of long‑term stewardship, while asking the legislature for resources to reduce a multi‑year backlog of maintenance and vacancy‑related capacity shortfalls.