House Water and Land Committee advances multiple conservation, public‑safety and water‑management resolutions; federal‑lands request deferred

The House Committee on Water and Land met March 31 in Conference Room 411 and moved forward a broad package of resolutions on natural‑resource stewardship, public‑safety planning and local water management.

The committee approved HCR 13 (also labeled HR 15) with DLNR‑proposed amendments, a measure that urges the Department of Land and Natural Resources to collaborate with the Department of Education and the State Public Charter School Commission to develop a student coral stewardship program. Charlie Taylor of DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources told the committee the department filed written comments and proposed technical amendments and was available for questions.

The committee also passed HCR 61, a resolution urging increased investment in reforestation, nursery capacity and workforce development to restore degraded public and private lands across Hawai‘i. Jennifer Grimm, forestry program manager with DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, told members that state nurseries are understaffed, in need of water‑treatment upgrades and lack horticultural civil‑service positions needed to scale propagation. Community witnesses including Melissa Pavlicek and Joslyn Herbert described cross‑sector Hui efforts and the role of reforestation in reducing runoff, flood impacts and wildfire risk.

Advocates pressed the panel to adopt the Hawaii Water Safety Plan through HCR 155/HR 147.…