As the 2021 legislative session in Hawai’i wrapped up last month, the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources is heralding the work as a “banner year for natural and cultural resources protection” according to a recent press release. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, at the time simply School of Marine Affairs, alumnus David Tarnas ’85 led the work as the Chair for the House Water and Land Committee.

“This year has been a great year for the Department of Land and Natural Resources and its partnership working closely with the legislature. When I took over as head of the committee, the first thing I asked was…what were the measures they have been trying to introduce for years and could never move forward? We saw a significant backlog of good ideas,” Tarnas explained.

Tarnas said his goal was to facilitate the conversation about these bills, to move through the best bills and to be productive about it. This is Tarnas’ second time serving in the legislature. “I already knew many of the DLNR division people from my time in the leg 25-years ago. They knew they had an ally and moreover a level of trust because they were all very cooperative and forthcoming with the information we needed to make decisions,” Tarnas said.

Tarnas said he and his colleagues showed a willingness to look at those things that make Hawai‘i special, accentuated by the pandemic and the pause in tourism. “Natural resource management is an important part of that. We found with fewer visitors here, we noticed our special places were less crowded, our environment was less stressed, and we saw visible improvement in ecosystem health in our near-shore waters and hiking areas,” he commented.

Much of the legislature’s work focused on “adaptive management of public trust resources,” to make sure they are not overused by visitors and residents alike. Some of the adaptive management bills lawmakers passed include:

• HB1276 (State parks fees) – Dynamic pricing-allows the DLNR Division of State Parks to set fees for parking and entrance based on current conditions.
• HB1020 (Adaptive natural resource management) – provides an alternative process with fewer procedural steps to enable DLNR to quickly implement certain temporary adaptive management measures, while also providing opportunity for public review and input.

Three of the new “source of funding” bills were announced when the governor signed them into law on June 8.

• SB772 (Special license plates) – Authorizes the issuance of special number plates to support environmental conservation, with proceeds from the program to be used to fund conservation efforts. Revenues will be deposited into the conservation and resources special fund.
• HB1023 (Marine recreational fishing licenses) –  Establishes and requires a recreational fishing license for all non-Hawai‘i residents. Visitors will need to purchase this license in order to fish from the shoreline or a boat in Hawaiian waters.  Revenues generated by license sales will help support fishing opportunities and provide state-matching funds for the Federal Sport Fish Restoration Program.
• HB1019 (Ocean stewardship special fund) – Establishes a Hawai‘i Ocean Stewardship Special Fund to provide more consistent and reliable support for the conservation, protection, restoration, and management of Hawai‘i’s precious and endangered marine resources. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, users will pay a fee of $1 per person on commercial ocean vessel-based activities.

These were part of a large aquatics resources package of bills signed on World Oceans Day.

David Tarnas lives on and represents the Island of Hawai’i in the State Legislature. He’s married to another SMEA alum, Carolyn Stewart ’90 who serves as Vice President and principal consultant for Marine and Coastal Solutions International, Inc.