The state Department of Land and Natural Resources designated over 1,000 acres of land in Waiea on Hawaiʻi Island as a reserve.
That means the forests in the area will be managed by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
The new reserve spans 1.5 miles mauka, or upland, from Mamalahoa Highway near Hoʻokena Elementary School. There is no public access because the area is currently landlocked by private land.
This is the first new reserve established on the Big Island in 35 years.
Waiea Natural Area Reserve is home to koa and ʻōhiʻa trees. It’s also the last place the Hawaiian crow, or ʻalalā, was observed in the wild.