SCR190.DOC

WHEREAS, certain public hiking trails in the State of Hawaii traverse across areas designated by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR) as hunting areas, where hunters, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts come into contact with one another; and

WHEREAS, contact between these users increase on weekends and state holidays, which are designated by DLNR as hunting days; and

WHEREAS, both hikers and hunters may be accompanied by dogs on these hiking trails; and

WHEREAS, the placement of public hiking trails in hunting areas makes it easier for hunting dogs to move without restraint on trails that are also used by hikers with pet dogs; and

WHEREAS, non-hunters are required by DLNR to keep their pet dogs on leashes at all times while on public trails; and

WHEREAS, hunters are required by DLNR to keep their dogs "under restrictive control during transportation while in transit at all times, to and from hunting areas within the forest reserve"; and

WHEREAS, hunting dogs are trained to aggressively pursue all animals, without distinction between wild animals and pet dogs; and

WHEREAS, while there are trailheads that require hunter check-in forms, they are not always properly filled out or verified, making it impossible for hikers or other outdoor enthusiasts with pet dogs to know whether hunters or hunting dogs are in the vicinity; and

WHEREAS, it is not uncommon for hunting dogs to become separated from the hunters they accompany and in some cases are left behind; and

WHEREAS, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who take their pet dogs on public trails in these areas are concerned that aggressive hunting dogs are roaming freely and may harm their pet dogs; and

WHEREAS, the officers of DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement that are responsible for enforcing rules regarding hunting dogs lack the resources for enforcement across vast areas of state lands and are unable to respond to the legitimate concerns of non-hunters; and

WHEREAS, lost, injured, and neglected hunting dogs at times end up at local animal shelters without any permanent identification, making it difficult to reunite them with their owners and generating additional expenses for taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, a dialogue among the various groups that are affected by the presence of hunting dogs on public hiking trails would be constructive in making concerns known and addressing those concerns in a way that is amenable to all parties; and

WHEREAS, failure to address the issues posed by allowing hunting dogs to accompany hunters may negatively impact residents' and tourists' perceptions of safety on public hiking trails that travel across hunting areas; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Social Sciences, Public Policy Center and Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution are requested to convene a working group to explore the safe use of hunting dogs on public hiking trails; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group should include in the dialogue representatives from:

(1) DLNR;

(2) Honolulu Police Department;

(3) Citizens for Safe Hiking;

(4) Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club;

(5) Hawaii Dog Foundation;

(6) Hawaiian Humane Society;

(7) The Humane Society of the United States;

(8) The Nature Conservancy;

(9) The Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter;

(10) Hawaii Hunting Association; and

(11) Oahu Pig Hunters Association;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii and the Dean of the College of Social Sciences.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Hunting Dogs; Public Hiking Trails

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	190
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII