State crews and a contractor cleared 45 illegal encampments this week from the slopes of Diamond Head, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources officials said today.

The sweep was part of regular quarterly cleanup on Division of State Parks lands, according to a DLNR news release. Officials said Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers cited three people his morning for being in a closed area of Diamond Head as part of the effort.

“Entry into closed areas on Diamond Head is difficult to enforce without circling the entire crater with an impenetrable barrier,” DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said in the news release. “The mountain is porous, and there are countless routes for people to use.”

Honolulu police were on stand-by today during the cleanup of makai lands, and state Department of Law Enforcement and multiple service agencies established an intake area in a nearby park, where anyone who was displaced could learn about assistance programs.

DLNR homeless coordinator Pua Aiu said that even if people who have lived on Diamond Head for years wanted to move to a shelter or transitional housing, there are not enough beds to support them all at once.

“There is also a severe lack of beds for people needing mental health services or addiction treatment,” she said.

DLNR officials said there are large amounts of camping gear and buckets of human waste that litter the slopes.

Although DLNR expressed concerns for human health that the waste could flow into the ocean during rain, officials said its crews will leave the buckets due to safety concerns, presumably for the workers.

“We appreciate the community’s patience with this issue,” Redulla said.

He said there are hundreds of places grappling with the same issues, but there are no easy or ready solutions. DLNR’s leaders say regular cleanups will continue to be necessary without “broad-based community support, political will, and funding for more permanent solutions.”