Hawaii
Visitor ‘green fees’ bill passes Hawaii House committees – West Hawaii Today
Two House committees Thursday passed a bill that would impose more user fees to nonresidents who visit specified state parks and trails.
The House Tourism and Water and Land Committee passed the latest version of Senate Bill 439, which would allow the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to select certain state parks that would require a user fee, be adjusted over time for inflation and contribute to the state parks special fund.
Currently, there are 10 state parks with parking and entry fees, four of which have advance reservation systems for regulated access and collecting fees, according to written testimony by Dawn Chang, state Department of Land and Natural Resources chair.
Chang said another five park units are being evaluated for parking and entry fees and reservation-based access.
At Thursday’s hearing, Tourism Committee Chair Rep. Adrian Tam (D-Waikiki) said the bill would be passed with amendments, including one that would allow the state DLNR to consider seasonal pricing to its trails and parks.
“I know that they’re trying to do that now, but hopefully that language would provide them cover,” Tam said.
Chang wrote in her testimony that DLNR’s Division of State Parks is consulting with the Hawaii Tourism Authority to obtain data to implement the seasonal pricing comparable to the airline and hotel industry.
The “green fees” are in the interest of the organization Kua‘aina Ulu ‘Auamo, which advocates for biocultural, meaning natural and cultural, heritage in Hawaii. KUA advocate Olan Leimomi Fisher and Executive Director Kevin Chang wrote in supportive testimony that the bill aligns with the state Constitution, which “requires the protection and enforcement of Native Hawaiian rights, including the traditional and customary practices that are intrinsically dependent on our threatened natural resources,” according to their statement.
“The funds collected through this bill could help offset some of the environmental and community well-being degradation caused by our historically overly-extractive tourism industry by infusing the state’s (DLNR) with much-needed funds dedicated to the protection, management, and restoration of Hawaii’s natural resources,” Fisher and Kevin Chang wrote.
However, the bill fails to explicitly exempt Native Hawaiians, according to Native Hawaiian resident Cat Orlans, who said in written testimony that the bill would require entry fees for her family members who live on the mainland.
Native Hawaiians, she wrote, “possess inherent rights under both state and federal law to access lands for traditional, cultural and religious practices.”
“Imposing fees, regardless of their residency status, could undermine these protected rights,” Orlans wrote. “This exemption is critical to honor the rights and protections afforded to Native Hawaiians under the state Constitution.”
The push to charge tourists with “green fees” is nothing new, as previous legislative sessions saw a flurry of bills aimed at charging visitor fees. During the 2022 campaign trail, some candidates for governor highlighted the initiative as a way to curb tourism in the post-COVID-19 economy.
According to supportive written testimony from organization Coalition Earth, Hawaii’s current per-tourist investment in its natural environment is approximately $9 per tourist, compared with Palau’s $92, New Zealand’s $188 and the Galapagos Islands’ $373.
“New Zealand, the Maldives, Cancun, and Venice, and numerous other countries have green fee programs for visitors, which vary from $1 per night to a $100 entrance fee for the purpose of environmental conservation,” the organization wrote. “We need to catch up.”
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One of the world’s premier adaptive surfing events is getting underway in Waikiki.
AccesSurf Hawaii is hosting the 2026 Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships this week, with competition beginning Tuesday, May 5, and running through Friday, May 8, at Queen’s Surf Break.
Now in its 18th year, the championships are part of the Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Tour and bring together more than 90 adaptive surfers from around the world competing across multiple divisions.
Organizers said the championships highlight not only elite competition, but also community, culture and inclusion.
“The Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships is a powerful gathering of athletes, community and purpose,” said AccesSurf Executive Director Zoe Lewis. “We are proud to host this in Waikiki, where adaptive surfers can compete at an elite level while also experiencing the culture, community and spirit of Hawaii.”
Events began Monday with an opening ceremony at the Duke Kahanamoku Statue, kicking off a week of competition and activities.
In addition to the surf competition, the week includes special events such as the Hawaiʻi premiere of The Incredible Paulk on May 6 and a community pau hana gathering on May 7.
Surf competition runs daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will also be streamed live online.
The public is invited to attend and support the athletes, with the week wrapping up Friday with an awards ceremony.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
The 2026 Hawaii high school baseball playoffs begin on May 6th with the opening round in the Division I bracket, with the Division II bracket starting May 7th.
High School On SI has brackets for every classification and division in the Hawaii high school baseball playoffs.
The 2026 HHSAA state championship games will be on May 9th.
2026 Hawaii High School Baseball Division I Playoff Bracket, Schedule, Scores (HHSAA) – May 4, 2026
Matchups are as follows:
Pearl City vs. Moanalua
Pac-Five vs. Kaiser
King Kekaulike vs. Hilo
Kamehameha Hawai’i vs. Kailua
2026 Hawaii High School Baseball Division II Playoff Bracket, Schedule, Scores (HHSAA) – May 4, 2026
Matchups are as follows:
Waipahu vs. Hawaii Prep
Seabury Hall vs. Damien
Honoka’a vs. Castle
Kauai vs. Kapolei
More Coverage from High School On SI
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Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast
| Shores | Tonight | Monday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| East Facing | 4-6 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 3-5 |
| South Facing | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 2-4 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy. Occasional showers. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||
| Winds | North winds 5 to 10 mph. | ||||||
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| Weather | Partly sunny. Scattered showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | Around 80. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. | |||||
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| Sunrise | 5:49 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 6:45 PM HST. | |||||
Forecast for Big Island Leeward
| Shores | Tonight | Monday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 2-4 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy until 12 AM, then partly cloudy. Scattered showers. |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the lower 70s. | ||||||||||
| Winds | Southwest winds around 5 mph, becoming east in the evening, then becoming light and variable after midnight. |
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| Weather | Mostly sunny. Isolated showers. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the mid 80s. | |||||||
| Winds | Southwest winds around 5 mph. | |||||||
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| Sunrise | 5:53 AM HST. | |||||||
| Sunset | 6:49 PM HST. | |||||||
The current small northwest swell will decline tonight. A moderate northwest swell will build on Monday and produce surf above seasonal average during the peak Monday night and early Tuesday. This swell will slowly decline late Tuesday and Wednesday. A larger northwest swell could produce surf near the High Surf Advisory level Thursday, then lower Friday into next weekend.
A south-southwest swell will produce surf around seasonal average tonight and will gradually decrease Monday and Tuesday, with mainly small background surf along south facing shores through the rest of the week.
Trade wind swell will slowly lower below seasonal average on Monday and will remain small through the remainder of the week.
NORTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.
SOUTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
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