§171-3  Department of land and naturalresources.  (a)  The department of land and natural resources shall beheaded by an executive board to be known as the board of land and naturalresources.  The department shall manage, administer, and exercise control overpublic lands, the water resources, ocean waters, navigable streams, coastalareas (excluding commercial harbor areas), and minerals and all other intereststherein and exercise such powers of disposition thereof as may be authorized bylaw.  The department shall also manage and administer the state parks,historical sites, forests, forest reserves, aquatic life, aquatic lifesanctuaries, public fishing areas, boating, ocean recreation, coastal programs,wildlife, wildlife sanctuaries, game management areas, public hunting areas,natural area reserves, and other functions assigned by law.

(b)  Notwithstanding subsection (a), beginningJanuary 1, 2010, the authority to manage, administer, and exercise controlover any public lands that are designated important agricultural lands pursuantto section 205-44.5, shall be transferred to the department of agriculture. [L1962, c 32, pt of §2; am L 1963, c 135, §4; Supp, §103A-3; HRS §171-3; am L1981, c 116, §2; am L 1983, c 15, §2; am L 1991, c 272, §4; am L 1999, c 6, §2;am L 2008, c 233, §16]

 

Cross References

 

  Functions andauthority, generally, see Const. Art. XI, §2 and §26-15.