DLNR warns Pokemon Go players to practice good outdoor ethics
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kyle Harris played Pokémon Go on his cellphone at the King Kamehameha statue along South King Street on Wednesday evening. Harris’ wife, son and two daughters have all been playing the game since its debut.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Pokémon Go users gathered on the corner of South Street and Ala Moana Boulevard to play after work on Wednesday evening. Pictured in the foreground is Katrina Colberg and Bradley Okada. “I think I have walked more in the past couple of days than in the past couple of months,” said Colberg about the game. Okada summed up the game as, “fun and addicting.”
Two people wandered into a sensitive heiau on Kauai while searching for characters on the smartphone app Pokemon Go, according to a Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks employee.
Pokemon Go uses the phone’s GPS technology to find and capture animated creatures in real-world places.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, heiau, or Hawaiian temples, were built by high chiefs and priests and dedicated to different gods for various purposes, including healing, peace, fertility and agricultural productivity.
Before approaching these sacred sites, HTA advises that people silently ask permission of the kupuna, or ancestors, give thanks and offer apologies for bringing any negativity to the site.
The DLNR reminded the public to practice good outdoor ethics: be safe, stay on designated trails and carry out what you carry in. Use electronic devices responsibly and in emergencies call for help. Distracted hiking can lead to accidents.
“We want and encourage people to enjoy all of the outstanding natural and cultural resources Hawaii has to offer,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. “Given the release of Pokemon Go, this is an opportune time to remind everyone that these resources can and should be enjoyed in a pono way.”
Earlier this week, Honolulu police advised gamers to pay attention to their surroundings at all times and never play the game while driving, noting that using an electronic mobile device while driving is punishable by a $297 fine.
7 responses to “DLNR warns Pokemon Go players to practice good outdoor ethics”
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there’s pokemon in cholo’s back yard!
Hey brah, How come Cholo always refers to himself in the third person? Just curious. Oh well, no matter. I didn’t realize “good outdoor ethics” were now I thing but I get what they mean and think it’s a good idea.
sorry, “…a thing…”
You have more rights if you are homeless. You aren’t charged for defecating on the sidewalk or in someone’s doorway. You don’t have to pay property tax, you can just put your stuff down wherever and have the city store it for free for 29 days. I watch homeless walk into a McDonald’s, ask for water, then proceed to the self serve drink station, dump the water and fill up the cup with the beverage of their choice without paying a dime. But this innocuous game gets more attention than any of the aforementioned.
How asinine of HTA, “Before approaching these sacred sites, HTA advises that people silently ask permission…give thanks and offer apologies for bringing any negativity to the site”. How about before approaching sacred sites ask if you belong in there or not.
DLNR? Telling others how to do their job? Oh puhleeze. They are one of many Nei government agencies with a track record of failing to meet standards, waste public money.
DLNR? ROTFL. Give me a break.
What gives DLNR the right to interfere with Natural Selection? Pokémon Go was created to weed out the weak genes from the human gene pool by helping these folks walk off cliffs and walk in front of busses. How arrogant of DLNR to think they can manipulate Darwinian law. They are simply a bunch of over paid civil servants…