Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Monday announced three nominations to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

The BLNR’s work includes reviewing submittals from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, including land leases and Conservation District Use Applications.

One recent example you may have heard about: the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.

The three nominees are:

• Vernon Char, appointed to an at-large seat replacing Keone Downing, who left the board on April 29. Char is a practicing attorney with the law firm of Char Sakamoto Ishii Lum & Ching.
• Wesley “Kaiwi” Yoon, appointed to an at-large seat filling the at-large seat of Chris Yuen, whose term expired June 30. Yoon is the vice president of operations, planning and project management at the Bishop Museum.
• And Yuen himself, who is being re-appointed but moving from the at-large seat to the 1st Land District (Hawaii County) seat. He replaces Stanley Roehrig, whose term expired June 30. Yuen runs an organic farm north of Hilo growing lychees and bananas, is an attorney and served as Hawaii County Planning Director from 2000 to 2008.

“These nominees represent a balanced and broad spectrum of experience and bring diverse points of view to the Land Board. All share a passion for Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources, and I know they will listen to the community as they make decisions that will move us toward a more resilient and sustainable future,” the governor said in a press release.

All three nominations are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case also chairs the BLNR.