Question: On recent weekends, people have been riding horses on Kailua Beach. The horses have left significant manure droppings both on an access path and on the beach makai of the path, which the owners/riders have not attended to. Some good Samaritan shoveled the mess into the bushes within a day, but the droppings remained on the path for several days. Is there any regulation that would require owners of animals other than dogs to clean up their animal's waste? It's a smelly mess!

Answer: There are laws saying people should pick up their animals' wastes, but the horseback riders on the beach go beyond irresponsibility.

They are breaking the law, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DLNR's administrative rules for unencumbered lands, which include beach areas, state specifically: “;No person shall engage in horseback riding on the beaches.”;

The rules regarding animals in general say: “;No person shall enter the premises (of unencumbered state lands) with dogs, cats, and other animals unless they are crated, caged, or on a leash, or otherwise under physical restrictive control at all times. This section shall not apply to seeing-eye dogs accompanying their masters.”;

Whether that includes walking horses on the beach — reined, of course — is not clear.

That would involve a legal interpretation of the law, which would require an Attorney General's opinion, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

Meanwhile, to the case at hand, Ward said the owners of the animals are responsible for cleaning up any mess left behind.

“;Since horses are not allowed on public beaches, there should be no poop to clean up.”;

She said the department hasn't received any complaints about horses riding on beaches “;for some time.”;

Lester Chang, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation, also was surprised to hear about the horses, saying no one had complained to the department.

Parks staff “;normally would get a call quickly”; about something like this, he said.

Anyone seeing people riding horses on any beach is asked to call DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at 643-DLNR (643-3567) immediately and to provide specific information, including locations and descriptions, Ward said.

Regarding accessways to the beach, under state law, the counties have the primary authority and duty to develop and maintain public access to and along the shorelines, Ward said.

Shortly after your complaint was received, Chang said city parks staff did check the areas mentioned and didn't see any traces of the horses or horse poop.

He also said it's been a while since his staff has received any complaints about horses. Those in the past involved beaches in the Waialua/Mokuleia area, he said.

Basically, animals are not allowed in city parks (except by special permit, such as the Hawaiian Humane Society's annual PetWalk at Magic Island).

Enforcement would have to be done by the Honolulu Police Department, because parks workers don't have any enforcement power, Chang said.

Recycle in Nanakuli

Looking to recycle some unwanted items?

The next Aloha 'Aina Earth Day Recycling Community Clean-up Project will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Nanakuli High School, 89-980 Nanakuli Ave. Residents can either drop off unwanted items or call for curbside pick-up service.

Recyclables accepted: Scrap metal, such as auto parts, bicycles, metal appliances, lawn mowers, pipes and beams; newspaper; cardboard; telephone books; magazines; HI-5 beverage containers; plastic bags and hangers; old tires from passenger cars, four tires per household; athletic shoes without metal cleats; green waste; batteries; cell phones; printer cartridges; computers, dropped off only — one per car/no school or commercial businesses; cooking oil; used eyeglasses and hearing aids; and reusable household items, clothing, etc., for Goodwill Industries.

Items NOT accepted: paints, hazardous fluids, microwave ovens, TVs and gas tanks.

For free towing of unwanted cars, contact Rene Mansho, 306-1876. For curbside pick-up, contact Mansho or Richard Enright at 258-7393.

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Write to “;Kokua Line”; at Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).