The Army Corps of Engineers is in the early stages of creating a self-imposed mandate to formally seek out the input of any and all Native Hawaiian groups before it makes decisions on aquatic and watershed permits that could significantly impact the islands and the ocean.

During a scheduled five-hour forum Saturday at Maui Community College, Corps Regulatory Program Manager Farley Watanabe said that the federal government is in the process of revising its regulations for who it must consult during the complicated and often long permitting process.

And the Army Corps wants Native Hawaiian organizations — from nonprofits and state agencies to ohanas, lineal descendants and individuals — to be included in that process for the first time, Watanabe said.