With only three months on the job, Laura Thielen can feel confident that long-standing problems in the Department of Land and Natural Resources won't be blamed on her.

Thielen is up for confirmation before the state Senate to head the department, which has been plagued by low morale, high turnover and conflicts with management in some of its divisions.

After the first day of her confirmation hearing yesterday, testimony was far less contentious than it was before former natural resources head Peter Young was ousted from the job in the spring.

"It seems to me it will go smoother," said Sen. Clayton Hee, chairman of the Water and Land Committee. "Clearly, her track record is not established."

Most witnesses described Thielen, who was appointed in July, as a bright and energetic leader with communication skills.

But several people at the hearing complained about Thielen's initial management of the state Historic Preservation Division, which was criticized for its handling of Native Hawaiian remains disinterred from the site of a planned Whole Foods store on O'ahu.

Thielen did not testify yesterday but will appear before the committee for questioning Monday, and then senators will vote on whether to confirm her.

"They recognize that I've been there a short amount of time, and the concerns being raised are long-standing issues in the department," Thielen said after the hearing.

Young's confirmation was shot down in April after a record five days of confirmation hearings.

Despite support from some environmentalist groups, Young took the fall for the lack of state dam inspections before the Kaloko reservoir burst and killed seven people in 2006, and for allegations of preferential treatment and insecure data in the Bureau of Conveyances

Young's supporters claimed he was the victim of an unfair confirmation process set up by powerful Democrats who wanted to see Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's nominee fail.