Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 11, 1 November 2021 — Matching Gift Campaign for Hakalau Forest [ARTICLE]

Matching Gift Campaign for Hakalau Forest

Ihe Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) launched their fall Matching Endowment Gift Campaign. If they ean raise $75,000 by December 31, hve donors will match the $75,000 for a total of $150,000. Donations support mitigation or elimination of threats before they ean impact the native species of Hakalau Forest and its ecosystem. Hakalau Forest NWR, on Hawai'i Island, is one of the most successfully managed sites for endangered species restoration. It was established in 1985 and has made strides towards protecting precious endemic forest birds and other species by fencing large areas of the refuge, removing feral ungulates, controlling invasive plant species, and restoring native koa-'ōhi'a forests on denuded former ranch lands. Thousands of endemic plant species, some endangered, were out-planted to the understory and endangered forest birds like the 'akia pōlā'au, 'i'iwi and alawī have moved into these recovering forests. This is the only plaee in Hawai'i where endangered forest bird

numbers are stable or increasing. The 32,830 acres of Hakalau Forest NWR provide important habitat for 29 critically endangered species including seven birds, one insect, one mammal and 20 plants found nowhere else in the world. Although Hakalau Forest NWR is located high on the slopes of Maunakea, recent climate change models predict its endangered birds will soon face the same threats of avian disease that have impacted these species at lower elevations. For more information or to donate go to: https://www. hawaiicommunityfoundation. org/hakalau-forest-refuge-man-agement-endowment-fund