Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1985 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, consists of two distinct parcels. The Hakalau Forest Unit is a 32,830 acre parcel on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea on Hawai’i Island. In 1997 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 5,300 acres south of Kailua-Kona, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, which became the Kona Forest Unit. The Kona Forest Unit has grown to 16,060 acres through acquisitions from McCandless Ranch. The total refuge area of the two units combined is approximately 48,890 acres that are focused on the protection of native Hawaiian forest birds and their forest habitat.

The higher elevation Hakalau Forest Unit contains some of the finest remaining stands of native montane rain forest in Hawai’i and habitat for 29 critically endangered species including seven birds, one insect, one mammal and 20 plants found nowhere else in the world. Currently, it is the only place in Hawai’i where native forest bird populations are stable or increasing.

The lower elevation Kona Forest Unit is predominantly ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees with an understory of nonnative trees and shrubs and home to a number of endangered birds, plants and one insect. This area was home to the last wild pair of ʻalalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) in 2002. The primary purpose of this unit is to protect, conserve and manage this native forest for threatened or endangered species.

FRIENDS OF HAKALAU FOREST NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SETS GOAL OF $350,000 FOR

2024 FALL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN

This distinctive Hawaiian honeycreeper feeds primarily on native insect larvae which are found only in Koa trees. ʻAkiapōlāʻau typically feed with their mouth open, pecking with their lower stout-straight bill into the Koa bark. The ʻAkiapōlāʻau then use their long curved upper bill to reach into the pecked hole to pull out the larvae.

The Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Board established an endowment fund in 2015 with the goal of raising $3.5 million. A stable and robust endowment, managed by the Hawaii Community Foundation, is essential to provide a reliable source of funds for the foreseeable future to support the many necessary conservation activities on and around the National Wildlife Refuge.

With your help, the Endowment has just passed $1,550,000. Your gift now can help us reach this year’s goal of $1.9 million. Or we can dream of possibly reaching $2 million this year!

While ambitious, this goal is possible through the generous donations of our Friends’ membership and many other interested parties who see the value in saving endangered Hawaiian birds.