Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
A nonprofit devoted to conserving the unique flora and fauna of Hawai’i Island
The Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge has had the amazing good fortune to be able to partner with some very talented people to spread the message about our important work. This collaboration of remarkable artists has resulted in the creation of a video that describes Hakalau Forest NWR through the eyes of a first-time visitor, and world famous ukelele player, Jake Shimibukuro. We are honored to have partnered with Jake and an amazing team of videographers, including Andrew Richard Hara, Joey Trisolini, and our own Bruce Omori. They created this delightful video that shows the wonder of visiting Hakalau Forest for the first time, through the eyes and music of Jake.
We invite you to enjoy this amazing video as well!
Hakalau Forest NWR Updates:
Save Our Seedlings!
Over the last ten months the Friends of Hakalau Forest have raised approximately $250,000 for reforestation through a gift of $50,000 from Bird Life International and roughly $200,000 from 358 donors to our “Save our Seedlings” campaign launched in February 2025. By pooling these funds, we can support the refuge in planting more acreage of native forest on former pasture land in an effective and efficient manner, helping them to exceed their 2026 and 2027 outplanting goals.
Our intention is to apply all the funds from Bird Life International and a portion of the funds from Save our Seedlings to purchase propagation and outplanting supplies, to support interns to work in the greenhouse and lead volunteers, and to support ground preparation needed for outplanting. This direction is intended to support the Refuge staff to continue the great work of adding more native forest to places currently covered by grass on the Refuge. We would like to extend our sincerest mahalo nui loa to the community and Bird Life International for stepping up to save our seedlings!
Planned Greenbelt Out planting sites in 2026 are already laid out in Pua ‘Akala, at the southwest corner of the refuge, and will follow a similar layout at the Northwest corner, in Upper Honohina.
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE
2026 JACK JEFFREY CONSERVATION EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM
The Friends of Hakalau Forest NWR are happy to announce that we are opening up the application process for a $2,000 award for the 2026 Jack Jeffrey Conservation Education Grant program. Applications are due February 28, 2026. Please click the button below for more details.
For more information about Hakalau Forest NWR, visit:
- The official page of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
- A location map of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
- Topographic basemap of the Hakalau Unit
- Topographic basemap of the Kona Unit
- Hakalau Forest NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan (2010)
- Frequently Asked Questions about Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (topics include what is special about Hakalau, six endangered honeycreepers, public access, environmental education, challenges facing the Refuge and the Endowment details)
Join
The Friends of Hakalau Forest is a group of hardworking, hands-on committed volunteers and donors who share a passion for supporting the Refuge. When you join the Friends group you become one of nature’s heroes on Hawai’i Island. Feel good about protecting our native forests, and critically endangered birds and plants.
Featured Species
The ‘i‘iwi is the most recognizable bird in the forest, with its scarlet feathers and bright red bill. It is very sensitive to avian malaria, though, and has recently been listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
©Tim Burr
Help establish an endowment to permanently protect the Refuge.
The Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge sets a goal of $500,000 for the Fall 2025 Endowment Campaign.
Recent Hakalau Forest Research Papers
Quantifying Restoration of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i (1989–2024) Using NDVI and Moisture Indices from Remote Sensing Imagery
Faith A. Nicoll, Elizabeth D. Crook, Peter A. Stine, Thomas Cady, and Michael L. Goulden
Over the past four decades, reforestation of koa trees (Acacia koa) and other native vegetation in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Hawai‘i has restored forest areas and helped preserve habitats for endangered endemic species. However, the extent of koa regrowth was not previously quantified. Using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) spatial analyses of Landsat, National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), and Sentinel imagery, we classified tree and non-tree areas to estimate forest recovery between 1989 and 2024. Our results suggest approximately 49% koa tree cover has been reestablished in cleared regions. This quantitative assessment of forest growth provides essential data for the management of the refuge, offers spatial tools to track progress toward full forest restoration, and can guide other tropical forest conservation projects.
Hakalau Forest Articles
American Birding Association
Searching for Honey: Sweet Spots on the Big Island of Hawai’i
The latest issue of Birding Magazine from the American Birding Association features an article entitled “Sweet Hotspots on the Big Island of Hawaii.” It includes a nice discussion about the Refuge and some wonderful photos.
Gallery
Photos featured in this gallery are by our talented members. For more photos, visit the Friends of Hakalau Forest NWR Group on Flickr.
