Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge

Here are some important dates for your calendars. We have three Hakalau volunteer trips coming up; we welcome your participation. Please scroll down for the three dates.

And please save these dates (FOHF will have a booth and volunteers at each event);

1. Hawaii Conservation Conference in Honolulu – July 22-24 (volunteers needed! See the information and link below)
2. FIND YOUR WILD at Hakalau Forest - September 13th (registration will go live in July/August and volunteers are needed - see link below)
3. Hawaii Island Festival of Birds in Hilo – October 4th 
4. Hakalau Forest NWR 40th Anniversary Gala - November 21st

Save the Date

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge 40th Anniversary Gala

Refuge Updates

This spring brought a wave of energy and community to Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. From blessing ceremonies and student service learning trips to volunteer-powered restoration and vital infrastructure improvements, the season was marked by collaboration, cultural connection, and progress.

A Blessed Beginning

On April 12, the Laulima Greenhouse was honored in a blessing ceremony led by cultural practitioner Leilā Dudley. Organized by Nursery Manager Eric-Preston Hamren, the gathering drew nearly 50 partners, staff, and supporters to reflect on our shared mission of restoration. Inside the greenhouse, the work continues. Approximately 8,000 native plants—including koa, māmane, and other native species—are now growing. Eric-Preston also led three volunteer nursery weeks, where dedicated individuals assisted with propagation, up-potting, and plant care.

Attendees from the greenhouse blessing

Parker School Students at Hakalau Forest

Learning Through Service

The refuge was proud to host multiple school groups this season, each contributing to conservation while learning about Hawaiʻi’s native ecosystems.Punahou School from Oʻahu brought 17 students for three days of immersive learning. They studied bird calls, prepped seeds, and connected deeply with the landscape.

Meanwhile, Parker School from Waimea returned for their second refuge visit, planting māmane and exploring upland forest dynamics. Pilina ʻĀina returned to the Refuge bringing 15 middle school girls to experience reforestation work and environmental stewardship.

Pounahou Students at Hakalau Forest

The Power of Volunteers

Since April, five volunteer trips have brought 56 people to Hakalau, contributing 776 hours of labor. Tasks included planting māmane, seed collection, weeding, and building frost protection devices.

Reaching Beyond the Forest

At the UH Hilo Lā Honua Earth Day event, refuge staff connected with over 800 students and community members. Our booth offered insights into native species and inspired future conservationists.

FOHF Volunteers led by Joseph Viera.

FOHF day-trip volunteers led by Andrea Gil

Protecting and Powering the Forest

This season brought several strategic advancements aimed at safeguarding Hakalau’s unique native species and strengthening refuge infrastructure. New predator control grids were installed in both the Hakalau and Kona units, each consisting of approximately 60 A24 and A18 traps designed to target rodents and mongooses—key predators of endangered forest birds and native plants. In addition, 20 AT-220 self-resetting traps were deployed in the Pua ʻĀkala Unit to further expand our predator management network.

Invasive ungulate control also progressed. Twenty-one sheep were removed from Pua ʻĀkala after they were likely driven onto the refuge in a single event by nearby hunting activity. Ongoing control efforts continued in both the Kona and Middle Shipman units, while refuge staff collaborated with state partners to improve fence integrity in Maulua and across the lowest elevation units—critical barriers in the fight to protect regenerating forest.

We also finalized a contract to install new PV system batteries and inverters, ensuring continued energy resilience for refuge operations. And with Section 106 compliance now complete, we can begin using heavy equipment in Honohina—accelerating reforestation where it’s needed most.

Hawaii Conservation Conference

July 22 - 24 at the Hawai'i Convention Center

Look for our booth at the Hawai'i Conservation Conference!

If you are interested in volunteering at our booth, please fill out this Google Form.

Research Article:

The Ocean-going Adventures of Invasive Rodents 

Steven C. Hess, USDA Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Hawai‘i Field Station, Hilo

Polynesian Rat

Photo Credit: Cliff from Arlington, VA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

With some help from people, rodents have been hitching rides on ships to islands all over the world, becoming superabundant invasive species. The Hawaiian Islands has four species of Old World rats and mice which originated in Asia; black rats (Rattus rattus), Norway rats (R. norvegicus), Polynesian rats (R. exulans), as well as the much smaller house mouse (Mus musculus). Invasive rodents have caused endangerment and extinction of native biota on these islands but have also threatened people with dangerous diseases and are persistent agricultural pests. The ancestors of Polynesian explorers brought rats with them in sailing canoes to almost every island they visited in the Pacific Ocean. However, these rats have recognized value for some groups of people that view them as ʻaumakua, or deified ancestors, as a species to harvest and eat, or for sport hunting with miniature bows and arrows, but most often as thieves of crops. Black rats were latecomers to Hawai‘i in comparison to Polynesian rats, unable to reach land until ships were tied directly to shoreline wharfs in the 1870s and 1880s. Other rats arrived as WWII progressed across far flung reaches of the Pacific Ocean, causing yet more species extinctions.

In recent decades there have been advances allowing the complete removal of rats from islands of increasingly larger size, resulting in the reestablishment of many native plant and bird species, most notably seabirds, as well as the elimination of diseases affecting people. Rodents have now been completely removed from over 800 islands throughout the world, protecting species such as puffins in Alaska, penguins in the South Atlantic, and ground and burrow nesting seabirds throughout the tropical Pacific. Predator-exclusion fences have also been constructed in 18 locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands where whole-island rodent eradications are not yet feasible. These fences are dug into the ground to prevent rodents from tunneling under, have mesh fine enough to keep mice out, and have overhanging tops to prevent predators from climbing over. Plants, animals, and people all benefit from the control of invasive rodents. Integrated pest management around places where people live, work, farm, and go to school can effectively control rodents to reduce the risk of diseases associated with rats. 

For more information, please refer to the entire research article.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

September 13th 2024

Friends of Hakalau Forest NWR's Fourth Annual

FIND YOUR WILD

Save the date for this year's FIND YOUR WILD (formerly Walk for the Wild) event! There will be the 5 km walk through the forest featuring knowledgeable biologists, botanists, entomologists, and other natural history interpreters. In addition, we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge! Shuttles will be available to to take attendees from Pua ʻĀkala to the Refuge Administrative Area (headquarters) for presentations of our history, demonstrations, and tours of the newly renovated greenhouse.

Last year we had almost 500 Walkers and with that many participants we need many volunteers to help us! If you are interested in volunteering, please click this link. If you have any questions, please contact the Find Your Wild Volunteer Committee Chair Roseann Leiner at roseannl@hawaii.edu.  

We need many volunteers for:

Gate duty – You will be assigned a shift and will be free to enjoy the walk, the exhibits, and demonstrations when not working. The first shift will need to arrive early to manage the Mana Rd gate for the other volunteers and exhibitors. Then their job will be to help the Walker participants park along Mana Rd until the Mana Rd and interior gate officially open at 9am. All participants will need to be off the refuge at 3pm.

Volunteers will be working in groups of 2 at each gate so no one is manning a gate by themselves. Radios will be available at each gate to communicate with the other gate and the parking crew near the barn.

Parking- A briefing will be given after the introduction for volunteers at 8 but before the event is open to the public at 9 am. You will be assigned to a shift. Your shift will involve standing for 2-3 hours, rain or shine - please come prepared for all weather. When not working you will be free to enjoy the walk, the exhibits, and the demonstrations.

Each shift will help the participants by directing them to parking spaces and helping them reverse into the spaces either at the barn parking area or the overflow lot. They will also welcome the Walkers and help point out the locations of the exhibit area and where the walk starts. The first shift will help park the crush of early arrivers. The last shift will help coordinate the people leaving so no cars meet going in opposite directions on the one way road into the refuge. The coordinators will have radios to communicate with the gate crew.

T-shirt sales – A briefing will be given before sales start to familiarize everyone with merchandise available, assignments in the booth, processes and other information. You may be involved in some or all of the following roles:

1. Assist with setup and tear down.
2. Greet visitors warmly.
3. Assist customers as needed answering questions about merchandise and pricing.
4. Handle sales transactions. Instructions will be advised for cash, credit card, or digital sales transactions. 
5. Handle on-site pre-sale merchandise pickup 
6. Keep the booth organized, help out where needed.
7. Be courteous and patient and cheerful and flexible.
8. Give suggestions and advise any issues as they arise.

Shuttle assistants - This year, shuttles will take participants to and from the Refuge Administrative Area (headquarters). Assistants will help to manage the lines of those waiting to take the shuttles.

Have fun!

Note: All participants will have time to complete the walk before/after their shift.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

October 4th 2025

Hawai'i Island Festival of Birds

Exciting News!

Just in, for the first time ever exclusive ‘Akiapōlā’au felt birds available only through Friends of Hakalau! Plus our inventory is restocked with the popular Akepa and I’iwi felt birds. Don't miss out on these handcrafted treasures! Each felt bird and piece of jewelry comes ecologically packaged with detailed information about the unique characteristics of each bird. Our stunning earrings are now back in stock and ready for you to enjoy. 

Plus, we have a wide range of T-shirts available, including short sleeve, long sleeve, dry fit long sleeve, and logo T-shirts in both ladies and unisex styles. Sizes are available to fit everyone. Grab your ‘Akiapōlā’au mural shirts while they last!🐦✨

Special Offer Only in June: Orders over $100 receive free shipping with coupon code freeshipjune. 🎉

 Don't wait! Order now or share these unique and beautiful items. 🌺

The Friends of Hakalau Forest NWR is a membership organization. Membership dues and donations to the Friends are our only source of funds allowing us to cover our expenses.