Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge celebrates Year of the ʻAlawī

Welcome to the Year of the ʻAlawī.

ʻAlawī, or the Hawaiʻi creeper, is only found on Hawaiʻi Island and one of the few remaining endemic Hawaiian bird species throughout the islands.

Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge in 2015 established an endowment fund with the goal of raising $3.5 million to build resources for the critical management needed to restore and maintain healthy habitat for the small insectivorous Hawaiian honeycreepers.

The endowment grew close to $3 million during the past 11 years with the community’s help. Now, the nonprofit is pushing to raise the remaining $500,000.

The Year of the ʻAlawī presents an opportunity for the Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Endowment to reach its $3.5 million goal, after which the organization can start disbursing funds for urgently needed refuge projects, including habitat protection and restoration work for the ʻalawī to not just survive but hopefully once again thrive.

ʻAlawī are known for their habit of creeping along trunks and branches of koa and ‘ōhi‘a trees, probing under bark and into lichens for insects and spiders. Unfortunately, the birds appear to be highly susceptible to avian diseases, frequently transmitted by mosquitoes.

They now can only be found in native forests above 4,500 to 5,000 feet in elevation, where disease-carrying mosquitoes do not persist.

While disease is the chief threat to ʻalawī, impacts of feral pigs and cattle also are a major source of habitat loss, as is predation by rats and competition with introduced birds.

Building the resources needed to restore and maintain the healthy koa-ʻōhiʻa forests of the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge will encourage and assist the birds to return and have a future.

The endowment — managed by Hawai’i Community Foundation — is just that $500,000 away from supporting crucial conservation activities. It is an essential component to providing a reliable source of funds for the foreseeable future for the efforts of in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

Your gift now will help reach the fundraising goal and begin the process of providing ʻalawī with a future they deserve.

Donate today at the Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Endowment web page.