Na Koa Manu Conservation Inc

TO FURTHER THE PROTECTION AND RECOVERY OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN BIRDS AND PLANTS THROUGH ON THE GROUND MANAGEMENT, FOREST RESTORATION, AND PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION. THIS IS CARRIED OUT BY SUPPORTING CONSERVATION RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES OF LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AGENCIES, AND THE PUBLIC.

MAUI FOREST BIRD RECOVERY PROJECT (MFBRP) AIMS TO PREVENT EXTINCTION AND REBUILD FOREST BIRD HABITATS ON MAUI TO PROTECT AND RECOVER NATIVE HAWAIIAN BIRD POPULATIONS. IN 2023, MFBRPS MAIN PROJECT WAS TO DEPLOY INCOMPATIBLE INSECT TECHNIQUE MOSQUITOES ACROSS 3,000 ACRES ON EAST MAUI FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIVE BIRDS FROM AVIAN MALARIA. IN ADDITION, MFBRP BROUGHT A POPULATION OF EIGHT KIWIKIU INTO CAPTIVE CARE DURING A SERIES OF FALL AND WINTER FIELD TRIPS. MFBRP FACILITATED AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF ALALA (HAWAIIAN CROW) ONTO EAST MAUI AND SET UP AN AVIARY AND STUDY SITE TO CARRY OUT THAT PLAN. MFBRP ALSO IMPLEMENTED A PILOT PROJECT TO CONTROL MOSQUITO LARVAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS AN ADDITIONAL 360 ACRES ON EAST MAUI.

MAUI MAUKA CONSERVATION AWARENESS TRAININGS (MMCAT) DESIGNS AND IMPLEMENTS PUBLIC EDUCATION STRATEGIES TO GAIN SUPPORT FOR THE RECOVERY OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN BIRDS AND THE CONSERVATION OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN FLORA AND FAUNA LOCALLY, NATIONALLY, AND INTERNATIONALLY. IN 2023 MMCAT OFFERED 6 TRAININGS. OUTSIDE OF THEIR REGULARLY OFFERED FOUR TRAININGS A YEAR, ONE WAS HELD FOR A LOCAL HIKING TOUR COMPANY HIKE MAUI AND ONE WAS A LUNCH TIME ONE HOUR ONLINE TRAINING. THESE TRAINING SESSIONS REACHED A TOTAL OF 59 PARTICIPANTS, REPRESENTING 26 DIFFERENT COMPANIES. LA HOOLULU PAE MOKU / RETREE HAWAII (RETREE) EDUCATES ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND ORGANIZES STATE-WIDE TREE PLANTING. RETREE HAS SUPPORTED VARIOUS PLANTING ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITH ITS ORGANIZATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, PR AND PLANTS. RETREE INFORMS ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND THE NOVEMBER CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE PACIFIC MEDIA GROUP ONLINE NEWSLETTER AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING THE PREPARATION OF A VIDEO EACH YEAR. IT HAS HELD 2-4 EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS PER YEAR IN SCHOOLS. KULA COMMUNITY WATERSHED ALLIANCE (KCWA) IS A LAND RESTORATION INITIATIVE LED BY MANY OF THE FIRE SURVIVORS LIVING IN THE BURNED AREAS OF THE AUGUST 2023 WILDFIRE THAT DEVASTATED KULA, MAUI. WITH THE GUIDANCE OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, KCWA HAS JOINED TOGETHER AS LANDOWNERS AND NEIGHBORS IN UNIFIED SUPPORT OF THE LANDS RECOVERY FROM THE FIRES AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SAFER LANDSCAPE AND OPTIMUM WATERSHED HEALTH IN THE AREA. THROUGH THE KULA FIRE RESTORATION PROJECT, KCWA IS COMMITTED TO STABILIZING AND REGENERATING THE DISTURBED SOIL, RESTORING AND PROTECTING SITE-APPROPRIATE NATIVE FLORA AND FAUNA, AND STEWARDING THE LONG-TERM VITALITY OF THE IMPACTED LANDS. IN ADDITION, KCWA WORKS TO MITIGATE FUTURE WILDFIRES THROUGH FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS ADJACENT TO THE BURN ZONE, THEREFORE EXTENDING OUR EFFORTS MORE BROADLY TO SUPPORT THE AT-RISK COMMUNITIES OF KULA.

EAST MAUI WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP (EMWP) COORDINATES AND IMPLEMENTS MANAGEMENT TO PROTECT EAST MAUI'S FORESTS. THESE AREAS HOUSE NOT ONLY NATIVE RAINFOREST BUT ALSO SERVE AS THE PRIMARY WATER SOURCE FOR EAST MAUI COMMUNITIES. EMWP BUILDS AND MAINTAINS FENCES TO PROTECT THIS WATER RESOURCE IN PERPETUITY AND PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR ON-GOING FOREST AND WATERSHED RESTORATION EFFORTS IN HAWAII FOR THE BENEFIT OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN BIRD'S HABITATS. IN 2023, EMWP REPORTED THAT BACK COUNTRY SITES IN KOOLAU FOREST RESERVE HAVE REMAINED UNGULATE FREE AND BEGAN TO EXPAND THE FOOTPRINT OF FENCE MAINTENANCE TO HANAWI NATURAL AREA RESERVE. THE TEAM SPENDS ALOT OF TIME ON HIGH-ELEVATION NON-NATIVE PLANT CONTROL (PRIMARILY HIMALAYAN GINGER). IN THE FALL OF 2023, EMWP ORGANIZED THEIR ANNUAL MALAMA WAO AKUA ART SHOW AND INVOLVED ARTISTS OF ALL AGES FROM THE MAUI COMMUNITY.

SKYLINE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE (SCI) RESTORES NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS TO ENHANCE THE HEALTH OF THE WATERSHED AT AMID-ELEVATION SITE ON HALEAKALA. SCI PARTNERED WITH USDA / NRCS / SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT THROUGH THE EQIP PROGRAM WHICH HAS ESTABLISHED A CONSERVATION PLAN AND PROVIDES COST SHARE FUNDING TO PERFORM HERBACEOUS WEED CONTROL, TREE AND SHRUB ESTABLISHMENT, AND MULCHING.