Hawaiʻi Bird Crisis Fund ❤️

The work that federal employees perform in Hawaiʻi’s wildlife refuges to keep our native birds safe and reproducing is often unseen and underappreciated. These dedicated workers maintain water levels in wetlands, control flooding, and remove choking weeds. Some employees nurture seedlings and plant koa and other native trees critical to endangered forest birds. Other workers fix fences, kill rats, and hunt pigs. Recently, inside a fenced Kauaʻi albatross colony, one pig ate 62 chicks in one week.

Over the past several months some of these federal workers were wrongly fired. In their absence, Pacific Rim Conservation completed removal of the albatross-eating pigs at their own expense. But proper staffing and funding are needed to combat ongoing threats to our bird refuges. Recent court orders resulted in rehiring the workers, but no one knows for how long or how many will return.

In addition to employee uncertainties, the future of federal grants for programs that control mosquito-borne bird diseases and maintain captive populations of critically endangered Hawaiian birds are also in doubt, as are the means for workers to buy gas for vehicles, greenhouse tools, and other essential supplies.

As a result of this turmoil, private conservation groups need to be ready to give our native birds the protection they must have to survive. While non-profits like ours can’t match the roles and funds of the federal government, if we band together, we can at least provide stopgap measures to critical positions, activities, supplies, and logistics. To that end, we Hawaiʻi Audubon Society managers are creating a Hawaiʻi Bird Crisis Fund to have money available when and where it is urgently needed.

Other national, state, and local conservation groups* are doing the same. Hawaiʻi Audubon Society is coordinating with them to guide us as to the best and most timely use of this money. 100% of your donations will go to Hawaiʻi bird conservation projects.

For facts about the urgency to help Hawaiʻi’s birds see Now More than Ever, We Must Defend Birds.

Thank you for your aloha in helping save our vulnerable birds. Together we can make a difference.

Susan Scott, President,

Hawaiʻi Audubon Society