Hawai‘i

American Bird Conservancy
Saving Hawai‘i’s Imperiled Forest Birds – XIII 
Continue conservation activities to protect forest birds in Hawai‘i. Project will: 1) support rat control in critical forest habitat on Kaua‘i, 2) perform kiwikiu rapid assessment surveys in support of establishing a captive population, 3) conduct predator control, restore habitat and maintain ungulate fencing for palila, 4) perform mosquito distribution and abundance surveys on Kaua‘i and Maui, and 5) support coordination of the steering committee developing landscape-scale mosquito control.
$302,775

Arizona State University
Quantifying Herbivory Thresholds for Coral Reef Resilience (HI)
Identify herbivory thresholds for reef resilience in Hawai‘i that relate to coral reef condition and changes before and after the 2014 to 2015 bleaching event through statewide and priority site-based analyses. Project will help reef managers with place-based planning, management to define monitoring targets and identifying sites best suited for coral restoration.
$196,372

Hanalei Watershed Hui
Enhancing Community Resilience through Site Flood Assessment and a Flood Mitigation Design (HI)
Conduct a hydrologic assessment to evaluate potential mitigation designs to attenuate riverine flood water impacts in Hanalei Basin and create a elevation model using survey data of existing topography and bathymetry of the floodway and inland waterways. Project will evaluate mitigation designs, rank flood attenuation, create a wetland habitat matrix, define cost-benefit to attenuate flood impacts and enhance wetland habitat, and complete 60% preliminary designs.
$250,000

Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Building Community Resiliency through Ecological Restoration on the Hawaiian Island of Moloka‘i
Complete key components of a landscape-level restoration effort that the Moloka‘i community has prioritized and progressively developed over the past 20 years in response to historical and ongoing pressure from increasing runoff and erosion rates in barren or non-native, fire-adapted grasses-covered forests. Project will address major threats to essential community assets through the protection and restoration of native ecosystems and the construction of strategic firebreaks.
$1,861,422

Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Restoring Habitat in Kawainui Marsh for Endangered Waterbirds (HI)
Clear 10.4 acres of invasive vegetation and install 3,000 native plants in Kawainui Marsh, involving 1,600 volunteers and 2,300 K-12 students. Project will restore 1.3 wetland acres and 2.5 upland acres to create habitat for three species of endangered waterbirds and begin the transition to a community-based management model.
$43,278

Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Restoring Seabird Breeding Habitat (HI) - V
Remove invasive plants to improve seabird nesting populations and reproductive success on Kure Atoll. Project will treat invasive plant species utilizing chemical and mechanical method, will restore seabird habitat by planting native vegetation and will monitor seabird populations and reproductive success, including Laysan albatross and black-footed albatross.
$500,000

Kekulamamo
Na Maka Nou: Engaging Community and Island Stewardship Through Documentaries (HI)
Capture and present stories of Lāna‘i’s people, their historical interactions with the land and lessons learned to communicate the current conservation needs on the island and encourage community stewardship. Project will support student interns to develop various videos documenting the progress of the Kuahiwi a Kai program, as well as the history, human impact and environmental threats to the watershed and native species.
$64,171

Lāna‘i Culture and Heritage Center
Lāna‘i Resident Deer and Sheep Management and Community Stewardship Program (HI)
Develop and implement a community-based hunting program for residents to reduce the number of invasive ungulates within the Kuahiwi a Kai Program Area on Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i. Project will engage the community in restoring and preserving natural and cultural resources through active participation and education of Lāna‘i’s natural history, cultural heritage and ecosystems functions.
$95,720

Pacific Rim Conservation
Developing a Predator-Free Nesting Area for Hawaiian Petrel on Hawai‘i Island (HI)
Initiate the planning phases necessary to construct a predator proof fence adjacent to a breeding area for Hawaiian petrel and initiate social attraction for Newell’s shearwater and Hawaiian petrel in the Kohala Mountains, Hawai‘i. Project will conduct biological monitoring and inventory and complete pre-construction compliance and will develop the eradication plan necessary to construct a predator-proof fence.
$12,499

Pacific Rim Conservation
Creating Resilient Tropical Seabird Colonies through Translocation (HI, MEX)
Continue seabird translocations to James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the north shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i and begin translocations of black-footed albatrosses to Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Project will translocate up to 225 chicks and 42 eggs to two sea-level rise resilient and predator free locations in an effort to create long-term resilient seabird colonies.
$390,000

Pacific Rim Conservation
Using Thermal Imaging Drones to Locate Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels on O‘ahu – II (HI)
Develop thermal imaging drone technology to search for breeding colonies of Newell’s shearwater and Hawaiian petrel on O‘ahu  and evaluate success of translocation as a management action on Kaua‘i. Project will test and develop thermal imaging drones to detect burrow nesting seabirds, deploy song meters at strategic locations, locate possible burrows and conduct monitoring at a translocation site to determine whether listed seabirds are breeding and evaluate the success of past translocations.
$79,000

Pacific Rim Conservation
Improving Elepaio Predator Control (HI)
Increase the effectiveness and scale of rat control in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve to improve the O‘ahu elepaio population. Project will increase O‘ahu elepaio reproductive success and population growth by expanding and improving rat removal methods for a minimum of 35 O‘ahu elepaio territories.
$29,769

Pono Pacific Land Management
Installation of Landscape-scale Ungulate Fencing on Lāna‘i (HI)
Install ungulate control fencing mauka to makai (mountain to ocean) to enclose the core of the Kuahiwi a Kai Program Area on Lāna‘i for the management of invasive axis deer and mouflon sheep populations. Project will begin installation of invasive ungulate-proof fencing in preparation for future successful ungulate control to improve watershed conditions and protect native habitats.
$249,347

Safina Center
Design and Develop a Pelagic Longline Hook/Weight to Reduce Seabird Bycatch (HI)
Design and produce a weighted hook for use in pelagic longline fisheries to reduce seabird bycatch in Hawai‘i. Project will assess the practicality, safety and economic viability of a new longline hook design in order to increase the baited hook sink rate and reduce catch risk of black-footed and Laysan albatrosses.
$150,000

State of Hawai‘i, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Seabird Habitat Restoration, Monitoring and Social Attraction on Lehua Island (HI)
Continue long-term seabird restoration efforts on Lehua Island off the West coast of Kaua‘i. Project will use social attraction techniques to attract endangered Hawaiian petrel, control avian predators, monitor seabird nesting, restore over 15 acres of high value seabird habitat by controlling invasive plants, and improve facilities for long-term monitoring and maintenance of the island and the 18 species of resident seabirds.
$150,000

State of Hawai‘i, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Building Ungulate Excluding Fencing to Reduce Sediment Loading to Coral Reefs in West Maui (HI)
Protect 7,000 acres of forests from non-native hooved animals, maintain firebreaks and replant eroding areas upland of West Maui’s coral reefs near Olowalu. Project will reduce land-based sources of pollution by improving native vegetation cover, ultimately improving water quality for coral reef habitat.
$222,570

The Nature Conservancy
Informing Southeast Moloka‘i Watershed Restoration and Fisheries Management (HI)
Collect benthic, fish, sediment and water quality data to assess the condition of the marine resources around Kawela in Southeast Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i. Project will build upon baseline data previously collected by project partners to assess how the reef has changed after years of watershed restoration activities, informing management for future restoration activities.
$110,884

The Nature Conservancy
Assessment of Kiwikiu and Mosquito Populations in Waikamoi Preserve, East Maui – II (HI)
Continue assessing the current status of the windward populations of kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill) and ‘akohekohe (crested honeycreeper), as well as analyzing the threat of avian disease in the Waikamoi Preserve on Maui. Project will document the presence, distribution and abundance of western subpopulations of kiwikiu and ‘akohekohe and assess the presence and distribution of avian malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
$37,903

The Trust for Public Land
Acquisition of Hawai‘i Koa Forest for Inclusion in the Hilo Forest Reserve
Acquire the 13,129-acre Hawai‘i Koa Forest for addition into the Hilo Forest Reserve. Project will permanently protect forested watershed, allow proper management and public access on contiguous property over a larger landscape, encourage sustainable forestry, aid the recovery of 28 listed endangered or threatened species and increase public recreational opportunities.
$500,000

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Eradicating Verbesina to Enhance Ecosystem Resilience and North Pacific Albatross Populations (HI)
Remove invasive non-native plant species, such as Verbesina, from Sand, Eastern and Spit Islands of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Project will remove invasive plant species from 1,549 acres to increase suitable seabird nesting habitat and improve reproductive success of albatrosses, including the black-footed and the Laysan albatross.
$500,000

University of California - Santa Cruz
Improving a Meta-Population Viability Analysis Tool for Threatened and Endangered Seabirds (multiple states)
Improve a meta-population viability analysis (mPVA) tool to help prevent seabird extinctions. Project will incorporate sea-level rise and financial return on investment data to enhance the existing seabird mPVA conservation planning and decision support tool.
$125,000

University of Hawai‘i
Critical Facility Repairs and Upgrades at the Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i Cetacean Stranding Center
Conduct facility repairs and upgrades to prevent closure of the Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i marine mammal facility that houses the University of Hawai‘i stranding program. Project will conduct electrical upgrades in wet laboratories, mold remediation and prevention, internal temperature management, rodent control, repainting of the facility exterior and repair of a walk-in freezer unit.
$98,717

University of Miami
Coral Reef 3D Remote Sensing Imagery Using NASA’s FluidCam and MiDAR on Lāna‘i (HI)
Conduct an airborne field campaign using NASA’s FluidCam and MiDAR tools to provide 3D remote sensing imagery of focal coral reef systems on Lāna‘i. Project will provide state of the art high-resolution imaging of the reef ecosystem and utilize NASA’s NeMO-Net, a new online machine learning application, to engage Lāna‘i’s community in the mapping effort establishing a baseline to measure nearshore conservation management impacts.
$61,723

Zoological Society of San Diego
Assessing Hawaiian Hawk Movement and Behavior in Support of Resuming ʻAlalā  Releases (HI)
Fill key information gaps with new data on Hawaiian hawk, a key predator of the endangered Hawaiian crow (ʻalalā). Project will provide amplified spatial and temporal data for understanding the ecology, behavior and movements that will be critical for meeting the enabling conditions that will allow for resumption of ʻalalā reintroductions.
$64,999

Zoological Society of San Diego
Reintroduction of theʻAlalā to Hawai‘i Island – IV (HI)
Continue implementing an intensive captive breeding program at the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers for the reintroduction of ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow) on Hawai‘i Island. Project will focus on advancing ʻalalā releases through improved chick production from parent reared pairs in the captive rearing program and enhanced pre-release training and continuation of post-release monitoring following release.
$63,134