Federal funds fly for forest birds

WASHINGTON — Native Hawaiian forest birds got a boost in funding on Monday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to boost biodiversity and support wildlife habitat for a variety of fowl, including the akiapolaau, Hawai‘i akepa, and Hawai‘i creeper.

The Kona Soil and Water Conservation District and seven partners have been awarded a total of $2,028,572 from the USDA.

The forest-restoration efforts resulting from this project, “Innovation in Kona’s Upland Forests,” are estimated to sequester 30,000 tons of carbon over 20 years.

“Kona is home to some of the most spectacular wildlife in our state,” said U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a Democrat representing Hawai‘i.

”Investments like this one from USDA build strong public-private partnerships that help keep our environment healthy and will make restoration efforts lasting, so that our keiki can enjoy Hawai‘i’s unique biodiversity well into the future,” Hirono said.

The Kona project is one of 85 new projects announced Monday by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service as part of the agency’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and will add to the currently-active 366 RCPP projects across the country.

The more-than-$300-million in new funding will support public-private partnerships that seek to address climate change, drought, soil health, wildlife habitat and water quality.

Hirono is a strong supporter of federal programs that work with local stakeholders to protect sensitive ecosystems in Hawai‘i.

This includes the Land and Water Conservation Fund that over recent years has provided significant investments to Hawai‘i’s “Island Forests at Risk” collaborative landscape proposal. Funding for the proposal helped expand both Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on Hawai‘i Island as well as Haleakala National Park on Maui.

In addition, Hirono introduced a bill late last year that directs the U.S. Forest Service to study, in partnership with state and community stakeholders, the feasibility of adding lands in Hawai‘i to the National Forest system.

She has also introduced legislation to protect native-plant species across the country, including hundreds of threatened and endangered plants in Hawai‘i, and co-led a Senate resolution that named April 2021 Native Plant Month.