Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
Founded in 1996, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Hawaiʻi’s wildlife. We protect native species and habitats, and provide environmental education opportunities for our community members and visitors.
HWF’s mission is to protect native wildlife, focusing on coastal and marine wildlife species across Hawaiʻi, including the hawksbill sea turtle (honuʻea) and the Hawaiian green sea turtle (honu), and many other finned, feathered, flippered, and plant friends.
We engage and inspire our communities, keiki (kids) and volunteers in education, outreach, marine debris removal, conservation,
research, and advocacy campaigns to keep Hawaiʻi alive and wild.
Mahalo (thank you) for visiting this website and for your desire to learn more about HWF and what we can all do to kōkua (help). From volunteering, internships, donating or adopting, we offer a variety of ways you can help our organization and wildlife thrive!
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund operates the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center at Whalers Village in Kaʻanapali on Maui. The Discovery Center highlights the work that HWF does and educates locals and visitors about Hawaiian culture, HWF conservation work, and the issues facing native wildlife in Hawaiʻi. Come visit the Discovery Center on Maui to find out more about the work HWF does!
Me ke aloha pumehana,
Hannah Bernard – HWF Executive Director & Co-founder
Megan Lamson – HWF President & Program Director
What We Do
Participate
The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center in Lahaina, Maui
Maui is still in a tender, vulnerable state after the devastating wildfires that destroyed Lāhainā and took the lives of 100 people on August 8, 2023. There is not a person on Maui who is not in some way affected by this historic tragedy, but the response of our own and greater global communities have been inspirational.
The Hawai’i Wildlife Discovery Center is located one mile north of the burn zone, and remains intact. Because HWDC is a learning center in a zone that remains open, and in response to thousands of displaced families, HWF staff and consultants joined together to collaborate on a revisioning of the mission of the Center to more directly support our young haumāna (students), many of whom have no classroom.
Together with many local organizations, HWF has offered the Discovery Center in Whalers Village with this new mission “To provide a safe space, centered around our connection to nature, where keiki can learn, feel listened to, and be nurtured with Aloha.”
HWDC is still open to the public (daily 9:00am – 3:00pm) and still has regular visits from cruise ship passengers and Road Scholars groups, among others, but our priority is our own future generations.
Mahalo to those who supported Lāhainā during the devastating wildfire. Please continue to donate to our Discovery Center, the only outreach public education center still standing on the west side.
From The Blog
A week in Cagliari, Italy, for the 6th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems!
In September 2024, Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund team member, Stacey Breining, attended the 6th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems (6ISAE) and shares the story of her experience in this magical place.
HWF Internship Story: Joshua Landkamer
Check out this internship essay from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund summer 2024 intern, Joshua Landkamer, describing his experience working with the Hawaiʻi Island HWF team.
NET SUCCESS – HWF teams up with community members and state to help clean our coastline!
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund (HWF) has been an active partner with the state DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources’ “Rapid Response” program to help remove large derelict fishing net bundles from Hawaiʻi Island shorelines since 2023.
Watch this wonderful short video to find out about the work Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund does, our Discovery Center at Whalers Village,
and visit this page to see how you can Malama – take care and give back – on the islands with HWF!
