Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
We have a story to share – one centered on the actions of our communities and all who love Hawaiʻi. Our story will inspire future generations to continue to engage no matter where they live. Our story is your story.
In 2026, Hawai’i Wildlife Fund celebrates working in Hawaiʻi nei for 30 years. We have protected native species and habitats, and provided environmental educational and habitat restoration opportunities for our community members and visitors since 1996. We have protected nearly 14,000 sea turtle hatchlings and their mothers, secured hundreds of acres of sensitive forest and coastal lands for conservation and cultural preservation and removed more than 400 tons of marine debris from our shorelines and reefs.
Our story is about hope. Hope for the future of our natural world. But our hope is fueled by actions and powered by our own communities and visitors from around the world.
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Hawaiʻi’s native wildlife. Our programs are focused on the islands of Hawaiʻi and Maui, and we support actions statewide including coastal habitat restoration on Kauaʻi (in partnership with Surfrider Kauaʻi).
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund designed and operates the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center at Whalers Village in Kāʻanapali on Maui which we opened in 2021. The Discovery Center is a multi-media education center that combines a dynamic blend of art and science to inspire visitors to want to learn more and to take actions to protect our natural heritage.
From volunteering, internships, donating or adopting, we offer you access to co-create our story and ways that it will become yours to tell.
Me ke aloha pumehana,
Hannah Bernard – HWF Executive Director & Co-founder
Megan Lamson – HWF President & Hawaiʻi Program Director
- HWF Mission Statement
- Check out our eco-tips guide for island visitors HERE.
What We Do
Latest News & Events!
December 2025 Newsletter
All the News from HWF & HWDC
(Accomplishments from our 29th year!)
Participate
From The Blog
Introducing the NEW Patrick Conant Memorial Scholarship
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund introduces the Patrick Conant Memorial Scholarship — a $4,000 award honoring a beloved conservation entomologist by supporting graduate students and recent graduates pursuing entomology, avian biology, botany, or conservation in Hawaiʻi. Applications open March 1, 2026.
ʻAʻole CRB: HWF and Pōhaku Pelemaka file a petition to stop the spread of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle in Kona, Hawaiʻi
Coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) was first detected on Hawaiʻi Island in October 2023 and has since spread to North Kona, with 220 beetles caught near Kona Airport and Keāhole Agricultural Park. The beetle breeds in decaying organic material like green waste and mulch, and detections are appearing farther from the original area, suggesting human-assisted spread through infested materials. Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and Pōhaku Pelemaka have petitioned the Board of Agriculture to adopt interim rules requiring businesses in the infested area to follow Best Management Practices, including staff training, heat treatment of materials, and regular inspections to prevent further spread.
Partner Highlight: Our Pristine Makai program partnership with the SCP Hilo Hotel!
When SCP Hilo Hotel opened its doors in June 2020, they didn't just welcome guests—they launched a groundbreaking commitment to ocean conservation. Through the Pristine Makai Partnership with Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, every overnight stay at the hotel directly supports the removal of marine debris from Hawaiʻi Island's remote beaches.
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 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.
Enjoy this video about our Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center at Whalers Village,
and more about the work Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund does.
Visit this page to see how you can Mālama (take care and give back) on the islands with HWF!
