The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will receive nearly $600,000 in federal funds to protect endangered seabirds on Hawaii Island.
The funding comes as part of a greater $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Competitive Wildlife Grant Program to protect endangered species throughout the state.
The Big Island share of the funds, $587,337, accounts for the largest portion of the grant and will be used to “protect and monitor endangered seabirds and ecosystems,” according to a statement from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.
The remainder of the funds will be used on neighbor island projects such as combating avian malaria on Kauai and Maui, conserving yellow-faced bees on Maui, mongoose control programs on Oahu, and others.
“Our native bird and bee populations are in danger due to shrinking habitats, disease-carrying mosquitoes, and expanding predator populations,” Schatz said in a statement. “This new federal funding will directly combat these dangers, helping to protect and save forest birds, waterbirds, seabirds, and yellow-faced bees and their habitats throughout Hawaii.”