Aloha e Hakalau ʻOhana, This is an end-of-year message full of appreciation and gratitude for an incredible year with the Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. It’s been over 18 years since the formidable founding team had the foresight to form the Friends group and register the Articles of Incorporation with the State of Hawaii. Fast forward to today – our Board of Directors has grown to 14 and we currently have 425 members. Here are a few of our accomplishments in 2024, none of which could happen without your help! • Grant from Stanford PACS $10,000 grant to help deploy acoustic monitors and mosquito trapping equipment on key transects at Hakalau Forest. • Donations to the Refuge; $14,322 for Koa and Mamane seedlings, including Walk for the Wild donations $5,994 for Refuge Volunteer t-shirts $8,936 for Greenhouse supplies via our Amazon Wishlist donors $2,000 to a student at UC Irvine to determine the percentage of previous pastureland at the Refuge that has been reforested with Koa and Mamane, to date. • Donations to Pilina ʻĀina $15,000 (matched) for a pre-owned Mercedes Sprinter van to help underserved youth learn about our native forests and endemic birds. • Donations for the ʻAkiapōlaʻau Mural $6,300 to fund the creation and painting of the mural on the Science & Technology Building at the UH Hilo campus, and other in-kind donations for accommodation, paint and transportation for the amazing artist, Andrea Holmes. • Donations for our Hakalau Endowment Fund $350,000+! We reached our 2024 goal (HOORAY and MAHALO!) and are hopeful that we’ll have reached $2 million in the Fund once we receive our next report! We’re 60% there; our Endowment goal is $3.5 million. Mahalo to the Hawaii Community Foundation for their year-round encouragement and support. • Purchase of merchandise from our online Store We owe our existence, longevity and success to our volunteers, people who serve on our Board, those who run and work on committees, those who lead volunteer groups at the Refuge, people who help with Walk for the Wild, those who sell t-shirts and other merchandise, our wonderful repeat and first-time Endowment donors, our General Fund donors and those who volunteer in a multitude of other ways. Mahalo to each and every one of you. You are ALL part of the Hakalau 'Ohana, helping to fulfill our mission to support the remarkable endemic birds and their habitat at Hakalau Forest. MAHALO NUI LOA & HAUʻOLI MAKAHIKI HOU! #hawaiicommunity #hawaiinonprofit #conservation #WingsAcrossTheWorld #Akiapolaau #HakalauForest #aholmesartstudio #pilinaaina #stanfordpacs #walkforthewild #americaswildliferefuges