Federal Funding To Protect Watershed

Pupukea watershed is home to more than 20 threatened or endangered plants and animals — including the Hawaiian hoary bat, the only endemic land mammal in Hawaii. That is why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently granted $1,183,750 to Pupukea Mauka Watershed and Habitat Protection Project.

“Future generations are counting on us to conserve the wild things and wild places that are not only a vital part of our national identity, but also our economic security and way of life,” stated Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.

The grant, authorized through the Endangered Species Act’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, enables conservation groups, private landowners and the government to work more efficiently to protect the 3,716-acre watershed. In particular, the funds should facilitate smoother access to mauka regions for habitat management purposes.

Pupukea is one of the few protected marine life conservation districts on Oahu, having been identified as a Priority I watershed habitat in the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s Watershed Initiative and listed in FWS’ Pacific Islands Ecoregion’s Priority Ecosystem Conservation Areas.

For more information, visit fws.gov/endangered.