Twelve species of native birds found only in Hawaiʻi are facing extinction in the next few years. The federal government is funneling $1 million into the effort to save them.
The funding will go towards the Hawaiian Forest Bird Conservation Keystone Initiative and comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
So far, the initiative has invested in mosquito control and the expansion of captive care centers for endangered birds. That includes a contract to build 80 new units of aviary space in Hawaiʻi for birds that can no longer survive in the wild.
The money is also going toward translocation efforts. The initiative is looking into the possibility of moving endangered ʻākohekohe birds, which are endemic to Maui, to higher mosquito-free habitats on Hawaiʻi Island.
The Biden administration announced the funding as part of a $24 million conservation spending package, which will also support projects to restore salmon populations in Alaska's Yukon, Kuskokwim and Norton Sound region and advance the National Seed Strategy.
