A non-profit Friends Group supporting the three national wildlife refuges located on Kauaʻi.

Together, Friends can do so much…

Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges (FKWR) serves as a nonprofit “Friends Group,” supporting the environmental and wildlife conservation, historic preservation and community education programs of the Kauaʻi National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, which are administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and includes Kīlauea Point NWR, Hanalei NWR and Hulēʻia NWR.

Our organization helps to fill in the gaps in the programs administered by the Refuge team by providing funding and Friends Group staffing to support a variety of refuge priorities. Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges also manages the Friends Nature Store and Visitor Center at Kīlauea Point NWR, supports environmental education programs, administers an annual scholarship, conducts community outreach and much more!

Our Programs
 

 Current Events, News and Activities

Princeville Moʻolelo


Free Lecture Series featuring Scott Weidensaul

Join us for our next Princeville Mo’olelo free lecture series event featuring Scott Weidensaul, the New York Times bestelling author of “A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds”.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 5pm
Princeville Community Center and on Zoom

Learn More

Hanalei NWR Viewpoint Opening April 30th

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Highways Division (HDOT), is looking forward to welcoming the community and visitors for the long awaited and anticipated opening the new Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Viewpoint site to the public on April 30, 2024.

The new viewpoint site will be the primary location for the public to visit the Hanalei NWR, where the public can safely view the many sensitive endangered species and habitats in the valley from a distance. The site will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The viewpoint is a 5.4-acre parcel located along Kūhiō Highway in Princeville that includes two lookouts featuring views of the greater Hanalei Valley and Bay, Hanalei NWR, and Halele‘a Forest Reserve. The site also includes parking for 25 cars, short-term parking for a maximum of three small buses, interpretive displays, vault toilets, and native plantings that will provide residents and visitors with opportunities to learn about the natural and cultural history of the Hanalei Valley and Hanalei NWR.

Learn More About Hanalei NWR

Kauaʻi Charity Walk

Walk with us on Saturday May 4, 2024, or make a gift in support of our Friends of Kaua'i Wildlife Refuges team!

Saturday, May 4, 2024, 6:30am
Vidinha Stadium in Līhu‘e

Learn More

2024 Application Open

Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges is now accepting applications for annual scholarships in honor of Daniel Moriarty, an environmental educator and conservationist who played a major role in developing Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.

Students studying biology, botany, zoology, natural history and related subjects are encouraged to apply. Applications are due April 30, 2024.

Learn More
Laysan albatross nesting around the base of a tree at Kīlauea Point NWR.

Celebrating our mōlī

Kīlauea Point NWR is honored to host two mōlī (Laysan albatross) nesting colonies. Together, with a team of dedicated volunteers, we provide a safe place for these majestic seabirds to nest, rest and thrive.

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New Predator-Resistant Fence for Kīlauea Point NWR is complete!

The Kīlauea Point NWR team has announced that construction of the fence is complete! This new 2.1 mile long fence will protect 168 acres and thousands of native birds nesting here from mammalian predators.

Click HERE to read a related article about the project on the USFWS website.

Learn More

Follow our journey on Instagram

As we enjoy the last few weeks of this season with the beautiful kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers) before they make their annual flight back to Alaska to mate and raise their chicks, we are honored to welcome Scott Weidensaul, a renowned ornithologist and the New York Times Bestselling Author of “A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds.” While visiting Kauaʻi, Scott will join us for our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch, humans have brought many migrants to the brink. Based on his bestselling new book “A World on the Wing,” author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes you around the globe - with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China and the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet - to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations. Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center. The presentation will also be available via Zoom. For more information, visit www.kauairefuges.org/princeville-moolelo.
Experience the subtle beauty and the lush understated world of native plants at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge landscape provides a rare glimpse of native plants in the natural coastal environment. Hopefully, the experience will i
Experience the subtle beauty and the lush understated world of native plants at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge landscape provides a rare glimpse of native plants in the natural coastal environment. Hopefully, the experience will inspire people to adopt native plant gardening in their homes and neighborhoods. Celebrate Native Hawaiian Plant month, and this magnificent ecosystem. Of course we offer many great books on native plants at the Nature Store or visit and learn more from our roving interpreters.
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 with a special presentation by renowned ornithologist and New York Times Bestselling Author Scott Weidensaul. Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about t
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 with a special presentation by renowned ornithologist and New York Times Bestselling Author Scott Weidensaul. Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch, humans have brought many migrants to the brink. Based on his bestselling new book “A World on the Wing,” author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes you around the globe - with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China and the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet - to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations. Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center. The presentation will also be available via Zoom. For more information, visit www.kauairefuges.org/princeville-moolelo.
This is why we do the work we do... During today’s avian botulism survey at Hanalei NWR, it was a beautiful morning with passing showers. All of the protected wetland bird species were out on display including numerous koloa maoli (Hawaiian duc
This is why we do the work we do... During today’s avian botulism survey at Hanalei NWR, it was a beautiful morning with passing showers. All of the protected wetland bird species were out on display including numerous koloa maoli (Hawaiian ducks), ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coots), ‘alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinules), ae‘o (Hawaiian stilts), and nēnē (Hawaiian geese), plus several ʻaukuʻu (black-crowned night herons) and lots of kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers) all dressed up and ready for their annual flight to Alaska. Then, as we rounded a corner, we spotted a koloa resting in the water at the edge of a loʻi. Like other ducks, koloa are easily startled and will flush to another pond as you approach. This one did not, which was a clear sign of a potential avian botulism infection. Thankfully, we were able to quickly gather her up in a warm towel and transfer her to a FWS bio tech who stabilized the bird. A FWS transport volunteer then swooped in and transferred the bird to our partners at Save Our Shearwaters, where we know she will receive the best possible care. It is a rare and precious experience to be of service to a wild animal in its time of need. Today, I am reminded why we do the work we do - thanks to each of you!
This is the time of year when we get to see these beauties up close, as the male ʻā (red-footed boobies) drop into bushes around Kīlauea Point NWR to gather sticks for nesting material. And the bushes get an annual haircut! :-)
Enjoy views of several koloa maoli (Hawaiian ducks) at Hanalei NWR. Wait for the cute booty wiggle! #koloa
109 mōlī (Laysan albatross) chicks are growing and developing within the two nesting colonies at Kīlauea Point NWR, quickly getting big and fluffy! #laysanalbatross
As we enjoy the last few weeks of this season with the beautiful kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers) before they make their annual flight back to Alaska to mate and raise their chicks, we are honored to welcome Scott Weidensaul, a renowned ornithologist a
Experience the subtle beauty and the lush understated world of native plants at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge landscape provides a rare glimpse of native plants in the natural coastal environment. Hopefully, the experience will i Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 with a special presentation by renowned ornithologist and New York Times Bestselling Author Scott Weidensaul. Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about t This is why we do the work we do... During today’s avian botulism survey at Hanalei NWR, it was a beautiful morning with passing showers. All of the protected wetland bird species were out on display including numerous koloa maoli (Hawaiian duc
This is the time of year when we get to see these beauties up close, as the male ʻā (red-footed boobies) drop into bushes around Kīlauea Point NWR to gather sticks for nesting material. And the bushes get an annual haircut! :-)
Enjoy views of several koloa maoli (Hawaiian ducks) at Hanalei NWR. Wait for the cute booty wiggle! #koloa
109 mōlī (Laysan albatross) chicks are growing and developing within the two nesting colonies at Kīlauea Point NWR, quickly getting big and fluffy! #laysanalbatross