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!
Current Events, News and Activities
“Celebrating the ʻAlae ʻUla”
Presented by Helen Raine, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, March 10th as we learn more about the ʻalae ʻula, an endangered Native Hawaiian waterbird that needs our kōkua.
This year, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture is celebrating the ʻalae ʻula, or Hawaiian Common Gallinule. There are just 712 of these waterbirds left. Although they are endemic to Hawaiʻi, they have been lost from all of the islands except Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. However, the good news is that we know what these birds need – high quality managed wetlands, thriving and expansive loʻi kalo, and spaces that are safe from predators like cats, dogs, rats, and pigs.
Free Lecture: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 5:00-6:30pm
Princeville Community Center and on Zoom.
2026 Daniel Moriarty Memorial Scholarship Application Process Open
We are 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 30th.
Join us for a Guided Sunset Cart Tour fundraising event on March 24th
Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges will present a “Guided Sunset Cart Tour” fundraising event on Tuesday, March 24th. Guests will enjoy a guided tour of Princeville Makai Golf Course – which is rated the 5th Most Scenic in the world by National Geographic.
Tickets are $150 and include two admissions for a guided tour of Princeville Makai Golf Course, one golf cart, two free drinks and complimentary pupu, and the opportunity to learn about our native wildlife and three local national wildlife refuges.
Proceeds will support Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges and make a difference in local wildlife education, conservation and preservation programs. Click below for more information or to purchase tickets!
Hawaiian waterbirds are facing an extinction crisis.
It has recently been estimated that state-wide waterbird counts are falling at alarming rates. We need to act now to ensure that our refuges have the resources they need to support these critically endangered populations. Our partners at Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture recently published an info sheet detailing this crisis.
Ka Pae ʻĀina O Hawaiʻi Nei
“Ka Pae ʻĀina O Hawaiʻi Nei” is a culturally centered educational program and a community created mosaic mural that is being developed through a collaboration with the Garden Island Arts Council.
The place-based inspired mural is being developed through a series of community workshops, in which volunteers will help to create an 80-foot-long by 4-foot-high mosaic mural.
The mural will depict the topography of the entire Hawaiian Archipelago, helping us tell the geographic and cultural story of these islands and atolls, how the High Hawaiian Islands fit within this long history, and how these protected lands and waters serve as a refuge for a wide variety of native Hawaiian wildlife species.
The finished mural will be installed on the retaining wall that begins outside the Visitor Center at Kīlauea Point NWR.
Lighthouse Repairs due to Storm Damage
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has announced the start of a project for storm damage repairs to the Daniel K. Inouye Kīlauea Point Lighthouse (located on the refuge). Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located at the northern-most point of the major Hawaiian islands and one of three refuges within the Kauaʻi NWR Complex, provides one of the most important seabird habitat sites in the State of Hawai‘i and is home to the iconic lighthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. The refuge also hosts nearly 500,000 visitors annually.
Follow our journey on Instagram
