Habitat-restoration project on Kure Atoll looking for volunteers

HONOLULU — Have you ever dreamed of getting away from it all and spending the next six months on a nearly pristine island in Hawai‘i? Plus, the bonus of doing something really cool and rewarding for nature and her creatures.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, in partnership with the Kure Atoll Conservancy, is seeking habitat-restoration volunteers for work at the Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Holaniku (Kure Atoll) is a part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and is located 1,400 miles northwest of O‘ahu. Holaniku provides important habitat for wildlife, including the endangered Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis) and ‘llioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seal). Eighteen species of seabirds nest on Holaniku including ka‘upu, (black-footed albatross) and ‘ao‘u, (Christmas shearwater).

Over the course of six to eight months, volunteers will be trained to conduct:

• Invasive-plant removal (manual and chemical);

• Invasive-species monitoring, plant identification;

• Wildlife monitoring and species identification;

• Native plant propagation and distribution;

• Safe animal handling;

• Beach cleanups to remove wildlife entanglement and ingestion hazards.

Although the program objectives are diverse, the majority of time is dedicated to invasive-plant removal. “Over the last 20 years DLNR has been working to transform Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary from a tangled mess of weeds to a resilient, functioning ecosystem that supports over one million nesting seabirds, hundreds of shorebirds and 80 endangered Laysan ducks,” Kure Atoll Conservancy Executive Director Cynthia Vanderlip said. “This work was done by many hands who worked year-round to remove the most-destructive weeds and plant native Hawaiian plants. These natives prevent erosion and increase the nesting success of seabirds.”