Haleakalā National Park
Backcountry Birdwatching Equipment
Backcountry Birdwatching Equipment
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National Park
1916 Park Size 33,265 acres Annual Visitors 791,000 Park Fee $30 Superintendent Natalie Gates Park Partner Haleakalā Conservancy Location Maui County, HI |
Haleakalā National Park, is a spectacular natural landscape that preserves the bond between the land and its people and protects many endangered species, some of which exist nowhere else on Earth. Iconic, endemic Hawai'ian forest birds are now found only at higher, cooler elevations, outside the range of invasive mosquitoes, which carry avian malaria, responsible for recent declines in bird populations. The slopes of Haleakalā, rising to above 10,000 feet, offer a chance to see now-rare birds, such as honeycreepers.
The Fund for People in Parks has provided a grant to the Haleakalā Conservancy to install two high quality outdoor binoculars, along with bird identification signs, at the popular Hōlua and Palikū backcountry cabins on Haleakalā Crater. Giving visitors an up-close view of rare birds will increase support and understanding of the park’s efforts to save imperiled species. For many local families, camping or backcountry cabin experiences in the park, at relatively low cost, are the only wilderness experience they will ever have. Endemic forest birds are important in traditional Native Hawaiian culture, sometimes referred to as 'ohana (family), kūpuna (ancestors), and ʻaumākua (familial gods). A close view of endemic Hawaiian birds may be a treasured experience of cultural connection. Project Cost: $34,150 Project Begun: 2024 The Fund for People in Parks: $29,850 National Park Service: $4,300 Iconic, endemic Hawaiian forest birds are facing an extinction crisis accelerated by climate change. Of the approximately 50 species of honeycreeper once found in Hawai'i, only 17 remain in the state, and only 6 on Maui. Haleakalā National Park's backcountry is one of the only publicly accessible places where visitors can still view these charismatic 'jewels of the forest.'" |
