Saving Seabirds, Securing the Runway:
PMRF Partners with Local Conservation Group
A Laysan albatross sits on an egg. Staff transfer birds and eggs from PMRF to more hospitable locations.
In August 2025, the Department of the Navy signed an $800,000 Cooperative Agreement award with the Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges to support a multi-year project focused on expanding habitat for native seabirds and water birds, reducing the potential for aircraft at PMRF to unintentionally collide with birds, as well as advancing conservation efforts on Kaua‘i. As part of a multi-year, Navy-funded partnership under the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program, this collaboration blends mission readiness and environmental protection, and work is well underway.
“Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges is honored to serve as fiscal sponsor for this grant, which will directly serve the wildlife management programs of the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex,” shared Thomas Daubert, Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges’ Executive Director.
At Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, funding provided by the REPI grant will support a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service team in their work to manage crucial bird habitat within the new predator exclusion fence and develop operational processes that will support this work into the future.
The REPI funding will:
- Reduce bird/aircraft strike hazards on the airfield at PMRF.
- Expand PMRF’s mōlī (Laysan albatross) egg swap program to improve fledgling survival and reduce nesting in unsafe locations.
- Implement enhanced control of invasive predators to protect endangered seabirds.
- Strengthen biosecurity protocols to keep invasive species out of nesting sites.
- Remove invasive plants and restore native vegetation to create higher-quality nesting habitat.
- Monitor and repair fence lines at the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex to help protect native birds’ habitat.
The predator exclusion fence at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The new grant will further bird habitat management in this area.
“Together, we will be enhancing, supporting and managing key habitats for seabirds that need our kōkua (help), including the mōlī (Laysan albatross) and nēnē (Hawaiian goose),” Daubert added. At Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, funding will also support work to manage native Hawaiian water birds.
“This partnership demonstrates one of the many efforts integrated at PMRF to protect mission readiness while restoring critical habitats and supporting Kaua‘i’s unique biodiversity,” said PMRF Commanding Officer Capt. Robert Prince. “Environmental stewardship is not separate from our mission – it’s essential to sustaining the training and operations that keep our nation secure.”
By combining habitat restoration, species management, and infrastructure improvements, the project will help ensure that federally listed threatened, endangered, or protected seabirds and water birds can successfully breed and fledge in secure, predator-free environments while reducing risks to aircraft operating from PMRF. Together, PMRF and Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges are advancing conservation through science-based management and strong community partnerships while balancing environmental protection with mission success.
What is the REPI Program?
Established in 2002 as part of the Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act, the REPI Program preserves military missions by supporting cost-sharing agreements between the military services, other Federal agencies, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations to avoid land use conflicts near military installations, address environmental restrictions that limit military activities, and increase installation resilience.
In Hawai‘i, from 2006-2024, over $180 million was spent on REPI projects, with two-thirds of the funding coming from partners. From 2019-2024, DoW and its partners spent $7.6 million of REPI funds on
Kaua‘i-based projects.
For more information, visit REPI.mil.