Mission
Connecting you with the nature and culture of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through education and outreach, in support of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Masked booby and chick (photo from Ilana Nimz)
Vision
Every person is empowered and takes action to continue the story of Papahānaumokuākea.
Juvenile Masked booby trio on a Honu (Green sea turtle) on Lisianski Island (Photo from Ilana Nimz)
Goals
- Increase understanding and create appreciation for the natural and cultural resources
of Papahānaumokuākea - Maintain improved relationship with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and support projects within Papahānaumokuākea through advocacy and fundraising
- Find and develop partnerships to advocate for and educate about Papahānaumokuākea
- Compel the public to take ownership of and action for the wildlife refuge system
Our Logo
Our logo was designed by world-renowned artist Patrick Ching. Patrick became a ranger for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Kilauea lighthouse on Kauai, and also lived for extended periods of time among sea turtles and monk seals in the remote Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The logo highlights charismatic fauna that exemplify this unique location, including the Mōlī (Laysan albatross) and the 'īlio holo i ka uaua (Hawaiian Monk Seals). Within or Refuge is Mokumanamana, which sits near the Tropic of Cancer. In Hawaiian, the path of the sun along the Tropic of Cancer is called "ke alanui polohiwa a Kāne," or "the black shining road of Kāne the god of the sun." On the summer solstice, the sun is observed at the zenith, or directly above the observer. This has significance in Hawaiian cultural ceremonies, cosmology, and navigation. This boundary divides the Hawaiian Archipelago into two realms known as Pō and Ao, representing darkness (realm of ancestors, spirits and gods) and light (realm of living), and is indicated on our logo. The dark islands are within Pō (sky) and the light islands are within Ao (underwater).
