Part of Hawaii Wildlife Fund's mission is to clean beaches and restore native habitat.
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SEA TURTLES NEED YOUR HELP!
HWF's Hawksbill Sea Turtle Recovery Project helps
ensure that hundreds of baby turtles make their way safely to the water each year. PHOTO: AIMEE LEMIEUX
MAUI, HAWAII - Summer is sea turtle nesting
time here in the islands, when Hawaii's hawksbill
sea turtles crawl up onto our beaches to lay their eggs in the warm
sand.
Hawaiian hawksbills are so rare that fewer than 25 females per year are
known to nest. To help conserve the species, Hawaii Wildlife
Fund provides staff and
volunteers to patrol beaches looking for turtle tracks, watch over sea turtle nests, and camp beside the nests
until the hatchlings emerge. Our dedicated team members work
round-the-clock to protect the tiny hatchlings as they make their dash the sea.
Cuts to the federal budget are being felt even in
Hawaii. Today, government funding for Hawaii Wildlife Fund's turtle conservation projects is at
risk. That makes our ability to continue to protect turtles
uncertain.
Won’t you please
make a donation to help our
Turtle Projects
today?
In lieu of flowers or a gift, you can donate on our
website in the name of an individual, an event or a cause. Proceeds
will go to HWF to help ensure a healthier ocean for future
generations.
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Start planning now to join our 2019 Micronesia Expedition
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DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
SEPTEMBER 2018 - Ocean pollution
and plastics in particular are a global crisis,
and we are at a critical juncture in solving the problem. Not only
does it threaten the health of the oceans, human
health is at risk too. Plastic
micro fibers have been found in drinking water and sea salt — even
in beer!
HWF's focus is protecting our native marine wildlife, which
depend on the ocean's health to survive. That's why we are fighting ocean pollution with such
tenacity.
This year, HWF team members participated
in two international expeditions focused on plastic pollution.
HWF joins voyage in Tahiti to
raise awareness of plastic pollution
Sharing knowledge with other island nations, HWF's Magdalena Carey is helping
raise awareness about plastic pollution
in the oceans.
HWF's
Magdalena Carey, joined the
Eat Less Plastic voyage in Tahiti aimed at raising awareness about plastic
pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
HWF gathers marine
debris off Hawaiian beach to create educational sculpture
A giant whale sculpture created with Hawaiian marine debris
breaches in a Belgium canal. PHOTO: STUDIOKCA
In May, Hawaii Wildlife Fund's President
Megan Lamson traveled to
Europe for the debut of "Skyscraper," a life-sized whale sculpture
created with marine debris collected by HWF volunteers on Hawaii
Island beaches.
After collecting several tons of marine debris by hand, HWF shipped
the matieral
across the ocean where artists used it to build this massive-scale whale sculpture, currently displayed in the historic city
of Bruges, Belgium.
"We hope that this project
inspires a change in behavior away from many of the single-use
products used to create the whale," Lamson said.
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Ocean pollution efforts widespread
Hawaii Wildlife Fund's
educational programs are teaching
the next generation about the detrimental effects that
marine debris, especially plastic products, have on our native
wildlife and our environment.
Our efforts are also focused on driving legislative
initiatives like Hawaii’s plastic bag ban and its
ban on polystyrene – both of which are helping to
reduce marine debris.
While ocean pollution is one of the biggest challenges of this era, we are making progress locally in addressing this threat.
Our statewide campaign to protect coral reefs by discouraging the use of
oxybenzone in
sunscreen resulted in landmark legislation being passed
to prohibit that chemical's use in Hawaii.
Saving
the health of the planet's oceans will take a global effort. We call on
everyone to join our efforts to turn the tide.
Me ke aloha pumehana,
- Hannah Bernard,
HWF Executive Director