Hawaii gets $1.5M to protect endangered species
Hawaii is receiving $1.5 million in federal grants to support the protection of threatened and endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday the funds include $900,000 for a survey of how many Hawaiian hoary bats and Hawaiian petrels live at a site on Maui.
The state is getting more than $390,000 to buy more than 3,500 acres upslope of Makawao and Haiku on Maui. The land is at the center of the East Maui Watershed Partnership — a project managed by six major landowners. The area provides habitat for 13 rare or endangered birds.
The grant funds will also help the state expand the scope of a habitat conservation plan for Kauai sea-birds to include the Hawaiian hoary bat.