Anonymous donors are providing more than $1 million in funding to the Na Ala Hele Trails and Access Program on Maui, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Tuesday. Most of the funding will support planning, design and construction of hiking trails in the recently acquired Kamehamenui Forest in the Upcountry region.

The trails program plans to use the funds to build new trails at Kamehamenui. The 3,433-acre forest was acquired by the state through the Trust for Public Land, which purchased the property from a private trust. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife plans to add the property to the Forest Reserve System, DLNR said.

A community-based management plan is being developed. DLNR said Kamehamenui is intended to provide new recreational opportunities, with hiking trails, picnic spots and places to grow and gather forest products.

Scott Fretz, DOFAW Maui Branch Manager, called the anonymous gift “a once-in-a-lifetime donation” from donors who care “deeply about opportunities for people to get outdoors and experience our forests and coastlines.”