Hawaiian Airlines Partners The Nature Conservancy

As part of its 80th anniversary celebration this year, Hawaiian Airlines has partnered The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii.

Each month from July through October, Hawaiian’s employees will come together to work on projects identified by The Nature Conservancy as essential to protecting native ecosystems on Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and the island of Hawaii.

Hawaiian will also promote The Nature Conservancy’s message of environmental preservation through its onboard “Hawaiian Skies” video program, as well as other communication channels reaching its customers and employees.

In addition, Hawaiian is providing the Conservancy with a $10,000 gift in support of its Corporate Council for the Environment – money that will be used for educational outreach programs that teach the value of protecting Hawaii’s environment.

Since 1980, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii has been conserving and managing native habitats and ecosystems in Hawaii. The Conservancy has helped protect 200,000 acres of natural lands in the islands and established a statewide system of 11 preserves totaling almost 40,000 acres.

“Hawaiian Airlines’ support comes at a time when there is an urgent need to care for Hawaii’s lands and waters,” said Suzanne Case, executive director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. “For the future well-being of Hawaii’s people, our economy, and island way of life, there is no better choice than to invest in a healthy environment. Hawaiian Airlines and its employees can play an important role in delivering that message to the broader public.”

Today, the Conservancy is taking conservation to a new level in Hawaii by working through partnerships to protect the larger landscapes of which these preserves are a part. The Conservancy has also extended its work from the forests to the reefs and is engaged in marine conservation in the near shore waters of the main Hawaiian Islands. 

Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO, added, “In appreciation for all that these islands have meant to our company in our first 80 years, we want to do our part to promote the protection of the Hawaiian Islands. Through this partnership, Hawaiian and The Nature Conservancy together will be able to reach more than 7 million travelers a year about our fragile environment and the need for conservation.”

Hawaiian’s employees will be volunteering their time and energy to work on environmental projects that are culturally significant and target native Hawaiian habitats located mostly in remote, hard to- reach forested areas, including:

Waikamoi Bird Loop Invasive Plant Removal – Maui, July 18: Hawaiian’s employees will remove invasive foreign plants from a native forest habitat that are disrupting the area’s natural ecosystem, threatening food sources for native birds, and leaving the watershed subject to erosion and siltation.

Kona Hema Tree Planting – Hawaii, August 22: Within a South Kona koa forest reserve, Hawaiian’s employees will plant koa trees and other native plants in support of an ongoing restoration project to expand the forest’s biodiversity.

Restoration of Hawaiian Estuary – Oahu, September 26: In Kaneohe Bay, Hawaiian’s employees will assist with restoring a native Hawaiian estuary by planting taro, rebuilding fresh water fishponds, and improving the water flow for the area.

Kanaele Bog Invasive Plant Removal – Kauai, October 24: Hawaiian’s employees will remove invasive plants from Kanaele Bog, a rare, native habitat that is Hawaii’s only bog below 3,000-feet elevation and home to a rich diversity of unique Hawaiian plants, including olapa, hame, alani, lobelia, and the only known individuals of an ‘akoko species.

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