“Celebrating the ʻAlae ʻUla” with Helen Raine, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture 

The Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, March 10th as we learn more about the ʻalae ʻula, an endangered Native Hawaiian waterbird that needs our kōkua.

This year, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture is celebrating the ʻalae ʻula, or Hawaiian Common Gallinule. There are just 712 of these waterbirds left. Although they are endemic to Hawaiʻi, they have been lost from all of the islands except Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. However, the good news is that we know what these birds need – high quality managed wetlands, thriving and expansive loʻi kalo, and spaces that are safe from predators like cats, dogs, rats, and pigs.

Please join us as we kick off a year of events that celebrate the ʻalae ʻula and ignite hope across our community for the survival of the ʻalae ʻula!

Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 5:00 to 6:30pm in the Princeville Community Center. The presentation will also be available via Zoom. For more information, visit www.kauairefuges.org/princeville-moolelo.

About the Series: Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges is pleased to partner with the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association Events Committee to present this engaging series. Together, they are presenting free informative “talk story” events monthly in the Princeville Community Center to share the work and stories of conservation partners, Hawaiian cultural practitioners and more.

About Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges: Kīlauea Point Natural History Association, now doing business as “Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges,” serves as a 501(c)(3) non-profit Friends Group that supports the wildlife conservation, education, and historic preservation work of the Kauaʻi National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Kīlauea Point, Hanalei and Hulēʻia NWRs.  With donations, plus proceeds from Nature Store operations, the organization supports visitor education, provides rehabilitative care for sick or injured native Hawaiian birds, volunteer training, special events, equipment for wildlife habitat maintenance and restoration, free bussing for school field trips to a refuge, awards annual scholarships for college students pursuing environmental studies and more. For additional information, visit www.kauairefuges.org and follow on social media at @fkwrkauai.