The Maui News

Nearly $13 million in additional funding for the possible purchase of Kaupo Ranch for the National Park Service is included in the omnibus funding bill recently passed by Congress, Hawaii U.S. Rep. Ed Case announced Wednesday.

The $12.9 million would help secure 3,018 acres of the ranch that serves as a key access point for the popular Kaupo Gap Trail that traverses the crater of Haleakala National Park. It would also help expand recreational activities and protect important natural resources, watersheds and endangered species, according to a news release from Case’s office.

Other funding that Case requested and secured in the bill includes $64 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Species Management Research Program to respond to the needs of critically endangered Hawaiian forest birds. Maui is home to endangered native birds like the kiwikiu, which face threats from avian malaria as warmer temperatures push mosquitoes into the birds’ cooler forest homes. Conservationists have been working to save the kiwikiu and other endangered birds, both in their natural habitat as well as in captivity.

The bill also includes:

• $175 million for the protection, research and management of marine mammals, sea turtles and other ocean species.

• $80 million for the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program that concentrates on promoting healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies, environmental literacy and workforce development.

• $68 million for the Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas Program, including the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

• $34 million for the Coral Reef Conservation Program.

• $31 million for long-deferred maintenance projects at Hawaii’s national parks.

“The FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill makes substantial federal investments in Hawaii’s efforts to conserve our lands and ocean for future generations and protect endangered species,” said Case, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations.

The measure also directs the federal government to work with the state and community members to find the most suitable forests in Hawaii for inclusion as national forests, which could lead to Hawaii’s first-ever national forest, Case said.