This project supports stewardship work within a three and a half acre forested fence in olona east gulch which is critical habitat for lowland mesic forest system

This federal Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.631 - Partners for Fish and Wildlife) provides $104,236 to Kualoa Ranch Hawaii, Inc. to support stewardship and restoration activities within a 3.5-acre forested area on Oahu, Hawaii. The project focuses on maintaining a fence, controlling invasive weeds, and managing threats such as rats and slugs to protect critical habitat for endangered plant species including Cyanea acuminata, Cyanea cripsa, Cyanea truncata, and Schiedea kaalae. The award supports monthly helicopter access, supplies, and staffing for Kualoa Ranch to conduct monitoring, planting of 100-175 endangered plants, and other habitat restoration work over the 3-year period from October 2024 to September 2027.

The fence requires maintenance and repairs that will be conducted as part of the project. Weed control will be conducted throughout the entire fence to reduce overall alien canopy and weed issues in the suitable habitat for rare plants will also be addressed to prepare sites for reintroductions. Endangered plant species to benefit from this project include cyanea acuminata cyanea cripsa cyanea truncata and schiedea kaalae. Kualoa ranch will partner with the state of hawaii to grow and plant a total of 100 individuals of a mix of the three cyanea species. Fifty to seventy five individuals of schiedea kaalae will also be planted in this fence. Regular monitoring will be conducted for all rare plants and all information will be shared with the state of hawaii staff and the FWS biologist shortly after collection.threat control conducted specifically to reduce impacts to these species is the focus of this project. RAT and slug control will be conducted around endangered plant populations and weed control will be conducted at the landscape level but will also be conducted directly around endangered plants. This work in and around endangered plants has the highest potential for impact to these taxa. The ranch stewardship manager holds a state permit for work with these taxa and has over eighteen years of experience conducting rare plant management on oahu. This project seeks funding for monthly helicopter access and supplies to facilitate sustained rare plant threat management such as invasive weed RAT and slug control and for monitoring and forest restoration by kualoa ranch stewardship staff.