Management of wild game birds and mammals and their habitat while conserving native species.introduction:hawaiis game management program provides opportunities for recreational hunting of 15 SPP

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources $4,037,121 under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611) for the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This Formula Grant supports Hawaii's game management program, which balances recreational hunting opportunities with the conservation of native species and ecosystems. The award funds projects for monitoring hunter activities and game species populations, securing land leases to expand public hunting areas, improving game habitat, controlling invasive predator populations in suitable habitats, developing facilities and infrastructure, and conducting data gathering and analysis activities.

The grant supports Hawaii's Division of Forestry and Wildlife public hunting program, which facilitates structured recreational hunting on both public and private lands while strategically directing hunting pressure toward ecologically less sensitive areas. This approach enables cost-effective population control of non-native game mammals on public and private lands where management resources are limited, while simultaneously protecting Hawaii's unique native species and sensitive ecosystems from harm. The program operates within federal requirements that preclude the use of Pittman-Robertson funds in ways that jeopardize threatened and endangered species listed under federal law.

Of game birds and six SPP. Of game mammals. However, game species currently hunted in hawaii are not native, and game mammal species, in particular, may negatively impact sensitive native species and ecosystems. Federal law precludes the use of federal funds in a manner that jeopardizes the continued existence of listed, proposed, or candidate threatened and endangered species. Because a large percentage of hawaii s game program is funded by the federal wildlife restoration program (pittman robertson or PR program), game management decisions for this program greatly influence public hunting areas management policy.maintaining a recreational public hunting program that does not threaten the persistence of native species and ecosystems in hawaii is a complex endeavor. Public hunting can help control game mammals on public and private lands where control is needed and funds are scarce. The hawaii division of forestry and wildlife (dofaw) public hunting program supports and facilitates hunting on public and private lands by providing a structured program that promotes and encourages participation. The program aims to direct hunting towardless ecologically sensitive areas while at the same time providing structured hunter access to more remote pristine sites where recreational hunting can help control game mammal populations. Hawaii s PR game management program will fund projects for monitoring hunter activities and game species population status, land leases to provide additional areas for public hunting, game habitat improvement, game population management in suitable habitats through control of alien predators, facility and infrastructure development, and projects that will aid in data gathering and analysis. These and other activities aim to maximize hunter recreational opportunities and staff efficiency within budgetary constraints, in conjunction with other dofaw mandates, and in compliance with relevant state and federal laws and regulations. Project statements and a schedule of funded projects, which provide specifics on planned management activities and expenditures, are provided in the following sections. The state of hawaii believes that after reviewing the impacts of activities funded in this grant package, findings of no effect or not likely to adversely affect listed species are warranted for the section 7 evaluation on using federal funds for this program. A brief overview of the program and additional supporting information is provided below.