Conservation Council for Hawaii, Hawaiian Monk Seal Preservation Ohana, and National Wildlife Federation
By Dana Jones
I always feel it’s such a blessing to be working with so many people who work as hard as you do to protect Hawaii’s precious natural resources: water, plants, and wildlife just to name a few. This past May 2025, Conservation Council for Hawaii (CCH), Hawaiian Monk Seal Preservation Ohana (HMSPO), & the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), along with numerous other partners, organizations, and sponsors, celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Manu O Ku Festival. This year, we were again fortunate to hold the festival on the beautiful and sacred grounds of Iolani Palace. Attendees for several environmental organizations were there and nearly 1,000 people joined us to celebrate Hawaii’s special species of bird and other nature and wildlife. HMSPO has long been a supporter of CCH and we were happy to attend once again.
All the booths were well visited and HMSPO had a great opportunity to educate locals and visitors alike about our precious Hawaiian Monk Seals. The birds, Manu O Ku, were flying and visitors were getting an eyeful of the “Official Bird of the City and County of Honolulu”, the White Terns or Manu O Ku (aka Fairy Terns).
This year, as in past years, Patrick Ching joined in the fun to help festival goers explore their artistic skills by learning how to paint a beautiful Manu O Ku portrait. Patrick donates much of his time and skills to educational opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages. He also promotes “the art of conservation” through his artwork by holding community outreach and education meetups so residents can learn more about how they can help “conserve and protect” all of Hawaii’s natural resources as well as support a more sustainable Hawaii.
This HMSPO update includes educational milestones that we’ve achieved this past year. With the help and support of many partners and volunteers, HMSPO reached 52 schools on Oahu and 5,066 students. Collaboration with partners and the conservation community was a huge success. We are grateful to all the teachers and friends that support our mission and much-needed programs.
These programs go way back to 2005, when a concerned group of eager volunteers spotted a group of kids harassing a resting monk seal on the beach. Since then, after many thousands of hours of outreach and education the “sands have shifted” and we have seen a beautiful transition of people now peacefully coexisting with wildlife in a positive way and keiki teaching Makua how to respect their wildlife. My heartfelt thanks to all the teachers and volunteers for keeping the program going all these years and for your unwavering commitment to our Hawaiian Monk Seal Ohana. Special gratitude to the people of Hawaii for your kokua and for continuing to love and protect our precious Hawaiian Monk Seals. Organizations, such as HMSPO, CCH and NWF, all benefit greatly from working with the local communities who never cease to give us their continued love and support for the islands and protection of the endemic species that reside here.
With Pride and Love,
Dana Jones, HMSPO Director
Hawaiian Monk Seal Preservation Ohana 