State Approves $7 Million in Legacy Land Conservation Grants for Hawaii

The Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources approved up to $7 million in Legacy Land Conservation Program grants for five projects on Maui and Molokaʻi, directing state funding toward coastal, native forest and culturally significant parcels in the program's most recent competitive round.

The BLNR approved the recommendations from the Legacy Land Conservation Commission and the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife on April 1. The five projects together account for more than 703 acres, ranging from a 7.2-acre fishpond shoreline on Molokaʻi to a 540-plus-acre native forest corridor along the Hāna Highway.

The largest award goes to that East Maui Coastal Forest, acquired by the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The mixed native forest on Maui's northeast coast shelters endangered plants, native seabirds and the Hawaiian hoary bat while protecting stream and nearshore ecosystems critical to watershed function. In Lahaina, the Save Honolua Coalition will use its grant to protect 17.8 acres of coastal and mauka parcels that frame one of the state's most recognized surf breaks and reef ecosystems.

On Molokaʻi, Hui Waʻa O Molokaʻi secured funding for roughly 23 acres near Kaunakakai Wharf, a coastal property with wetlands, native waterbird habitat and sites long used for canoe landings. An adjacent 7.2-acre stretch of shoreline beside Kalokoʻeli Fishpond will protect continued access for traditional cultural practices. Ke Ao Haliʻi received initial partial funding for Haneoʻo ʻĀina, approximately 115 acres of pastureland in Hāna that include burial sites and other wahi pana.

The Big Island received no FY2026 awards in this round. FY2025, by contrast, brought Hawaiʻi Island three funded projects: the Hīlea ranch in Ka'ū, covering nearly 2,000 acres of open land and native forest that includes the Kohailalani heiau; Kawainui Makai in South Hilo; and Kōkua Kealakekua in South Kona.

The Land Conservation Fund, established by the state Legislature in 2005 through a portion of the real estate conveyance tax, has generated more than $65 million in grants since its first awards in 2006, protecting 53 properties and roughly 37,000 acres statewide.

With FY2026 awards finalized, grantees will move toward closing land transactions and activating stewardship plans: fencing, invasive species control and improvements to public and community access. Future competitive rounds will determine whether the Big Island reclaims acreage from a statewide pool where island-by-island priorities shift year to year.