"This investment reflects the U.S. Navy's continued commitment to protecting both our mission and the natural resources that make Kaua`i unique," said Captain Robert Prince, commanding officer at Pacific Missile Range Facility. "By working alongside our conservation partners, we are improving the resilience of the landscape surrounding PMRF while ensuring the installation remains ready to support national defense for decades to come."
The FY26 investment compliments goals in PMRF's Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan by protecting and restoring native forests to improve groundwater recharge, reduce flood potential, decrease soil erosion, lower wildfire risk, and strengthen habitat for native plants and animals. The project supports the installation's long-term ability to conduct its national defense mission while enhancing environmental resilience on Kaua`i.
The project funding will support conservation projects, including the Nā Pali-Kona Forest Reserve and Puʻu Ka Pele Forest Reserve and has contributed towards the purchase of firefighting equipment and a base yard to stage wildfire fighting vehicles and supplies to significantly reduce wildfire response times. Planned work for FY26 includes approximately 5 miles of strategic fuel breaks and 15 acres of forest thinning. In total, this project will help to conserve approximately 33,125 acres of adjacent lands that protect critical watersheds, improve habitat, and reduce environmental risks that may affect operations.
“The (PMRF REPI) grant is significantly advancing conservation on Kaua’i – helping us fight wildfires, save our watershed forests, and recover rare native birds. We are so grateful for this partnership.” said Emma Yuen, DLNR’s Native Ecosystem Program Manager. The funding supports several interconnected conservation initiatives, including: • Community wildfire preparedness and emergency response improvements. • Forest restoration and long-term forest conservation projects. • Invasive species control to improve watershed function and reduce wildfire risk. • Seabird monitoring, habitat restoration, and predator management. • Conservation actions benefiting the endangered Hawaiian nēnē, including biological surveys and population assessments.
Healthy native forests provide essential ecosystem services by capturing rainfall, reducing erosion, improving groundwater recharge, and decreasing flood impacts. These same natural landscapes also create safer conditions in West Kaua`i by reducing wildfire hazards and protecting infrastructure critical to testing and training operations. "The REPI Program demonstrates how partnerships can achieve results that benefit both national security and conservation," said Brooke McFarland, PMRF’s Natural Resources Manager. "Working with DLNR allows us to implement a wider range of projects to improve and maintain Kauai’s ecosystem health while supporting safe wildfire mitigation efforts for our community."
PMRF is the world's premier instrumented multi-domain test and training range, providing unique capability to support surface, sub-surface, air and space operations simultaneously. Protecting the surrounding natural landscape ensures the installation can continue supporting fleet readiness while preserving Kaua`i's valuable natural resources for future generations.