PIOEC After Hours Event Features Hawai‘i Audubon Society Executive Director

On July 16, the Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center (PIOEC) welcomed Keith Swindle, Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, for its After Hours program. Swindle's talk focused on mammal exclusion fencing—a technology first pioneered in Aotearoa New Zealand that creates secure "islands within islands," where endemic birds and plants can once again flourish.

He shared the current status of these protected habitats and their growing role in local conservation, a reminder that protecting the land and the ocean are deeply connected. Engagement ran high, and the evening closed with a lively Q&A and valuable networking among conservation groups and community members. The program was held in coordination with the state’s Year of Our Coastal Kuleana, a statewide initiative celebrating the shorelines of Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference 2026!

From July 14–16, the ONMS Pacific Islands Region (PIR) hosted an interactive booth at the 2026 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, held under the theme "ʻImi i Ke Ēwe o Ka ʻĀina | Guided by the Wisdom of ʻĀina." As one of Hawaiʻi's premier conservation gatherings, the conference convened researchers, educators, cultural practitioners, and community members—an ideal audience for sharing the story of our Pacific national marine sanctuaries. 

The event opened with ceremony: current and former ONMS staff, including ʻAulani Wilhelm and Kanoe Morishige, joined Sanctuary Advisory Council members to offer the oli He Mele Nō Papahānaumokuākea, honoring the places we protect. Throughout the week, the PIR booth became a gathering space alive with stories, resources, and displays. Visitors added to a collaborative "Build a Reef" activity, shaping a clay coral reef that grew richer each day—now on display at the Pacific Islands Ocean Exploration Center.Click to edit this placeholder text.

PNMS Team Delivers 174 Dives Across Lalo and Kamokuokamohoaliʻi

The PNMS Marine Operations team completed the first research cruise of the summer season to Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. The 16-day cruise was a collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, East Carolina University, Waikīkī Aquarium, and The Mega Lab. 

Across eight operational days — six at Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) and two at Kamokuokamohoaliʻi (Maro Reef) — the team collected and processed environmental DNA (eDNA) and visited and mapped long-term monitoring sites, and more.Click to edit this placeholder text.

Get Into Your Sanctuary/Aloha Koholā Event at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center and Windward Mall Kāneʻohe

On Saturday, July 18, the ONMS Pacific Islands Region brought Get Into Your Sanctuary Day to life with a special Aloha Koholā celebration at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo.The day drew 525 visitors and seven partner organizations hosting booths: the State of Hawaiʻi Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawaiʻi Marine Mammal Consortium, Ke Kai Ola Monk Seal Hospital, Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum, Shark Stewards, the Hoʻi Returnable Dish Program, and the UH MEGA Lab.

In a memorable moment of connection, we linked events across the region—from American Samoa to Hawaiʻi. From keiki in whale hats to families at the photo booth, the day turned the center into a celebration of koholā—and visitors even helped name our newest inflatable whale.

On O‘ahu the team celebrated Get Into Your Sanctuary Day at Windward Mall in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. More than 400 people gathered around our life-size inflatable whale, drawn in by a lineup of hands-on activities: a "Name a Whale" station, sanctuary trivia, a raffle, and a coloring contest honoring Papahānaumokuākea's 20th anniversary as a national monument. The inflatable whale, in particular, drew steady crowds of keiki and kūpuna alike.