Community Partnerships

The sanctuary partners with many organizations, either formally or informally, for a variety of projects, both large and small. Formal partnerships involve a memorandum of agreement or memorandum of understanding. In many cases, partnerships are developed between staff members to forward work on projects that will benefit the environment and the missions of the participating organizations.

This list is representative of the scope and variety of partnerships that have taken place in the past, exist today, or will continue on into the future. As new partnerships are established, we will periodically add to this list.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Founded in 1889, the Bishop Museum is the largest museum in Hawaiʻi and the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific, and has one of the largest natural history specimen collections in the world. The Bishop Museum developed an online “Annotated Bibliography of Cultural Resources for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,” which incorporates past cultural, geological, and biological studies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Big Ocean

Big Ocean provides a forum for communication and networking for managers of large-scale MPAs to work together to improve their management efforts. Papahānaumokuākea continues to play a large role in Big Ocean, convening its seven-member sites for business meetings and leading the development of the first-ever guidebook on large-scale marine area management.

Friends of Midway Atoll

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in its efforts to preserve, protect and restore the biological diversity and historic resources of Midway Atoll.

Friends of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on connecting the public with the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through education and outreach, in support of Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance

The Alliance promotes strategic environmental stewardship, stimulates community participation in resource management, and leverages capacity across the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) at the University of Hawaiʻi is dedicated to innovative science, place-based education, and deep community engagement to advance knowledge and stewardship of the global ocean. Since 2005, HIMB has partnered with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to conduct research in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that supports management needs.

Kure Atoll Conservancy

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting ongoing habitat restoration and other wildlife management programs that enhance biological diversity, ecosystem health, and cultural resources of Kure Atoll in Papahānaumokuākea.

MEGA Lab

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops technology to protect our oceans and provides it to communities who need it the most.

Nā Maka Onaona

Nā Maka Onaona, formerly known as Nā Maka o Papahānaumokuākea, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing culturally-grounded educational programs and partnerships that support ʻāina momona, healthy and thriving communities of people and place, across Hawaiʻi and Moananuiākea.

National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

As the official nonprofit partner of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation works to connect Americans to their national marine sanctuaries and inspire them to support and invest in these public waters.

National Park Service - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) is the only other World Heritage Site in the state of Hawaiʻi in addition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. HAVO represents the beginning, or youngest portion of the Hawaiian Archipelago, with new land forming through volcanic activity, while Kure Atoll in Papahānaumokuākea represents the northwestern-most and oldest emergent land in the chain. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries works with HAVO to interpret the Hawaiian Islands as a whole and engages in cross-interpretative training activities.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to protect the sensitive wildlife and critical habitats of Papahānaumokuākea from marine debris.

Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group

The Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group (CWG) is composed of Native Hawaiians who have deep connections and historical ties to Papahānaumokuākea through a living pilina (relationship) bound by genealogy, cultural protocol, research, and stewardship. The working group is coordinating in association with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Polynesian Voyaging Society

Founded in 1973, Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission is to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, each other, and their natural and cultural environments.

University of Hawaiʻi

Marine Options Program

The Marine Option Program (MOP) is a University of Hawaiʻi system-wide certificate program, offered on all UH campuses, providing educational opportunities for students from all disciplines who are interested in the ocean. The mission of the Marine Option Program is to engage with and educate students on ocean-related topics through experiential marine-related education. Any student enrolled at one of the 10 UH system campuses is eligible to join.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa

Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques

QUEST is a two-week course aimed at training students for marine resource management surveys and near-shore habitat conservation. The course is taught by a combination of faculty or visiting scientists from the various UH campuses or other agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR DAR), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Park Service (NPS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and others.

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa

Waikīkī Aquarium

The Waikīkī Aquarium is located in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi with a mission to inspire and promote understanding, appreciation, and conservation of Pacific marine life. NOAA works with the aquarium on various educational and outreach activities, including a tank exhibit to showcase endemic marine species only found within Papahānaumokuākea.