Hāna residents launch Hawaiian seabird conservation card game

Hāna residents Scott Crawford and Heidi Lea partnered with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project to create a card game teaching seabird conservation.

The game’s online Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign reached 95% of its goal with more than 100 backers and runs through Aug. 20.

The card game is called E Lele!, pronounced eh-leh-leh, meaning “Go Fly!” in Hawaiian. The game highlights 20 species of Hawaiian seabirds and is similar in play to the game Go Fish. Players build seabird colonies and deploy real conservation strategies, including habitat restoration, predator traps and reduced nighttime lighting, to stop threats from cats, mongoose, plastic and light pollution.

Every card features ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi names and uses species nomenclature developed by the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group.

“While we have fun playing, we learn about the seabirds, their habitats and threats, and how we can protect them,” Lea said. “Learning leads to caring, and caring leads to action.”

The 126-card deck is printed in the United States and supports three to eight players ages 8 and up. Crawford and Lea recently joined Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project representative Jay Penniman on Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s “The Conversation” to discuss the project’s origins and scientific accuracy.

“Seabirds play an important role in our nearshore ecosystems,” Crawford said. “They bring nutrients in from the open ocean and contribute to the health of our reefs and fisheries.”

E Lele Games is based in Hāna and operates under Serve Aloha LLC. E Lele! is the company’s debut title.

For more information, visit elele.games or back the campaign at kickstarter.com/projects/elelegames/e-lele-go-fly-hawaiian-seabird-card-game.