The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will invest $17 million in its Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Funding will strengthen the climate resilience of its humpback whale visitor and community center in Kīhei, Maui.
Efforts to prepare the flagship property to the threat of climate change includes protecting the beachfront facility from storms and sand inundation.
Money will also be used to build a boathouse for the sanctuary's 38-foot boatboat Koholā, which is used for large whale research and entanglement response.
"NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries’ facilities are a gateway to our greatest underwater treasures — and key to maintaining them," U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press release.
The visitor center first opened in 1996. It had a grand reopening earlier this year and features new exhibits, interactive displays and weekly public programs.
The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act.
