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'Go fly' with a new game dedicated to Hawaiʻi's native seabirds

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Maddie Bender

Published July 23, 2026 at 2:12 PM HST

A fledgling card game about Hawaiian seabirds is getting ready to leave the nest. Unlike another classic card game, you don’t go fish — you go fly, or “E Lele!”

In the game, players build habitats and grow their colonies while avoiding environmental threats and learning about the seabirds that nest on and visit the islands.

Hāna residents Scott Crawford and Heidi Lea worked with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project to marry the fun of the game with scientific accuracy. Each card features seabird names and basic phrases in ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi.

HPR spoke with Crawford, Lea and Jay Penniman from the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery project to learn how “E Lele!” took flight.