Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges Main Hawaiian Islands | Midway Atoll | Guam | Pacific/Remote Islands Mere dots in the vast Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian archipelago is 2,400 miles from any continent. The chain reaches from the Big Island of Hawaii to Kure Atoll 1,500 miles to the northwest and is still growing. A series of mountain-top islands and seamounts, emerged from the ocean floor to form the Hawaiian archipelago. This island chain is among the longest and most isolated of tropical and sub-tropical island chains in the world. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or Leeward Islands constitute the northern two-thirds of this vast chain. For at least 80 million years, new islands have been forming as the Pacific Plate moves northwestward over a stationary plume of magma rising from a "hot spot" within the earth's mantle. The fluid rock makes its way up through the ocean floor and countless eruptions, over hundreds of thousands of years, eventually create a high volcanic island. The plate's unceasing movement of about four inches per year slowly separates the volcano from its source, terminating its growth even as a new volcano rises from the ocean floor over the hot spot. The islands of Hawai`i may be divided into two physiographical types: the high volcanic islands, such as the main Hawaiian islands and the low coral atolls such as French Frigate Shoals. Subsidence and erosion gradually wear away volcanic islands. Atolls are reefs of organic limestone grown or built on top of slightly submerged volcanic mountains. They are partly, intermittently, or continuously covered by water. An atoll is a limestone cap - commonly bowl-shaped at the surface with a ring like ridge or reef enclosing a body of water or lagoon, which is surrounded by the open ocean. As land features, atolls are discontinuous and consist mainly of low sandy islets which result from the accumulation of limestone debris, either loose or consolidated, and occasional remnants of former high reef surfaces. Click here for map. Refuges in the Main Hawaiian Islands Ten National Wildlife Refuges have been designated on Kauai, Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii (Big Island) and their habitats range from coastal marshes to subtropical rainforests high in the mountains. These refuges were set aside primarily to benefit Hawai`i's four species of endangered waterbirds, while others provide habitat for Hawai`i's rare and unique forest bird species, as well as threatened and endangered plants, and still others protect a coastal home for migratory seabirds, as well as the endangered nene or Hawaiian goose. Amidst a changing Hawai`i, these refuges indeed provide a "refuge" where the state's native species are the most important residents, and where, in some cases, people can visit to learn more about their natural heritage. For island specific refuge information, click on the individual islands. Pacific/Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex The Pacific/Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex provides important habitat for threatened and endangered species as well as many other wildlife. The coral reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the foundation of an ecosystem that host a distinctive array of over 7,000 species, including mammals, fish, sea turtles, birds, and invertebrates. Some of these species are rare, threatened and endangered, and many are endemic, found no where lese in the world. The marine environment at these remote refuges is largely undisturbed by commercial exploitation and thus many species thrive in this pristine habitat. More than 14 million seabirds visit these refuges. Palmyra Atoll NWR Palmyra's native vegetation is lush, supporting one of the largest remaining undisturbed stands of Pisonia beach forest in the Pacific, including native varieties of ferns and shrubs. Palmyra's rich intertidal sand- and mudflats provide attractive resting and feeding grounds for migratory seabirds and shorebirds. Kingman Reef NWR Submerged and partially exposed coral reefs form the shape of a triangle and surround a central lagoon. The outer reef is approximately 12.4 miles long on the south face, 7.5 miles long on the northeastern face, and 8.7 miles long on the northeastern face. Lagoon depths range from approximately 50 to 250 feet. Baker, Howland & Jarvis Islands NWRs Baker lies just north of the equator approximately 1,600 miles southwest of Honolulu. Howland is located 200 miles within Baker Island in the central Pacific. Both islands are vegetated by grasses, prostrate veins and low growing shrubs. Jarvis is located just below the equator, 1,300 miles south of Honolulu. Hawaiian Islands NWR This refuge, the oldest and largest in the complex consists of a chain of islands, reefs, and atolls extending about 800 miles in a northwesterly direction from the main Hawaiian Islands. Rose Atoll NWR The atoll is the easternmost emergent land in the Samoan Archipelago and is among the smallest of all atolls in the world. Johnston Island NWR As the only shallow water and emergent land in hundreds of thousands of square miles of surrounding ocean, Johnston Atoll is an oasis for reef and bird life. Midway Atoll NWR Midway's sandy coral islands formed as minute particles of coral, broken shells, and lime skeltons of tiny creatures accumulated within the reef. Once these sand spits emerged at low tides, the wind took over to sculpt them into dunes. Today, Midway consists of three islands and has the world's largest population of "gooney birds." Guam NWR Headquartered at Ritidian Point, Guam NWR provides habitat for the last remaining populations of three endangered species. The Mariana bat, Mariana crow, and Serianthes nelsonii tree. For general information on refuges in Hawaii and the Pacific: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 300 Ala Moana Boulevard Room 5-231, Box 50167 Honolulu, Hawai`i 96850 (808) 792-9540 (808) 792-9585 fax For information on individual refuges, contact refuge manager listed on refuge sites. National Wildlife Refuge System Top of Page