A great frigatebird flies towards the photo. It's red throat is extended out. Behind him is another great frigatebird with its throat extended, sitting in a bush. White red-footed boobies sit in the bushes too.

Johnston Atoll

National Wildlife Refuge

Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is not open to the public and entry is only allowed through a Special Use Permit when the activity is deemed appropriate with purposes to the refuge establishment.

Pass details

300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 5-231
Honolulu, HI 96850

Crazy Ant Strike Teams (CAST) eradicate yellow crazy ants (YCA)

Year 2021 ended a successful 11-year project to eradicate non-native, invasive Yellow Crazy Ants from Johnston.

Year 2021 ended a successful 11-year project to eradicate non-native, invasive Yellow Crazy Ants from Johnston. Twenty dedicated teams, consisting of four volunteers and a crew leader, carried out the project and were exchanged out every 6 months. During each 6-month deployment, the USFWS's "Crazy Ant Strike Team" (CAST) not only worked to eradicate the destructive ant from the island, they also surveyed the spectacular wildlife communities at Johnston Atoll and in its nearshore waters. Read about some of the CAST activities in the later years of the project, from the last sighting of a YCA to the demoblization of the camp in this isolated outpost, 750 miles from Honolulu.

Here you can find the final two reports by the final CAST teams with details on: Yellow Crazy Ant Monitoring and Treatment, Seabird and Shorebird Monitoring, Marine Monitoring and Vegetation Management.

Plan Your Visit

Because of its remoteness and important role in wildlife conservation, Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public. Entry requires a Special Use Permit and is allowed only for activities determined to be appropriate and consistent with the purposes for which the refuge was established. Access to the land also requires approval from the U.S. Air Force because it is part of a closed U.S. Air Force installation.

Other Facilities in this Complex

While Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is not a complex, it does fall within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. The monument incorporates 313,941,852 acres (approximately 490,000 square miles) within its boundaries, which extend 50 nautical miles from Howland and Baker Islands, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, and 200 miles around Jarvis Island, and Johnston and Wake Atolls.

Interactive Map

Safety Policies

Federal Wildlife Officers: 1-844-379-8477

For emergencies: 911

Passes

Onsite:

Refuge access is solely managed through the issuance of a Special Use Permit when the activity is deemed compatible and appropriate with the purposes of refuge establishment.

Featured Species

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Puffinus pacificus

Pacific Golden-Plover, Kōlea

Pluvialis fulva

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Phaethon rubricauda

White-tailed Tropicbird

Phaethon lepturus

Grey-backed Tern, Spectacled Tern, Gray-backed Tern

Onychoprion lunatus

Sooty Tern

Onychoprion fuscatus

Bristle-thighed Curlew

Numenius tahitiensis

Wandering Tattler

Heteroscelus incanus

White Tern, Angel Tern, Atoll Tern

Get Involved

There are many ways to support your national wildlife refuges. There are non-profit organizations that support wildlife and restoration projects within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Volunteer opportunities can also be found at volunteer.gov.

Services

Special Use Permit Management and Conservation Projects & Research Education Programs

About

Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most isolated atolls in the world, comprised of four islands located 716 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu. Historically, the atoll played a significant role in U.S. nuclear testing and chemical munition disposal before undergoing extensive clean-up and demolition by 2005.

Established in 1926 as a bird refuge, today it is part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge’s lands also served as a U.S. Air Force installation. Although the installation is now closed, the U.S. Air Force retains primary jurisdiction over the land, while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has secondary jurisdiction.

Efforts recently concluded on a successful 11-year project to eradicate invasive yellow crazy ants that were harming local seabird populations.

Our History Our Mission Law Enforcement Laws and Regulations Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument

Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 5-231
Honolulu, HI 96850

pacific_reefs@fws.gov

Stefan Kropidlowski Deputy Superintendent, Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument stefan_kropidlowski@fws.gov

John Klavitter Monument Superintendent, Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument john_klavitter@fws.gov