Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Plan Your Visit

The refuge is not open to the general public due to its inaccessibility and the need to protect Hawai‘i’s endangered species. Please contact the O‘ahu NWR Complex headquarters for opportunities to get involved with established programs conducted at other refuges within the Complex.

Other Facilities in the Complex

O‘ahu Forest NWR is managed as part of the O‘ahu NWR Complex. A National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of two or more refuges, wildlife management areas or other refuge conservation areas that are primarily managed from a central office location. Refuges are grouped into a complex structure because they occur in a similar ecological region, such as a watershed or specific habitat type, and have a related purpose and management needs. Typically, a project leader or complex manager oversees the general management of all refuges within the complex and refuge managers are responsible for operations at specific refuges. Supporting staff, composed of administrative, law enforcement, refuge manager, biological, fire, visitor services, and maintenance professionals, are centrally located and support all refuges within the complex.

Other refuges in the complex include Pearl Harbor NWR and James Campbell NWR.

Interactive Map

Safety Policies

For emergencies: 911

Ways to Get Involved

The refuge is not open to the general public due to its inaccessibility and the need to protect Hawai‘i’s endangered species. Please contact the O‘ahu NWR Complex headquarters for opportunities to get involved with established programs conducted at other refuges within the Complex.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is committed to building partnerships which encourage conservation and preservation of our natural and cultural resources. Partnerships with the Refuge System bring innovative approaches to solving land management and water disputes in the most environmentally protective manner. Scientifically-informed and technologically-based stewardship of our public lands, waters, wildlife and special places must be collaborative efforts between the Refuge System, other government agencies, and private organizations if conservation efforts are to succeed.

Here is a list of some of our Partners:

ʻOhuʻohu Koʻolau Inc.
ISST
Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership
Bishop Museum
Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council/Weed Risk Assessment
Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee/ Oʻahu Early Detection

About

Visit Us

Aloha and welcome to the Oʻahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge! Part of the National Wildlife Refuge systems, Oʻahu Forest is a sanctuary for many species that are native and endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.

The refuge is not open to the general public due to its inaccessibility and the need to protect Hawai‘i’s endangered species. Please contact the O‘ahu NWR Complex headquarters for opportunities to get involved with established programs conducted at other refuges within the Complex.

On the upper slopes of the northern Ko‘olau Mountains exist some of the last remaining native intact forests on O‘ahu. In December 2000, thousands of acres became part of the National Wildlife Refuge System to protect and recover endangered, threatened, and other rare wildlife, and to protect native biodiversity on the refuge.

O‘ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge is home to the endangered pūpū kani oe (O‘ahu tree snails); endangered plant species; and many native birds; including the O‘ahu ‘elepaio, ‘i‘iwi, pueo, and native honeycreepers.

Oahu Elepaio, Aiea Loop Trail, Keaiwa Heiau Recreation Area, Honolulu County, Hawaii

O‘ahu Forest NWR protects some of the last remaining intact native forest left on the island of O‘ahu. At least nine natural native communities can be found within the refuge including lowland mesic forests, rainforest communities, high elevation cloud forest, and freshwater streams. Many of the native plants and animals that once thrived in these forests are either extinct or on the brink of extinction. O‘ahu Forest NWR supports at least 22 federally listed species including native plants like Euphorbia rockii, Lobelia koolauensis, Zanthoxylum oahuense, Cyanea koolauensis, Polyscias gymnocarpa, and Huperzia nutans; birds; pūpū kani oe; ʻōpeʻapeʻa; and other rare native flora and fauna species.