Pearl Harbor

National Wildlife Refuge

The Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge units will not be opened to general public entry, except for year-round access at the Betty Bliss Memorial Overlook for interpretation, wildlife viewing, and photography.

West and Middle Lochs
Pearl Harbor, HI 96860

Betty Bliss Overlook Temporarily Closed Due to Structural Damage from Fire

Plan Your Visit

Interactive Map

Safety Policies

For emergencies: 911

Get Involved

Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is part of the O‘ahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The management area consists of three units: the Waiawa Unit, Honouliuli Unit, and Kalaeloa Unit. All are closed to the general public in order to protect Hawai‘i’s endangered wildlife. Activities such as environmental education and volunteer projects, however, are permitted during the nonbreeding season of the ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt). At our Kalaeloa Unit of Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, the opportunity exists to join community volunteers and partners to remove nonnative weeds and help stabilize and restore the native coastal vegetation community.

Our Partners

A nonprofit organization works with students at the Honouliuli Unit teaching wetland community ecology, which includes wetland food webs; plant, animal, and invertebrate habitats; and waterbird behavior. The Honouliuli Unit serves as the site of Hawai‘i Nature Center's third grade wetlands education program. During the fall semester, thousands of students learn about the recovery of Hawai‘i's waterbirds and the value of wetlands. The Honouliuli Unit plays host to over 4,000 third grade students annually during the nonbreeding season of the ae‘o.

Services

The file provided for Services is empty beyond the header; however, the refuge offers environmental education and volunteer opportunities during the nonbreeding season of the Hawaiian stilt.

Environmental Education

About

A landscape shot of Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge

Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1972 as mitigation for construction of the Honolulu International Airport Reef Runway. The Honouliuli and Waiawa Units are managed under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Navy. The Kalaeloa Unit, once part of the former Barber's Point Naval Air Station, was established during military base closure proceedings in 2001 to protect native plants. Through these cooperative efforts with the Federal Aviation Administration, the State of Hawaiʻi, and the U.S. Navy; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made Pearl Harbor Refuge a reality.

Our Mission

Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1972 as mitigation for construction of the Honolulu International Airport Reef Runway. The refuge consists of the Honouliuli, Waiawa, and Kalaeloa Units, which are managed to protect endangered Hawaiian waterbirds and native plants. It is part of the O‘ahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex, administered alongside James Campbell and O‘ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuges. The mission focuses on conserving and restoring fish, wildlife, and plant resources for future generations.

Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is managed as part of the O‘ahu National Wildlife Refuge 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 James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge and O‘ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

A black and white bird with red eyes and long skinny pink legs flaps its wings over blue water. It has a very long pointed black beak. — Ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt) have the longest lakes in proportion to their body of all birds except flamingos.

Tucked amidst naval facilities and urban development, the Honouliuli and Waiawa Units are managed to provide wetland habitat for four of Hawai‘i’s endangered waterbirds: ae‘o, ‘alae ke‘oke‘o, ‘alae ‘ula, and koloa maoli, as well as a variety of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. The primary causes of the decline of Hawaiian waterbird species has been the loss and degradation of wetland habitat and introduced predators (e.g., rats, dogs, cats, mongoose). Other factors include alien plants, introduced fish, bull frogs, disease, and sometimes environmental contaminants. All Hawaiian waterbirds are federally listed as endangered.

The Kalaeloa Unit was established to protect and enhance the habitat for the endangered plants ‘Ewa hinahina and ‘akoko. The largest population of ‘akoko on O‘ahu and the second largest population of endangered ‘Ewa hinahina can be found within this unit. Also in the Kalaeloa Unit, exists a subterranean world few have ever seen. In these underground brackish and saline waters known as anchialine pools, translucent greens, yellows, and reds sparkle like precious gems in a treasure chest. These rare biological gems are known as anchialine pool shrimp (not listed).

Our History Laws & Regulations

Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge

West and Middle Lochs
Pearl Harbor, HI 96860

(808) 688-6376