Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notice
Although most refuge lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we ask that you Recreate Responsibly.

  • Check local conditions on this website and call ahead for current information.
  • Operations vary based on local public health conditions.
  • Consistent with CDC recommendations, people who are not fully vaccinated must continue to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces.
  • Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick and continue to watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow CDC guidance on how to protect yourself and others.


Features

  • AcroporaCytherea1

    Acropora cytherea

    One of the major corals responsible for building the immense calcium carbonate substructure that supports the thin living skin of a reef.

  • Acanthurus Triostegus and coral

    Coral Gardens

    Convict Tangs Amidst a Garden of Coral Heaven

    Wildlife & Habitat

  • Acropora Nasuta

    Acropora nasuta

    Tightly packed branches and nariform (nose-shaped)corallites resemble floral clusters.

    Wildlife & Habitat

Giving Native Wildlife a Fighting Chance

Recovering an Island Ecosystem: One Strike Team at a Time

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Tenacious, driven, and fun personalities thrown in with some glue and grit, characterize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Crazy Ant Strike Team (CAST) crews since 2010. Previously, millions of Yellow Crazy Ants had completely displaced ground nesting bird populations and were impacting the largest nesting red-tailed tropic bird colony in the world. The CAST goals are of complete eradication of Yellow Crazy Ants that have been reduced, with back-to-back strike team effort, by over 90%. Photo: CAST Crew 2016-2017

Get Involved!

Forest of the Weird

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Check out this incredible footage taken from NOAA’s Oceanic Exploration and Research Vessel Okeanos. This wild and alien looking scene was found in the deep waters of Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

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Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

Protecting a Monumental Area of the Pacific Ocean

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Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and six other national wildlife refuges are seemingly just dots near the equator of the Pacific Ocean, but upon a closer look these islands, reefs, and atolls are at the heart of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. These refuges host terrestrial and marine life in vast numbers and specialized life forms stretching our imagination. They provide a safe haven for millions of birds and marine life that swarm to shallow reefs and islands to rest, feed, mate, and give life to their off-spring.

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The Latest From the Refuge

News From the Refuge

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Check out the latest updates and happenings from around the Refuge

News

About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

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The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants.

Learn more about the NWRS
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