James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge
on the island of Oahu
, Hawaii
. It was established in 1976 to permanently protect an ecologically-intact unit to provide habitat Hawaii’s four endangered waterbirds, the alae kea (Hawaiian Coot
, Fulica alai), koloa maoli (Hawaiian Duck
, Anas wyvilliana), alae ula (Hawaiian Moorhean, Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis
), and āeo (Hawaiian Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni
) as well as migratory
shorebirds, waterfowl, seabird
s, endangered and native plant species, endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal
s, and Green turtles. It also provides increased wildlife-dependent public uses and reducing flood damage
within the refuge and the local community.
to the west. It serves as a strategic landfall for migratory
birds coming from as far away as Alaska
, Siberia
, and Asia
. The refuge is divided into two units - Punamano and Kii. Punamano Unit, at 21°41′49"N 157°58′18"W, is a natural spring
-fed pond whereas the Kii Unit, at 21°41′24"N 157°57′20"W, a remnant of a formerly larger marsh
, has been drastically modified by agriculture
. Wetland habitat is maintained at the Kii Unit by pumping water into seven impoundments
. Both units are near the coastline and the topography is nearly flat.
Historically, the Kii Unit functioned as the freshwater settling basin
s for the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Today, the Kii Unit provides diverse habitats with food, cover, nesting sites, and brood rearing areas for all four endangered waterbirds. Management efforts also provide essential habitat for wintering migratory birds coming from as far away as Alaska, New Zealand
, and Asia.
species, such as the kioea (Bristle-thighed Curlew
, Numenius tahitiensis) and akekeke (Ruddy Turnstone
, Arenaria interpres) from as far away as Alaska
and Siberia. This refuge serves as winter haven for migratory waterfowl
and shorebirds. A total of 119 bird species have been documented on the refuge since its inception. No native mammal
s, reptile
s, or amphibian
s occur.
Unusual vagrant
birds include the Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon
, Black-tailed Godwit
, Hudsonian Godwit
, Curlew Sandpiper
, Solitary Sandpiper
, and Snowy Egret
.
The greatest threats to wetland birds at James Campbell NWR are nonnative animals, invasive
alien plants, outbreaks of avian botulism
, and, for the koloa, hybridization with feral mallard
s. Predation by feral dog
s, feral cat
s, Small Asian Mongooses, and rat
s is a serious threat to all waterbirds on Oahu, and especially to their nests. Nonnative bullfrog
s may be the worst predator on small waterbird chicks. These predators are controlled on the refuge to protect waterbirds. Invasive alien plants, particularly California Grass (Urochloa
mutica) and Marsh Fleabane (Pluchea
spp.), can degrade habitat quality by encroaching and choking wetlands. Plant growth requires regular control through prescribed burning
, water level fluctuation, and mechanical clearing.
from the Estate of James Campbell. In 2005, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
purchased 222 acres (89.8 ha) in fee simple
and 38 acres (15.4 ha) of conservation easement
s, including the two existing units.
Because the Estate of James Campbell was looking to sell off large parcels in the Kahuku area by 2007, including lands surrounding the two refuge units, the Hawaii congressional delegation
with support from State and City agencies and the local community introduced two separate bills to expand the refuge to a total of 1100 acres (445.2 ha).
Congress and the President
supported the bill and on 25 May 2006 enacted the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act of 2005.
(from the third weekend in October through the third weekend in February). Additional tours are offered during the non-nesting season for special occasions or environmental education groups. School groups are accommodated on a regular basis during the non-nesting season.
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
on the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It was established in 1976 to permanently protect an ecologically-intact unit to provide habitat Hawaii’s four endangered waterbirds, the alae kea (Hawaiian Coot
Hawaiian Coot
The Hawaiian Coot or alae keokeo is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that is endemic to Hawaii....
, Fulica alai), koloa maoli (Hawaiian Duck
Hawaiian Duck
The Hawaiian Duck is a species of bird in the family Anatidae. It is endemic to the large islands of Hawaii. Some authorities treat it as an island subspecies of the Mallard, based on their capacity to produce fertile hybrids, but it appears well distinct and capability of hybridization is...
, Anas wyvilliana), alae ula (Hawaiian Moorhean, Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis
Common Moorhen
The Common Moorhen is a bird in the Rallidae family with an almost worldwide distribution. The North and South American Committees of the AOU and the IOC have voted on or before July 2011 to split the American forms into a new species Common Gallinule, however, no other committee has voted to...
), and āeo (Hawaiian Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni
Black-winged Stilt
The Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
) as well as migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
shorebirds, waterfowl, seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s, endangered and native plant species, endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal
Hawaiian Monk Seal
The Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi, is an endangered species of earless seal in the Phocidae family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands....
s, and Green turtles. It also provides increased wildlife-dependent public uses and reducing flood damage
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
within the refuge and the local community.
Location
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge lies at the northernmost tip of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, between the town of Kahuku to the east and Turtle BayTurtle Bay, O'ahu
Turtle Bay is located between Protection Point and Kuilima Point on the North Shore of the island of O'ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii.-Geography and environment:...
to the west. It serves as a strategic landfall for migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
birds coming from as far away as Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The refuge is divided into two units - Punamano and Kii. Punamano Unit, at 21°41′49"N 157°58′18"W, is a natural spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
-fed pond whereas the Kii Unit, at 21°41′24"N 157°57′20"W, a remnant of a formerly larger marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
, has been drastically modified by agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Wetland habitat is maintained at the Kii Unit by pumping water into seven impoundments
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
. Both units are near the coastline and the topography is nearly flat.
Historically, the Kii Unit functioned as the freshwater settling basin
Settling basin
A settling basin, settling pond or decant pond are devices used to treat turbidity in industrial wastewater. The basins are used to control water pollution in diverse industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, and mining....
s for the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Today, the Kii Unit provides diverse habitats with food, cover, nesting sites, and brood rearing areas for all four endangered waterbirds. Management efforts also provide essential habitat for wintering migratory birds coming from as far away as Alaska, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Asia.
Wildlife and habitat
The refuge is one of the few scattered remnants of wetland habitats that still exist on Oahu and is one of the most productive waterbird wetlands for resident and migratoryBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
species, such as the kioea (Bristle-thighed Curlew
Bristle-thighed Curlew
The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It has a long, decurved bill and bristled feathers at the base of the legs. Its length is about 43 cm and wingspan about 84 cm...
, Numenius tahitiensis) and akekeke (Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
The Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
, Arenaria interpres) from as far away as Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Siberia. This refuge serves as winter haven for migratory waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
and shorebirds. A total of 119 bird species have been documented on the refuge since its inception. No native mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, or amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s occur.
Unusual vagrant
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
birds include the Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, Black-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
The Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the Limosa genus, the godwits...
, Hudsonian Godwit
Hudsonian Godwit
The Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemastica, is a large shorebird.-Identification:Adults have long dark legs and a long pink bill with a slight upward curve and dark at the tip. The upper parts are mottled brown and the underparts are chestnut. The tail is black and the rump is white...
, Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
, Solitary Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
The Solitary Sandpiper is a small wader .-Description:This species measures long, with a wingspan up to and a body mass of . It is a dumpy wader with a dark green back, greyish head and breast and otherwise white underparts. It is obvious in flight, with wings dark above and below, and a dark...
, and Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
.
The greatest threats to wetland birds at James Campbell NWR are nonnative animals, invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
alien plants, outbreaks of avian botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
, and, for the koloa, hybridization with feral mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
s. Predation by feral dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, feral cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, Small Asian Mongooses, and rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s is a serious threat to all waterbirds on Oahu, and especially to their nests. Nonnative bullfrog
Bullfrog
The American bullfrog , often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an aquatic frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”, native to much of North America. This is a frog of larger, permanent water bodies, swamps, ponds, and lakes, where it is usually found...
s may be the worst predator on small waterbird chicks. These predators are controlled on the refuge to protect waterbirds. Invasive alien plants, particularly California Grass (Urochloa
Urochloa
Urochloa is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.-External links:*...
mutica) and Marsh Fleabane (Pluchea
Pluchea
Pluchea is a genus of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. Members of this genus might be known as camphorweeds, plucheas, or less uniquely "fleabanes". Some are called sourbushes. There are at least 40 species in the genus. They are native to tropical and warm temperate areas...
spp.), can degrade habitat quality by encroaching and choking wetlands. Plant growth requires regular control through prescribed burning
Controlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
, water level fluctuation, and mechanical clearing.
Land status
At inception, the refuge was managed under a 55-year leaseLeasing
Leasing is a process by which a firm can obtain the use of a certain fixed assets for which it must pay a series of contractual, periodic, tax deductible payments....
from the Estate of James Campbell. In 2005, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
purchased 222 acres (89.8 ha) in fee simple
Fee simple
In English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
and 38 acres (15.4 ha) of conservation easement
Conservation easement
In the United States, a conservation easement is an encumbrance — sometimes including a transfer of usage rights — which creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a landowner and a government agency or a qualified land...
s, including the two existing units.
Because the Estate of James Campbell was looking to sell off large parcels in the Kahuku area by 2007, including lands surrounding the two refuge units, the Hawaii congressional delegation
United States Congressional Delegations from Hawaii
These are tables of congressional delegations from Hawaii to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates :- Members of the House :...
with support from State and City agencies and the local community introduced two separate bills to expand the refuge to a total of 1100 acres (445.2 ha).
Congress and the President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
supported the bill and on 25 May 2006 enacted the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act of 2005.
Public use
Due to the sensitivity and small acreage, the refuge is closed to the general public. However, guided tours are offered on a limited basis primarily twice a week during the non-nesting seasonNesting season
The nesting season is the time of year during which birds and some other animals, particularly some reptiles, build nests, lay eggs in them, and in most cases bring up their young. It is usually in the spring....
(from the third weekend in October through the third weekend in February). Additional tours are offered during the non-nesting season for special occasions or environmental education groups. School groups are accommodated on a regular basis during the non-nesting season.