James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge
Website: Islandarks.org
Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR), Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, U.S. Navy, Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Pono Pacific, Kuahiwi Fencing.
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR), located near Kahuku on the north shore of Oahu, is an important focal point for seabird restoration actions and is part of our No Net Loss initiative. The goals of this initiative are twofold: 1) to protect as much seabird nesting habitat in the main Hawaiian Islands as is being lost in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands due to the effects of climate change; and 2) to establish new breeding colonies of vulnerable seabird species that are safe from sea level rise and non-native predators. We do this by building predator exclusion fences[EV2] , removing invasive predators, and attracting or translocating [EV3] birds into these protected areas. Our project at JCNWR and the No Net Loss initiative has involved close collaboration and support with the refuge staff at JCNWR, as well as other partners who provided birds for translocation, various logistical help, and funding.
When this project began in 2015, there were no seabirds breeding or even visiting JCNWR. Currently, there are four seabird species breeding on the refuge, Laysan Albatross, Bonin Petrel, Tristram’s Storm-petrel, and Wedge-tailed Shearwater, and others visiting that we expect will begin nesting soon. In 2017, we built a 16-acre predator exclusion fence to protect the seabird restoration site, and we installed artificial nest boxes for the burrowing species.
Our work at JCNWR began with translocation of Laysan Albatross eggs from the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) from 2015-2017. We placed the eggs temporarily in foster nests at Kaena Point, then transferred them to JCNWR after hatching and raised them by hand until fledging. We also began social attraction for Laysan Albatross at that time. We expanded our seabird translocations to include other species over the years, including Black-footed Albatross in 2017-2021, Bonin Petrel in 2018-2021, and Tristram’s Storm-petrel in 2018-2022. We also employed social attraction for each species, to provide natural stimuli for the developing chicks and also to encourage visitation by adults. We have re-sighted all four translocated species at JCNWR, and Bonin Petrels and Tristram’s Storm-petrels have returned to JCNWR to nest, utilizing either artificial or natural burrows to successfully fledge chicks. Many of the translocated Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses have returned to the refuge, but they have not started nesting yet. The Laysan Albatross nesting on the refuge were socially attracted. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have also independently established a colony inside the mammalian predator exclusion fence and we continue to see exponential growth of their nesting activity each season.
122 Establishing Laysan and black-footed albatross breeding colonies using translocation and social attraction.
116 Translocations of Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses in Hawaii, USA, to create new protected breeding colonies safe from climate change.
Wild adult Laysan Albatross with decoys and predator exclusion fence at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by E. VanderWerf.
Returning translocated Black-footed Albatrosses courting at JCNWR. Photo by E. VanderWerf.
Bonin Petrel chick in nest box at JCNWR. Photo by E. VanderWerf.
[EV1]Link to island no net loss website.
