Kilauea Point NWR
In 2021, we began a multi-year project, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, to build a predator exclusion fence that protects the native ecosystems from invasive mammalian predators. Kilauea Point is home to tens of thousands of native birds ranging from the endangered Nene goose, `Ua`u (Hawaiian Petrel), and A`o (Newell’s Shearwater) to the Moli (Laysan Albatross) and Ua`u Kani (Wedge-tailed Shearwater), and all of whom are vulnerable to predation. Completed in 2023, this is currently the largest full predator exclusion fence in the Hawaiian Islands. Since 2021, PRC has conducted baseline seabird biomonitoring and is underway with the removal of invasive mammals from the refuge. We monitor over a thousand seabird nests of various species at KPNWR: 600 Wedge-tailed shearwater nests, 300 Red-footed booby nests, ~140 Red-tailed tropicbird nests, ~15 Laysan albatross nests, and 2 White-tailed tropicbird nests. Several different methodologies are employed to quantify the impacts of fence construction and predator eradication on the reproductive success of native bird species, from modified plot designs for species with larger populations (Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Red-footed Boobies), to monitoring individual birds of more concentrated species (Hawaiian Petrels, Newell’s Shearwaters) through both direct observation and the use of camera traps.
Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Pono Pacific Land Management