Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife sanctuary in Maui, Hawaii, U.S.

Kealia Pond
Aerial view
Kealia PondShow map of HawaiiKealia PondShow map of Pacific Ocean
Location	Maui, Hawaiʻi
Coordinates	20°47′50″N 156°28′42″W / 20.79722°N 156.47833°W / 20.79722; -156.47833 (Kealia Pond)
Type	coastal wetland, salt marsh
Catchment area	56 sq mi (150 km)
Basin countries	United States

Surface area	200 acres (81 ha), 450 acres (180 ha) (winter)

Website	Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge
References

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a coastal salt marsh along the south-central coast of Maui, Hawaiʻi. The refuge is located between the towns of Kihei and Maalaea, on both sides of North Kihei Road, Route 31. The wetland is also a 691-acre (2.80 km) bird sanctuary, home to 30 species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and migratory ducks, including the ʻaukuʻu (black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli) and the endangered āeʻo (Hawaiian stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) and ʻalae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai). Kealia Pond was selected as a wildlife refuge in 1953, protecting an initial 300 acres (1.2 km) of land. The refuge joined the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1992.

Description

In the rainy winter season, high water levels enlarge the freshwater pond to more than 400 acres (1.6 km). By spring, water levels begin dropping and by summer, the pond shrinks to half its winter size, leaving a salty residue behind: this accounts for its name, "Kealia", meaning "salt encrusted place"; Coastal salt pans once produced the mineral from seawater. The low water levels cause a 98% dieback in the tilapia population, which can produce a foul stench in the area.

Kealia was once an ancient fishpond supplied with water from the Waikapu Stream in the West Maui Mountains and Kolaloa Gulch originating from Haleakalā. Native Hawaiians may have raised awa (milkfish, Chanos chanos) and amaʻama (flathead mullet, Mugil cephalus) using a system of ditches and sluice gates to let nearby fish from Māʻalaea Beach into the pond.

Towards the west, the area between Kealia and the town of Māʻalaea contains another shallow pond and mudflats that are also used by the birds during the winter and spring flooding. When the mudflats dry out during the summer, the birds move to Kealia Pond. This area was once a runway serving one of Maui's first airports, Māʻalaea Airport. During World War II, Kealia Pond was used for training the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions.

The site has hosted numerous vagrant birds, most notably Garganey, Curlew Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, and Eared Grebe.

Boardwalk

A new boardwalk and 14-stall parking lot opened on North Kihei Road on September 8, 2009. The area encompasses the bird sanctuary next to Sugar Beach, open from 06:00 - 19:00, and is patrolled by private security.

Images

Cyperus laevigatus growing at the pond
View facing towards West Maui
View facing South Maui

Notes

^ "Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge".
^ "Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge: Habitat".
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Kealia Pond
^ James 2001, pp. 71-72
^ Clark 1989, pp. 50-51
"Threatened and Endangered Species - Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
^ Bendure 2005, p. 336.
Kepler 2007, p. 54.
^ Nakai 2002.
"Kealia boardwalk opens". Maui Weekly. 2009-09-17.

References

Bendure, Glenda (2005). Hawaii. Lonely Planet. ISBN 1-74059-871-7.
Berg, Martin B.; Arsahd Ali; Richard W. Merritt (Aug 12–14, 2003). "XV International Symposium on Chironomidae" (PDF). Control of pestiferous emergences of Chironomidae: A case study of Polypedilum nubifer. University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
Clark, John R. K. (1989). The Beaches of Maui County. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0-8248-1246-8.
Howarth, F.G. (1998). "Preliminary assessment of the midge, Polypedilum nubiferum (skuse), problem at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge (Diptera: Chironomidae)". submitted to Ducks Unlimited, Rancho Cordova, California.
James, Van (2001). Ancient Sites of Maui, Molokaiʻi and Lanaʻi. Honolulu, HI: Mutual Publishing. pp. 71–72. ISBN 1-56647-529-5.
Kepler, Angela Kay (2007). West Maui: A Natural History Guide (1st ed.). Mutual Publishing. ISBN 1-56647-823-5..
Nakai, Glynnis (2002-10-31). "Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Maui, Hawaii" (PDF). Wetland Management in the Hawaiian Islands Workshop Proceedings. The Wildlife Society.

External links

20°47′51″N 156°28′44″W / 20.797500°N 156.478889°W / 20.797500; -156.478889

Protected areas of Hawaii

Federal

National Parks	Haleakalā Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
National Historical Parks & Sites	Honouliuli NHS Kalaupapa NHP Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau NHP Puʻukoholā Heiau NHS
National Monuments	Papahānaumokuākea Marine
National Marine Sanctuary	Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale
National Wildlife Refuges	Hakalau Forest Hanalei Hawaiian Islands Huleia James Campbell Kakahaia Kealia Pond Kilauea Point Kona Forest Oahu Forest Pearl Harbor
Wilderness Areas	Haleakala Hawaii Volcanoes
National memorial	Pearl Harbor

State Parks,
Monuments
Recreation Areas
and Preserves

Hawaiʻi (island)	ʻAkaka Falls State Park Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area Huliheʻe Palace Kalopa State Recreation Area Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Kekaha Kai (Kona Coast) State Park Kīholo State Park Reserve Kohala Historical Sites State Monument Lapakahi State Historical Park Lava Tree State Monument MacKenzie State Recreation Area Manuka State Wayside Park Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve Mauna Kea State Recreation Area Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area Wailoa River State Recreation Area Wailuku River State Park / Rainbow Falls
Kaua‘i	Ahukini State Recreation Pier Haʻena State Park Kōkeʻe State Park Nā Pali Coast State Park Polihale State Park Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park Wailua River State Park Waimea Canyon State Park Waimea State Recreational Pier
Maui	Halekiʻi-Pihana Heiau State Monument ʻĪao Valley State Monument Kaumahina State Wayside Park Makena State Park Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside Park Waiʻanapanapa State Park Wailua Valley State Wayside Park
Moloka‘i	Palaʻau State Park
O‘ahu	Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park ʻAiea Bay State Recreation Area Diamond Head State Monument Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Heʻeia State Park ʻIolani Palace State Monument Ka'ena Point State Park Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline Kaka'ako Waterfront Park Keaīwa Heiau State Recreation Area Kewalo Basin Kūkaniloko Birthstones State Monument Lāʻie Point State Wayside Makapuʻu Point State Wayside Mālaekahana State Recreation Area Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Monument Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside Queen Emma Summer Palace Royal Mausoleum State Monument Sacred Falls State Park Sand Island State Recreation Area Ulupō Heiau State Historic Site Waʻahila Ridge State Recreation Area Wahiawā Freshwater State Recreation Area

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources

v t e National Wildlife Refuges of the United States
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National Wildlife Refuges of the United States

v t e Fishponds of Maui County
Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary (Maui) Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge (Maui) Kalepolepo Fishpond (Maui) Ka Iwi o Pele (Maui) Loko o Mokuhinia (Maui) Molokai Fishponds (Molokaʻi) Naha Fishpond (Lānaʻi)

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