Kealia Pond | |
---|---|
Location | Maui, Hawaiʻi |
Coordinates | 20°47′50″N 156°28′42″W / 20.79722°N 156.47833°W |
Type | coastal wetland, salt marsh |
Catchment area | 56 sq mi (150 km2)[1] |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 200 acres (81 ha), 450 acres (180 ha) (winter) [2] |
Website | Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge |
References | [1][2][3] |
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 km2) 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).[4][5][6] Kealia Pond was selected as a wildlife refuge in 1953, protecting an initial 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land.[5] The refuge joined the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1992.[4]