For the second time since December 2021, fire has caused major damage to the Betty Nagamine Bliss Overlook at the Honouliuli Unit of Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, ʻEwa Beach. The fire was reported early afternoon on August 19. Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Fire Department responded quickly and extinguished the fire. The fire took place within visiting hours and no injuries were reported. Due to structural damage, the overlook is closed and visitors are asked to avoid the area until further notice. The fire is suspected to be human caused and the Honolulu Police Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Law Enforcement are investigating. If anyone has information about the fire, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Law Enforcement Hotline at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (379-8477).
Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge protects some of the last remaining wetland areas on O‘ahu. The three units of this refuge, Honouliuli, Kalaeloa, and Waiawa are vital to endangered wildlife and plants and sensitive coastal habitats. The refuge offers a robust environmental education program and community and cultural partnerships — helping connect urban communities with wild spaces.
The overlook, with views of West Loch, featured educational panels about Betty Nagamine Bliss’ work to help protect endangered Hawaiian waterbirds visible on the refuge, and the West Loch disaster of May 21, 1944, when an explosion engulfed several ships. The overlook served as the primary facility for the public to observe the endangered ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt), ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coot), ‘alae ‘ula (Hawaiian gallinule), and Koloa maoli (Hawaiian duck), and a variety of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl.
Following the loss of the previous overlook in 2021, the 2023 Betty Nagamine Bliss Overlook was reopened with a re-dedication ceremony in 2023. Just over a year later, fire has again taken this site. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is assessing the extent of damages and possible repairs. “We feel heartbroken about the damage to this recreational and ecologically important community asset,” said Josh Ream, Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge Manager. “We will do what we can to address damages and reopen the facility to the public in the future.”
Bliss was a teacher at McKinley High School in Honolulu. She helped establish the refuge in the 1970s and was an advocate for the endangered waterbirds that call the refuge home. The overlook was named in her honor in the hopes her legacy of education and connection with Hawaiian birds would live on at the refuge. Each year, thousands of students visit the Honouliuli Unit of the refuge and the overlook, learning about Hawaiian wetlands and the native birds that rely on these protected spaces.
“Maintaining and keeping the overlook safe from vandalism is not work we can do alone,” added Ream. “The refuge will continue to rely on cooperative efforts and direct involvement of neighboring communities, educational programs, and others that regularly use the facility and ensure concerns or suspicious activity is reported.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for over ¾-billon acres of public lands and waters and 578 threatened and endangered species — over 2/3 of the species listed under the Endangered Species Act in the United States. Partnerships are essential to conservation in the Pacific, and the Service works with partners and communities to recover listed species and prevent their extinction, and to conserve lands and waters for the future.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, visit www.fws.gov/pacificislands, or connect with us through any of these social media channels at https://www.facebook.com/PacificIslandsFWS,www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/,www.tumblr.com/blog/usfwspacific or or www.twitter.com/USFWSPacific.
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