Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge
| Kealia Pond | |
|---|---|
Aerial view
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| 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) |
| 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 the Hawaiian Island of Maui. The refuge is located between the towns of Kīhei and Māʻalaea, 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 kea (Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai). Kealia Pond was selected as a wildlife refuge in 1953, protecting an initial 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land. The refuge joined the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1992.
In the rainy winter season, high water levels enlarge the freshwater pond to more than 400 acres (1.6 km2). 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.
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Wikipedia