2-mile-long fence on Kauai ready to protect seabirds

Nina Wu, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
·2 min read

Oct. 29—The last post and bolt were installed Tuesday, marking the completion of an 11,200-

foot-long predator exclusion fence on Kauai after a year and a half of construction.

Pono Pacific Land Management LLC built the

$1.7 million fence along the perimeter of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai's north shore. It is believed to be the

longest fence of its kind in the U.S. and Pacific.

The marine-grade stainless steel fence is not just any fence, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv­ice, which oversees the

refuge, but a special type

of fence to help protect

168 acres of habitat for

tens of thousands of Hawaii's threatened and endangered nesting seabirds.

The purpose of the 2-mile fence is to prevent nonnative mammalian predators such as cats, dogs, pigs, mongooses, rats and mice from getting into the habitat, according to USFWS.

It is more than 6 feet tall, with a curved hood, to prevent animals from jumping or climbing over it, with mesh small enough to prevent mice from squeezing through. A skirt beneath the fence extends underground to prevent other animals from digging under it.

Among the seabirds that use Kilauea Point as a refuge are Laysan albatrosses, threatened Newell's shearwaters, nene, white- and red-tailed tropicbirds, red-footed boobies, and endangered Hawaiian petrels.

Wildlife officials are hoping to establish new breeding colonies of birds at Kilauea Point via translocation and the use of artificial nest boxes, decoy birds and audio calls of targeted species played over a loudspeaker.

Biologists believe the refuge at the northernmost point of Kauai could support hundreds of thousands of birds due to its location well above sea level, which is free of light pollution that can disorient fledglings.

Predator exclusion fences have also been installed at Honouliuli National Wildlife Refuge, Kaena Point State Park and the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge.

"Pono Pacific is continuously working with clients, partners, and even the

community to improve fence design and meet conservation goals," said Gerry Kaho'o­kano, Pono Pacific director of operations, in a statement.