Guam National Wildlife Refuge

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Guam National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Ritidian Beach - Guam NWR.jpg
The beach off Ritidian Point
USA Guam satellite image location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Ritidian Point Unit
Location Dededo / Yigo, Guam, United States
Nearest city Dededo, Guam / Yigo, Guam
Coordinates 13°39′2″N144°51′38″E / 13.65056°N 144.86056°E / 13.65056; 144.86056
Area23,659 acres (95.74 km2) total
23,288 acres (94.24 km2) land
371 acres (1.50 km2) reefs and ocean [1]
Established1993
Visitors90,000
Governing body Department of Defense 22,456 acres (90.88 km2); Fish and Wildlife Service 1,203 acres (4.87 km2)
Website Guam National Wildlife Refuge

The Guam National Wildlife Refuge is composed of three units: the Andersen Air Force Base Overlay Unit (Air Force Overlay Unit), the Navy Overlay Unit, and the Ritidian Unit. The Ritidian Unit, known to the native CHamoru people as Puntan Litekyan, is located on the northern tip of Guam and encompasses approximately 1,217 acres, including 385 terrestrial acres and 832 acres of submerged areas offshore.

Contents

Description

Ritidian Unit

The endangered Mariana fruit bat or flying fox Mariana Fruit Bat.jpg
The endangered Mariana fruit bat or flying fox

The Ritidian Unit is at the far northern point of Guam and is the only unit open to the public. It was established in 1993, in response to the 1984 listing of six species as endangered, and was designated critical habitat in 2004 for three of these species: the Mariana fruit bat, the Guam Micronesian Kingfisher, and the Mariana crow. The Navy used the area as a high-security communications station throughout the Cold War and donated the 1,203 acres (4.87 km2) of land to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1993. Guam's Delegate to Congress at that time, Robert A. Underwood, objected to the transfer as a violation of indigenous Chamorro land rights for not returning the property to the pre-military owners. [2] Sailors from the USS Frank Cable continued the Navy connection by volunteering and creating a nature path for visitors. [3] The Ritidian Unit offices and beaches close to the public at 4 PM every day. They are also closed any time the Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense issues a tropical cyclone condition of readiness 3, 2, or 1. Additionally, the beaches are closed to the public during tropical storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service. [4]

Ritidian Point contains the archaeological site of a pre-Magellan Chamorro village, a former barrier reef that is now a 500-foot limestone cliff and beaches where threatened green sea turtles nest. [5] This area is the only designated critical habitat in Guam because it was home to some of the last confirmed populations of the Mariana fruit bat, Guam kingfisher, Mariana common moorhen and Mariana crow. [6] The accidental introduction of the brown tree snake is considered the primary cause for the decline of native Guam bird species. [7]

Military overlay units

There are two additional units, one on Andersen Air Force Base and a grouping of non-contiguous lands on Navy properties collectively called the Navy Overlay Unit. In total, the military owns 95% of the Refuge, 22,456 acres (90.88 km2), and does not allow tourism. The purposes of the Refuge’s Navy and Air Force Overlay Units are separate from the purposes of the Ritidian Unit and are specified in Cooperative Agreements with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The areas are considered an overlay because military needs take precedence but the Fish & Wildlife Service has consulting rights. [8] The areas may face additional stress because of the movement of troops from Okinawa.

These units are largely forested and the main preservation initiative involves the Serianthes nelsonii tree. The critically endangered plant is endemic to the southern Marianas Islands and only one mature tree is known in Guam. Efforts to plant new seedlings have been coordinated through the University of Guam. [9]

Important Bird Area

Much of the refuge has been recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Mariana swiftlets, Guam rails, Mariana crows and Micronesian starlings, as well as containing habitat for Guam kingfishers. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micronesia</span> Subregion of Oceania

Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Mariana Islands</span> Unincorporated territory of the US located in the Pacific

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes the 14 northernmost islands in the Mariana Archipelago; the southernmost island, Guam is a U.S. territory. The Northern Mariana Islands were listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory until 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apra Harbor</span> Seaport in Guam

Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwater to the north and the Orote Peninsula in the south. Naval Base Guam and the Port of Guam are the two major users of the harbor. It is also a popular recreation area for boaters, surfers, scuba divers, and other recreationalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamorro people</span> Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands

The Chamorro people are the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia, a commonwealth of the US. Today, significant Chamorro populations also exist in several U.S. states, including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Nevada, all of which together are designated as Pacific Islander Americans according to the U.S. Census. According to the 2000 Census, about 64,590 people of Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas.

The Micronesians or Micronesian peoples are various closely related ethnic groups native to Micronesia, a region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They are a part of the Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, which has an Urheimat in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The Mariana fruit bat, also known as the Mariana flying fox, and the fanihi in Chamorro, is a megabat found only in the Mariana Islands and Ulithi. Habitat loss has driven it to endangered status, and it is listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Poaching, habitat loss, and the introduction of invasive species have contributed to the species' decline.

The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge is a 950-acre (384.5 ha) National Wildlife Refuge in ten units across the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge spans 70 miles (110 km) of Connecticut coastline and provides important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, shorebirds, songbirds and terns, including the endangered roseate tern. Adjacent waters serve as wintering habitat for brant, scoters, American black duck, and other waterfowl. Overall, the refuge encompasses over 900 acres (364.2 ha) of barrier beach, intertidal wetland and fragile island habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maug Islands</span> Group of three small uninhabited islands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guam kingfisher</span> Species of bird from the US Territory of Guam

The Guam kingfisher, called sihek in Chamorro, is a species of kingfisher from the United States Territory of Guam. It is restricted to a captive breeding program following its extinction in the wild due primarily to predation by the introduced brown tree snake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana crow</span> Species of bird

The Mariana crow is a species of the crow family from the tropical Western Pacific. It is a glossy black bird about 15 inches (38 cm) long and known only from the islands of Guam and Rota.

<i>Serianthes nelsonii</i> Species of legume

Serianthes nelsonii is a large tree endemic to Guam and Rota of the Mariana Islands. Only one mature tree existed on Guam, while 121 mature trees have been identified on Rota since 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridled white-eye</span> Species of bird

The bridled white-eye is a species of white-eye native to the Mariana Islands and formerly Guam. The species' natural habitat is tropical forests, shrublands and urban areas.

Robert E. Beck Jr. was a zoologist and conservationist, who worked to save Guam's indigenous native birds from 1982 to 2003. Beck championed the fight to save Guam's native birds, such as the Mariana crow, rufous fantail, Guam flycatcher, Guam kingfisher and the Guam rail, known locally as ko'ko' in Chamorro, which are under the extreme threat of extinction due to the non-native brown tree snake and habitat loss. The rufous fantail and the Guam flycatcher listed above are now extinct in the wild in their native Guam. However, the captive and wild populations of the Mariana crow, Guam rail and the Micronesian kingfisher have increased, due in large part to conservation efforts by Beck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Guam-related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the United States Territory of Guam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolinian people</span> Micronesian ethnic group

The Carolinian people are a Micronesian ethnic group who originated in Oceania, in the Caroline Islands, with a total population of over 8,500 people in the Northern Mariana Islands. They are also known as Remathau in the Yap's outer islands. Refaluwasch means "People of the Deep Sea." It is thought that their ancestors may have originally immigrated from Asia and Melanesia to Micronesia around 2,000 years ago. Their primary language is Carolinian, called Refaluwasch by native speakers, which has a total of about 5,700 speakers. The Refaluwasch have a matriarchal society in which respect is a very important factor in their daily lives, especially toward the matriarchs. Most Refaluwasch are of the Roman Catholic faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana Trench Marine National Monument</span> US national monument in the Mariana Archipelago

The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument is a United States National Monument created by President George W. Bush by the presidential proclamation no. 8335 on January 6, 2009. The monument includes no dry land area, but protects 95,216 square miles (246,610 km2) of submerged lands and waters in various places around the Mariana Archipelago, including the Mariana Trench and submerged volcanos. The United States could create this monument under international law because the maritime exclusive economic zones of the adjacent Northern Mariana Islands and Guam fall within its jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dededo</span> Village in Guam, United States

Dededo is the most populated village in the United States territory of Guam. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dededo's population was just under 45,000 in 2020. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam. The greater Dededo-Machanao-Apotgan Urban Cluster had a population of 139,825 as of the 2010 census, making up 87.7% of Guam's population and 29.8% of its area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianas tropical dry forests</span> Tropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion of the Mariana Islands

The Marianas tropical dry forests is a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion on the Marianas Islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Field</span> U.S. military installation on Guam

Northwest Field is a military airfield on the West Pacific island of Guam. Originally built during World War II, Northwest Field was closed as an airfield in 1949 but has been used for other military activity since, including housing a satellite tracking station, air defenses, and being used for training.

References

  1. Schwagerl, Joseph. "Guam National Wildlife Refuge". US Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved February 21, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "Guam National Wildlife Refuge Under Fire". Bats Magazine. Winter 1993. Retrieved February 21, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Hensley, Corey (April 8, 2011). "Frank Cable Celebrates Trail Dedication At Guam National Wildlife Refuge". United States Navy. Retrieved February 21, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Typhoons". Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  5. Whitman, Frank (June 3, 2007). "Ritidian Point: A gorgeous slice of tropical Guam". Stars and Stripes . Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  6. Maxfield, Barbara (July 22, 2009). "Guam National Wildlife Refuge Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan Released for Public Review and Comment" (PDF). US Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved February 21, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Pianka, Eric R.; King, Dennis; King, Ruth Allen. (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press, 588 pages ISBN   0-253-34366-6
  8. "Welcome to Guam National Wildlife Refuge". US Fish and Wildlife Service. May 3, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. Serianthes nelsonii, poster by Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Guam
  10. "Guam National Wildlife Refuge". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.