Girl Scouts from across O`ahu after a hard day of work and learning! Photo Credit Shane Hunt/USFWS

With the help of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pacific Rim Conservation, 20 Girl Scouts spent a beautiful Saturday at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the north shore of O`ahu learning about conservation, earning badges, and working on their Girl Scout Leadership Journeys.  This is the second year the Girls Scouts of Hawaii have partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pacific Rim Conservation to provide Girl Scouts the opportunity to build courage, confidence, and character through hands-on activities to improve wildlife habitat on the Refuge. Both Girl Scout Cadets and Juniors from troops across O’ahu participated in the day at the refuge.

Girl Scout Juniors in front of the translocated albatross they are learning about. Photo credit Amy Olliffe/USFWS

Girl Scout Juniors showing the invasive ivy gourd they collected at the refuge. Photo credit Shane Hunt/USFWS

The Girl Scout Juniors learned about the important function the refuge plays in protecting and providing essential habitat for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, seabirds and other wildlife. They were able to see and learn about the ongoing seabird translocation efforts at the refuge to ensure the long-term survival of several seabird species. Black-footed albatross and bonin and Tristam’s storm petrels are being translocated from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to a 16 acre area on the refuge. Protected by a predator proof fence, the hope is that these translocated chicks will be the seeds of a future, thriving colony of seabirds. Part of ensuring their future is providing high quality habitat for the birds, so the Girl Scout Juniors helped control the spread of invasive plants by removing non-native ivy gourd at the refuge. These activities will help the Girls Scouts earn their  Animal Habitats Badge and complete the GET MOVING! Journey, a vital step toward the Girl Scout Gold Award.  

Girl Scout Cadettes planting native vegetation on the refuge. Photo credit Shane Hunt/USFWS

The Girl Scout Cadettes worked on the Trees Badge and Breath Journey by learning about the seabird translocation efforts and planting native Pa`uohi`iaka, Hinahina, and O`ahu sedge.  These native plants are important to preserve and protect the coastal sand dune ecosystem on the refuge. The sand dunes provide some of  the last remaining habitat for the endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee.  The bee’s will pollinate the newly planted vegetation and help ensure their survival.  

By helping control the spread of invasive plants and planting more native plants, the Girl Scouts of Hawaii made a positive change in the habitat on the refuge.  All their hard work will make more space for Hawaii’s wildlife and seabirds to live and grow!

Translocated black-footed albatross at their new home on the refuge. Photo credit Shane Hunt/USFWS

The colony the scouts visited is a part of a pioneering effort to establish a new albatross and petrel colony in the main Hawaiian Islands that is protected by predator-proof fence. Black-footed albatross nest only on low-lying islands and are at risk of losing their nesting habitat due to rising sea-levels and increasing storm surges.  The black-footed albatross are joined at the Refuge by a group of Tristam’s storm-petrels that were translocated from Tern Island, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  The petrels typically nest in recesses in rocks, under piles of mined guano, or burrows that they excavate under vegetation.

The James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1976 to provide habitat for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds and has since been expanded to over 1,100 acres to provide additional habitat for native species and increase wildlife-dependent public uses.  To learn more about how you can visit or volunteer at the refuge visit the refuge website and follow us on Facebook!