Haleakala National Park slices up volcanic Mt. Haleakala, a dramatic scurry to the clouds from sea level to 10,000 feet over a distance of 35 miles. The environment changes rapidly and dramatically with the altitude, from subtropical rainforest at sea level to subalpine desert in the crater. Every inch of the park makes for extraordinary exploration: A full 19,270 of Haleakala National Park's 28,655 acres are wilderness.
Kakahaia Refuge is a coastal freshwater pond, originally used as an artificial fish pond. This 44-acre refuge is situated on the south coast of Moloka'i. Established in 1977, it provides habitat for the endangered 'alae ke'oke'o (Hawaiian coot) and small numbers of 'ae'o (Hawaiian stilt), migratory waterfowl, and shorebirds. Northern pintails are common in winter months; and the Pacific golden plover is the most common shorebird. The native black-crowned night heron feeds on fish and other small vertebrates along the shoreline. Kakahaia is primarily a natural, spring-fed habitat.
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is one of the few natural wetlands remaining in the Hawaiian Islands. Located along the south central coast of the island of Maui between the towns of Kihei and Ma'alaea, this 691-acre wetland is home to the endangered Hawaiian coot (ae'o) and Hawaiian coot ('alae ke oke'o). The refuge is adjacent to Kealia Beach, which is a nesting ground for the endangered hawksbill turtle. Kealia Pond serves as a settling basin a 56-square mile watershed that results in seasonal intermittent flooding during winter months and dryer conditions during late summer months. This creates open water (200 acres) and shallow mud flat areas interspersed with vegetation, which provide suitable resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for endangered water birds. 
