Keālia Visitor Center Remains Closed, Bird Watching Continues

Hawaiian stilts. File photo courtesy DLNR.

By Maui Now Staff

The Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center remains closed due to ongoing mechanical issues with the facility’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

The US Fish & Wildlife Service anticipates the Visitor Center will reopen within the coming weeks, agency officials announced.

The Visitor Center facility has been closed since May when mechanical problems with an air conditioning unit were discovered.

In the interim, the Refuge remains open for wildlife observation Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.  The Refuge is located at Mile 6 of the Mokulele Highway in Kīhei.

Visitors continue to have access to the Refuge’s bird viewing area to observe Hawaiian wetland birds and nesting Hawaiian stilts and coots in their natural habitat, along with other wetland species. The Refuge is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and all federal holidays.

The Keālia Coastal Boardwalk also remains open and accessible seven days a week from sunrise until 7 p.m. and provides opportunities to observe the waterbirds of Hawai‘i.  The Keālia Coastal Boardwalk is located on North Kihei Road between the towns of Kīhei and Mā‘alaea.