2 marshes on Oahu gain
international recognition

After 10 years of trying, Kawainui and Hamakua marshes have won something equivalent to an Oscar among wetlands.

Yesterday, the federal government named Kailua's two adjacent marshes a Wetland of International Importance.

"It's a feather in our cap. It's a significant thing," said Dave Smith, Oahu wildlife biologist for the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Though the recognition does not include any cash, the cachet of the international designation could help with future federal grant applications, Smith said.

The sites are named under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, more commonly known as the Ramsar Convention after the place of its adoption in Iran in 1971.

With the addition of the Oahu marshes and two wetlands in California this year, the United States has 22 of the 1,414 sites in the world, which cover more than 306 million acres.

At 1,000 acres, Kawainui Marsh is the largest remaining wetland in Hawaii and provides habitat for four of Hawaii's endangered and endemic water birds: the Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian moorhen, Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian duck. The marshes are in a caldera of the former Koolau shield volcano considered sacred to native Hawaiians.

The city and state each own part of the marsh. The state has received a $5 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant to improve the marsh habitat for these native birds, and the city plans in the future to provide nature viewing walkways along the edge of the marsh.