Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary, Wildlife refuge and National Natural Landmark in Kahului, Maui County, United States.
Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208-acre brackish-water wetland in Kahului, Maui, between the ocean, Kahului International Airport and commercial areas. It holds over 100 native plants and invertebrate species and 86 bird species, including endangered Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian stilt. The pond is a flood-control basin and wildlife refuge, highly modified from its original wetland state.
The site originated from two royal fishponds built by King Kapiʻiohookalani in the 1700s to support fish breeding for food production. These historical structures eventually became the foundation for today's conservation area.
The pond's name honors Kanahā, daughter of King Kapiʻiohookalani, who built the royal fishponds here in the 1700s; it was given during the Kamehameha dynasty of the 1800s. Fed by natural springs, the fishpond supplied food during the four-month period when Kanaka Maoli were barred from catching fish in the ocean. Today the endangered ʻalae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coot), aeʻo (Hawaiian stilt) and nēnē (Hawaiian goose) are among the water birds visitors may watch.
Visitors can access the site through a paved walkway at the southern end, with a parking lot located off Haleakala Highway near a nearby restaurant. The path provides straightforward access, and the convenient location makes visiting easy to arrange.
In January 2024 the DLNR hired Pono Pacific Management to build a 14,785-foot predator-exclusion fence around the sanctuary, with a covered top to keep out cats, dogs, pigs, rats and deer. Once finished it will be the longest predator-exclusion fence in the United States.
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