As the name implies, this American wildlife refuge is among the most remote places on earth. Less than 150 miles east of the International Dateline, Midway Atoll is truly "midway" in the Pacific Ocean, about 2,800 miles west of San Francisco and 2,200 miles east of Japan. Though it is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, even Honolulu, Hawaii is 1,200 miles away!

Midway Atoll is part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the single largest conservation area under the U.S. flag, and second largest marine conservation area in the world. Created by Presidential proclamation on June 15, 2006, it encompasses 137,797 square miles of the Pacific Ocean (105,564 square nautical miles) – an area larger than all U.S. national parks combined.

The extensive coral reefs found in Papahānaumokuākea – truly the rainforests of the sea – are home to over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which are found only in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Many of the islands and shallow water environments are important habitats for rare species such as the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

Papahānaumokuākea is also of great cultural importance to Native Hawaiians with significant cultural sites found on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana.

Three green sea turtles and a rare Hawaiian monk seal make comfortable beach mates. Pete Leary

May 2011 News: Biologists are waging a new battle on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. This time, the enemy is verbesina encelioides, or golden crownbeard. The invasive plant is shrinking vital seabird habitat in the area where the U.S. Navy defeated the Japanese fleet in June 1942. The Laysan albatross depends on the island's habitat to nest. Two endangered species — the Laysan duck and the short-tailed albatross — have also made their home here, along with other species.

Service biologists are banking on success, for good reason: when fighting plant or animal invaders, islanders have an edge over mainlanders. Once they rid the island of the plant, there is little threat of re-infestation from adjacent lands. Service biologists put the principle to work in the Aleutians, when they purged Rat Island of its signature rodents and the Sanak Islands of non-native foxes — also to aid seabird survival. Once biologists remove the tall, dense stands of verbesina with its rough, woody stalks, they replant the area with native plants more hospitable to nesting birds. Native plants hold island soil in place, protecting dunes and preserving and enhancing the island's historic biological diversity.

John Klavitter, acting manager at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, says the first stage of verbesina eradication, begun last year on the smallest of Midway's three islands, is already paying off. "This year we had the second highest number of breeding birds ever recorded: 482,000 pairs of Laysan albatross." The next stage is clearing verbesina from Midway's larger Eastern Island. That $1.8 million effort, funded by the Service and private grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is projected to take five years.

How to visit: At this time, independent travelers may not book to stay at the refuge. In 2008, only California-based Oceanic Society Expeditions is offering educational natural history expeditions with select conservation activities for 16 people per week between March and December. These all-inclusive round trip tours from Honolulu, Hawaii are US$4,890 per person. For birders and anyone passionate about nature, this is a chance to immerse in an environment where nature is honored in every sense of the word.

When to visit: Two distinct seasons mark Midway's climate.December, January and February tend to be cool, windy and wet, with the temperatures dropping into the low 60s. Most of the 42 inches of annual rainfall fall in winter months. May through October tend to be warm and sunny, with most summer days in the high 80s. Weather in spring and fall months is more variable.

For comprehensive information about Midway Atoll, check out www.fws.gov/midway.

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), visit www.fws.gov. World War II sites and National Wildlife Refuges would seem to be almost a contradiction in terms, but surprisingly many war sites have become refuges around the US.

Above: Formerly military accommodation, Charlie Barracks now offer comfortable two-room suites for travelers and volunteers. FWS
Right: A picture-perfect tropical view from Clipper House, the refuge’s dining facility. Barry Christenson