The new He`eia National Estuarine Research Reserve is located within the largest sheltered body of water in the Hawaiian Island chain, with 1,385 acres that host coastal research, shelter coral reefs, filter water, lessen flooding, and safeguard creatures such as the federally endangered Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian common moorhen, and Hawaiian hoary bat.

The Reserve also preserves traditional agricultural and heritage lands vital to the social and economic fabric of Oahu. The surrounding Kaneohe Bay plays an important role in Hawaii’s tourism and recreation sector, which annually yields $6.5 billion in gross domestic product and employs 101,000 people who earn a combined $3 billion in wages.

This reserve is the twenty-ninth in NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, which protects over 1.4 million acres and hosts 500,000+ annual visitors, providing education and community involvement to foster safe and healthy coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems.