Oahu beach suspends camping to protect nesting turtles
HONOLULU — Honolulu and the Marine Corps are suspending overnight camping at an Oahu beach to protect sea turtles that nest on the shoreline.
The suspension affects camping at Bellows Field Beach Park from April 18 through Sept. 1, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation and Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in a joint news release Thursday.
Officials first spotted turtle nesting sites at Bellows in 2020 just as human activity at the beach declined during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bellows will remain open to the public on weekends during the day and military training exercises will continue during the week. But measures will be in place to restrict access to identified nesting sites.
The campground closure may be extended past Labor Day weekend if officials observe additional nesting sites.
Bellows Field Beach Park is one of 17 campgrounds operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Three-day overnight camping is normally allowed at one of the campground’s 50 campsites with a permit.
The U.S. government classifies the Central North Pacific population of green sea turtles as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.