Nihoa: Difference between revisions

In 1909, Nihoa became part of the Hawaiian Islands Reservation, a federal wildlife refuge established by U.S president [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. The [[Tanager Expedition]] surveyed the island in 1923, taking a comprehensive biological inventory of its many species. In 1940, it became part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Wildlife Refuge and in 1988, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its culturally significant archaeological sites. In 2006, it became part of the [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument]]. Efforts are underway to ensure that endangered plant species are propagated beyond their limited range and represented in ex situ collections. Persons intending to visit Nihoa for cultural and scientific research purposes require a [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|USFWS]]-issued special-use permit to land on the island so as to reduce the risk of [[Introduced species|introducing alien species]] to Nihoa's already fragile ecosystem.

 

[[File:NASA Nihoa.jpg|thumb|left|Nihoa island]]

<!--[[File:Nihoa cliff.jpg|upright|thumb|Tanager Peak, looking east from Miller Peak]]-->

 

Nihoa is part of the [[Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain]] of volcanic islands, atolls, and seamounts starting from the island of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawai{{okina}}i]] in the southeast to the [[Aleutian Islands]] in the northwest. It is the youngest of ten islands in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), having formed 7.2 million years ago; the oldest, [[Kure Atoll]], formed 30 million years ago. Over the millennia, Nihoa has experienced significant [[erosion]]; along with Necker, French Frigate Shoals, and Gardner Pinnacles, Nihoa is one of only four islands in the NWHI that still has an exposed basalt rock substrate.<ref>{{cite web|author=Department of Forestry and Wildlife |year=2005 |url=http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs/files/NAAT%20final%20CWCS/Chapters/CHAPTER%206%20nwhi%20NAAT%20final%20!.pdf |title=Chapter 6: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) |publisher=[[Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322164824/http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs/files/NAAT%20final%20CWCS/Chapters/CHAPTER%206%20nwhi%20NAAT%20final%20!.pdf |archive-date=March 22, 2012 }}</ref> Six valleys slant down from north to south, meeting at the south side of the island: West Valley, West Palm Valley, Miller Valley, Middle Valley, East Palm Valley, and East Valley.

 

Among features on Nihoa are Dog's Head Peak ({{convert|358|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}), named for its likeness, and Pinnacle Peak ({{convert|626|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}), a [[Dike (geology)|volcanic dike]] created when less resilient rock was eroded away and harder rock was open to the elements. The only flat area on the island is Albatross Plateau, just below Miller's Peak. The Devil's Slide is a narrow cleft descending {{convert|700|ft|m|-1|}} irrespective of the surrounding elevation. Extending northward from Albatross Plateau, it ends at the vertical cliffs with a {{convert|190|ft|m|-1|adj=on}} drop straight down to the ocean below. In this chasm, rare [[fern]]s grow, along with several [[Endemism|endemic]] species, including a [[Thaumatogryllus conanti|giant cricket]].<ref name="Rauzon_2001">{{harvnb|Rauzon|2001}}.</ref>

 

==Ecology==