Moomomi is a

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

preserve located on the northwestern shore of

Molokai Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. It was established in 1988. This area is dry and hot, primarily denuded of soil due to

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

and poor land use practices over the last 150 years. Moomomi preserve protects some of the very last intact coastal shrublands in Hawaii. The Moomomi preserve contains

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

lithified Lithification (from the Ancient Greek word ''lithos'' meaning 'rock' and the Latin-derived suffix ''-ific'') is the process in which sediments compact under pressure, expel connate fluids, and gradually become solid rock. Essentially, lithificati ...

sand formations, rare endemic Hawaiian coastal plant species, nesting

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine ecosystem, marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ...

s and

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

s (''Chelonia mydas''), and the occasional

Hawaiian monk seal The Hawaiian monk seal (''Neomonachus schauinslandi'') is an endangered species of earless seal in the family Phocidae that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian monk seal is one of two extant monk seal species; the other is the ...

(''Monachus schauinslandi''). An endangered bee species, '' Hylaeus hilaris'', is only known from here. Within the preserve, over 22 native plant species can be found including ''akoko'' (''

Euphorbia skottsbergii ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being ''Euphorbia ampliphyll ...

''), ''nehe'' (''

Lipochaeta integrifolia ''Lipochaeta'', common name nehe, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae that is endemic to Hawaii. Taxonomy There are difficulties regarding the classification of this genus for its affinities are uncertain. Some studies have ...

''), '' Tetramolopium rockii'', ''hinahina kū kahakai'' ( ''Heliotropium anomalum'' var. ''argenteum''),Heliotropium anomalum var. argenteum - Hinahina, hinahina ku kahakai, nohonohopuuone, pohinahina (Boraginaceae) - Plants of Hawaii - 1
/ref> ''kolokolo kahakai'' ('' Vitex rotundifolia''), ''pōhuehue'' ('' Ipomoea pes-caprae brasiliensis''), ''pāūohiiaka'' ('' Jacquemontia ovalifolia sandwicensis''), ''naupaka'' ('' Scaevola'' spp.), ''enaena'' ('' ''Pseudognaphalium sandwicensium'' var. ''molokaiense''''), and many others. Access to Moomoni Preserve is available during Nature Conservancy guided tours.

References

External links

The Nature Conservancy: Why you should visit Moomomi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mo'omomi Nature reserves in Hawaii Protected areas of Molokai Nature Conservancy preserves Protected areas established in 1988 1988 establishments in Hawaii

References

Further reading

External links