Guam National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
The beach offRitidian Point
Ritidian Point Unit
Location	Dededo /Yigo,Guam,United States
Nearest city	Dededo, Guam /Yigo, Guam
Coordinates	13°39′2″N144°51′38″E / 13.65056°N 144.86056°E /13.65056; 144.86056
Area	23,659 acres (95.74 km2) total 23,288 acres (94.24 km2) land 371 acres (1.50 km2) reefs and ocean[1]
Established	1993
Visitors	90,000
Governing body	Department of Defense 22,456 acres (90.88 km2);Fish and Wildlife Service 1,203 acres (4.87 km2)
Website	Guam National Wildlife Refuge

TheGuam National Wildlife Refuge is composed of three units: the Andersen Air Force Base Overlay Unit (Air Force Overlay Unit), the Navy Overlay Unit, and the Ritidian Unit. The Ritidian Unit, known to the native CHamoru people as Puntan Litekyan, is located on the northern tip ofGuam and encompasses approximately 1,217 acres, including 385 terrestrial acres and 832 acres of submerged areas offshore.

The Ritidian Unit is at the far northern point of Guam and is the only unit open to the public. It was established in 1993, in response to the 1984 listing of six species as endangered, and was designated critical habitat in 2004 for three of these species: the Mariana fruit bat, the Guam Micronesian Kingfisher, and the Mariana crow. The Navy used the area as a high-security communications station throughout the Cold War and donated the 1,203 acres (4.87 km²) of land to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1993. Guam's Delegate to Congress at that time,Robert A. Underwood, objected to the transfer as a violation of indigenousChamorro land rights for not returning the property to the pre-military owners.^[2] Sailors from theUSS Frank Cable continued the Navy connection by volunteering and creating a nature path for visitors.^[3] The Ritidian Unit offices and beaches close to the public at 4 PM every day. They are also closed any time the Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense issues a tropical cyclone condition of readiness 3, 2, or 1. Additionally, the beaches are closed to the public during tropical storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service.^[4]

Ritidian Point contains the archaeological site of a pre-Magellan Chamorro village, a former barrier reef that is now a 500-foot limestone cliff and beaches where threatenedgreen sea turtles nest.^[5] This area is the only designated critical habitat in Guam because it was home to some of the last confirmed populations of the Mariana fruit bat,Guam kingfisher,Mariana common moorhen andMariana crow.^[6] The accidental introduction of thebrown tree snake is considered the primary cause for the decline of native Guam bird species.^[7]

There are two additional units, one onAndersen Air Force Base and a grouping of non-contiguous lands on Navy properties collectively called the Navy Overlay Unit. In total, the military owns 95% of the Refuge, 22,456 acres (90.88 km²), and does not allow tourism. The purposes of the Refuge’s Navy and Air Force Overlay Units are separate from the purposes of the Ritidian Unit and are specified in Cooperative Agreements with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The areas are considered an overlay because military needs take precedence but the Fish & Wildlife Service has consulting rights.^[8] The areas may face additional stress because of the movement of troops fromOkinawa.

These units are largely forested and the main preservation initiative involves theSerianthes nelsonii tree. The critically endangered plant is endemic to the southernMarianas Islands and only one mature tree is known in Guam. Efforts to plant new seedlings have been coordinated through theUniversity of Guam.^[9]

Much of the refuge has been recognized as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports populations ofMariana swiftlets,Guam rails,Mariana crows andMicronesian starlings, as well as containing habitat forGuam kingfishers.^[10]

• List of National Wildlife Refuges

• Official Fish and Wildlife site
• Comprehensive Conservation Plan

• IUCN Category IV
• National Wildlife Refuges in the United States insular areas
• Protected areas of Guam
• Important Bird Areas of Guam
• Protected areas established in 1993
• 1993 establishments in Guam
• Dededo, Guam
• Yigo, Guam

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• CS1 errors: missing periodical
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2025
• Coordinates on Wikidata