It is geographically positioned in the northwestern portion of the Hawaiian archipelago. The Midway Atoll is located approximately 4,100 km east of Tokyo 5,200 km west of San Francisco 2,100 km northwest of Honolulu and 259 km east of the International Date Line. The Fish and Wildlife Service continues to protect the atoll’s wildlife and endangered species.With an area of only 6.2 km 2, the Midway Atoll is a small atoll that is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, roughly midway between the Continents of North America and Asia. The abundant wildlife, sparkling white beaches and historical sites were just beginning to attract significant numbers of tourists when the USFWS closed the island to visitors. Midway was closed to visitors in January, 2002. This was to include interpretative displays and promotion of tourist visits. In 1999, in recognition of the atoll’s historical significance, Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to develop Midway as a National Memorial and establish a preservation program for its historic military buildings and gun emplacements. The USFWS assumed custody of Midway Island when the transfer of MOU was signed, but operation of Midway did not change until the current Navy Base Operating Services (BOS) contract was completed on June 30, 1997, and the Navy left Midway. The Executive Order transferring legal enforcement authority to the USFWS was signed on October 31, 1996. The Department of the Navy and the Department of the Interior signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 22, 1996, concerning the transfer of NAF Midway to the U.S. In addition, a wide variety of sea creatures, including dolphins, the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal and the threatened Green Sea Turtle all thrive within the atoll’s coral reef, which extends five miles in diameter. It provides nesting grounds for several species of migratory seabirds. On April 22, 1988, Midway Atoll was designated as a National Wildlife Refuge, a unit of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. As a component of Naval Air Station (NAS), Barbers Point, NAF Midway Island underwent operational closure on September 30, 1993. In 1978, the Naval Station was redesignated NAF Midway Island. Past operations and activities included construction, fuel and oil storage, dry cleaning, pest control, refueling, aircraft and vehicle maintenance, a power plant, pesticide applications, firing ranges, landfills, and hazardous waste storage. As Naval Air Base and later Naval Air Facility, the Navy operated and maintained facilities and provided services and materials to support aviation activities. In 1957, the airfield facilities on Sand Island were expanded to create a Pacific Airborne Early Warning base. The islands were virtually abandoned after World War II. In 1936, Pan American Airways made the Island a regular stop on its San Francisco-Manila run. Sand Island became a station of the Hawaii-Luzon submarine cable in 1905. In 1903, President Roosevelt assigned jurisdiction and control of the atoll, surrounding reefs, and territorial waters to the U.S. The Navy renamed it “Midway Island” in recognition of its geographic location on the route between California and Japan. This claim was in accordance within instructions from the Secretary of the Navy, pursuant to the Guano Act of August 18, 1856. Captain William Reynolds of “USS Lackawanna” on August 28, 1867, officially claimed the atoll a U.S. Brooks of the Hawaiian Barque “Gambia” discovered Midway Island and named it Brooks Island. Midway Atoll was discovered in 1859 and claimed by the U.S. While operating as a Naval Air Facility, majority of the residents were military personnel. There are no urban areas or urban populations on the island. There are no active streams on either Sand Island or Eastern Island. Midway is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and enjoys a tropical climate. Eastern Island comprises 334 acres and has been uninhabited since 1970, although it was used extensively by the Navy prior to 1970. The operational facilities were located on Sand Island, which has an area of 1,201 acres. Site of the historic Battle of Midway in June 1942, Naval Air Facility (NAF) Midway Island has supported various Naval operations since the late 1800s.
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