It was created in 1972 to mitigate the wildlife resource disturbances caused by construction of the Honolulu International Airport Reef Runway.

The Waiawa Unit is composed of two brackish ponds, one of which is primarily managed for the endangered aeʻo (a subspecies of the common black-winged stilt, Himantopus mexicanus knudseni).

The Kalaeloa Unit, once part of the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station, was added to the Pearl Harbor NWR to protect the endangered ʻEwa Hinahina (Achyranthes splendens var.

This area of raised limestone coral reef contains the last remaining ancient coastal dry shrubland plant communities that were once widespread throughout the ʻEwa Plain.

[3] To protect the delicate habitats, the refuge is closed to visitors, except for Betty Bliss Memorial Overlook, which is open year-round.