Overnight camping returns to Bellows Field Beach Park in Waimanalo starting over the Labor Day weekend after closing in mid-May for the annual green sea turtle nesting season, according to the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.

The public can register online for three-day overnight camping permits at one of Oahu’s most popular campgrounds but will have to wait until after the Sept. 8 weekend since all 50 campsites have already been reserved for that weekend and the preceding Sept. 1 Labor Day weekend.

Honolulu DPR operates 17 campgrounds, one of which is Bellows located at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows.

Bellows Air Force Station operates separate cabin/campsite rentals available to eligible active-duty military, veterans and Department of Defense employees.

The 15-week closure of Bellows applied to overnight camping and evening use of the bathroom and shower facilities, although it remained open for weekend day use and military training exercises on the weekdays.

Since 2020, green sea turtle nesting sites have been documented along this particular stretch of shoreline, coinciding with pandemic-related park closures.

Illegal beach off-roading, camping fires, dogs, illegal trash dumping, and the presence of artificial lighting threaten the safety of the nesting turtles and have been documented by the community, military and park officials. Therefore, the closure is necessary to ensure the safety of the federally protected, culturally significant and endangered green sea turtles as they nest and incubate their eggs, and the eggs hatch.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.