KULI'OU'OU — Phil Morris looks out from his lanai and watches native Hawaiian stilts, night herons, kolea and ruddy turnstones peck out a habitat in the Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary.

A blue rectangular sign at the end of Kuli'ou'ou Road says that trespassing is not allowed, entry isn't allowed without a permit, there is no fishing, no dogs, no camping. Yet, every day at sundown, Morris sees people walking along the marshy edge of the bird sanctuary into a small kiawe forrest with backpacks and suitcases.

Walking through the sanctuary, Morris points out the trash left behind — CDs, plastic water bottles, aluminum cans and discarded gray tarps. Once, he found the lanai furniture stolen from his community pool.

Morris and the members of the Kuli'ou'ou Kai Association of Apartment Owners want the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to block access and enforce the rules. The association has granted an easement to provide access to students and the department, he said.

"For many years we've been disturbed by the fact that there are a lot of campers and illegal hikers, motorcyclists going into the sanctuary," Morris said. "We're very concerned. We've had a number of burglaries and break-ins."

The state DLNR division of forestry and wildlife says it will make an effort to go into the sanctuary and clean up the trash and maybe even clear out the bushes, which serve no purpose to wildlife, said David Smith, wildlife manager. Rules do not require permits to enter the sanctuary, Smith said. People are allowed to go into the sanctuary during the day, he said. The sign at the entrance is out of date and doesn't accurately reflect present rules and regulations.

However, the rules do not allow camping, fires, fishing or dogs in the sanctuary, he said.

Despite numerous phone calls to police and to the state DLNR enforcement office over the past year, Morris said he still sees people go into the sanctuary at dusk and leave around 7 a.m.

Smith said it is difficult to cite people if they are just sitting on the ground with plastic bags surrounding them, as opposed to erecting a tent and starting a campfire.

"We have 33 officers divided into four districts trying to cover everything 24/7," Smith said. "You do the math. They're spread very thin. We don't always have the resources where you can call and get someone out there within a short period of time."

Residents should continue to call the police or the state DLNR enforcement division whenever they see someone enter the wildlife area, Smith said.

Morris and the Kuli'ou'ou /Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board have urged the police and DLNR to work with the residents or other groups who want to adopt the area to keep it clean.

The sanctuary was established several decades ago, Smith said, with a land gift from the Paiko family. The area at one time was considered a rich habitat for birds and other wildlife, but after Hawai'i Kai was dredged in the 1960s, much of the birds and other wildlife left the area because there was no habitat left.

"That area was destroyed by dredging," Smith said. "It has developed into a great fishery habitat, but for water birds and shorebirds it's not of a high value.

"The area is beginning to recover from the dredging. There's more shoaling and mudflats now. The more the area gets like that, the better for the wildlife."

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.