The U.S. House Monday passed on a voice vote a bill introduced by Congressman Ed Case, Democrat n Hawai’i, Second District, to authorize the expansion of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is run by the U.S. Fish
The U.S. House Monday passed on a voice vote a bill introduced by Congressman Ed Case, Democrat n Hawai’i, Second District, to authorize the expansion of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The bill now goes to the Senate for approval.
If implemented, the bill would more than double the size of the Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge.
Case said in a press release that the bill would “…ensure the survival and recovery of Hawai’i’s unique endangered and threatened species and to preserve the remaining unspoiled natural treasures of our beautiful islands for future generations.”
The bill authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire 234 acres adjacent to the current refuge to provide habitat for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds and to expand habitat for threatened and endangered seabirds and the nene.
The proposed expansion area also contains Kilauea Falls, located upstream from Kahili Beach.
The refuge is the site of an historic lighthouse constructed in 1913. Since a renovation and replanting of native vegetation that began in the late 1970s, the refuge has become one of the top visitor attractions on Kaua‘i.
The 234 acres are comprised of five parcels. Two are likely to be donated, and three would be bought from their owners, and are currently for sale.
The bill does not automatically make the lands a part of the wildlife refuge, but instead allow for the process to move ahead to acquire the lands.
“I will also seek appropriations to acquire the other lands and will look at other options, such as grants and land exchanges to make this expansion a reality,” Case said.
Case said the Kilauea community supports the expansion of the refuge at Kilauea.
Community volunteers give daily tours of the refuge and help in the preservation and propagation of native plant species.
The principal volunteer group is the Kilauea Point Natural History Association,
He also said Kaua‘i politicians, the Kilauea Neighborhood Association, the Sierra Club of Hawai‘i and other environmental organizations support the purchase.
He said the bill has the wide local support of Kaua’i Mayor Bryan Baptiste, State Senator Gary L. Hooser, State Representatives Hermina M. Morita and Ezra Kanoho, the Kaua’i County Council, the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Kilauea Neighborhood Association, the Kaua’i Public Land Trust, the Kilauea Point Natural History Association, and the Hawai’i Chapter of the Sierra Club.
A copy of the bill and complete legislative history can be obtained via the Library of Congress information system at thomas.loc.gov by typing in HR 2619.
