KILAUEA —Kaua‘i boasts a stunning palette of colors, from vibrant rainbows to the gentle transitions of sunset hues. Being on the Garden Island can sometimes feel like stepping into a beautiful painting. Artists, photographers and visitors from all over the world flock to the island for its breathtaking beauty and vibrant color scheme.
In the United States, 13 million people are born with a color vision deficiency, this signifies that out of nearly 500,000 annual visitors to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), more than 30,000 individuals were likely born color blind and have had a compromised experience at the wildlife refuge.
As part of World Sight Day on Oct. 10, the Kilauea Point NWR along with Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuge, the nonprofit “Friends Group,” which supports three national refuges Hanalei NWR, Huleia NWR and Kilauea Point NWR have blended to assist people with color vision deficiency.
“We are honored to raise awareness of the needs of those members of our community who experience color blindness and to continue to work to support broadening of the Refuges’s accessibility,” said Friends of Kauai NWR Executive Director Thomas Daubert.
Daubert explained that Kilauea NWR has joined other national wildlife refuges nationwide to provide and include four spotting scopes for color-blind visitors, specifically manufactured and restored by SeeCoast with EnChroma’s patented lens technology.
“It’s fortunate that we get to interact and work with people who do help bring multiple perspectives to the work we do,” Daubert said. “We are happy that we have the opportunity to do better and help solve a need that we didn’t even know existed, so how great that we can make improvements and enhancements that we all get to enjoy, but also for that other portion of the population and provide a delight for them.”
Kapaa resident Danny Viernes, who was born and raised on Kaua‘i, visited Kilauea Point NWR and tested out the new scopes.
“Wow! The colors are much more vibrant, the foliage on the hillside has more contrast, and I really can distinguish the different shades of green and red,” Viernes said. “I found out I was color blind at the age of 12 in science class, and the younger generation is lucky to have the opportunity to see the real beauty of the Refuge and its surroundings.”
“Go out there and try them! See what the refuge really looks like and has to offer,” he added.
The Garden Island also met with Princeville residents, Laurie and Thomas Mull at Kilauea Point NWR. Thomas, who suffers from color vision deficiency was also excited to test the new scopes and mentioned he hadn’t seen the color red in about two years.
He then shared a quick story of when he once went out shopping for a new gray suit, but ended up coming home with a purple suit.
“It was quite the suit, said Laurie Mull. “I am glad there are no pictures,” added Thomas Mull, while looking into the scope.
“It’s fabulous! I can see the color red!,” he said, “It’s darker but that’s definitely red, the colors are all much more focused— that golf cart is also quite red … it’s fabulous.
“That’s a beautiful brown too,” added Mull while his wife, Laurie laughed “What?” said Mull. “Browns are very underrated, and it’s beautiful, feels like I am coming out of the darkness.”
Mull expressed how this is an excellent opportunity for all the local school children, who are now fortunate enough to experience the scopes to come and visit.
“I didn’t know I was colorblind until I was in my late teens,” he said. “I hope these scopes will be useful for our community so that everyone can enjoy these incredible views, and remember the importance of eye care.”
Daubert expressed what an honor it was to see both Viernes and Mull experience the bright greens and the bright red at the top of the lighthouse, and welcomes everyone in the community to come back and reexperience the refuge.
“We welcome folks to come back and reexperience Kilauea NWR. Kilauea Point and the other two refuges have been here for decades, and we want to remind folks here in the community that these public grounds are not just for visitors, they’re right in our backyard, they’re right here for us to enjoy,” Daubert said, “and we really want to invite the local community to come back or come out to visit Kilauea Point and the Hanalei View Point and experience the grandeur of these places that are ours to be very proud of,” he said.
The four scopes can now be found throughout Kilauea Point NWR, just look for the EnChroma logo.
Kilauea Point NWR is open to the public for visitation Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Reservations are required and can be purchased online at www.recreation.gov and on the Friends Group website at www.kauairefuges.org.
