Congressional bill
may expand Kauai
wildlife refuge’s acreage
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai could grow by up to 219 acres under a bill introduced in Congress recently by U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Rural Oahu, Neighbor Islands).
The proposed expansion area is at the eastern boundary of the refuge and would provide habitat for endangered Hawaiian water birds including the Koloa duck, Hawaiian coot, Hawaiian stilt and Hawaiian moorhen. It includes taro terraces and an estuary ecosystem at the lower reaches of Kilauea Stream.
The refuge, established in 1985, is at the northernmost tip of Kauai and currently encompasses 203 acres. It provides habitat for native seabirds, including the Laysan albatross, the red-footed booby and the wedge-tailed shearwater and also the endangered nene.
Case said the bill is meant to help ensure "the survival and recovery of Hawaii's unique endangered and threatened species and to preserve the remaining unspoiled natural treasures of our beautiful islands for future generations."
