Kaua'i wildlife refuge may expand
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A proposal to double the size of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge could gain U.S. House of Representatives approval before the end of the year, said U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i.
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Case, who co-sponsored a bill for the expansion with Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, testified in late September on its behalf before the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
"Given rampant urbanization on Kaua'i and elsewhere in Hawai'i ... we could very well lose this remarkable opportunity to add high-quality wildlife habitat to our national refuge system," U.S. Rep. Ed Case testified.
H.R. 2619, the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act of 2003, would add 219 acres to the 203-acre refuge. At present, the refuge includes mainly the old Coast Guard lighthouse station at Kilauea Point and the adjacent Crater Hill area. The new region is primarily to the east of the existing refuge, including parts of Kilauea River and adjacent wetlands and former taro fields. It also includes an area locally known as Rock Quarry Beach.
Case told the subcommittee the area could provide valuable habitat for native stream species and native water birds, including the Hawaiian coot, gallinule, duck and stilt.
Kaua'i Mayor Bryan Baptiste, in a letter to the subcommittee, said the protection of such habitat is important to Kaua'i residents.
"Providing a protected habitat for Hawai'i's endangered birds and native stream life is essential in preserving the culture and heritage that defines Kaua'i," Baptiste wrote.
One of the owners of the 219 acres is willing to donate a portion of the land, and two others will consider a land swap, Case said.
"The three parcels of land are available for sale, and the owners have expressed a desire to see the land protected from development. But given rampant urbanization on Kaua'i and elsewhere in Hawai'i, and the high demand for waterfront property, we could very well lose this remarkable opportunity to add high-quality wildlife habitat to our national refuge system," he testified.
The expansion of the refuge already has strong community support, with backing from the mayor and County Council, state legislators representing the district, and 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.
Case said he expects the subcommittee to act on the measure soon, with action by the full House possible by the end of the year. The measure would still have to be considered by the Senate.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
