The awesome splendor of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge made quite an impression on U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Maryland. Make that 150 to 200 impressions. That’s how many pictures he snapped while visiting the refuge Tuesday with U.S. Rep.
The awesome splendor of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge made quite an impression on U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Maryland.
Make that 150 to 200 impressions.
That’s how many pictures he snapped while visiting the refuge Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Neighbor Islands-rural O‘ahu.
Gilchrest is chair of the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife & Oceans, and a key player in moving a Case-introduced bill to acquire acreage adjacent to the refuge for refuge expansion.
“A lot of my job is educating my colleagues about what we need,” said Case.
And getting Gilchrest to come to Kaua‘i and get a three-hour guided tour from Mike Hawkes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee in charge of the three national wildlife refuges on the island, was a major step for the successful future of H.R. 2619, Case’s bill to expand the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
The bill aims to secure funding for acquisition of three parcels totaling around 219 acres near the refuge and Kilauea Stream.
The owners of two of the three parcels are willing to sell their land to the federal government, and the third parcel, roughly 162 acres, is listed for sale at around $5 million, Case said.
Hawks told Case and Gilchrest other landowners adjacent to the refuge are also interested in selling their land to the federal government for refuge expansion, and if that is the case, Case will amend the bill to include the acreage of those willing sellers, Case said.
While it was Case’s intent to get Gilchrest to the refuge so Case could “demonstrate the value of the refuge,” the refuge, in particular its youngest inhabitants, Laysan albatross chicks, did most of the selling without saying a word, Case said.
The idea behind acquiring additional lands for expansion of the refuge is to “accelerate the protection” of wildlife in the area, said Case.
The idea has support from Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste, the County Council, state Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau, state Reps. Mina Morita, D-North Kaua‘i and Ezra Kanoho, D-East Kaua‘i-South Kaua‘i, the Kilauea Neighborhood Association, Sierra Club Hawai‘i chapter, Kaua‘i Public Land Trust and Kilauea Point Natural History Association.
In addition to the albatross and other seabirds nesting at the existing refuge, the acreage proposed for acquisition to the existing refuge contains a variety of rare and endangered plants and animals, Case continued.
Whether or not surfing and other beach uses would still be allowed at the beach at the mouth of Kilauea Stream, an area known as “Rock Quarries,” would be up to national wildlife refuge employees, Case said.
But, such beach uses should not be in conflict with refuge goals, he added.
Associate Editor Paul C. Curtis may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
