The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will increase the visitor entrance fee at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge beginning Jan. 2. The new entrance fee is $5 per person for visitors 16 years of age and older. The kama‘aina annual
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will increase the visitor entrance fee at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge beginning Jan. 2. The new entrance fee is $5 per person for visitors 16 years of age and older. The kama‘aina annual pass available for unlimited entrance is being increased to $20.
The popular refuge located on Kaua‘i’s north shore has charged entrance fees since the mid-1980s and has not increased entrance fees since November 2000. Kilauea Point is one of the most visited refuges in the United States, currently ranking among the top five in annual visitation, according to a press release.
“We know it is unpopular to increase fees, but the funding will allow us to maintain existing operations,” Refuge Manager Mike Hawkes said. “Our visitor program is a vital part of our mission, and we want the public to learn about and enjoy the wildlife and historic features such as the Lighthouse/Station that the refuge offers.”
The refuge is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7 days a week except on federal holidays.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.
It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices, and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American Tribal governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
