The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will discuss various options for expanding the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge at a public meeting tomorrow night.
The open house — to be held in Kilauea Elementary School’s cafeteria, 2440 Kolo Road — will include a presentation on the subject as well as group and one-on-one question and answer sessions.
According to Mike Hawkes, manager of the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Kilauea Point, 70 to 100 people are expected for the meeting, the third on the subject.
The proposed expansion, in the works since 2005, seeks to double the current 203-acre refuge to protect and preserve native plants and animals.
At the meeting, Fish and Wildlife Service representatives will review the four options presented in the Land Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment.
The largest proposal is an addition of 202 acres — smaller than the maximum 234 acres approved by Congress — of coastal dune, sea bluffs, wetlands, grasslands and riparian woodlands. The assessment also includes options to expand by 179 or 55 acres, or take no action at all.
The service has identified the 202-acre expansion as its preferred option, according to the assessment.
(Source: Kauai Garden Island News)
