Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1988 — Naturally Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Naturally Hawaiian

The Next Best Thing to Being There

... is Being Here

By Patrick Ching Artist/Environmentalist The bad news is that most of us may never be able to experience firsthand the splendor of the remote northwest Hawaiian lslands; the good news is that there's a plaee right here in the main islands where most of the animals that exist on the northwest islands ean be found. Kilauea Point, on the island of Kaua'i, is a plaee where people and wildlife eome together for the benefit of both. Seabirds and humans literally flock here by the thousands and their numbers are increasing.

With the recent acquisition of nearly 140 acres of land, (91 acres of whieh were donated by the Schmidt family), the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is home to the largest population of seabirds in the main Hawaiian islands. The employees and volunteers of the refuge, headed by Dan Moriarty, spend countless hours eradicating foreign plants, planting natives and doing interpretative programs with the public. For a small fee people ean observe a coastal/marine environment that is matintained with native flora and fauna.

Among the animals that ean be seen here are a variety of seabirds including shearwaters, boobies, frigate birds, tropic birds and albatross. The scenic cliffs of Kilauea offer a panoramic view of Kauai's north shore and a great vantage point for observing the native wildlife. Aside from the seabirds, visitors ean observe green sea turtles, humpback whales, porpoises, snarks and even an occasional monk seal.

lf you get the ehanee to make it over to the Garden Island, do what hundreds do eaeh day; visit the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and discover how wild Hawaii ean be. The 75th anniversary of the historic Kilauea lighthouse will be marked Sunday, May 1, with festivities starting at 3 p.m. The celebration will end at 8 p.m. with a relighting of the lighthouse.