Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1985 to protect and enhance migratory seabirds and threatened and endangered species and their habitats. It was expanded in 1988 to include Mōkōlea Point and Nihokū, a portion of the Kīlauea volcanic vent and a spectacular 568-foot ocean bluff. Refuge management works to expand and enhance habitat while combating the primary threat of invasive species. The refuge is home to thousands of migratory and resident seabirds, among them mōlī (Laysan albatross), ‘ā (red-footed boobies), koa‘e ‘ula (red-tailed tropicbird), koa‘e kea (white-tailed tropicbird), ‘iwa (great frigatebirds), ‘ua‘u kani (wedge-tailed shearwaters), kōlea (Pacific golden plover), nēnē (Hawaiian goose, threatened), ‘a‘o (Newell's shearwater, threatened) and pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl). Humpback whales, threatened green sea turtles and endangered Hawaiian monk seals can be spotted in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary just offshore. The refuge is also home to the historic Daniel K. Inouye Kīlauea Point Lighthouse and Light Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, sitting on the northernmost point of Kaua‘i and the high Hawaiian Islands. The lighthouse was built in 1913 as a navigational aid for commercial shipping between Asia and Hawai‘i, and for 62 years its light guided ships safely along Kaua‘i's rugged north shore. Native plants are grown in an on-site nursery in an ongoing effort to restore native coastal communities. Cultural and natural resources are interpreted at the Visitor Center by staff and volunteers, and on signs along the pathway to Kīlauea Point; the Visitor Center Nature Store is run by the Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges. Wildlife viewing, the lighthouse and dramatic views make this refuge a top attraction on Kaua‘i.