Kīlauea Point NWR announces seasonal hires, volunteer day and visitor-management planning

Heather Tonason, identified in the minutes as manager of the three federal reserves on Kauai, briefed the KNA on operations at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. She said the reserves are under a hiring freeze but were approved to hire two seasonal temporary workers to support Lighthouse Point operations. She invited community volunteers to help at the reserve and announced an activity day with free entry on May 6 to mark the lighthouse's 104th anniversary.

Tonason also recapped the refuge's work on visitor- and traffic-management planning, describing feasibility studies and options the refuge is considering — including parking-area design, a shuttle service, or a reservation system to control visitor throughput. The minutes record the refuge's community outreach invitation but do not include details on funding, required permits, or implementation timelines for any of the traffic-management options.

"She invited the community to volunteer to help at the Kilauea point reserve. She announced an activity day with free entry to the resrerve on May 6th in honor of the 104th anniversary of the opening of the lighthouse," the minutes state.