Starting Jan. 2, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will raise the visitor entrance fee at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. According to the agency, the new entrance fee will be $5 per person for visitors age 16 and older.

The kama'aina annual pass for unlimited entrance will cost $20.

The popular refuge on the north shore of Kaua'i has charged entrance fees since the mid-1980s, but has not increased those fees since November 2000. Kilauea Point now ranks among the top five most visited refuges in the United States, the agency said.

"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."

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