A plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could more than double the size of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to rare wildlife and plant species.

The protection plan could possibly expand the Kaua'i refuge, which includes a picturesque lighthouse, from its current 203 acres to as many as 420 acres, adding land near the mouth of Kilauea River and valleys.

The plan is detailed in a government-sponsored draft environmental impact assessment scheduled to be completed by the end of the month, said Michael "Mitch" Mitchell, deputy project leader for the Kaua'i National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

He said the plan will be reviewed by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and released for public comment, possibly this spring.

The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge originated in 1865 following a land transfer from the U.S. Coast Guard. It is home for the state's largest colony if birds, including the Hawaiian nene.

Humpback whales, Hawaiian monk seals and spinner dolphins can also be viewed from the lighthouse. Some 300,000 people visit the refuge each year.

The protection plan lays out four alternatives, including one that calls for no expansion. The other proposals are to expand the refuge by 52 acres, 182 acres or 217 acres.

The options would encompass coastal bluffs for nesting seabirds, beach dunes for the federally protected Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles as well as wetland areas for endangered sea birds.

The land study was authorized following the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act of 2004, initiated by U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i.

Federal legislation and money would still be needed to implement the protection plan through acquisition of private lands.

Case said the Bush administration is often reluctant to expand federal lands because of maintenance costs. But he said the refuge needs to grow to shelter it from nearby resort development.

"I am saying the heck with maintenance," Case said. "I just want to protect it. We can deal with maintenance later."