Hawaii Volcanoes National Park invites everyone to volunteer and help protect the park’s native ecology on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, Sept. 27.
Everyone gets in for free, and volunteers will receive a free pass to use another day of their choosing.
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States, and all fee-charging national parks offer free entry. Many parks and public lands across the nation organize stewardship projects and special programs on NPLD to raise awareness about why it is important to protect our public lands.
The schedule of activities follows:
• Stewardship at the summit, from 9 a.m.-noon: Join Park Ecologist David Benitez and volunteers Paul and Jane Field, and remove Himalayan ginger from the summit of Kilauea. While pretty and fragrant, Himalayan (also called kahili) ginger is one of the most invasive plants in the park, and on earth. It’s listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the 100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.
The park strives to protect the rain forest habitat of native birds and plants, but Himalayan ginger takes over the native rainforest understory, making it impossible for the next generation of forest to grow, and it crowds out many native plants, including painiu (a Hawaiian lily), ama‘u fern, and others.
Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, sunscreen, raingear, snacks, and water. Loppers/gloves provided.
No advance registration required. Meet at Kilauea Visitor Center
• Highway 11 beautification, 9-11 a.m.: Join Park Ranger Nainoa Keana‘aina and pick up trash along the stretch of Highway 11 that runs through the park. Meet Keana‘aina at mile marker 40, approximately 12 miles from the entrance on the Ka‘u side of the park. Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and long pants.
Bring a hat, sunscreen, raingear, snacks, gloves, and water. Rubbish bags and safety vests provided.
No advance registration required.
• Kilauea Iki ecology hike, 12:30-3:30 p.m.: Ranger Dean Gallagher will guide a 4-mile, three-hour, moderately difficult hike through rainforest into Kilauea Iki crater, and explain why protecting this diverse ecosystem thriving at the summit is so important.
Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, sunscreen, raingear, snacks, and water.
No advance registration required. Meet at Kilauea Overlook.
