Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encourages keiki to connect with their national park and World Heritage Site by becoming a junior ranger Saturday, which is Junior Ranger Day and International Monuments and Sites Day. ADVERTISING Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encourages keiki
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encourages keiki to connect with their national park and World Heritage Site by becoming a junior ranger Saturday, which is Junior Ranger Day and International Monuments and Sites Day.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encourages keiki to connect with their national park and World Heritage Site by becoming a junior ranger Saturday, which is Junior Ranger Day and International Monuments and Sites Day.
The fee-free weekend and programs kick off National Park Week, April 18-26. This year’s theme, “Find Your Park,” celebrates the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park also celebrates its centennial in 2016.
A junior ranger station with handbooks and park information will be set up at Kilauea Visitor Center from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. at the Jaggar Museum observation deck. Keiki who complete an interactive junior ranger handbook will earn a junior ranger badge, a junior ranger certificate, and will be sworn in as a national park junior ranger.
Saturday also is International Monuments and Sites Day, which marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was the first World Heritage Site in Hawaii. The state’s other World Heritage Site, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, was inscribed in 2010, and representatives from both sites will share information at the junior ranger station.
“Our junior ranger programs are a perfect way for families to discover their World Heritage Site and national park together,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “As the park approaches its centennial anniversary in 2016, our most important goal is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates. Every keiki who becomes a junior ranger helps ensure the future of their national parks, which serve as the model for heritage sites worldwide,” she said.
Hawaii Volcanoes is one of five national park units on the island of Hawaii. Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is also free of charge April 18 and 19. Pu‘ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail do not charge entrance fees.
