Planning the future of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Major changes may be on the horizon for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, including a 31,787-acre expansion and increased access to the park’s southern unit of Kahuku.

“We really want to get that unit open seven days a week,” said Danielle Foster, the park’s environmental protection specialist. Acquired by the National Park Service in 2003, the 116,000-acre Kahuku unit is the park’s newest addition and encompasses the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa from approximately 2,000 to 12,500 feet in elevation. Today, the public can access only the lower portion of the unit during weekends and special events.

If NPS gets its way, Kahuku would — over time and with adequate funding — be open daily for hiking, camping, biking and equestrian use.

“Recreational infrastructure, such as trails, small-scale campgrounds, and interpretive and educational programs and activities would be developed to optimize visitor access and provide a range of opportunities to experience Kahuku’s unique natural and cultural resources and participate in the recovery of species and sites,” HVNP wrote in an executive summary of its draft general management plan, wilderness study and environmental impact statement.

Released Thursday, the 548-page document outlines three alternatives for how the national treasure should be protected and managed over the next 20 years.

The park’s preference would include acquiring several new parcels, constructing a new 2.5-mile walking and biking trail between the Kilauea Visitor Center and Jaggar Museum and, in addition to expanding visitor access and recreation opportunities at Kahuku, designating 121,015 acres of land in the Kahuku unit as protected wilderness.

“I think it provides a good mix of ways that we can protect our park resources while enhancing the visitor experience,” Foster said.

Under the preferred alternative, the park would modify its boundary to include ‘Ola’a, a 9,679-acre piece of land donated to the park in 1952, as well as the Great Crack and Ala Waii parcels.

The park also is looking at acquiring a pair of private parcels, including 16,457 acres at Pohue Bay, which would extend the park’s Kahuku unit to the coast.

The last master plan for the national park was completed in 1975. Since then, the park has seen many changes, including continuous eruptions, increased visitation, the spread of invasive species, the addition of Kahuku, and more.

Foster said there is a great need for a guiding document that answers the question, “What’s the best thing for the park for the next 20 years?”

One of the major challenges in drafting such a plan is that the park is situated on two active volcanoes.

“We are a park of change,” Foster said. “And so how do you write something when you don’t really know what the future will look like volcanically?”

The preferred alternative calls for limited construction. In general, Foster said, the park tried to put any new development in already disturbed areas.

With limited funding, the park officials felt it would be best to look at current resources and what needs to be done to take care of them, she said.

At the Kilauea Visitor Center, additional parking would address increased visitor use, and the current restroom facilities would be removed and relocated behind the visitors center to provide more interpretive space.

Should eruptions at Halema‘uma‘u Crater cease, the park says it would reopen the southern section of Crater Rim Drive.

A second but similar alternative would put a greater focus on science and learning opportunities for visitors, immersing them in the protection and restoration of native species and ecosystems by maximizing opportunities to participate in restoration activities. It also would explore a mandatory shuttle system at the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive.

Under a third, no-action alternative contained in the draft, there would be no major changes in management or visitor use.

In the process of creating the draft plan, the park explored several proposals for a second park entrance to alleviate traffic, but dismissed the idea due to potential impacts to natural and cultural resources. It also dismissed proposals for expanding the visitors center to two stories, constructing a park visitor center in Hilo, opening an additional lava tube in a remote location, and expanding mountain biking and unrestricted equestrian access in Kahuku.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park currently encompasses 330,086 acres of public land, including the summits and rift zones of two of the world’s most active volcanoes — Kilauea and Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world.

In 2014, the park tallied the highest visitor turnout and related spending of any park in Hawaii, with 1.7 million people dishing out $136.8 million.

A 60-day public comment period ends June 30.

To review the plan and provide comments online, visit http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havogmp.

The park will host a talk story session at the Kilauea Visitor Center on June 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to answer questions and take comments.

In addition, a formal wilderness hearing will be held during this meeting to receive comments specific to the wilderness study.