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When Apapane feed their young, it reminds us all that Spring has sprung. A wonderful time to visit the park. Photo by David Boyle

Celebrate National Park Week from April 17-25, 2010 with Free Admission to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Each year we take this time to celebrate the preservation and protection of 84 million acres of the world’s most spectacular scenery, natural wonders, and cultural treasures.

“The National Park Service cares for these lands so that people today and in the future can experience America’s Great Outdoors, its power and majesty,” said park superintendent Cindy Orlando.

To make it easier, the park service is waiving entrance fees so visitors can enjoy all 392 national parks for free April 17-25, 2010.

National Park Week is another perfect time for families and friends to come together in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park:

• Share a park and shape a life—bring a young person to Hawai‘i Volcanoes and see their eyes light up when you tell them they‘re standing on the world’s most active volcano. Explore with them as they complete kid-friendly activities in a Junior Ranger Book, earn a badge, and become a member of the National Park Service family.
• Pick up a trail guide and head out on your own or join park rangers on hikes through rain forest, across lava fields, and into steaming craters.
• Open on Saturdays and Sundays; explore the park’s Kahuku Unit. Picnic in meadows, laze in the shade of towering ‘ohi‘a, and hike to a giant forested pit crater.
• Come to the After Dark in the Park program at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 20th and learn about the marine resources and stewardship efforts in Pacific Island national parks.
• On Wednesday and Thursday, April 21st and 22nd, volunteer to help repair the fences that safeguard the park’s stock animals—five horses and two mules. To register, call Danny Ortiz at 985-6060.
• On Friday, April 23rd, volunteer with the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to help restore the forest near Keanakako‘i Crater by removing non-native faya trees. To register, call Nancy Chaney at 967-8581.
• On Sunday, April 25th, hike through Kipuka‘akihi, an isolated refuge of rare plants in a remnant old-growth forest at the park’s Kahuku Unit. To register call Elizabeth Bell at 985-6011.

The Hawai‘i Natural History Association also joins the National Park Week celebration with discounts on select items, including reusable tote bags and stainless steel water bottles. And now you can fill your bottle with rain water flowing from the new spigots located at Kilauea Visitor Center and Jaggar Museum.