Snow frolic harms Haleakala wildlife

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

Officials at Haleakala National Park are assessing the damage caused by sightseers last weekend when snow fell at the summit of the 10,023-foot mountain for the first time in a decade.

More than 1,300 people ascended the mountain and waited up to two hours to get into the park Sunday after icy roads and a power failure closed the park Saturday.

A couple of threatened silversword plants were destroyed and another was damaged by frolickers. The habitat of rare mountaintop insects also took a hit.

"We understand people are excited; a Haleakala snowstorm is a very unique event,'' said park spokeswoman Jennifer Talken-Spaulding. "But we can't forget that this is a special environment that needs respect.''

Officials are still assessing the damage and plan to discuss ways to better handle large crowds in the future, Talken-Spaulding said. Part of the problem, she said, was that it was a holiday weekend and few staff members were available to be called in to work.

"It happened so quickly,'' she said. "There was no time to put up signs or distribute handouts or put up additional fencing around restoration areas.''

Sunday's visitor total was double what it usually is, with 623 vehicles entering the park. Rangers spent most of their time doing traffic control, rounding up several four-wheel-drive vehicles that went off-road.

Destroyed plants were found in the park's Silversword Restoration Area near the Kalahaku Overlook.

Snowfalls are relatively common on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island, but are rare on Haleakala. When it does happen, it occurs at the very top of the mountain within the boundaries of the national park, where there are few, if any, places to partake in the cold fun. Visitors are not allowed to wander off roads, parking lots, lookouts and trails.

"We hate to be a wet blanket and spoil everyone's fun,'' said Park Superintendent Don Reeser. "But our main mission is to protect the resources. Most people are oblivious to the plants and insects up here.''