Celebrating America's grandeur
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• Photo gallery: National Parks
By Chris Oliver
Advertiser Staff Writer
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When Buddy Squires and Dayton Duncan walked out to the lava fields at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, they experienced a landscape like none other.
The videographer and writer for Ken Burns' series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," which debuts tonight on PBS Hawaii, were awed by the heat, the acid smell, the rising steam from lava plunging into the Pacific Ocean and the formation of the newest land on the planet.
"Instead of filming monuments left by the earth's erosion, this was new land," said Duncan. "We were standing in Earth's maternity ward."
The team's stunning footage, which airs Tuesday as part of the series' "Empire of Grandeur" segment, highlights Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park on Maui.
"We were very fortunate that at the time the lava viewing was excellent for their shoots which took place at dusk and in the early morning," said Cindy Orlando, superintendent of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. "In fact ... it was so good, that after completion both said that it was among the finest footage they had ever captured."
Viewers will also catch a glimpse of the lava flows tonight as part of "The National Parks" series' opening montage.
Filmed over six years from Maine's Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the gates of the Arctic in Alaska, Burns' six-part documentary explores how the most special places in the nation should be preserved, and tells dozens of stories to illustrate how the National Park Service came into being. It's also about passing the baton of stewardship to the next generation in both Hawai'i and parks nationwide.
Orlando noted that the Burns series also helped funnel much-needed grant funding to the parks, via the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the National Park Foundation. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was awarded $15,000.
The grant allowed Friends of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the Hawai'i Natural History Association and others to set up summer workshops on how to shoot and edit short films about the park for Hawai'i students in grades seven through 12.
Hawaii Forest & Trail, Hawaiian Walkways and KapohoKine Hawaii Adventure Tours provided transportation and drove the students into the Big Island's less-traveled communities such as Na'alehu, Pahoa and Kalapana to shoot their movies. A tech-bus was fitted with iMac computers donated by Friends of the Future. Independent filmmaker and "Kama'aina Backroads" producer Roland Torres provided expertise on shooting and editing, at times sleeping in the tech-bus as it made its way around the island.
Ten students completed movies shown at "Digital Mountain 2009 Academy Awards," a mini-film festival held Sept. 19 in the park.
"Most of these kids had never had access to video cameras or movie-making software," Torres said. "Creating their movies, and then seeing the audience respond to them at the film festival was a very powerful experience for them.
The media project is well-suited to Hawai'i's tradition of celebrating the 'aina.
"A pillar of our next 100 years is connecting youth to parks, reaching them through new technologies and connecting with new generations, said Orlando. "This grant and partner support allowed us to reach out to our communities and the students who are the future stewards of this park."
Burns' series is expected to help keep interest in the parks high for the rest of the year. President Obama's visit with his family to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone in August added even more buzz, and three fee-free weekends this summer encouraged more people to visit the parks, too.
Fees are also waived today, which is National Public Lands Day.
As national parks across the U.S. approach their centennials — Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park do so in 2016 — attendance across the nation is increasing, with 13 million more people visiting nationwide through August of this year, compared to January through August 2008.
Nearly 232 million people have already visited national park sites this year, according to National Park Service spokesman Jeffrey G. Olson.
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| Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Snapshot: Hawai'i Volcanoes offers a look at two of the world's most active volcanoes: 4,000-feet-and-growing Kilauea and the older and larger Mauna Loa (13,677 feet above sea level). This is one of the best places to view red-hot lava up close. In addition to the geologic phenomena, other features include desert and rainforest, petroglyphs, sacred Native Hawaiian sites, and endemic plant and animal species. Fast facts: With lava flowing at an average rate of 800 to 1,300 gallons per second from vents on the east rift zone of Kilauea, more than 480 acres of new land have been added to the Big Island since the eruption began on Jan. 3, 1983. Scenic drive: The Crater Rim drive at times parallels the 3-mile-wide, 400-foot-deep Kilauea Caldera, from which you can view the vertical lava cliffs and rain forests. The jaunt includes stops to hike through the Nahuku lava tube and along Devastation Trail as well as visits to Kilauea Visitor Center and the small, volcano-focused Jaggar Museum. Note: Portions of this road have been closed since February 2008, due to volcanic gas emissions and explosive eruptions. From Kilauea Visitor Center, Crater Rim Drive intersects with Chain of Craters Road, an 18-mile, one-way drive that ends abruptly at a 2003 lava flow. Take in views of craters, hardened lava flows and petroglyphs carved into lava by Hawaiians. Best hike: Kilauea Iki Trail winds 4 miles around the rim of a crater that last erupted in 1959, then descends 400 feet through rainforest to the still-steaming crater floor. Look out for koa'e kea, white-tailed tropical birds, and listen for the trill of Hawaiian crickets along this moderate hike. Best adventure: A hike to the coast to view lava entering the ocean is especially dramatic at night. Currently, the ocean entry lava-viewing site is operated by the Hawai'i County and is located outside the park at the end of Highway 130. www.nps.gov/havo for advisories. Hawaii Forest & Trail's Kilauea Volcano Adventure tour includes a visit to a natural lava tube near Hilo. Or take a 45-minute helicopter tour out of Hilo that flies above the Pu'u 'O'o vent and along the coast, for unforgettable views of glowing lava meeting the sea in clouds of steam (if conditions are right). Flora and fauna: Among the park's wildlife, keep your eyes peeled for Hawaiian honeycreepers, geese, hawks, thrushes and hoary bats; Kamehameha and Blackburn's butterflies; happyface spider and lava crickets; and hawksbill turtles. The native flora includes 'ohi'a lehua, koa and mamane trees; 'ohelo, a'ali'i, and pukiawe bushes; and hapu'u and 'ama'u ferns. Photo ops: Jaggar Museum overlooks the whole Kilauea Caldera and in the evening is a good spot for low-light photography. After a rain shower, you might catch steambows — rainbows created over steam vents. You can capture the currently erupting vent at Halema'uma'u Crater as it fumes during the day and glows after dark. A 0.7-mile hike leads to the petroglyphs at Pu'uloa, the largest concentration of petroglyphs in Polynesia. Take care not to walk on them. Smart travel: Bring your own water bottles and snacks and something warm to wear. If you see a 'ohia lehua tree in full blossom, have binoculars ready; wait 10 minutes tops to see honeycreepers flying up to suck out the nectar. Honeycreepers are endemic and bountiful in the park. When to visit: The park is open 24 hours daily. To avoid the crowds, visit the park's major sights before 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m. Entrance fee: $10 per private vehicle, $5 for pedestrians and bicyclists. Where to stay: Volcano House Hotel, the only hotel within the park, is across the street from the Kilauea Visitor Center. Namakanipaio and Kulanaokuaiki Campgrounds, two drive-in campgrounds within the park, are open year-round and free (entry fee to the park still required). No reservations or permit needed. No showers. Tent sites only. Excursions outside the park: Mauna Kea Observatory, the world's premier astronomy site. Located off Hawaii 200 (Saddle Road). Akaka Falls State Park, where the 442-foot falls meets a lush jungle fragrant with blossoms at the end of Akaka Falls Road, off Hawaii 220. Advisories: Volcanic smog can cause headaches, breathing difficulties, and throat and eye irritation. Stay on marked trails and do not enter any closed areas. Check www.nps.gov/havo for the latest conditions and updates. — Source, National Geographic |
