October 20, 2009 – “Earthshaking Events at Kilauea’s Summit”

The summit of Kilauea volcano is “wired” with a variety of instruments monitored by scientists at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Although we cannot always feel the ground movements under our feet, they occur continuously, and a dense array of instruments records every twitch and shudder. HVO Seismologist Dave Wilson is studying reams of new data recorded during the ongoing drama of explosions, collapses, glowing pits and gas emissions produced by the 2008-2009 eruptive activity at Halema’uma’u Crater. Join Wilson to learn how the Earth has moved during Kilauea’s most recent summit events.

October 13, 2009 – “Going to Gombe National Park in Tanzania”

Established in 1968, Gombe National Park in Tanzania is famous as the site of Jane Goodall’s pioneering work on the Kasakela chimpanzees. As conservation of the surrounding region is critical, the park and the Jane Goodall Institute are reaching out to the community to promote conservation of the Greater Gombe Ecosystem. To assess the potential for eco-tourism, NPS Landscape Architect Lisa Duwall recently toured this fascinating region with the US Department of the Interior International Technical Assistance Program. Her program reveals local wonders including Lake Tanganika, coffee farms, waterfalls, hiking trails to remote villages, and, of course, the chimpanzees.

October 6, 2009 – “Not Just a Warrior: Kamehameha the Great”

Kamehameha the Great is known as a mighty warrior, wise leader and first King of Hawai’i. Follow the life of this influential figure, from infancy through his childhood years to his increasingly powerful roles, defeating rivals and fulfilling prophecies. In his later years as a peacemaker and policy-maker, Kamehameha united and guided the Hawaiian Islands into the modern era. David Kawika Eyre’s 12-book series covers the life of this complex and renowned figure. Eyre has authored numerous books and taught Hawaiian language for 20 years at Kamehameha Schools. Based on Hawaiian sources and years of research, his stories of historical fiction shed new light on people, places and events that influenced Kamehameha’s development as a powerful leader.

September 22, 2009 – “The Secret Story: The Battle of Kuamo’o”

At Lekeleke in South Kona, hundreds of warriors are interred beneath stone terraces, killed in the fierce Battle of Kuamo'o. The noble Kekuaokalani and his wife Manono, buried nearby, led a civil war in 1819 to defend Kamehameha's vision for keeping Hawaiian culture intact as the kingdom joined the International community. The common history of the period after Kamehameha’s death describes King Liholiho sitting to eat with his mother and other noble women, thus ending the traditional kapu system. In truth, much blood was lost on the ‘a’a fields of Kuamo’o during this tumultuous time. Join Peter Charlot, playwright and park Living History Interpreter, to review this little-known chapter in Hawaiian history.

September 15, 2009 – “Kilauea’s Volcanic Gases and Vog”

As magma rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, volcanic gases expand, driving the spectacular fountains and flows of Hawai’i’s celebrated volcanoes. While Kilauea’s current eruption produces enough lava to fill a football stadium every week, it also releases huge amounts of volcanic gases, which affect our island environment. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geochemists Jeff Sutton and Tamar Elias offer an update about volcanic gases, especially related to the 2008-2009 activity at Halema’uma’u Crater. Learn about volcanic pollution (Vog) – how it forms and ways to deal with this unpleasant aspect of Kilauea’s current eruptions. BYON (Bring Your Own Nose) to the ever-popular “gas tasting” party where you can learn to identify volcanic gases by smell.

August 18, 2009 - "Dark Sacred Nights"

For countless milennia, migrating birds, nesting sea turtles and pollinating insects lived in daily cycles of daylight followed by natural dark. Nowadays, thousands of birds and other wildlife perish every year when artificial lights at night disrupt their normal foraging, reproductive, and migratory behaviors. Light polution wastes electricity, diminishes natural resources and impairs our views of stars and other nightime wonders. Happily, we can restore dark nights without sacrificing our safety or security. Park ranger Dean Gallagher shares information about cutting edge technology to minimize light pollution with Wildlife Lighting and Dark Sky Friendly Lighting. Learn how we can share the dark night sky with wildlife around us and protect our natural heritage of "Dark Sacred Nights".

August 4, 2009 - "Iceland's Volcanoes and Ecology"

Much like Hawai'i, Iceland's geologic and cultural history have been shaped by frequent eruptions of basaltic lava. Nordic travelers settled in Iceland and Polynesian voyagers migrated to the Hawaiian Islands about a thousand years ago. Although both groups of people colonized isolated volcanic outposts, Iceland's harsh near-Arctic climate fostered a very different set of ecological problems compared with tropical conditions in Hawai'i. Join geologist Christina Heliker for an armchair tour of Iceland's unique combination of volcanic and glacial landscapes. Her fine photographs of this extraordinary island include migratory seabirds, Icelandic ponies, and Reykjavik, the world's "greenest" city.

July 21, 2009 - "Agriculture and Sustainability in Hawai'i before Western Contact"

Hundreds of thousands of Hawaiians lived in these islands before Captain Cook's visit here in 1778. Within a well-defined social structure, Hawaiian planters used ingenious strategies in a wide variety of island ecosystems to nourish large populations. Sustainability, the ability of biological systems to maintain balance and viability, is a topic of much discussion and concern today. For people living on isolated islands in traditional times, sustainability was the key to survival. Born and raised in Hawai'i, Stanford University biology professor Peter Vitousek has focused on the Hawaiian Islands as a model for research in the field of biological diversity and ecology. Join Vitousek for a program on agriculture and sustainability in Hawai'i during the centuries prior to Western contact.

June 16, 2009 - "A Treasury of Hawaiian Literature:
Hia`iakaikapoliopele and More"

The epic saga of volcano goddess Pele and her youngest sister Hi`iaka was recently republished by Awaiaulu Press in Hawaiian as Ka Mo`olelo o Hi`iakaikapoliopele. Historian and cultural scholar Puakea Nogelmeier presents this new translation of the complex and vivid tale originally published a century ago. UH-Manoa Hawaiian language professor Nogelmeier focuses on the story of the youngest and dearest sister in the context of Hawaiian literature's rich legacy. In this program, he discusses the extensive archive of Hawaiian-language material, which includes a treasury of world-class literature, a great body of cultural description and inside views of the political and social history of the Hawaiian Kingdom and Territory periods.

May 19, 2009 - "Forty Years Ago, a Mountain Grew at Mauna Ulu"

On May 24, 1969, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists watched as fountains of lava gushed from a two mile-long fissure on Kilauea's East Rift Zone where three short eruptions had recently occurred. This new eruption continued for five years, producing Kilauea's largest lava outpouring as lava flows filled two pit craters, covered 7 miles of highway and repeatedly entered the sea. Readily accessible, the Mauna Ulu eruption moved through stages of activity later mimicked by the larger, longer and more distant Pu'u 'O'o eruption. HVO geologist Don Swanson and his assistant Jeffrey Judd, studied this eruption and now share their stories. Park ranger Jay Robinson and geologist Randy Ashley describe upcoming events marking the anniversary of the Mauna Ulu eruption.

May 5, 2009 - "Historic Chapters in Managing Park Resources"

In 1970, more than 15,000 wild (feral) goats were chomping and stomping through the natural resources of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Habitats of unique Hawaiian plant and animal species were under attack. With its severely degraded ecosystems, the park was considered an "ecological basket case". With dedication and ingenuity, then-Park Superintendent Bryan Harry and Chief of Resource Management Don Reeser reversed this dire situation with a grand experiment. By 1980, nearly all goats were gone from the park. Their work reaffirmed conservation values, encouraged scientific research and provided hopeful examples to land managers world-wide. Bryan Harry and Don Reeser recount triumphs, challenges and failures in natural resource management during the critical decade of the 1970s. Join these National Park Service pioneers as they share management discoveries and hands-on adventures.

April 21, 2009 - "Tracking Treasures in Pacific Island Parks"

To conserve National Park treasures for future generations, it is vital to determine which natural resources now occur in these protected places and to measure how these resources are changing over time. Join Leslie HaySmith and Corbett Nash from the National Park Service's Pacific Island Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) to learn how five natural resources are monitored in Pacific island parks. This program features short videos illustrating why and how I&M keeps track of freshwater animals, seabirds, fruit bats, water quality and the climate in America's Pacific island parks. Earth Week is a fine time to learn about behind-the-scenes projects tracking precious natural treasures of the national parks in Samoa, Guam and throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

April 14, 2009 - "The Future of the National Park Service: Managing the Three-Legged Stool"

Established in 1916, the National Park Service approaches its Centennial year. Along with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, one of the first parks in the system, NPS will celebrate its 100th anniversary with reflections on the past and visions for the future. What has the NPS provided for the public all these years, where does it stand today and what roles should it play in the coming century? Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, former NPS chief historian and now New Mexico State University professor, brings 30 years of public service to his program about the Park Service's past and future. He offers thoughtful questions about supporting the National Park Service's core mission - coordinating preservation, research and education in the next hundred years.

Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park co-sponsors this program. Dr. Pitcaithley's visit to the park is sponsored by the Chancellor's Office, the American Studies Department and the College of Arts and Humanities of UH-Manoa, and by the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, with support from the "We the People" special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.