Categorized | Environment

HVNP BioBlitz, Biodiversity & Cultural Festival (May 15-16)

MEDIA RELEASE

Grab your daypack and join the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park BioBlitz and Biodiversity & Cultural Festival, Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16.

During the free, two-day event, teams of scientists, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, students and the public will join forces to discover and inventory as many living plants and creatures as possible in the 333,086-acre national park.

Expert-led inventory teams will be dispatched through the park, to explore the biodiversity that thrives in recent lava flows and native rainforests, from coastline to the summit of Kilauea volcano.

Entrance fees are waived both days.

Themed I ka nana no a ike (“by observing one learns”), the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park BioBlitz will be part scientific endeavor, part cultural festival and part outdoor classroom.

It will provide a unique opportunity to work alongside leading experts to discover, count and document the living creatures in the park; to contribute to the park’s official species list; to explore interconnectedness of plants, animals, the environment, traditional people and our daily lives; and to help protect the extraordinary biodiversity and rich culture found in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The park is expanding its 35th annual Cultural Festival to include biodiversity in 2015. At the two-day festival, visitors of all ages will discover how native Hawaiians, as keen observers, lived closely to the land by embodying “I ka nana no a ike” principles that continue today.

The Biodiversity & Cultural Festival will offer hands-on science and cultural exhibits, food, art and entertainment, plus the opportunity to meet individuals and organizations at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture — and learn how to join their efforts.

“Explorers” of all ages are needed. BioBlitz base camp and the Biodiversity & Cultural Festival will be located at the Kahua Hula overlooking Halemaumau Crater near the Kilauea Visitors Center in the park.

All events are free and open to the public; however, advance online registration is required to secure a spot on a BioBlitz inventory team. The Biodiversity & Cultural Festival does not require advance registration.

— Find out more:
www.nationalgeographic.com/bioblitz
www.nps.gov/havo

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast