Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [50]
For more sustainable travel advice, see Getting Started, Click here, and the boxed text, Click here.
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NATIONAL, STATE & COUNTY PARKS
Hawaii has two national parks: Haleakalā National Park on Maui and Hawai′i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Both have volcanoes as centerpieces, contain an astonishing range of environments and provide some of the best hiking in the islands. Hawai′i Volcanoes was named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987; it receives 1.6 million visitors a year and is Hawaii’s most popular tourist sight.
In addition, the islands have five national historical parks, sites and memorials, all but one preserving ancient Hawaiian culture: three are on the Big Island, notably Pu′uhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge; Click here); one is on Moloka′i, Kalaupapa Peninsula (Click here); and in Honolulu is the famed USS Arizona Memorial (Click here), dedicated to WWII’s Pearl Harbor attack. For information on Hawaii’s national parks, visit www.nps.go v/state/hi.
Hawaii has nine national wildlife refuges (NWR; www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges) on five of the main islands: O′ahu, Maui, Moloka′i, Kaua′i and Hawai′i. Most are open to the public; since their primary focus is preserving endangered plants and waterbirds, they are a delight for bird-watchers.
Hawaii has 55 state parks and recreational areas on five islands (excluding Lana′i). These diverse parks include some absolutely stunning places (like Waimea Canyon on Kaua′i; Click here); a few also have campsites and cabins. They are managed by the Division of State Parks (587-0300; www.hawaiistateparks.org), which has local offices on each island that issue camping permits. Finally, each island also has county beach-parks and other areas, many of which allow camping; see each island chapter for contact information. For general questions about state-managed areas, the website for the Department of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR; 587-0400; www.state.hi.us/dlnr; Kalanimoku Bldg, 1151 Punchbowl St, Honolulu) has an extensive FAQ that can answer most questions. DLNR’s Division of Forestry & Wildlife (Map; DOFAW; 587-0062; http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw; Suite 132, 567 S King St, Honolulu) manages Hawaii’s 109,000-acre Natural Area Reserves System (http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/nars); the system’s 19 reserves are open to hiking, but other activities are restricted.
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Hawaii: The Islands of Life has strikingly beautiful photos of the flora, fauna and landscapes being protected by the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, with text by Gavan Daws.
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For a list of Hawaii’s top 20 natural areas, Click here.
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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Environmental concerns are entangled in just about every issue facing Hawaii. However, more people and organizations than ever before are raising environmental alarms, educating the public and working toward solutions.
There is widespread agreement that the two most dire problems facing native landscapes are feral animals (from goats to mongooses) and the introduction and uncontrolled proliferation of invasive, habitat-modifying plants; today, from 20 to 50 new species arrive in Hawaii every year. Even in Hawaii’s most protected areas (national parks and state reserves) inadequate budgets hamper eradication and rehabilitation efforts, and the recession that began in 2008 will slash budgets even more. The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org/hawaii), a nonprofit organization that purchases land to protect rare ecosystems, is very involved in Hawaii, and it has its own ecoregional plan (www.hawaiiecoregionplan.info).
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The Native Hawaiian, grassroots activist organization Kahea (www.kahea.org) tackles a wide range of environment, development and cultural rights issues, such as those surrounding Mauna Kea and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
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In contrast to the land, Hawaii’s coral reefs are comparatively healthy. Overfishing,