Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will host several Hawaiian culture and After Dark in the Park programs in April. Programs are free, but park entrance fees apply.
Park rangers show the basics of how to play the ukulele from 10 a.m. to noon April 6 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai.
A talk titled, “The Return of the Alala,” will discuss the Hawaiian crown, and successful captive breeding and conservation efforts have helped to rescue this native Hawaiian species from the brink of extinction. The event is at 7 p.m. April 12 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium.
Free entry will be offered at all national parks from April 16-24, which is National Park Week. The National Park Service, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park celebrate their 100th anniversary this year.
Keiki 17 years old and younger are invited to join park rangers for a fun day of discovery in the park’s Kahuku Unit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 16. Participants will hike the lower Palm Trail and learn to make traditional string figures called hei. Call 985-6019 to register and sign up for a free lunch by Thursday.
Haunani’s Aloha Expressions will offer a hula performance from 6:30 to 8 p.m. April 20 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. The group is comprised of an all-Hawaiian volunteer group of kane and wahine kupuna 70 to over 90 years old, singing and dancing hapa-haole mele and hula.
A Centennial Series After Dark in the Park, “What Makes a Species Invasive,” will be at 7 p.m. April 26 in the Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Park ecologist David Benitez will explain what makes a species invasive, tell about some of the most unwanted invasive species in the park, Hawaii and around the world, and explain what you can do to stop their spread.
Staff from the park’s nonprofit partner, the Hawai Pacific Parks Association, will make, and demonstrate how to play the ohe hano ihu (Hawaiian nose flute). In addition, visitors can learn to create designs on a bamboo stamp, or ohe kapala. The workshop is from 10 a.m. to noon April 27 on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai.
Park volunteers Paul and Jane Field will guide participants in lopping invasive Himalayan ginger from the native Hawaiian rainforest at the summit of Kilauea at 9 a.m. April 30. Attendees should bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks and water. Gloves and tools are provided. Meet near the flagpole outside the Kilauea Visitor Center.