Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is reaching out for public comment as it moves forward with replacing and repairing buildings and facilities lost during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea.
The national park and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are working to refine four initial design concepts developed under the recovery project. In addition to replacing critical park infrastructure, the project also includes plans for the potential future use of the Uekahuna Bluff area, a site considered sacred to many Native Hawaiians and other groups.
Jaggar Museum, which sits on the edge of the Kilauea Caldera, suffered structural damage during the eruption and corresponding tremors. Park officials say that has placed additional burdens on the Kilauea Visitor Center, which is too small to handle the traffic. The proposed plans for the visitor center range from renovation to rebuilding the facility elsewhere in the park. The plans also include a replacement for a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory that was damaged during the eruptions.
From May to August 2018, the eruption of Kilauea triggered more than 60,000 earthquakes and spewed clouds of rock and ash into the sky, the cumulative damage making it the most destructive eruptive events in Hawaii in the last two centuries.
"Hawaii Volcanoes National Park belongs to everyone, and to our future generations," Hawaii Volcanoes National Park acting superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement. "We need to hear from our community and stakeholders about what they envision for their moopuna, their grandchildren, and the generations that will follow."
The public comment period is scheduled to run through June 15, and to slow the spread of Covid-19, all civic engagement is taking place online at this time. The National Park Service will then use community feedback received to determine which concept will be the proposed concept.
Click here to view and comment on the four design concepts.