Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park

In 2020 Harpers Ferry Center (HFC) won eight awards at WorldFest Houston. Many of these can be viewed over the summer through our upcoming film festival in celebration of HFC’s 50th Anniversary. (Note: The Special Jury REMI Award is given for a ranking of A+ and recognizes the top films in each category.)

How unique marine assemblages at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park provide an excellent opportunity to study nutrient inputs into nearshore waters, and its influence on benthic communities and the associated fish assemblage.

Anchialine pools are unique aquatic ecosystems where water pools in the crevices and cracks of lava near shore. They are made up of brackish water - a mixture of fresh groundwater that comes from the rain on the mountain, filtered through porous lava rock and salt water that is linked to the ocean by subterranean tunnels. Water levels in the pools often fluctuate in response to ocean tides due to the coastal location and connection with the ocean.

Learn about birds, the importance of beak shape and size, and what type of food they eat with the fun, interactive activity!

As climate changes, significant changes in weather conditions impact the natural environment by shifting patterns of precipitation, promoting extremes in storm behavior, and influencing bird migration, invasive species spread, coral reef decline, and much more. The Pacific Island Network (PACN) undertakes systematic long-term monitoring of a wide variety of natural resources to accurately determine if change is occurring and why.

The evolutionary record from previous climate perturbations indicates that marine mammals are highly vulnerable but also remarkably adaptable to climatic change in coastal ecosystems. Consequently, national parks in the Pacific, from Alaska to Hawaii, are faced with potentially dramatic changes in their marine mammal fauna, especially pinnipeds (seals and sea lions).

Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, on the west side of the island of Hawaii, was established in 1978 to preserve, interpret, and perpetuate traditional Native Hawaiian culture and activities. Vital to this mission are a variety of culturally and ecologically significant resources that are dependent on water.

In this video a new generation of native Hawaiians express the importance of carrying on their traditions.