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Do you know about The National Park of American Samoa? It is not only the most remote national park in the National Park Service system, it’s also located below the equator. What a biodiversity and cultural gem it is!

Rainforest to Reef

This park spans three islands—Tutuila, Taʻū, and Ofu—and protects tropical rainforest as well as some of the most beautiful coral reef you will ever see or experience (if you go, which you should). A kaleidoscope of fluttery, brightly-colored reef fish dances beneath the sea surface. The stunning, extensive reef has over 900 species of fish, and is also famous for its giant clams. Both the endangered hawksbill and the threatened green sea turtle nest on the park’s beaches and forage in its lagoons—hawksbills prefer sea sponges, and green sea turtles prefer algae.

Two different species of flying foxes, also called fruit bats, might soar gracefully overhead if you’re lucky, on their way to the forest to munch on fruit. Called Peʻālofa & Peʻāvao in Samoan, these large fruit bats are the park’s signature species. As the bats move through the forest they, er, distribute the fruit seeds, which makes them a highly valued forest-building critter. Around the HPPA offices we call them “sky puppies.”

Read more: Below the Equator: The Almost-Secret Wonders of the National Park of American Samoa

On Tuesdays on the sunbaked, windswept Kohala coast of Hawaiʻi Island, at Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, you might hear the low murmur of laughter. Under the lānai (porch, patio) of the visitor center, Ed Dowling is laying out smooth black (lava) and white (coral) pebbles in round little depressions on a gridded board that he may made by hand, himself.

This is kōnane—sometimes casually referred to as “Hawaiian checkers,” though it’s closer in spirit to chess or Go. It’s a traditional game once played by the Hawaiian aliʻi (royal chiefs) to hone their strategic minds (it was also a favorite gambling game). The rules are deceptively simple: leap your opponent’s pieces, one by one, until no moves remain. But what begins as play quickly sharpens into a contest of wits.

Read more: Playing the Game of Hawaiian Royalty: Kōnane with Ed Dowling at Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic...

Melody (Mel) Boehl is the executive director for Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association (HPPA). She has over thirty years of leadership experience and a Bachelor of Science degree, Magna Cum Laude, in business administration. Mel started her professional career with Big Four public accounting firm KPMG, then moved into leadership roles with the large nonprofits Blue Diamond Growers and Sutter Health. Mel and her husband, Andy, moved to Hawai‘i in 2015, where she joined the HPPA ʻohana as the business director before assuming the executive director position in 2022. We are celebrating her 10th anniversary with HPPA this month.

Read more: From the Heart of HPPA: Executive Director Mel Looks at Leadership

Mary Cockett manages and curates our three Haleakalā National Park visitor center stores, so if you have stopped in to any of them in the Summit or Kīpahulu districts, you have "met" her, in a way. Purchases in our park stores support national park programs and projects. We are fortunate to have had Mary using her talent and skills for HPPA for twenty years this month, July, so we thought we would ask her some questions about her time with us!

Mahalo nui loa, Mary, and thank you for all of the hard work and dedication of the last two decades!

Read more: Mission, Momentum, Mary: Celebrating 20 Years at HPPA

When you visit a national park, as you walk, cycle, or drive through the entrance, do you wonder how that park is funded? Especially if it is not charging an entrance fee? Every year, the U.S. Congress allocates funds to the parks in the federal budget, but that allocation falls short of fully covering the costs of running a national park site. How do parks make up the difference?

Some parks charge visitor fees, camping fees, and tour fees, and that helps. Nonprofit cooperating associations, like HPPA, support parks through visitor center park store sales, donation fundraising, and helping to manage grants from state agencies, foundations, or conservation organizations. Philanthropy and corporate sponsorships are also becoming more common ways to get funding to parks. You may also see concession and commercial services like hotels and lodges, restaurants and tours in the parks. They have contracts with the park and pay franchise fees or a percentage of their revenue to operate within the park boundaries.

Do you wonder how you can best support the parks you love? There are lots of ways, and here are just five of them:

Read more: Support What You Love: Five Easy Actions for Park Supporters

My time as an NPS Ranger is filled with memories of meaningful moments, impactful programs, and inspiring people. It's remarkable how each positive interaction extends outward, benefiting families, friends, and communities, ultimately contributing to a better world. While many successful projects have made a difference, the Hawai’i Island Youth Ranger Internship Program stands out as the most challenging and rewarding of my career.

The idea for this program grew from my connection to the communities near the park. Having grown up in a similar environment in Washington, I saw the potential within these communities often limited by job opportunities, transportation issues, and economic hardship. Reflecting on my own experiences, I realized specific things could have greatly improved my circumstances earlier in life.

For instance, I had a significant fear of public speaking, yet I knew I needed a voice to make an impact. Because my parents' jobs lacked personal fulfillment and extra benefits, I didn’t realize that work could be enjoyable and meaningful, offering more than just a paycheck. Navigating my financial future involved a decade of trial, mostly error, and eventually luck.

These thoughts drove me to a clear mission: to show every young person starting out that they can overcome challenges and achieve their goals. This belief became the foundation of the Youth Ranger Program, aiming to reach as many high school students as possible with a message of hope and empowerment.

Read more: Guest Blog by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Ranger Kūpono McDaniel: Celebrating the Hawai’i...

Guest Blog By Niles Deneen • March 14, 2025

How It All Started

Our partnership with Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA) began when Kim Olsen discovered Deneen Pottery at a public lands conference. She was drawn to our commitment to handcrafted quality, sustainability, and supporting public lands. Kim saw an opportunity to pair our work with Haleakalā National Park’s rich natural and cultural heritage, leading to the creation of a custom mug featuring the park’s most iconic symbols—the silversword plant and the nēnē goose.

The Creative Process

Designing the Haleakalā mug was more than just about aesthetics—it was about telling a story. The silversword plant, found only on the slopes of Haleakalā Volcano, symbolizes the park’s fragile and rare ecosystem. The nēnē goose, the Hawaiʻi State Bird, reflects the park’s successful conservation efforts. 

Kim’s input throughout the process ensured that the final product was true to the park’s identity. Her expertise and creative eye helped us strike a balance between artistry and authenticity. The result was a mug that not only looks stunning but also carries the essence of Haleakalā National Park.

The Impact on Visitors

One of the most rewarding aspects of this partnership has been seeing how visitors respond to the Haleakalā National Park mug. Kim has shared stories of park guests expressing excitement when they discover the mug in the gift shop. For many visitors, the mug becomes a tangible reminder of their experience at Haleakalā National Park—a connection to the park’s beauty that they can take home with them.

The mug has also become a symbol of the park’s conservation mission. Every sale supports the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association and their efforts to protect Haleakalā National Park's unique ecosystem. It’s gratifying to know that our work contributes to preserving the park for future generations.

Read more: Guest Blog by Deneen Pottery: Celebrating Our Partnership with Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association

Established in November 14, 2000, the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail winds along the coastline of Hawaiʻi Island, connecting four of the six Hawaiian land divisions called moku, or districts. It braids together fisherman’s trails along the coastline and historic paths through vast lava fields that are remnants of the original Hawaiian ala loa (long way). In some places it intersects the original mountain to ocean trails. The trail runs through sand, rough and tumbled lava fields, through meadows and along natural edges and cliffs. Much of it is unshaded and there is no water for drinking. In some places it has been overlaid with motorized vehicle trails, or been rerouted or even wiped out by natural events like tsunamis or more recent lava flows. Hawaiian archeological sites are found all along its length: please do not disturb them.

Anchialine pools are found in places near the trail, exquisitely delicate brackish pools in the porous lava fields that are fed by ground water and the nearby ocean. They contain small shrimp and other organisms that may be found nowhere else on Earth, and can easily be damaged by sunscreen and other skin and hair products introduced by those who would enter the pools. Tidepools exposed at low tide can harbor hermit and other crabs, anemones and limpets. Birdwatchers will find shorebirds, seabirds, and other native and non-native birds along the trail, and wintertime between November and May can offer spectacular whale watching as the humpbacks arrive in Hawaiian waters to mate and calve.

There is no central visitor center or check-in for the trail, but where the trail traverses the boundaries of fee-charging national parks (Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park) there can be entry fees.

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association park stores located in the visitor centers of the four Hawaiʻi Island national park sites offer water bottles, apparel, and more.
You can also shop the trail here: https://shop.hawaiipacificparks.org/collections/alka

Read more: Have You Travelled the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail?

In October 2024, HPPA began accepting park donations at the registers in our nine national park visitor center stores. By inviting visitors to round up their purchase totals or contribute any amount they wished—and emphasizing that these donations stayed in the parks where they were made—we were grateful and amazed to see national park supporters show their love through their generosity. In just four months, counter donations totaled over $124,000.

Kai, who works the frontline at our Haleakalā National Park Summit District stores, shared some of her thoughts about this new avenue of fundraising for our partners.

Read more: Every Little Bit Counts: Why Donations At National Park Stores Mean So Much

Here Are Some Travel Tips For Exploring Our Partner National Parks of Hawaiʻi!

Hawaiʻi Island and Maui national park sites offer a variety of ecosystems, landscapes, and cultural experiences. Let’s explore, and we will give you a couple of tips about where to stay, too!

Read more: Where Are You Going To Spend Your 2025 National Park Fee-Free Days?