Kahuku Site Management Plan Story Map

The National Park Service (NPS) at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is preparing a comprehensive Site Management Plan for the NPS managed area of Kahuku referred to as the Kahuku Unit. This unit of the park is composed of three sub-areas: Upper Kahuku, Lower Kahuku, and Kahuku-Pōhue.

Together these areas straddle the Southwest Rift Zone of Maunaloa and extend across lava fields, coastal areas, pastures, forests, shrublands and mesic, subalpine, and desert environments in the Kaʻū District of Hawaiʻi County. The unit includes habitat for several species of federally listed endangered plants and animals and contains numerous cultural resources, including archeological sites, historic structures, ethnographic resources, and sacred sites.

This Story Map provides an overview of the purpose of the Site Management Plan, background on the relationship of NPS and Kahuku, some initial thoughts on how this place could be experienced and protected, and information on the planning process and how you can participate. Scroll through the Story Map to learn about each of these topics or use the heading links to jump to different sections.

In 2022, park managers held three public meetings and also met with focus groups and local organizations regarding the Kahuku-Pōhue acquisition. We seek further input on this overall site management plan for the Kahuku Unit which includes Kahuku-Pōhue. The input we receive on the provided potential management strategies will help inform the draft Kahuku Unit Site Management Plan that we will seek further input on in the future.

Please view the Story Map here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b644878ad55a4f75bac61f0098a93782

We look forward to hearing from you!

Document Content:

Kahuku-Desired-Conditions_Final.pdf   (12.3 MB, PDF file) Kahuku-SMP-Story-Map-PDF_Final.pdf   (10.7 MB, PDF file) https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b644878ad55a4f75bac61f0098a93782    Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.