Students intern at Volcanoes National Park

By COLIN M. STEWART

Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

Tyler Atwood was a high school junior looking for a summer job. A trusted teacher at Ka‘u High recommended that he look into a youth internship program offered by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. He had his interview that day, and he hasn’t looked back since, he said.

“I got into the program, and I knew … this was what I wanted to do pretty early on. It was an incredible opportunity. I never thought I’d work in a national park a day in my life,” he said Thursday morning. “But I went out, and started absorbing what they were telling me, and it just kinda sunk in. I thought, hey, I know what I’m doing. They opened my eyes to a lot of things.”

Now a senior, the 18-year-old works part-time as a park ranger at HVNP, and his job has had a profound effect on his outlook on his home island.

“Before, I used to see trees and that’s it. Now, each individual tree has a name. But the names aren’t even so much important as the story that goes along with it. I now look at the forests, beaches, volcanoes and stars with complete appreciation,” he said.

Giving East Hawaii students the opportunity to learn like Atwood did about the Big Isle is exactly what the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Youth Internship Program is all about, said Park Ranger Kupono McDaniel.

“I’m Hawaiian, and I came in (on staff at Volcanoes National Park) through the University of Hawaii at Hilo,” he said. “And ever since I first walked in here, I realized that there’s pretty light local traffic. Locals can come any time, and a lot of times it’s taken for granted. When they do come and they have a good experience, it really makes a difference. It’s critical that locals view us favorably.”

Getting more area residents to appreciate the natural wonders in their own back yard, and then help to represent that wonder to the rest of the world is a central mission for him, McDaniel said. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people can come through the gate at the park a day, he said, and that’s a wonderful chance to showcase all that Hawaii has to offer to the world.

This year, the three-year-old youth intern program was given an even larger opportunity to expand that impact, receiving $330,000 through the National Park Service to fund the paid internships, he said. Whereas the program was previously only available to high school students in Ka‘u, it will now include Puna high school students and students from UHH and Hawaii Community College, as well. Last week, a record 52 East Hawaii students began training for the internships, which will run from the end of May to August.

Of that group, 32 will be hired on, earning $10 an hour. They will serve as park rangers, cultural and natural resources staff, or protection team members. Through their jobs, they will have the opportunity to share their newly gained insights on Hawaii’s resources to hundreds of thousands of park visitors during the busy summer months, according to a park spokeswoman.

DeAnn Nishimura, 18, a senior at Keaau High, said she’s already thrilled with the training, and is looking forward to the internship. An aspiring biologist and environmental scientist, Nishimura anticipates studying at North Arizona University after graduation.

After that, “I want to come back to Hawaii to replenish what we have here,” she said. “This gives me the opportunity to see what my likes and strengths are. Yesterday, we learned the differences between native and non-native plants. That’s what I want to get involved in.”

In addition to the paid internships, there are plenty of other opportunities to volunteer at the park, McDaniel said. For more information, visit volunteer.gov, or call Laura Williams at 985-6304.