Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced a temporary closure of Pu‘u Pua‘i overlook to protect breeding nene — endangered Hawaiian geese.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced a temporary closure of Pu‘u Pua‘i overlook to protect breeding nene — endangered Hawaiian geese.
Pu‘u Pua‘i is a “massive reddish-brown cinder cone that formed during an eruption at Kilauea Iki crater in 1959.”
The gate at the Pu‘u Pua‘i parking lot is locked.
However, visitors are still allowed to hike 0.4 of a mile from the Devastation Trail parking lot to a trail sign marking the closure.
The nene population dropped to 30 birds in all Hawaii in 1952.
But Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has worked to help the birds recover since the 1970s.
Now, more than 250 birds live in the park from sea level to 8,000 feet, and more than 2,500 birds exist statewide.