HVO staff has grown from one geologist, Thomas A. Jaggar, in 1912 to more than 30 people today. This team includes scientists and specialists in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, field engineering and telemetry, information technology, administration, public communications and more. Hundreds of volunteers, students, and visiting scientists — many from the University of Hawaii — have also provided valuable assistance to HVO through the years.

Mark your calendar and don’t miss the Kona Orchid Society Orchid Show and Plant Sale Saturday, May 13 at the Old Kona Airport from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Of course there will be orchids but there will also be air plants, Proteas, cactus, fruit trees, water plants as well as herb and vegetable plants. There will also be jams, jewelry, pots and folks to answer your plant questions.

Leading up to the Big Island Chocolate Festival Gala on Saturday at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa are three days of chocolate events.

The recent 2022 Mauna Loa eruption began just before midnight, at 11:21 p.m. on November 27. The first caldera floor fissures were visible in webcams; however, the activity propagated south, outside of the view of the webcams, in the initial hours of activity.

In Hawaii, Earth Day is every day! This year is an amazing one with Easter, Earth Day, the Merry Monarch Festival and the Hawaii Chocolate Festival all happening at this time. What they have in common is that they all relate to the rebirth, renaissance and the evolution of life and culture. Our Hawaiian gardens also represent the continuing influence of many diverse cultures creating a new experience. The earliest gardens were composed of plants Polynesians brought with them from Asia, the vast Pacific and even South America. It is theorized that the first people may have come from Africa to Taiwan and between, thousands of years ago. This mix of ethnicities is extremely complicated and continues to this day as we share our islands.