Press Releases

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
July 8, 2025
Contact: Judy Edwards
Communications Manager
808-747-6572
(fax) 808-985-7333

Visitors to National Parks Give Big—Over $300,000 in Donations to Support Hawaiʻi and American Samoa Parks
Checkout donations hit record high, showing strong visitor commitment to conservation and culture.

National parks visitors have made an incredible difference, generously donating over $300,000 since October, 2024, at Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA) visitor center stores in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa during the checkout process. Every dollar given stays in the park where it was donated, helping to care for these priceless places—supporting wildlife like nēnē (Hawaiian geese) at Haleakalā and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes national parks, preserving cultural sites like the great heiau (temple) at Puʻukoholā National Historic Site, and enhancing the visitor experience.

Executive Director Mel Boehl says, “This incredible $300,000 milestone is a testament to the love people have for these national parks. HPPA extends a heartfelt mahalo to every visitor who chose to give back—you are helping to keep these places special for generations to come.”

HPPA has worked in partnership with the National Park Service for more than 91 years, and currently helps to support seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa.

HPPA Sales Director Michelle Augello adds, “HPPA is proud to pass 100% of these donations directly to the national parks where they are given. It is wonderful to see such strong support for national parks and for the vital work of protecting and preserving these treasured places for the future.

For anyone wishing to donate who cannot visit the parks at this time: https://hawaiipacificparks.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/hawaiipacificparks/donation.jsp

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $32 million in support to parks since 1933. 

Follow us on Instagram: @hawaiipacificparks, Facebook: @Hawaii.Pacific.Parks.Association, and Bluesky: @hawaiipacificparks to see how your donations help protect these special places.
www.hawaiipacificparks.org

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
March 3, 2025
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Manager

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

Hawaiʻi-based National Parks Nonprofit Partner Brings Home Innovative Product of the Year Award

The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) has announced the recipients of its 2025 Partnership Awards, which celebrate the best in public lands partnerships, at the annual PLA Convention and Annual Trade Show. These awards honor leading-edge achievements in the preservation of public lands and the enrichment of the visitor experience.

Innovative Product Award
Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA)
The innovative product award recognizes an interpretive product of any medium created in partnership by a nonprofit organization or land management agency that embodies a path-breaking approach to achieve a public lands mission.

•    Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association 3D Kits of 10 Hawaiʻi Native Species and a Polynesian Voyaging Canoe, in partnership with Little and Wood.
HPPA Creative Services Director Kim Olsen says, Developed in collaboration with Little and Wood, this collection goes beyond a traditional educational item—it offers a truly innovative experience. With each 3D kit, people of all ages get the opportunity to build and engage with unique species and a Polynesian canoe, fostering a deeper, more meaningful, and lasting connection.

HPPA Executive Director Mel Boehl adds, Our national park store products and interpretative information are consistently recognized by the National Park Service (NPS) leadership and PLA as being among the best. It is a joy to see how well the Little and Wood kits are being received by park visitors. 

Find these Little and Wood 3D kits at Hawaiʻi national parks visitor center park stores and online at: https://shop.hawaiipacificparks.org/collections/games-and-activities

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $32 million in support to parks since 1933.
www.hawaiipacificparks.org

The Public Lands Alliance (PLA) protects America's public lands by supporting and empowering the local, nonprofit partner organizations dedicated to their conservation. Its members are nonprofit organizations that have a formal partnership with a land management agency to support parks, forests, wildlife refuges, conservation areas, and other public lands sites. PLA members serve more than 675 public lands sites nationwide in cooperation with their land management agency partners, and they raise $250 million annually to support those lands.
https://www.publiclandsalliance.org/home

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
December 16, 2024
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  (fax) 808-985-7333

Hawai'i Pacific Parks Association to Temporarily Relocate Popular Visitor Center Park Store to Kīlauea Military Camp (KMC)

The Hawai'i Pacific Parks Association (HPPA), a nonprofit partner supporting Hawaiʻi and American Samoa national parks, will temporarily relocate its popular sales operations from the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center after its temporarly closure on February 17, 2025. The store, and park visitor services, will relocate 1.2 miles west to a welcome center at Kilauea Military Camp’s Koa Room, adjacent to the lobby. Store and NPS (National Park Service) visitor services doors at KMC will open a few days after the visitor center closes. HPPA staff is pleased to keep working alongside NPS rangers to meet visitor needs for the estimated two years of construction. 

This move is necessary to accommodate upcoming national park facility upgrades and renovations at the visitor center. It will allow HPPA to continue offering retail sales services to park visitors without interruption until the new park visitor center is ready. Proceeds directly contribute to preservation, education, and interpretation initiatives in the park.

HPPA invites all visitors to continue supporting Hawaiʻi national parks by visiting the temporary location or exploring HPPA’s online store: https://shop.hawaiipacificparks.org.

Bookmark this webpage for park construction updates:
https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/construction-closures.htm. 
 
Al Galiza, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park area manager, says, “Change, like the ever-evolving landscape of Kīlauea Volcano, brings new opportunities. We are excited for the upcoming partnership with KMC and look forward to continuing to provide our visitors with memorable keepsakes of their time at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.”

Mel Boehl, executive director, says, “HPPA is excited about the KVC remodeling project as we know the updated facilities will result in an expanded interpretive product line and an enhanced visitor experience. Mahalo nui to KMC and NPS for their partnership in finding a good solution for a temporary visitor center and park store. The use of the Koa Room at KMC will allow us to provide the same level of high-quality interpretive products and visitor services as we have done at the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center for the past ninety years.” 

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $26 million in support to national parks since 1933.
www.hawaiipacificparks.org

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
January 25, 2024
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

“90 For 90” Challenge Smashes Goals For National Park Support

Since our founding in 1933, HPPA has been a dedicated National Park Service partner with a mission to support the preservation, interpretation, and educational programs of national parks and historic sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa.

Over the past 90 years, HPPA has raised tens of millions of dollars to support vital national parks projects and programs.

In 2023, to celebrate our 90th anniversary, we challenged ourselves to fundraise $90,000 in donations through our Maui and Hawaiʻi Island national park stores by December 31, 2023. All donations raised at the park stay with that park. We called it the “90 For 90” Challenge.

That ambitous goal was met on December first, yet we continued to accept donations until December 31st, 2023, as planned. Having exceeded our original goal, we are so excited to share that the final donation amount going to our partner parks is: $106,125!

"As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we reflect on the incredible impact that HPPA has made over the past nine decades," says HPPA Executive Director Mel Boehl. "We are grateful to our partners, supporters, and the dedicated staff who have helped us achieve our mission and ensure that our national parks are supported for generations to come."

As HPPA looks to the future, we remain committed to our mission, are grateful for our partners and supporters, and look forward to the next 90 years! 

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $26 million in support to national parks since 1933.
www.hawaiipacificparks.org

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2023
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association Celebrate $10,000 Donation from Parks Project, Pays It Forward

To celebrate a recent apparel collection designed around Hawaiian volcanoes and the ecosystems they create, the company Parks Project donated $10,000 to the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association (HPPA) to support our mission: With the spirit of aloha, to inspire the discovery and stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of Pacific island parks.

HPPA is proud to announce that we will then donate these funds directly to our partner Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in order that the park may meet future volcanic eruption response needs, and for ongoing support of the federally endangered Hawaiian petrel. Surveys for the petrel require that park staff work in harsh, remote, high elevation Mauna Loa nesting areas.

HPPA Executive Directer Mel Boehl says, “This generous donation from Parks Project goes hand in hand with our longtime support of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s wildlife and other programs over the decades.”

To learn more about Parks Project: www.parksproject.us

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $26 million in support to national parks since 1933.

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
June 8, 2023
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

The Generosity Of Hawaiʻi Drivers Support Hawaiian Geese At National Parks

If you paid a little extra for that Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park license plate at the Hawaiʻi Department of Motor Vehicles, you just helped support nēnē, Hawaiian endemic geese, at the park with a donation of $60,000, delivered recently by HPPA Executive Director Mel Boehl to the park’s Resources Management Division. The Nēnē Monitoring Program at the park will evaluate monitoring strategy and complete a monitoring protocol report. The plates program is administered by the DMV.

Perhaps 25,000 nēnē existed in Hawaiʻi when Captain Cook arrived in 1778. By the mid 1940s, only 50 birds remained. In the 1970s, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park began a captive nēnē breeding and reintroduction program. National park staff use a variety of techniques to improve nēnē breeding success: controlling predators in nesting habitat, mowing pastures, closing sensitive brooding areas to the public, and maintaining predator-resistant enclosures in which free-flying birds can rest, feed, or nest.

The specialty license plates in Hawaiʻi were authorized by a 2015 state law to raise funds for resource protection and education projects at Hawai‘i Volcanoes and Haleakalā national parks. The plates feature volcanic views of Kīlauea erupting, and rare native species like the nēnē (Hawaiian goose) and the Haleakalā silversword plant. The specialty license plate program has raised over $600,000 and counting.

Mahalo to the community for taking the extra step and choosing to show their support for the work of our partner Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park! Other national parks that currently benefit from specialty license plate programs include Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Crater Lake National Park, and Yosemite National Park.  

To learn more about Hawaiʻi specialty license plates: https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/departments/finance/vehicle-registration-licensing/motor-vehicles-general-information/replacement-special-license-plates

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $26 million in support to national parks since 1933.

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2023
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

Hawaiʻi Nonprofit Partner Association (HPPA) Welcomes Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to Partnership ʻOhana

We are excited to announce that a partnership with Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail has been approved. Partnership means that we will develop and carry Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail sales items in our visitor center park stores and online store, and that we will be positioned to help support important programs and projects through HPPA donations.

HPPA Executive Direct Mel Boehl says, “We are excited to have Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail join our partnership. This was an easy yes for HPPA! The trail is an integral part of Hawaii's national park system and of Hawaiian history. This partnership will allow us to expand our interpretive products and services, which will further our mission to inspire and connect visitors and the community to national park sites in the Pacific region, and to Hawaiian culture. We look forward to working with Superintendent Aric Arakaki and his team to support their interpretive programs.”

The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail was established in 2000 and is administered by the National Park Service. This "trail by the sea" traverses wahi pana (storied landscapes), ancient Hawaiian sites, and over 200 ahupuaʻa (traditional land divisions). It follows 175 miles of Hawaiʻi Island’s diverse coast, and eventually will connect the island’s four national park sites. These are: Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Superintendent Aric Arakaki says, "Mahalo a nui loa to the HPPA board of directors, staff, and NPS parks in Hawaii for welcoming the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail into this partnership ‘ohana! Hawaii’s trails have been in continuous use from when they were created centuries ago till today. We’re looking forward to working with HPPA to enhance, educate, and engage visitors and our communities on and with our parks and trail. "  

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of seven national park sites in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $26 million in support to national parks since 1933.

Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association News Release
For Immediate Release
March 8th, 2022
Contact: Judy Edwards

Communications Specialist

808-747-6572  
(fax) 808-985-7333

Specialty Park License Plate Donation To Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Tops $153,000

Hawaii’s first specialty license plates, with their lava flows and nēnē geese, were authorized by a 2015 state law to raise funds for resource protection and education projects at Haleakalā and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Parks. The specialty license plate program revenues are distributed by Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association (HPPA).

On February 28th, 2022, HPPA was thrilled to present a check to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh for $153,356. These funds will be dedicated to supporting the ʻIke Hana Noʻeau (Experience the Skillful Work) craft demonstrations and workshops through video. These popular workshops were, in pre-pandemic years, open to visitors on the park lānai for instruction in such Hawaiian arts and crafts as lei making, lauhala weaving, hula, and much more. Now the park hopes to develop ʻIke Hana Noʻeau instructional videos to be available online for everyone, around the world.

Other national parks that currently benefit from specialty license plate programs include Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Crater Lake National Park, and Yosemite National Park.  

For more information on how to purchase a specialty plate, visit https://vehicleregistrationlicensing.as.me/specialtyplates.

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HPPA is the nonprofit partner of six national parks in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Proceeds from our visitor center park stores and online shop have contributed over $22 million in support to national parks since 1933.