HVNP Offers ‘Junior Ranger’ Certification to Kick-off National Park Week

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will offer keiki the opportunity to connect with their national park and World Heritage Site by becoming a Junior Ranger on Saturday, April 18, in celebration of Junior Ranger Day and International Day on Monuments and Sites.

The free weekend event begins National Park Week, running April 18-26.  This year’s theme is “Find Your Park”, and celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.  Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will also celebrate its centennial next year.

Handbooks and park information will be available at a Junior Ranger station at the Kīlauea Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jaggar Museum observation lookout.  Kids who complete a ranger handbook will earn a badge, certificate, and will be sworn in as a National Park Junior Ranger.

Keiki become Junior Rangers in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National
Park/NPS Photo.

“As the park approaches its centennial anniversary in 2016, our most important goal is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. Every keiki who becomes a junior ranger helps ensure the future of their national parks, which serve as the model for heritage sites worldwide,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando.