In its third year, Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s “Guardians of the Trails Youth Intern Program” was awarded an additional $60,000.

The National Park Foundation awarded $35k and Ms. Helen Wright provided an individual donation of $25k. This is the second 25k donation Mrs. Wright has made to the Friends.

This year, funds provide a five month paid salary to Hawai’i island youth to work in the park maintaining and rehabbing trails, as well as removing 300,000 invasive ginger plants. Led by Friendʻs Guardians of the Trails Youth Supervisor, Moses Espaniola, III, this yearʻs program starts July 1, 2022 and will run through December 5, 2022.

In 2020, the Friends started the program with a grant from the National Park Foundation of $150k. These funds employed 6 youth, the purchase of a brand new 11 passenger van and equipment. The program was successful and operated during COVID. In 2021, the program operated its second successful program during COVID.

Photo credit: FHVNP/Lynette Smith