County heightens efforts to curb uptick in lava viewing violations

KAILUA-KONA — Mayor Harry Kim convened a meeting last week with Hawaii County Civil Defense and officials at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to discuss how to better protect visitors to Kilauea’s 61g lava flow, currently the most popular tourist attraction in the state.

Attendees at the meeting discussed issues from an uptick in violations to familiar lapses in common sense, such as visitors making the trek to surface flows or the ocean entry wearing slippers and without any water to protect against dehydration.

“The purpose of the meeting was to see how we can be better in keeping people from killing themselves,” said Kim, who recounted an instance from his time as Civil Defense director when two young women who’d tried to crawl away from danger were found “cooked to death.”

“It’s amazing how many people can get hurt out there,” Kim added.

NPS Chief Ranger John Broward noted five fatalities directly related to lava viewing between the 1990s and early 2000s, the last of which was recorded in 2002. In each instance, those who died were in violation of park rules, their deaths occurring in areas closed by the park due to an increased risk of life-threatening hazards.

The greatest concern involves areas of lava ocean entry, where delta collapses are common, Broward said. Debris from such events at the current ocean entry can be flung in all directions up to a distance of 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet), according to the most recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

High concentrations of sulfur dioxide and Hawaii Island’s temperamental wind patterns also pose a serious threat.

As of Monday, the barrier around the ocean entry is 300 meters based on USGS recommendations, and Broward said there are no plans to increase the buffer zone or implement additional restrictions at this time.

“At this point, we have no plans to close this (viewing) area,” said Jessica Ferracane, public affairs specialist with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

“We understand our visitors are drawn to lava. That’s what separates this island from any other in Hawaii, and that’s a once in a lifetime experience. Our message to people is to please only stay in the open areas. Don’t go into closed areas. We don’t want this once in a lifetime experience to be last experience they have,” she said.

Since the 61g event began, no fatalities or incidents of serious injury have been reported. Broward attributed that to the vigilance with which rangers have patrolled the area, often pulling resources from other parts of the park to increase enforcement.

While a greater presence of park rangers has helped curb the threat of death or serious injury, it hasn’t stopped some lava viewers from getting a little too adventurous for their own good.

“When (61g) started, we definitely started seeing an uptick in violations for all kind of things,” Broward said.

Rangers have issued 70 citations for various infractions in the park since the most recent delta collapse on New Year’s Day, along with several more verbal warnings. The vast majority of those, Broward said, have involved visitors wandering into restricted areas.

Ferracane added there has also been increased incidents of other illegal activities, which may not be as well-known among the public.

“People are bringing dogs out there and other pets. It’s illegal to do that … and it’s also unkind. It’s a very harsh environment,” she said. “You’re also not supposed to fly unmanned aerial systems in any national park really. We’ve had an uptick in drone use in that area and violations in that regard, as well.”

Broward mentioned that the new 61g surface flows, which are only about a week old, present a double-edged sword, as have their predecessors.

Surface flows are generally regarded as less dangerous than ocean entries, he explained, and allow visitors to get “up close and personal” with the lava at a considerably decreased risk.

But when those flows snake their way into areas that pose potential geological hazards, which can include explosions, the normally benign viewing experience becomes more perilous.

He said there is no evidence the newest 61g flows will make their way into any such areas, but if they do, that could prompt unforeseen closures of certain portions of the park.

Kim, Broward and Ferracane all expressed surprise at the continued mistakes park visitors make when it comes to personal safety measures — errors that aren’t illegal, but can prove dangerous.

The park is open 24 hours a day, and the ocean entry and surface flows can be accessed from the park side at any time, or from the Kalapana side from 3-9 p.m.

Both jaunts to the lava are extensive — roughly 8 miles round trip from the Kalapana access point and 10-plus miles from the park side. Ferracane said there are a handful of measures every visitor should take to protect themselves on such a long hike.

She suggested sturdy, close-toed shoes or boots, gloves, long pants, three to four liters (about a gallon) of water per person, sunglasses, sunblock and a hat. Finally, she said, even if those who make the trek aren’t planning to be there at night, everyone should carry a flashlight at all times, just in case plans change.

“People need to be prepared,” she said.