A Hui Hou

Written by: Jacob Hakim


 

And so my time as a CRDIP intern at Haleakalā comes to a close. I write this blog entry on my last day of service in the park, working in the office, tying up loose ends and finishing up the last parts of my project. It’s a clear day in the park, though clouds are slowly rolling up from the valley, promising to enclose the lower elevation sections of the park in a dense cloud-fog. 

My last weeks here were eventful, exciting, and inspiring. Aside from presenting to the rest of the DHA cohort, I finished work on the ArcGIS StoryMap, “Talk Story,” which is the culmination of my research this summer. It is a combination of oral history research and interpretive theory that I hope will engage visitors and give a more human look into the history of our park. The StoryMap always has bits and pieces that can be improved, edited, or changed, but as I step away from the park I leave its management in the very capable hands of the cultural resources and interpretation rangers from my team. I also wrote an interpretive pop-up outline based on the oral history project for rangers to use in the future. 

It is hard to say goodbye (though I’m not going far, only a 15-minute flight back to Honolulu), but it is encouraging to look back at the summer and see what I’ve achieved while working as part of the awesome HALE team. Here are some of the measurable outcomes of my internship:

  • 1 “Crater Conundrums” Geology program outline
  • 1 “Talk Story/Oral History” Pop-up program outline
  • 1 interactive ArcGIS StoryMap 
  • 1 new park Oral History webpage (which was created with the help of the Interp rangers!) featuring the StoryMap
  • 2 interactive ArcGIS maps with points of interest, descriptions, and images
  • 4 social media posts
  • CPR and Wilderness First Aid certifications
  • 50+ hours roved
  • 124 formal visitor contacts (Sunrise orientation + Crater Conundrums)
  • 979 informal visitor contacts
  • 16 sunrises viewed
  • 2 project presentations (1 DHA and 1 HALE all-employees brown bag)

As the sun sets on this period in my career in conservation, I am reflecting on all the new things I learned, the people I worked with and learned from, and the new ways I’ve connected with this mountain. My experience as a CRDIP intern has laid down the path to a career in conservation, perhaps with cultural resources management in the NPS. My research this summer was about connecting to the park and its natural resources by studying the stories of others. Now I think I have my own stories to tell – the first of many to come. 

 

 

Jacob Hakim Taking Pic in Front of Haleakalā Crater
Proudly wearing my EPIC attire in front of a strikingly clear view of the crater, 10,000 feet above sea level.

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