Volcano park land
acquisition completed

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Associated Press

VOLCANO, Hawaii >> Negotiations to acquire land that will increase Hawaii Volcanoes National Park by 50 percent are complete, park officials said.

Park Superintendent Jim Martin said he hoped to open the 115,000-acre addition to the park as soon as possible after the acquisition is complete.

The Big Island park already includes 229,000 acres.

Martin would not disclose the price paid for the sprawling Kahuku Ranch, but it is illegal for the government to pay more than the property's appraised value of $22 million.

About $16 million was appropriated for the purchase, including $8.5 million approved by President Bush on Feb. 20.

The Nature Conservancy has agreed to cover any shortfall in funding for the acquisition and would likely be reimbursed by the federal government next year.

"This is such a spectacular piece of land," said Rob Schallenberger, conservation director for the conservancy on the Big Island. "It's a wonderful, intact, functioning ecosystem."

Martin said he hoped to have a park ranger or other form of continuous presence on the land within a year of the acquisition.

Another priority would be to build fences around the most environmentally fragile areas, Martin said.

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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park