The U.S. Department of the Interior recently celebrated a new facility for the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Hawai’i to support volcano monitoring and ecosystem restoration efforts.
The new facility will house both the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, according to a June 28 news release. The facility will be at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo campus.
“Partnership and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do," Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in the release. "I’m so excited about the collaborations that will be formed in this facility between USGS scientists and personnel, the brilliant faculty and the students who have already accomplished so much."
At the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory laboratory, earthquakes and active volcanoes in the state are monitored and assessed. The laboratory issues warnings when necessary. According to the HVO website, it was founded in 1912, by Thomas A. Jaggar.
At the Pacific Islands Ecosystem Research Center, staff members and researchers provide the scientific knowledge that can be used to preserve Hawaii’s natural resources, its website reported.
"As we celebrate this facility today, we celebrate the enduring relationship it represents for the Department of the Interior and the community at large, as well as and the benefits this partnership will bring long after our time doing this important work is done,” Haaland added according to the release.
Education officials also spoke positively about the partnership, the release said.
“UH Hilo has a long and rewarding relationship with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, and I am excited for the additional opportunities their presence on campus will have for research partnerships and student internships," Bonnie D. Irwin, chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i – Hilo, said in the release. "Working side-by-side with professionals in the field is an invaluable complement to the education students receive at our university.”
“We selected this location because of its unique qualities and partnership opportunities. One quality in particular that is critical to our future success is access to a very precious resource: students who can become our next-generation workforce, helping bring science to bear on some of the most challenging issues facing our nation and the planet,” USGS Director David Applegate said in the release.
In May, the USGS released a finding of no significant impact and environmental assessment for the USGS Hilo research facility. According to a news release, the facility will be on 6.8 acres of property owned by the state of Hawaii. It notes part of the reason for the new facility is replacement of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory buildings in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that were damaged in the 2018 Kiluea eruption.
