Ken Burns’ series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” includes Hawaii Volcanoes National Park footage shot by Buddy Squires and Dayton Duncan in the lava fields at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The series debuts at 7 p.m. Sunday, and repeats at 9 p.m. Sunday on PBS Hawaii, Channel 10. It continues at 7:30 p.m. (repeating at 9:30 p.m.) each night, Monday through Friday.
On Tuesday, footage of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalä National Park will be shown as part of “Empire of Grandeur.”
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will screen "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday in the Kïlauea Visitor Center
auditorium.

'AWED' BY VOLCANO

Squires and Duncan, the videographer and writer, said they were awed by the lava plunging into the Pacific Ocean at Volcanoes National Park.
The team’s footage in the “Empire of Grandeur” segment highlights Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalä National Park on Maui.
Viewers will also catch a glimpse of the lava flows as part of “The National Parks” series’ opening montage.

ISLAND STUDENTS CREATE FILMS

The Burns’ series helped funnel grant funding to the parks, via the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the National Park Foundation. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was awarded $15,000.
The grant allowed Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Hawaiii Natural History Association and others to set up summer workshops on how to shoot and edit short films about the park for Big Island students in grades 7 through 12.
Hawaii Forest & Trail, Hawaiian Walkways and KapohoKine Hawaii Adventure Tours provided transportation and drove the students intothe Big Island communities such as Naalehu, Pahoa and Kalapana to shoot their movies.
A tech-bus was fitted out with iMac computers donated by Friends of the Future. independent filmmaker and “Kamaaina Backroads” producer Roland Torres provided expertise on shooting and editing.
Ten students completed movies shown at “Digital Mountain 2009 Academy Awards,” a mini film festival held Sept. 19 in the park.