EP 76 Biologist Sierra McDaniel on conserving the inheritance of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
From Land and People by Melissa Chimera
May 30, 2026 · 55 min · Season 4 · Episode 76
About this episode
Sierra McDaniel discusses the challenges of conserving ecosystems and cultural values at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Sierra McDaniel is the resources management program manager at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, having worked at the park for 25 years. She first came to Hawaiʻi as a biology undergraduate and then entered the University of Hawaiʻi at Hiloʻs Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science masters program. She speaks to the challenges of working to conserve ecosystems, endangered species, and cultural values across the 354,461 acres, a place that hosts over 1.5 million visitors annually. We get into the challenges of changing ecosystems in response to fire on the landscape, the value of grounding the biological conservation work in Hawaiian lifeways and what it means to be in a place where volcanic eruptions are a constant presence.
People in this episode
Host: Melissa Chimera
Guest: Sierra McDaniel
Topics covered
- conservation
- ecosystems
- endangered species
- Hawaiian culture
- volcanic eruptions
Keywords
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- conservation
- ecosystems
- endangered species
- Hawaiian lifeways
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Places: Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
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