10 Years of Ocean Protection: Stories & Photos

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center Participates in 8th Hilo Black & White Night

With a prominent location on Kamehameha Avenue on Hilo’s historic bayfront, the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center gets about 65,000 visitors each year. On one night each year however, the popular center sees an entire week’s worth of visitors all at once. On November 5, 2010, Hilo’s 8th annual Black and White Night brought thousands of people to what is often described as “one big strolling party.”

An article prior to the event in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser quotes the executive director of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association. Alice Moon said, “Something will be happening on every, block, around every corner.” Black and White Night involved more than 80 shops and restaurants in the four-by-six block downtown area.

In the center of it all is the Center. It is the primary visitor’s venue for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the nearly 140,000 square-mile World Heritage site covering the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. At Mokupāpapa, adults and children alike learn about the pristine nature of the region, something about its thousands upon thousands of rare and unique marine and terrestrial species and about what they can do in their personal lives to help protect and preserve environments like Papahānaumokuākea. It’s hoped they walk away from the experience with a rich and deeper understanding and appreciation for truly special places like Papahānaumokuākea.

During the 8th Hilo Black and White Night, one of the focuses for staff at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center was the 10th anniversary of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. Established by Presidential Executive Order in 2000, the Reserve the creation of the Reserve is widely recognized as a bold and pivotal step in ocean protection. The Reserve paved the way for the creation of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in 2006. Nearly 800 people, many of them dressed in black and white, visited the Center during the event.

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center opened in 2003 and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9AM to 4PM, excluding federal holidays. Admission is free.