A vehicle went off the road near the summit of Haleakala and ended up on Keonehe’ehe’e Trail, running over and killing several endangered silverswords and damaging the historic trail late Friday night or early Saturday morning, national park officials said.

Haleakala law enforcement rangers observed the tire tracks in the cinders leading into Haleakala Crater and down part of the trail, also known as Sliding Sands Trail, on Saturday morning.

“Those responsible not only killed a federally protected species and damaged a historic resource, but also impacted the scenery at the summit for years to come,” said park Chief Ranger Ari Wong in a news release Tuesday. “Those tire tracks in the cinder will take years to disappear.”

The driver appears to have gone off the road about a quarter mile from the Keonehe’ehe’e Trailhead, said Jin Prugsawan, public information officer and chief of interpretation and education at Haleakala National Park. The driver was not on a marked trail at first, then proceeded down into the crater on the trail, damaging about 270 feet, including sections of the switchbacks.

The historic trail, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934, is one of two major pathways down into the crater and is a popular access point near the summit of the 10,000-foot mountain.

Prugsawan said the incident appears to be a deliberate act of vandalism. The investigation is ongoing, but there is clear damage to resources along the trail, to the trail and to the silverswords, a federally listed threatened plant that grows nowhere else in the world.

The most serious potential crimes involve Endangered Species Act violations, which carry a maximum penalty of a year in jail and up to a $50,000 fine per offense, Prugsawan said.

When asked if there will be changes to policy or hours in light of the vandalism, Prugsawan said the park will remain open as usual.

“The responsible party involved in this incident engaged in illegal behavior by driving a vehicle off-road and damaging resources,” she said. “We highly encourage anyone who may have information that could aid in this investigation to contact Haleakala National Park Law Enforcement.”

The number for park law enforcement is (808) 985-6170. The National Park Service tip line is (888) 653-0009. Callers can remain anonymous.

“We appreciate the public’s help and support in identifying those responsible for this damage to the park,” Prugsawan said.

Argyroxiphium sandwicense, subspecies macrocephalum, are delicate plants that have evolved to survive in the harsh climate of Haleakala. Visitors are encouraged to take pictures but are reminded that removing or damaging silverswords is a federal crime, the park’s website said.

The website notes that the delicate silverswords were once ripped up and taken home by visitors as souvenirs. Today, the shiny silver plants depend on management efforts for survival. Park staff fence out silversword-munching ungulates, destroy non-native plants that would crowd out silverswords and educate park visitors to stay on trails to avoid stepping on fragile seedlings and root systems.

The silvery hairs, fleshy leaves and low-growing rosette allow the unique plant to survive in hot, dry climates like the desert cinder cone slopes of the Haleakala Crater, the website said. Silverswords live between 3 and 90 years or more. They flower once, sending up an eye-catching flowering stalk, and then die soon afterward, scattering drying seeds to the wind.

* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.