Peter Apo: Mauna Kea Under Siege
The Thirty Meter Telescope project is at a flash point. So how does one bridge the apex when science slams head on into culture?
The long-standing overtly contentious face off between Native Hawaiians and the University of Hawaii’s aggressive advocacy of maximizing Mauna Kea as a premier site for astronomical observatories is heading into its most serious period of conflict.
Time is running out for any diplomatic resolution to the culture versus science impasse as construction begins for a new $1.3 billion, 18-story, Thirty Meter Telescope covering 9 acres of mountain top, adding significantly to the critical mass of the 13 telescopes that are already there.
The legal and procedural windows of dialogue attempting to resolve the issues are for the most part shutting down.
An artists’ depiction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea as seen from above.
tmt.org
The State Land Board had signed off on a notice to proceed with construction on March 6 and now is apparently ignoring a few last-ditch legal challenges. As of this writing, undeterred, and with increasing commitment, opposition to the project has escalated to civil disobedience by protestors led by Kealoha Pisciotta, leader of the organization Mauna Kea Anaina Hou.
She is quoted as saying: “We are not giving up, and we’re standing for what we believe in.”
The protestors, in growing numbers, are intent on slowing or halting all construction-related traffic attempting to get to the construction site and police are threatening arrests. Protestors are now beginning to organize on the UH Manoa campus. The project is at a flash point.
To understand why this is so important to Hawaiians like Kealoha Pisciotta we need to understand the history as to how we got here.
Mauna Kea when measured from the ocean bottom is over 33,000 feet high — taller than Mount Everest. It is considered one of the world’s most important and in-demand sites for astronomical observation. …
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