RICHARD J.

WAINSCOAT

auna Kea is sacred to the Hawaiian people. Named the White

Mountain for the snow that frequently crowns it, this majestic peak
is considered by Polynesians across the Pacific Ocean to be the most
revered location in the world. Walking amid the summits stark,

Mars-red cinder cones was taboo for the common man. Only the holiest priests and
chieftains could enter this wao akua, or realm of the Gods. To this day the basaltic

slopes are dotted with shrines, offering altars, holy sites, and hidden burial grounds.

S&T: DAVID TYTELL

Mauna Kea is just as sacred to the astronomical community. Topping out at 13,796 feet
(4,205 meters), the summit of this extinct volcano offers clear, dry air and steady temperatures that are ideal for infrared and visual observing. Even better, Hawaiis geographic
isolation and sparse population make light pollution practically nonexistent. Perhaps most important, the site consistently features the best at-

40

August 2001 Sky & Telescope

mospheric stability in the Northern Hemisphere

and subarcsecond seeing conditions. In fact, the
angular resolution achieved there now rivals that
of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The summits steady winds, deep blue skies,
and lack of vegetation bring a sense of peaceful
serenity a feeling that draws native Hawaiians
regularly to the mountain. But in stark contrast
to Mauna Keas quiet calm is a deep-seated ten-

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

sion between the astronomical and cultural

communities on the Big Island that has festered
for decades. Even though Hawaiian culture is
steeped in celestial lore, many islanders
adamantly oppose the construction of new telescopes on Mauna Kea and some wont be satisfied until the domes already on the summit are
removed.
Ceded Lands
The conflict surrounding Mauna Kea has roots
dating to long before Hawaii became a state. In a
coup orchestrated by American business and mis-

sionary interests, U.S. troops landed on Hawaiian

soil on January 16, 1893. Queen Liliuokalani
deemed the invasion an act of war, yet she had
little defensive recourse. The next day, under
protest, the queen yielded the kingdom of Hawaii
to the United States. When the U.S. formally annexed Hawaii five years later, it gained direct control of more than 1.8 million acres of crown, government, and public lands all without the
consent of the Hawaiian monarchy or the native
people. Tensions between the island nation and
the mainland subsided in the decades that followed, and in 1959 Hawaiians voted for and were

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

S&T: DAVID TYTELL

Understanding the deep-seated conflict

between two passionate groups who equally
cherish the same mountaintop. B Y D AV I D T Y T E L L

Top left: The summit of

Mauna Kea as seen in 1971.
The lone telescope on the
ridge is the University of
Hawaii 2.2-meter. Courtesy
Dale P. Cruikshank.
Top right: Today 13 telescopes sit atop the highest
point in the Pacific Ocean.
The 2.2-meter is the second
telescope from the left.
Courtesy Richard J. Wainscoat.
Sky & Telescope August 2001

41

0
0
Waimea
190

Mauna Kea
13,796 ft.

Hualalai
8,271 ft.

200

19

KailuaKona
Mauna Loa
13,677 ft.

10 km

The mountaintop is probably the best

10 mi
19

site in the world I repeat in the

world from which to study the
Hilo

Kilauea
4,096 ft.

moon, planets, and stars.

G E R A R D P. K U I P E R

11

granted statehood.
The ceded lands
Hawaii
were returned to the
ISLAND OF
Volcanoes
Nat. Park
state of Hawaii under
HAWAII
the condition that they be
placed in public trust.
In 1978 the states legislature set
11
up the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), which
gets 20 cents of every revenue dollar made on
ceded lands and in turn uses these funds to improve the conditions of native Hawaiians and
Hawaii, known as the Big
the island community at large. However, many
Island, features the largest
Hawaiians still feel that the ceded lands belong
mountain in the world.
to the people of Hawaii, not to its government.
Measured from seafloor to
Some critics argue that the 20 percent cut prosummit, Mauna Kea is
vided through OHA isnt enough, and much
33,480 feet high, 4,452 feet
more money could be realized if the islanders
taller than Mount Everest.
themselves managed the property and its rental
S&T art by Steven Simpson.
fees. They may be right. Ceded lands account for
roughly 40 percent of the states total area and
include some of its most prized property:
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Honolulu International Airport, parts of Waikiki and all
land above 12,000 feet on Mauna Kea.

On a clear day, the domes of

Mauna Kea are visible from
Waimea (left) and Hilo
(right). Many Hawaiians feel
the domes detract from the
natural beauty of the mountain. S&T photographs by
David Tytell.

42

August 2001 Sky & Telescope

Breaking Ground
Astronomers learned of Mauna Keas unique
seeing conditions in the early 1900s, though it
wasnt until 1963 that the late Gerard P. Kuiper
conducted the first tests to determine the mountains observing conditions. The mountaintop
is probably the best site in the world I repeat
in the world from which to study the moon,
planets, and stars, Kuiper wrote of his findings.

University of Hawaii astronomers agreed, and

the university established its Institute for Astronomy (IfA) in 1967.
The next year, IfA astronomers persuaded the
university to request a 65-year lease for all land
above the peaks 12,000-foot elevation, a tract
that became known as the Mauna Kea Science
Reserve. Under the leases terms, until December
31, 2033, the university will not appropriate,
damage, remove, excavate, disfigure, deface or
destroy any object of antiquity, prehistoric ruin
or monument of historical value and must keep
the area clean and orderly. Failure to comply
with these requirements gives the Hawaiian
Board of Land and Natural Resources the right
to reclaim the summit with six months notice.
The islands astronomers took advantage of the
newly established science reserve almost immediately, and by 1970 the universitys new 2.2meter telescope had seen first light atop the
summit.
This rapid action raised fears that astronomy
interests would soon take over the entire summit. Environmentalists were worried about the
impact of massive construction on the mountains unique ecosystem, which includes several
species of insects found nowhere else on the
globe. Additionally, a formal plan addressing
road development, power allocation, and other
major infrastructure improvements was desperately needed.
Finally, after three years of study, the states
Department of Land and Natural Resources
adopted a comprehensive plan and framework

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

for the management of the mountain in February 1977. This first Master Plan tried to strike
a compromise between the various factions that
had a stake in the mountains future development. Its self-described main focus was to determine the compatibility of Mauna Keas resources to accommodate various uses without
unacceptable damage to biotic and other natural
and historic values and the visual appearance of
the mountain.
An updated version came out in February
1983. Known as the Mauna Kea Science Reserve
Complex Development Plan, it went further
than the 1977 plan in addressing a wide range of
issues, from road improvements to electrical
needs on the summit, and it addressed in more
detail how best to preserve the mountains culture, environment, and aesthetics. Endangered
arthropods, birds, and plants were noted as
being at particular risk. Mauna Kea is home to
some 25 different lichen communities, two of
them unique on Earth. Hidden in its cracks and
crevices are mosses, ferns, and other small
plants. The Palila bird (on the endangered list
since 1966) feeds on the mamane trees found
lower on the slopes.
More subtle were the 1983 plans safeguards

for Mauna Keas cultural and archaeological

sites. The university sought to protect the
shrines by not calling them to public attention.
Sites were surveyed and cataloged to avoid any
construction-related disturbances.
Regarding aesthetics, within the constraints
dictated by technical requirements, facilities
were to be located in such a way as to minimize
visibility from developed areas of the island.
And, most important from the astronomers
perspective, the document capped at 13 the
number of telescopes on the summit through
the year 2000.

More than a billion dollars

worth of observatory facilities have been developed on
the peak of Mauna Kea, seen
here in the early 1990s. The
ultimate effect this has had
on the delicate summit
ecosystem remains unknown.
Courtesy Roger Ressmeyer/
Corbis.

The Cost of Rapid Growth

In 1983 just six telescopes sat atop Mauna Kea,
and the only way to reach them was a dangerous, dusty road that itself greatly eroded the
mountain. But by 1999, all that had changed.
On any clear morning, the giant Keck and Subaru observatories gazed upon Waimea, a town
nestled on the north slope. The Gemini dome,
among others, glimmered in the distance from
the seaside port of Hilo to the mountains east.
Mauna Kea had its full complement of 13 telescopes, and the time had come to create an updated Master Plan.

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

Sky & Telescope August 2001

43

Mauna Kea Telescopes*

Subaru

Keck

Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

Existing telescope
University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (Submillimeter)
Very Large Baseline Array (Radio)
W. M. Keck Observatory (Keck I & II)
Gemini Telescope
Subaru Telescope
Submillimeter Array

Aperture
0.6 meter
2.2 m
3.6 m
3.8 m
3.0 m
10 m
15 m
25 m
10 m
8m
8m
12 6 m

Proposed action
On-site redevelopment (23 m)
On-site redevelopment (412 m)
On-site redevelopment (412 m)
On-site redevelopment (412 m)
On-site redevelopment (412 m)
No proposed changes
No proposed changes
No proposed changes
Add 46 1.8-m outrigger telescopes
No proposed changes
No proposed changes
Add 12 additional antennas

Proposed telescope
University of Hawaii - Hilo
Conventional optical/infrared telescope
Next generation large telescope

Aperture
1m
412 m
25+ m

Proposed action
New site
New site
New site

*Table adapted from the Mauna Kea Science Reserve Master Plan

The Wekiu bug is a small insect indigenous to Mauna

Keas summit. Smaller than
14 inch, the creature has
adapted to the harsh life
atop the mountain. It can
transfer all the water in its
body to its stomach to prevent forming fatal ice crystals, and the Wekiu has antifreeze for blood. Since 1982,
nearly the entire population
of the tiny arthropods has
died off. Groups like the Sierra Club believe telescope
construction has caused an
abrupt decline in the bugs
population.
44

August 2001 Sky & Telescope

WILLIAM P. MULL

But all was not well. In the intervening years

tensions steadily grew between the islands inhabitants and the university. The Hawaiians felt
that astronomers didnt appreciate the mountain
as they did. Most observers simply flew in, used
a telescope, and flew home perhaps taking
extra time to enjoy warm weather, macadamia
nuts, and some fresh mahi mahi.
At issue was the method that the university
used to lure outside observatories to the island.
John Jefferies, founder of the Institute for Astronomy, came up with an ingenious idea: Build
your telescope on Mauna Kea, and the University of Hawaii will lease you the land beneath it for

only $1 per year plus a one-time infrastructureimprovement fee and 10 percent of the facilitys
observing time. We needed to attract people to
Mauna Kea, says Jefferies. His plan worked.
Within a generation, IfA had become an astronomy powerhouse.
When Jefferies made his proposal in the early
1980s, there was little opposition. Astronomy
promised to bring much-needed cash flow to the
Big Island, and the IfA has backed up that claim
today salaries and other observatory expenditures pump $142 million annually into the local
economy. But for some, $142 million is pennies
compared to what could have been had the IfA
charged more for rent. Because the summit is
ceded land, the OHA and the Hawaiian people
are entitled to 20 percent of all yearly revenues
made on the mountain. Thats 20 cents per telescope.
Apart from monetary concerns, the construction of the new telescopes brought environmental nightmares. We were really upset at how the
university was treating the ecosystem, says Nelson Ho, conservation chairman of Hawaiis Sierra Club chapter. In 1994 construction brought
mounds of trash to the summit. The university
blamed the garbage on tourists, but Ho found
that 90 percent of the trash was identifiable
construction debris. Included in this were cardboard and work orders with observatory names
on them. Only after persistent complaints was
the summit cleared of debris by the university at
a cost of $20,000. Since then the problem has
not recurred.
The endangered Wekiu bug, indigenous to the
summit, has also become a focus of contentious
debate a situation similar to concerns over
the fate of red squirrels during telescope construction atop Arizonas Mount Graham in the

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

PATRICK MCCOY

S&T: DAVID TYTELL

Top left: Bodies were buried

on Mauna Kea in unmarked
graves to save them from
grave robbers. While it is unclear exactly where these
burial sites may lie, the most
likely location is on the sides
of the cinder cones. Hawaiians are concerned that any
new construction near these
slopes may disturb the ancient graves.
Top right: A heiau is a place of
worship or a shrine for Hawaiians. Some are elaborate
stone platforms, while others
(like the one seen here) are
simple stone markers.

S&T: DAVID TYTELL

early 1990s (see the box on page 46). Smaller

than 14 inch, the Wekiu has adapted to the harsh
life atop the mountain by living off water that
collects in the open holes of the mountains
basaltic rock. Dust is the creatures worst enemy.
Particles fill the holes and push the bugs out.
The 1983 Master Plan called for protecting the
Wekiu bug, yet after the plan passed, no effort
was made to monitor the health and population
of the arthropod. All the while, cars, foot traffic,
and construction vehicles continued to kick up
dust. Additionally, the Wekiu depends on an
ample annual snowpack for survival. For over a
decade, the mountain has seen extreme drought
conditions. Between the two effects, 99.9 percent
of the 1982 population is now gone.
One of the leading advocates protecting the
sanctity of Mauna Kea is Ed Stevens, who has
spent countless hours hunting birds and game
on the flanks of the great mountain. Stevens is
the spokesman for Ahahui Ku Mauna (Group
for the Mountain), an organization that he says
is dedicated to the cultural and spiritual protection of our sacred mountain.
When on its slopes, Stevens refers to the feeling
of mana a sense of specialness and reverence
he feels nowhere else. Nearly everyone he takes
up the mountain feels it too. On the summit, the
thin, pristine air, the deep red of the landscape,
and the thick clouds hovering below hide the rest
of the world and give Mauna Kea an unearthly
feel. Mana is why Mauna Kea is so revered in the
Hawaiian culture. Stevens says that despite an
abundance of ancient heiaus, or stonework
shrines, at lower elevations (12,000 to 13,000
feet), there are none on the summit itself historically the area was considered too sacred for
any man-made material, even a heiau.
Technically, Hawaiian civilization never left
the Stone Age. Lacking metal ore for their implements, the Hawaiians instead used wood and

Left: At Mauna Keas summit,

13,796 feet above sea level,
stands this recently erected
shrine, upon which Hawaiians lay ritual offerings.

stone. Bone, which is hard, durable, and easily

shaped, was a valued treasure used to tip spears
and other weapons. To ancient Hawaiians, bone
also embodied the spirit of the creature or person it came from. This meant that the higher the
status of the bones source, the better the
weapon. A spear tipped with the bone of a
Hawaiian king was true. It would be guided in
flight by the kings spirit and was certain to hit
its target with lethal accuracy.
Mauna Kea wasnt only the holiest of places to
pray; it was also the holiest of places to be
buried, a final repose reserved for high chiefs,
priests, and other special people. But given the
value of bones, grave robbery was a constant

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

Sky & Telescope August 2001

45

concern. Thus, all bodies buried on the summit

were given unmarked graves. Its a Catch-22,
says Stevens, because to prove graves exist
would mean digging up and disturbing them.
Building telescopes on the summit means lots
of digging, leveling, and flattening of the landscape. For example, a height of 38 feet was removed from a cinder cone to build the Keck observatory. That massive volume could easily have
contained a burial site, and in fact it was rumored that bones were unearthed during site
preparation. There were even charges of coverups and conspiracies, since the discovery of a
burial site would have delayed construction severely and set the project back financially.
Follow-up investigations by Keck and the University of Hawaii found no evidence to back up
the claims, and ultimately, Stevens admits that
hard evidence of summit burial sites exists only
in Hawaiian oral history. The burden of proof
is on the Hawaiians. Nonetheless, the rumor severely damaged the astronomers already fragile
relationship with the islanders.
Forging a New Plan
All these issues surfaced during the 1990s
against the backdrop of the protections called
for under the 1983 Master Plan. The sense of

betrayal and mismanagement many Hawaiians

felt got so bad that the state senate commissioned an audit of the science reserves management. The executive summary of the audit,
dated February 1998, bluntly reads:
We found that the University of Hawaiis management of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve is
inadequate to ensure the protection of natural
resources. The university focused primarily on
the development of Mauna Kea and tied the
benefits gained to its research program. Controls were outlined in the management plans
that were often late and weakly implemented.
The universitys control over public access was
weak and its efforts to protect natural resources were piecemeal. The university neglected historic preservation, and the cultural value
of Mauna Kea was largely unrecognized.

The university offered a response that

promised to follow up on the audits many recommendations when developing the updated
Master Plan. But it was also reluctant to accept
complete blame. The audit was long on opinion and short on facts, says Robert McLaren,
former acting director of the Institute for Astronomy. In reply, the university pointed out
that no historic site on the summit was ever

History Repeated: Sharing Mount Graham

46

he debate over Mauna Kea echoes

the long-running feud that swirled
around the summit of Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona during the
1980s, when astronomers were criticized
for endangering a unique ecosystem and
infringing on a site that was culturally significant to local inhabitants. The University
of Arizonas Steward Observatory had
planned to build several telescopes on the
peaks 3,268-meter (10,720-foot) summit.
Like Mauna Kea, Mount Graham features
superb seeing conditions, little light pollution, and predominantly clear nights.
Moreover, its proximity to Tucson (about
240 kilometers away) made astronomers
especially eager to turn the desert mountain into an astronomy mecca. The universitys original plan called for 13 telescopes
to be built over 40 to 60 acres.
However, the subalpine environments
atop Mount Graham and other sky islands in the American Southwest are
home to several unique species of flora
and fauna. Of particular note is the Mount
Graham red squirrel, classified as an endangered species since 1987. This particular desert peak also has spiritual impor-

tance to the San Carlos Apache Tribe,

whose reservation sits at its base. For generations tribal members have picked
medicinal herbs on the mountains slopes.
After a 412-year legal battle between
astronomers and environmentalists, in
1988 Congress passed the Arizona-Idaho
Conservation Act (AICA). It authorized the
university to build three telescopes on a
smaller parcel of land and an access road
to the summit. The legislation also required the university to monitor the impact construction had on the squirrel.
But the battle was far from over. The universitys astronomers realized that the
ideal location for their 8.2-meter dualmirror Large Binocular Telescope (formally
known as the Columbus Project) actually
lay 400 meters east of the land allocated
by Congress. The U.S. Forest Service granted permission to switch the site in late
1993, but environmental and Native American groups took the issue to court. In April
1995 the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
upheld a district courts ruling that the
AICA did not empower the Forest Service
to permit the relocation. The university
countered by asking Congress to clarify its

August 2001 Sky & Telescope

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

intent, and a year later lawmakers voted to

let telescope construction proceed on
Mount Graham. First light for the Large
Binocular Telescope is scheduled for 2003.
Thus far, the environment does not
seem to have suffered. Surveys suggest
that the Mount Graham red-squirrel population has more than doubled since
1987. This past April, the university began
installing a $10 million underground
power line to replace the need for pollution-causing diesel generators on the
summit. Critics complained that the 37kilometer-long power line will damage
the environment, and shortly after construction began, vandals caused more
than $100,000 damage to the project.
Meanwhile, the San Carlos Apache Tribe
cautiously watches telescope construction.
We were taught traditionally not to significantly disturb places such as Mount Graham, or to use such places in any way for
personal, selfish gain, says Jeanette Cassa,
coordinator for the San Carlos Apache
Tribes Elders Cultural Advisory Council.
Many traditional people believe that the
creator will deal with the telescopes on
Mount Graham in the best way.

consists of a dozen 25-foot-tall dishes scattered

among 24 observing pads. Astronomers count
the entire array as one telescope, while Hawaiians count each individual observing pad as a
separate site. The Keck interferometer faces similar scrutiny, because it calls for the construction
of six 1.8-meter telescopes placed as outriggers
around the two main domes.
Such deep-seated conflicts plagued the formulation of the new Master Plan from its outset.
After repeated attempts at a compromise, the
first draft was never endorsed by the original advisory committee, despite the urging of university president Kenneth P. Mortimer, and the committee dissolved without completing its charge.

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

To build the Keck telescopes,

a height of 38 feet was removed from one of the summits cinder cones. Unsubstantiated rumors of
exhumed graves continue to
raise tensions between astronomers and Hawaiians.
Courtesy Roger Ressmeyer/
Corbis.

SMITHSONIAN SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

damaged or threatened by telescope development. The university also defended its passive
cultural-protection plan recent surveys had
confirmed that none of the historic sites had
been disturbed.
But for many Hawaiians, the response was too
little, too late. The new telescopes were visible
from the shores, the Wekiu had all but been
erased, and Hawaiians felt cheated by the universitys lease deal.
Given the tensions surrounding the summit,
bringing the sides together to create the 2000
Master Plan would not be easy. All parties suddenly had a forum to air their complaints, and
to address them the universitys regents appointed a citizens committee that held public hearings across the Big Island.
A primary request by Hawaiians was to limit
the number of telescopes to be built on the
summit. With each new construction effort
comes the added risk of disturbing burial
grounds and an added impact on the already
taxed environment. But a telescope means different things to different people. Still under construction, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatorys Submillimeter Array the 13th and
final telescope allowed under the 1983 accord

The Smithsonian Submillimeter Array consists of a

dozen 6-meter dishes like the
ones seen here. Hawaiians
view this project as the worstcase scenario of telescope
sprawl and feel that, despite
being part of an array, each
dish should count as an individual telescope.
Sky & Telescope August 2001

47

12
90
0

13000

Natural/Cultural
Preservation Area

00

13

10

13100

Astronomy Precinct
(525 acres)
00

IRTF

133

Keck I
and II

1340

1360

Submillimeter
Array

00

CFHT

Subaru
00

134

JCMT

Puu Poliahu

Gemini North
UKIRT

August 2001 Sky & Telescope

Univ. of Hawaii

CSO
13300

131
Shrine
N
00
Workshop
1300
0
Unknown
Historic trail
100-ft. contours

1,000
129 ft.
0

1370
0

13300
13400
13500

To date, 93 sacred and

archaeological sites have
been identified within the
Mauna Kea Science Reserve.
Not all are shown here.

48

132
00

00
133
0
1340
13500

00

132

130

S&T: STEVEN SIMPSON (SOURCE: STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, FEB. 1999)

13

Kukahauula

0
70
13
0
0
6
13
00
135
13400

13300

Mauna Kea
Ice Age Puu Hau Kea
Natural Area Reserve

13200

13100
13000

To break the stalemate and to open a dialogue

between the feuding groups, Mortimer sought
the intercession of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye,
who responded in August 1999 by convening a
lunch meeting of the directors of each of the
Mauna Kea observatories, officials from the University of Hawaii, and representatives from
Ahahui Ku Mauna at a hotel in Hilo. Surprisingly, the meeting was calm and casual. Inouye had
the attendees introduce themselves individually
and share what Mauna Kea meant to them. He
then urged the groups to work together to find a
compromise.
During the final months of negotiations, little
changed in the plan: two future telescope were
dropped and the language subtly altered. The
real product was the improved relationship between Hawaiians and the university, says
McLaren. For the first time in a long while,
Hawaiians felt they could trust the astronomical
community. Buoyed by Ahahui Ku Manas endorsement, the universitys board of regents
voted to accept the plan in June 2000.
Technically, as long as the new document met
the requirements of the 1968 lease, the regents
could have simply passed the unendorsed draft
presented to them by the original advisory committee. All the meetings, public hearings, and
countless hours of negotiations were, in fact, unnecessary. But the university recognized the
value of finding a compromise acceptable to the
Hawaiian people. There was a strong feeling
among the regents that the plan, while adequate,

was still incomplete, says McLaren. They wanted to enter in a dialogue [with the Hawaiians] to
reach a better relationship.
In a theme that closely echoes the first plan
written in 1977, the final draft of the 2000 Master Plan states as a primary objective the need to
preserve and manage cultural resources in a
sustainable manner so that future generations
may share in the understanding and knowledge
of the mountains archaeological and cultural
sites. Additionally, the plan seeks to protect
and preserve through planning and management, unique geological features and biological
communities, recognizing the symbiotic relationship between the two in the Science Reserve.
As approved, the new Master Plan calls for
limiting the construction on the summit by
2020 to three new telescopes and the redevelopment of many existing sites (see the table on
page 44). The telescope-counting controversy
ended as the Keck outriggers and the 24 Smithsonian viewing pads were endorsed. Also approved was a Next Generation Large Telescope
envisioned to have an aperture of at least 25
meters. Any proposed structure or construction
on the summit must now meet the approval
of the newly established watchdog organization,
the Mauna Kea Management Board, with
Stevens and the Ahahui Ku Mauna serving as its
advisers.
Of the 11,288 acres belonging to the science
reserve, 525 acres (5 percent) are now classified
as the astronomy precinct and are subject to
the aforementioned controls. The more than
10,000 remaining acres will be set aside as a
cultural and environmental preservation area.
Stevens now believes that any future decisions
will be in full consideration of what the mountain means to [Hawaiians]. They acknowledge
the sacredness.
The Sierra Club is not as enthusiastic about
the outcome. Nobody has figured out what a
billion dollars worth of development has done
to the ecosystem of Mauna Kea, says Ho. Despite the environmental provisions now in place,
he feels the document was rushed in an effort to
accommodate the native Hawaiian interests at
the expense of the environment.
The true test will come when new observatories such as the Next Generation Large Telescope
break ground. Only then will it be clear if
promises have been kept and whether Hawaiians
and astronomers can indeed share the sacred
mountain.
Sky & Telescope assistant editor David Tytell has
been to Mauna Kea three times: as an astronomer, as a
geologist, and as a journalist. The 2000 Mauna Kea
Master Plan can be found at www.hawaii.edu/
maunakea.

2001 Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.