KAHEA - The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance

Defend the Sacred Summit of Mauna Kea from UH's Latest Power Grab

Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain and a unique desert alpine habitat for endangered Hawaiian plants and animals. Mauna Kea is protected by law as a conservation district and a Natural Area Reserve. These are public trust lands--Hawaiian lands--held by the state in trust for the people of Hawaii.

Yet, today Mauna Kea’s public lands are being exploited by foreign nations, corporations, and the University of Hawaii, who are all seeking to profit from telescope construction on the summit at the expense of its unique natural habitat, pure drinking water, and sacred cultural resources. Dozens of telescope and support structures already cover the sacred summit--built without the consent of Native Hawaiians and local communities. Now, two more telescopes (and accompanying roads, parking lots, office buildings, and gift shops) are proposed for the sacred summit. One of them -- the Thirty Meter Telescope -- is slated for construction on the summit's last pristine ridge. It is larger than all the current telescopes on the summit combined.

"The UH plan says -- and I quote -- 'one of the best methods of minimizing damage to resources is through education.' Actually, I think we can all agree that one of the best ways to minimize damage to resources is to not let the developer build in a conservation district."

-- Kealoha Pisciotta, President Mauna Kea Anaina Hou

A Better Future is Possible
We know a better future is possible for Mauna Kea. For over 10 years, community members have advocated for a true conservation plan, independent oversight, fair representation and fair compensation.

Tell Lawmakers to say "NO" to UH's Bad Mauna Kea Bills!

Submitting your testimony today in support of Mauna Kea and in opposition to the H.B. 1174 HD 3 and the University's newest development plan will help to ensure that the laws meant to protect Mauna Kea are not weakened by the University. **** Please take a few moments to add a few personalized comments at the top.

Take your testimony one step further -- tell Hawaii's decision-makers why you care about Mauna Kea, want to protect our public trust resources, and expect our conservation laws to be followed. ****

November 21, 2009

Subject:

Aloha Kakou Senators and Representatives,

I am writing to urge you to oppose the University's plans for the future of Mauna Kea as outlined in H.B. 1174, HD 3 and the University's version of a "comprehensive management plan." The University's plan for Mauna Kea falls far short of being "comprehensive" or providing even basic "management" for the extremely fragile and sacred public trust resources of the summit. This plan fails to outline any actual activities, timelines, or goals for protecting endangered species and their habitats. It also fails to adequately protect the constitutional right to engage in traditional and customary practices and religious ceremony on the summit. Rather, the plan seeks to give the University unprecedented control over the use of the summit with the passage of H.B. 1174. With this authority, the University proposes to construct at least 50 more telescopes (along with their gift shops, parking lots, and toxic chemical storage facilities) as outlined in its 2000 development plan, erect a gate at Hale Pohaku to limit public access to the sacred summit, and impose an approval process to limit cultural practice and religious observances. The lands of Mauna Kea are ecologically unique and culturally significant that is why they are protected as a conservation district. Conservation -- not telescope construction -- must be basis of all decisions about this amazing and important place. Multiple reports, audits, and lawsuits have confirmed that the University's telescope activities have violated the law and continue to destroy the natural and cultural resources of Mauna Kea. Just as one example, the Wekiu bug, which lives only on the high elevation cinder cones of Mauna Kea, has lost 90% of its habitat to telescope development. On top of it all, foreign telescope owners are profiting of the abuse of Mauna Kea at the public's expense. Mauna Kea is ceded lands. These lands are to be held in trust for the people of Hawaii. The law requires that fair market rent be charged for the use of these lands. However, in the case of Mauna Kea, foreign telescope owners pay the state only $1 a year. In exchange, they receive millions for the sale of telescope time and contracts with defense-contractors. Especially in this time of economic crisis, at the very least these illegal and immoral rental agreements between the state and the foreign telescope owners should be renegotiated to ensure fair market rent is collected for the use of our public trust resources on the summit of Mauna Kea. Despite all of the flaws of past Land Board absent-management on Mauna Kea, changing the laws that protect Mauna Kea now will not help to better protect our public trust resources. The Land Board must fulfill its legal obligations to actively management and protect the conservation district on the summit. To do this, the Land Board should not approve the University's plan for Mauna Kea and the Legislature should not pass H.B. 1174. Instead, profits from the use of Mauna Kea should be appropriated to the Department of Land and Natural Resources specifically to provide for enforcement of current laws and the development of an update to the 1995 management plan that is currently governing activities on the summit. Mahalo,
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Take further action to protect Mauna Kea now by submitting testimony in support of House Concurrent Resolution 231 -- just click here -- and attending the State Land Board Hearing on the University's development plan:

LAND BOARD HEARING IN HILO

April 8 and 9, 2009
9:00 a.m.
Hilo Hawaiian Hotel
71 Banyan Drive, Hilo 96720

To learn more about this important issue, please click here.