Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 6, 1 June 2003 — Mauna Kea [ARTICLE]

Mauna Kea

KAHEA submitted a formal request to the Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the wekiu bug as an endangered species with critical

habitat designation. The wekiu bug is known to exist only on the summit of Mauna Kea above 11,000 feet. It lives in the spaces between cinders and other volcanic rock and emerges to feed on the edges of melting snow, eating insects and other organic matter hlown to the summit from lower elevations. These unique insects have antifreeze properties in their blood allowing them to inhabit the alpine zone. The wekiu bug and its habitat face serious threats from the W.M. Keek Observatory' s current activities and proposed development on the summit of Mauna Kea, held sacred by the Native Hawaiians. A contested case hearing ehallenging NASA's permit to construct six new telescopes on the mountain without preparing an EIS is being heard now. An allianee of Native Hawaiians and environmentalists are seeking to force NASA's eomplianee with the Mauna Kea Management Plan and federal environmental laws. For information, visit the KAHEA website www.kahea.org.