Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 8, 1 August 2019 — THE AWA KENING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE AWA KENING

, MO'OLELO NUI v > C0VER FEATURE f

BY STERLING W0NG

As thousands of Native Hawaiians ascend onto Maunakea and thousands more rally across the islands, all to demand the protection of the sacred mountain, many in Hawai'i may wonder how exactly did we get here? After all, 13 telescopes already sit on the mountain. Why is another one causing all this fuss? Native Hawaiians have always cared deeply about Maunakea. At the same time, Native Hawaiians - in the true spirit of aloha - have shared the mauna with science. But we have always wanted a halanee: prop-erly-managed development that protected the cultural and natural components of the

mountain. What we've seen instead is the exact opposite. Over the last 50 years, we've witnessed an explosion of astronomy development on Maunakea at the expense of everything else. This is not an issue of culture versus scienee. And it's not strictly about the Thirty Meter Telescope or any one telescope. The issue is about the continued expansion of an industrial complex on a sacred plaee. It's about Native Hawaiians reaching a breaking point after decades of government officials dismissing their concerns over appropriate management of a site that is meant to be conserved. Ultimately, it's about Native Hawaiians reasserting control over a native resource that the state has failed to protect. Management Plans Lacking Management The history of astronomy development on Maunakea is long and complicated. Controlling development is, at the end of the day, the most important component of responsible management of environmentally- and culturally-sensitive lands, in this case located in the state's conservation district. For decades, the number of telescopes on the mountain was a seminal eoneem of Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. Establishing a eap on astronomy development took center stage of neaidy every effort to establish management plans that halanee protecting Maunakea's natural and cultural resources with astronomy. In 1968, the state awarded a 65-year lease to UH for Maunakea for a single observatory. In short order, three telescopes were erected. In 1974, Acting Gov. George Ariyoshi

expressed eoneem that scientific, recreahonal and other social pressures posed "a threat to the priceless qualities" of Maunakea. As a result, he directed the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop what would be the first management plan for the mountain. A broad segment of the community participated in drafting the plan. A number of hunting and conservation groups and even Hawai'i County Mayor Herbert T. Matayoshi called for telescope development to be limited to six: the three existing telescopes and the three slated for eompleīion by the end of the decade. Ultimately, the 1977 Mauna Kea Plan failed to include a limit on

astronomy development. In 1980, the Hawai'i Tribune-Herald ran a spread on Maunakea that highlighted community concerns over the number of observatories on the mountain. The article noted the sacredness of Maunakea to Native Hawaiians, and that "the rarified atmosphere on the mountain's higher slopes and summit [...] should not unreasonably be disturbed in the name of progress or scientific development." Members of the Waimea Hawaiian Civic Club wrote that while some of their members supported astronomy, others expressed consternation at the changes to the mountain caused by observatory development. Several members, the club said, were adamant about "no more building." The director of UH's Institute for Astronomy wrote that he was often asked "How many new telescopes are likely to be built on Mauna Kea and, anyway, why are any more needed?" Only six telescopes existed on the mauna at the time, half the number at present. Several years later, the BLNR approved the 1985 Mauna Kea Management Plan, whieh allowed for 13 telescopes. This paved the way for a flurry of development. New telescopes such as the two Kecks, the Subam and the Gemini would be substantially larger than previous observatories on the mountain. Constmction was so rapid that UH couldn't keep up. The university had to request retroactive approval for four telescope subleases. As the mauna quickly transformed into an industrial complex, the community's concerns turned into frustration. Nelson Ho, of the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter, questioned the growth of astronomy as UH drafted its 1995 Management Plan. "Cleary the people of Hawaii have been generous in sharing their mounīain with the

world's leading astronomers," he wrote. "But apparently even all that development is not enough to satisfy the scientists [...] Moreover, no agency should approve changes to the existing management plan without knowing how many telescopes they are planning for - thirteen? Eighteen? Twenty-five telescopes? Yet the proposal remains - perhaps intentionally - silent on this issue," The 1995 plan failed to account for observatory development. By the late 1990s, the Native Hawaiian community's frustration continued to mount, culminating with calls for a moratorium on telescope development. Concerns finally reached the capitol. At the request of the Legislature, the state auditor released the first in a string of four audits over nearly two decades that were highly critical of the state and UH's management of Maunakea. The inkial audit found that: "[UH's] focus on telescope construction on Mauna Kea's summit propelled the site into a premier loeaīion for astronomical research. However, this emphasis was at the expense of neglecting the site's natural resources". In 1999 alone, three telescopes were completed. In 2000, UH released its longawaited response to the 1998 audit: its new Master Plan. While the plan detailed future development plans, it was never approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources, leaving its applicability in question. In 2002, the last telescope to be built on a new footprint was finished, bringing observatory development to the limit of 13 set by the 1985 plan. Nevertheless, UH continued to push for more astronomy development. NASA proposed up to six new, smaller outrigger telescopes that would surround the two 10-meter Keek telescopes. In 2004, two Hawaiian organizations and the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter sued. In 2007, a third circuit court judge found that the outrigger telescopes were not supported by an appropriate management plan, leading to the abandonment of the project. In the late 2000s, the university pushed for yet another management plan. It ehampioned its new Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP), and its four subplans, as a game changer in how it would care for the mauna. But despite Native Hawaiians demanding that the new plan provide details on the future of astronomy on the mountain, the CMP failed to fully address the matter. The plan only went so far as to say that UH "foresees" that there "may be" 10 telescopes by 2033, the end of UH's general lease for Maunakea. After opposition to TMT grew in 2015, Gov. David Ige acknowledged the state had "failed" Maunakea. In 2017, OHA filed a lawsuit against the state and UH for their longstanding mismanagement of the mountain. Maunakea Today Of all the multitude of management plans for the mountain developed over the course of three decades, only one - the 1985 management plan - was both approved by the state and included a limit on astronomy development. Technology has changed dramatically over time with the footprints of newer telescopes exceeding those of the first generation of telescopes on Maunakea. At the same time, existing telescopes are becoming obsolete. Further, many eonhnue to argue that the 13 existing telescopes are too mueh. Yet despite all of this, the state continues to avoid producing a new eomprehensive plan that updates the limit of astronomy development that appropriately balances science with the protection of the mountain's natural and cultural resources. This single management failure explains so mueh of what's happening on the mountain today, why Native Hawaiians do not trust the state's ability to steward Maunakea, and why so many are so strident against future observatory development. This is why Native Hawaiians are ealling for a new management structure for the mountain. This mo'olelo is how we got here and and will continue to be the mo'okūauhau of resilience of our Lāhui. ■

Kūpuna were removed by state officials from tbeir positions at tbe front line of tbe Maunakea protest. Many were carried, assisted, and pushed in wbeelcbairs, as they were arrested and taken into custody. īop & Middle Photo: Dino Morrow / Bottom Pboto: Ruben Carillo ■ 4 Miles

īop: Maliū Hullemon ond Jomoico Osorio choined to the cottle guord on Mouno Kea Access Road. - Photo: CodyFay Bottom: The Lōhui gets in formation ■ Photo: Ruben Carillo/4 Miles