Protect Mauna Kea

Protect Mauna Kea
Name	Protect Mauna Kea
Formation	2014
Type	Movement
Location	Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi
Focus	Cultural preservation, environmental protection, land stewardship

Protect Mauna Kea

Protect Mauna Kea is a grassroots movement centered on opposition to construction and development on Mauna Kea directed by Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, environmental activists, scientists, and community organizations. The coalition emerged in response to proposals perceived to threaten wahi kapu on Mauna Kea and has engaged with institutions, corporations, and legal entities to assert customary rights, ecological stewardship, and regulatory compliance. Participants interact with a network of stakeholders including advocacy groups, academic institutions, judicial bodies, and cultural practitioners across Hawaiʻi and beyond.

Background and Significance

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on Hawaiʻi Island with summit ecosystems, archaeological sites, and astronomical facilities that place it at the intersection of Native Hawaiian religion, indigenous land claims, and international science. The mountain hosts observatories such as the W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope, Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, and the Mauna Kea Observatories consortium, drawing attention from organizations including the University of Hawaiʻi, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and federal agencies like the National Science Foundation. Mauna Kea's status invokes treaties and legal frameworks involving the State of Hawaiʻi, historic relationships to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, and contemporary instruments like the Hawaiʻi Environmental Policy Act.

History of Development Proposals

Controversies intensified with the proposal for the Thirty Meter Telescope project, proposed by groups including the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory and partners such as the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy and the California Institute of Technology. Earlier facility expansions involved private entities and public agencies negotiating leases with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii) and the University of Hawaiʻi. Previous disputes referenced projects involving the University of California, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Institute for Astronomy (University of Hawaiʻi), and spurred involvement from advocacy organizations including Earthjustice, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and local groups tied to the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Historical precedents include resource management plans issued by the Mauna Kea Management Board and rulings from the Hawaii Supreme Court.

Cultural and Environmental Concerns

Opponents cite impacts to wahi kapu and burials that connect to genealogies recognized in Hawaiian language practice, referencing kūpuna and practitioners organized through ʻohana networks and institutions like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Ecological concerns involve endemic species protection overseen by agencies such as the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, including threatened species managed under statutes like the Endangered Species Act. Cultural testimony has been presented to bodies such as the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources and tribunals including the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, with stakeholders citing precedents from cases like actions involving the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and organizations such as the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii.

Protests and Legal Actions

Direct actions organized at the summit and access roads involved community groups, kanaka maoli practitioners, and leaders from organizations including Mauna Kea Hui, Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement, and local chapters of American Civil Liberties Union. Demonstrations prompted responses involving the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Public Safety, county authorities such as Hawaii County officials, and law enforcement agencies. Litigation pursued administrative and constitutional claims in forums ranging from the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court to federal district courts, with participation from nonprofits like Earthjustice and representation by private law firms. Media coverage from outlets such as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Maui News, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, and international press amplified debates involving scholars from institutions including Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University.

Governance, Management, and Policy

Management arrangements involve the University of Hawaiʻi as the existing trustee for complex management, the Mauna Kea Management Board as an advisory entity, and regulatory oversight by the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources. Policy instruments include lease agreements, master plans, and environmental impact statements developed under statutes like the National Environmental Policy Act when federal funds or permits are implicated, and local statutes enacted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and Hawaii County Council. Stakeholder consultations have included representatives from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Native Hawaiian organizations, academic partners such as the University of California, and international partners like the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

Scientific and Educational Perspectives

Astronomers and educators from observatories including the W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope, Gemini Observatory, and institutions like the Institute for Astronomy (University of Hawaiʻi) argue for Mauna Kea's unique atmospheric conditions, citing advantages recognized by organizations such as the International Astronomical Union and funded by agencies like the National Science Foundation and NASA. Educational programs and outreach involve universities such as the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, community colleges, and non-profits like the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, which bridge indigenous knowledge systems and astrophysical research. Scientific proponents collaborate with international consortia including the European Southern Observatory and research centers at institutions like Caltech and University of Cambridge.

Current Status and Future Directions

The status of proposed developments, stewardship regimes, and management plans continues to evolve through adjudication by the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary, policy actions by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and negotiations among stakeholders including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the University of Hawaiʻi, and international partners such as the TMT International Observatory. Emerging dialogues incorporate frameworks from indigenous rights advocates linked to organizations like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and academic fora at institutions such as Yale University and University of Oxford. Future directions emphasize negotiated co-management models, culturally appropriate stewardship informed by practitioners connected to ʻāina-based networks, and scientific collaborations that respond to environmental protection mandates and community governance arrangements.

Category:Mauna Kea Category:Native Hawaiian organizations Category:Environmental movements