If Gov. David Ige wants the Office of Mauna Kea Management to give up more than 10,000 acres, he’s going to have to talk to the agency first.
That was the sentiment of the office’s board of directors during its meeting Tuesday in Hilo, which showed no interest in advancing the issue without hearing from Ige or one of his representatives.
Board members said they invited someone from the Governor’s Office to attend the meeting and explain the reasoning behind the proposal. But that was declined as a result of the ongoing contested case proceedings for the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The issue was still placed on the agenda, providing an opportunity for board members to express some frustration regarding the plan, which would see the University of Hawaii at Hilo forfeit management of all lands on the mountain not used for astronomy.
“This seems like a solution in search of a problem,” said board member Doug Simons, director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope atop Mauna Kea.
“I couldn’t agree more,” commented board chairman Gregory Mooers.
Ige included the land transfer in his 10-point plan for Mauna Kea issued in May 2015 in response to protests against TMT on the mountain.
The governor couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Stephanie Nagata, Mauna Kea management executive director, said Ige did not consult with her office regarding transferring the acreage to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources before making his announcement.
Critics of the plan have questioned whether DLNR can do a better job protecting the natural and cultural resources in those areas. UH leases 11,288 acres of the mountain from the state as part of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve.
It remains unclear if the 10-point plan, which also calls for the removal of three telescopes by the time the controversial TMT is built, will still be implemented if construction of the $1.4 billion project never resumes.
Ige issued the plan before the state Supreme Court remanded the telescope’s land use permit for another contested case.
Keahi Warfield, an outspoken supporter of astronomy on Mauna Kea, used the agenda item to deliver his own 10-point plan for the mountain while speaking to the board. He asked that it be taken to Ige.
His vision focused on using the telescopes as much as possible for education of local students, incorporating indigenous knowledge in scientific research and finding other ways to bridge the gap between the observatories and Native Hawaiians, some of whom consider the mountain too sacred to allow construction.
While he knows of two Hawaiian astronomers, he said he wants to see “four or five or maybe a dozen” on the mountain.
He also favored placing a new teaching telescope that was recently delivered to UH-Hilo atop Mauna Kea. UH plans to remove its small observing site to meet Ige’s decommissioning plan, leaving the telescope without a permanent home.
“To be quite frank, I prefer your 10-point plan to the original one,” Mooers said.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
