Hawaii resolution explores new management for Mauna Kea
By AUDREY McAVOYFebruary 26, 2021 GMT
HONOLULU (AP) Two Hawaii legislative committees on Thursday passed a resolution creating a working group to develop recommendations for new management of the state’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea.
The peak is the site of a years-long dispute between those who support conducting world-leading astronomy research there and those who believe the modern telescopes desecrate a place many Native Hawaiians believe is sacred.
The University of Hawaii currently manages the summit under a 65-year lease from the state of Hawaii that’s due to expire in 2033. Critics say the university has done a poor job of consulting Native Hawaiians since observatory construction began there in the late 1960s.