Mauna Kea

Three of the thirteen telescopes on Mauna Kea are set to be decommissioned before the planned Thirty Meter Telescope is built. This could involve relocating one of the telescopes elsewhere on the mountain, and that has its own issues.

HILO — University of Hawaii students protesting the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope are expected to have class options allowing them to remain on the mountain, a report said.

Updated: Aug. 9, 4:32 p.m.

Maunakea Observatories, the group operating the existing telescopes on Mauna Kea, announced plans on Friday to resume "close to full operations as possible," although the main access road to the summit remains blocked by protesters.

BARCELONA, Spain  — The director of a Spanish research center says an international consortium that planned to build a giant telescope on Hawaii's tallest peak has decided to seek a permit for an alternative site in the Canary Islands.

A new University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents group will be investigating the school's role in managing Mauna Kea.

Citing changed conditions atop Mauna Kea, Governor David Ige has withdrawn his emergency proclamation. During a press conference, Ige told reporters that the Department of Land and Natural Resources have approved a two year deadline extension to begin construction on the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Updated: July 29, 5:51 p.m.

Some workers have been allowed access to observatories on Mauna Kea in an agreement that also permits Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners to make their way up the mountain, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Monday.

Technicians bound for the Gemini Observatory were stopped by activists from entering Mauna Kea Access Road Tuesday morning, according to Maunakea Observatories, which represents the telescopes currently on the mountain.

Updated: July 23, 3:41 p.m.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige acknowledged Tuesday that the ongoing protest against the Thirty Meter Telescope planned atop the state's highest mountain is also about addressing the treatment of Native Hawaiians going back more than a century.

Demonstrations against a giant telescope planned for Hawaii's tallest peak have spread to New York, Las Vegas and Honolulu's tourist mecca of Waikiki as Native Hawaiians push to protect what they say is a sacred place.

Updated: July 22, 4:30 p.m.

State officials estimated the crowd on Monday stood at 1,500 people at the site of the protest against the planned Thirty Meter Telescope. There were no arrests.

Officials said when informed by law enforcement officers about alcohol and marijuana use at the site last week, protest leaders said they would patrol the area and ask violators to leave. "Those efforts were successful as officers say there is no longer evidence of alcohol and marijuana use," the state said in a media news release.

Also, those climbing the volcanic cone at Puʻu Huluhulu were advised to take precautions to prevent the spread of Rapid Ohia Death. 

Updated: July 21, 5:11 p.m.

About 2,000 people gathered Sunday near the intersection of Daniel K. Inouye Highway and Mauna Kea Access Road, state officials estimated. There were no arrests as the protest continues against the Thirty Meter Telescope planned near the summit of Mauna Kea.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige held an unusual news conference at the Hilo airport Friday afternoon, saying that he does not want to “escalate the situation” on Mauna Kea, and is not calling in additional troops from the National Guard.  

He says he has no plans to go to Mauna Kea, but remains concerned about safety conditions there. He is also not backing off plans to move construction equipment up the mountain.

“We have been very patient with all of those on Mauna Kea, but we will continue to enforce the law,” he said.