Isle astronomer CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL opposition to the continued development of Mauna Kea for astronomy has caused delays on a NASA project aimed at looking for life on planets outside our solar system, according to the latest edition of the journal Nature.
disputes report that
Mauna Kea site
threatened
A journal says isle concerns
are delaying a NASA projectBy Helen Altonn
Star-BulletinThe Nature article notes a growing native Hawaiian movement against telescopes on the sacred site and concerns about Mauna Kea's wekiu bug, proposed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Anne Kinney, a NASA science official, is quoted as saying astronomers "see themselves losing their best Northern Hemisphere site." She said further delays "would hold up every single project on the mountain."
Robert McLaren, Hawaii Institute for Astronomy associate director for Mauna Kea, said only one project is even being discussed currently.
It involves four to six small "outrigger" telescopes, which were proposed in the Mauna Kea master plan for the giant twin Keck telescopes on the mountain. NASA has $45 million to fund four outriggers and is planning for two more.
McLaren said NASA and Keck Observatory are "proceeding with approval steps as defined in the master plan.
"They are being very diligent about that; they are proceeding very carefully. That is taking a little bit of time, but that's probably not a surprise since it's a new plan and some of the activities are new."
McLaren said the Nature article is wrong in suggesting there are other projects at the same stage as the Keck outriggers for the Big Island mountain.
"The master plan lays out a possible program of development for a 20-year time frame, so obviously other things in there may be proposed three, five or 10 years from now. But the only thing seriously being discussed at the present time is this (Keck outrigger) project, and it is fairly well defined in the master plan."
It has also been listed as a priority for U.S. astronomy to be started sometime this decade, McLaren said. Construction of the outriggers, scheduled to start last October, has been delayed to comply with federal environmental and historical preservation laws, the Nature article said.
NASA published a draft environmental assessment of the project in December, including a strategy to reduce the impact on the wekiu bug.
The space agency also is required by the National Historic Preservation Act to consult with native Hawaiian groups about the project's possible cultural impact, and it has been doing that, McLaren said. He said a group from NASA headquarters was here in January and met with a number of Hawaiian groups.
Also at the meetings were state Historic Preservation Division staff members.
"I think we are getting closer to some understanding between NASA and the different organizations," said Don Hibbard, division administrator.
He said the summit of Mauna Kea is recognized as a significant cultural site.
"We have to determine whether what they've proposed (for the outrigger telescopes) will have an effect on that landscape. And if it is going to have an effect -- and I think we're moving in a direction where everybody agrees, because of the sacred character of the mountain to some Hawaiians, it will have an effect -- we'll try to see how we can mitigate the effect.
"That's what the whole preservation act is about, to make sure the site is treated respectfully."
Whatever is worked out will result in a memorandum of agreement, Hibbard said.
Before construction can begin, approvals also are needed from the University of Hawaii and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which have joint control of Mauna Kea.
To achieve greater sensitivity and performance, NASA in 1997 began work to link light of the two giant 10-meter Keck telescopes to work as the largest optical interferometer in history.
"There are no scientific results yet, but they are well on their way to doing this," McLaren said.
Light from the smaller 2-meter outrigger telescopes, combined with the huge telescopes, would significantly enhance the interferometer capability, but they are not essential, McLaren said.
NASA's goal is to produce images capable of identifying Earth-like planets, if they exist, around neighboring stars.
The Nature editorial, in its April 26 edition, suggests there is room at the top for both Hawaiians and scientists, saying, "Astronomers familiar with the Mauna Kea issue admit that scientists could be more sensitive to the fact that they're working in someone else's church."
"The native Hawaiian opposition, for its part, should recognize good-faith gestures when they're offered. And they should ask themselves, 'Do we really want to drive these telescopes -- which revel a grandness to nature that our ancestors would have appreciated -- off the mountain forever?'"