The quasi-judicial hearing is the latest in a series of ongoing clashes on the use of the mountain. The dispute is likely to continue erupting through the years, as it has for 20 years, since citizen groups began protesting the observatory's growing occupation of the mountain. Behind the Mauna Kea conflict is the expanding movement by Hawaiians for cultural respect.
Well-funded astronomers - only one of whom is Hawaiian - have migrated to the Big Island from around the world. Six new outrigger telescopes would usher in the next wave of telescopes desired by the scientists for their quests for further knowledge about the universe of which we are only a tiny, though influential and sometimes hazardous, part.
The case is being followed closely by astronomers around the planet who consider Mauna Kea the globe's premier astronomy site. It hosts the world's largest optical/infrared telescopes. The hearing officer's recommendation and the decision by the BLNR will influence the future not only of Mauna Kea but also of the Hawaiian people who live under the volcano on various spread-out islands.
Well-funded astronomers - only one of whom is Hawaiian - have migrated to the Big Island from around the world. Six new outrigger telescopes would usher in the next wave of telescopes desired by the scientists for their quests for further knowledge about the universe of which we are only a tiny, though influential and sometimes hazardous, part.
The case is being followed closely by astronomers around the planet who consider Mauna Kea the globe's premier astronomy site. It hosts the world's largest optical/infrared telescopes. The hearing officer's recommendation and the decision by the BLNR will influence the future not only of Mauna Kea but also of the Hawaiian people who live under the volcano on various spread-out islands.