Fifty years ago, then-Gov. John A. Burns established the Maunakea Science Reserve and, through a lease with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the University of Hawaii was granted the authority to operate a 525-acre astronomy precinct on the 11,288-acre site.
While 15 years remain on UH’s 65-year lease, an ongoing debate continues to simmer regarding stewardship.
One side maintains that while the university has stumbled in its handling of the overall site’s natural and cultural resources, management is improving and that UH is committed to collaborative care of the mountain that some Native Hawaiians view as sacred.
Earlier this year, Sen. Kaiali‘i Kahele (D, Hilo), representing the other side, pushed unsuccessfully for a new management authority, envisioned as predominately Native Hawaiian in membership.
While both sides make compelling points, it’s apparent that revamping current governance of public lands on Mauna Kea would be counterproductive. There’s no guarantee that a new set of managers would not further politicize stewardship — stalling progress, and further delaying installation of the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the site.
Confidence in UH should be bolstered by the recent release of an internal audit regarding financial management, which found no irregularities in how the various entities involved in use and management of Mauna Kea lands account for revenue and expenses. The Board of Regents called for the review in February to evaluate the flow of university funds, lease payments and external dollars tied to management, education and other activities.
UH is supporting the audit’s recommendations, which aim to step up efficiency in accounting as well as weigh whether observatories and tour operations should pay higher fees.
Back in 1968, when the reserve was created, Hawaii island was looking to astronomy as a key element in its economic recovery after a tsunami devastated downtown Hilo. Eleven telescope facilities are in full operation today. Now, as the site is poised for the addition of TMT, slated to become the most advanced and largest optical telescope on our planet, the stakeholders are rightly more focused on sustainability issues.
Along those lines, the university backs an audit recommendation that all observatories should help pay for the Maunakea Ranger Program, which is tasked with protecting resources, helping to ensure public health and safety and informing visitors about the cultural, natural and scientific significance of the mountain. The observatories are not profit-oriented ventures. Still, it makes sense to require all mountain tenants to pitch in for this preservation-centered effort.
There’s also a question regarding whether the commercial tour operator per-passenger charge of $6 is sufficient to recover the costs incurred on the reserve. Last year, slightly more than 44,860 vehicles ascended Hawaii’s tallest mountain, nearly 14,000 feet above sea level.
UH has become a better Mauna Kea caretaker since a 1998 state audit criticized state management, especially for neglect of natural and cultural resources and weak control of public access. Still, Kahele and others remain leery.
Kahele has asserted that only an independent, third-party audit can ensure results the public can trust, and he plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session requiring one.
In an email statement he said: “I am convinced the way Maunakea has been managed since 1968 by the University of Hawaii is not a blueprint for the future.”
No one disputes that Mauna Kea’s management is a work in progress. Rather than calling for another financial analysis of lease-related agreements, many of which are in place until 2033, Kahele might see more immediate progress by focusing on collaborative work with UH and others linked to the reserve.
