EDITORIAL
Mauna Kea must play an astronomical role

Native Hawaiians and others concerned about the cultural and environmental integrity at the summit of Mauna Kea have a right to be suspicious about the latest plans for expansion of the astronomy complex there.

While sensitivity to, and awareness of, these issues have increased enormously in recent years, there were times when the drive to put Hawai'i at the forefront of land-based astronomy seemed to push aside most other concerns.

So it is understandable that several groups are asking for a full-scale "contested case hearing" — virtually a trial — before the state Land Board on the latest plan to expand the Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea. Their demand is driven by a suspicion that the state, if not watched carefully, will continue to expand the scientific presence on Mauna Kea until there is nothing left of the natural habitat or the culturally important relics found there.

Such a hearing would certainly delay the project and could even block it, depending on the evidence presented.

Our hope is that the board will grant the hearing, not with the expectation that the project will be blocked but in hope that it would put firmly on the record the state's interest in balancing competing interests at the summit. Important scientific work takes place there and the cultural and environmental resources that must be protected. And it must not be forgotten that there also are recreational interests — skiers, hikers and the like — that deserve to be heard.

In recent years, planners have reduced the original "footprint" of summit acreage set aside for astronomy by a huge amount. Today, plans call for most of the site to be preserved or even enhanced for its historic, archaeological and environmental value. Architectural plans for existing or proposed telescopes are being developed that will minimize their visible presence, both at the top and from the lowlands below.

It appears to be a reasonable balance. And the use of the summit for research of the stars appears to us to make sense, even in a Hawaiian context. The ancient Hawaiians, after all, were keen students of the stars in their role as long-distance navigators.

One suspects those Hawaiians of old would be among the first to applaud the world-class astronomy research that is being conducted today from the summit of their mountain.