The university also is reshuffling its Mauna Kea management structure and funding vacant positions it said are aimed at providing greater environmental protection for the mountain, among other things.

Critics including environmental and Native Hawaiian groups have said the university has allowed the area to become overdeveloped and that the observatories desecrate a sacred site.

The latest effort comes as the university is eyeing several new telescope projects for the summit, including the possible construction of the world's largest and most powerful telescope, a $700 million project that has been called essential for modern astronomy.

"It's the right thing to do," Gaines said.

UH began developing the summit of Mauna Kea — "White Mountain" in Hawaiian — for astronomy in the 1960s. More major telescopes are on Mauna Kea than on any other mountain peak.

Longtime critic Kealoha Pisciotta, president of the cultural group Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, said she is skeptical. She said foes have offered to sit down with university officials many times.

"You cannot just keep saying you want a win-win situation and then do what you want for yourself while creating the illusion the people are getting what they want," she said.

Pisciotta said the proposed Next Generation Large Telescope in the undeveloped northern plateau of Mauna Kea is unacceptable, in part, because it may lead to the destruction of a number of important shrines in that area. To many Hawaiians, construction on the summit is seen as a desecration of deeply held cultural and spiritual beliefs.

"We're not taking money for desecration," she said. "Nothing good can come of this unless they actually entertain the question that the community isn't supportive of further development."

Deborah Ward, co-chairwoman of the Sierra Club's Mauna Kea Issues Committee, said she's encouraged by the possibility of additional environmental protections and the potential for more discussion with cultural practitioners.

"There is room for meaningful dialogue," she said.

The university's management of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve has been criticized by more than just Native Hawaiian and environmental activists. A 1998 state auditor's report found that the state's stewardship of the summit — now home to 13 telescopes and one antenna array — was inadequate to protect natural resources.

In addition, the environmental impact statement for NASA's proposed Outrigger Telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory noted that the university has allowed "substantial and adverse" impacts on Mauna Kea's cultural resources.

Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, director of the UH Institute for Astronomy, acknowledged that mistakes were made in the past. But, he said, that has changed over the past seven years.

Kudritzki, the director since October 2000, said a significant step forward occurred about four years ago when the university created a separate entity to run the summit area. UH-Hilo oversees the Office of Mauna Kea Management with help from a community advisory board.

Still, he is "absolutely comfortable" with the latest effort to reach out to the community. "It's a very essential step," Kudritzki said.

Gaines said the plan calls for an internal reorganization in which the Institute for Astronomy-run Mauna Kea Support Services branch would be placed under the the Office of Mauna Kea Management. That should end a perception of undue influence by the institute, he said.

Also under the plan, the university would pay for six previously unfunded positions — including a cultural practitioner, biologist and a couple of rangers — to help care for the 1,600-acre preserve, Gaines said.

The plan also would include an education and outreach campaign to encourage Big Island residents to pursue technical careers, including astronomy and engineering.

No details or time line is set for the forgiveness ceremony or a potential gift. Gaines said there needs to be a dialogue with the community to determine exactly what should occur.

"But it's something we need to do," he said. "It's a statement that we really want to manage the mountain better."