Emma Kim

ENG 110

Argumentative Essay

12/1/19

Conservation Not Desecration

On July 16, 2019, Hawaiʻi State Governor David Ige approved the construction of a

thirty-meter telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is the highest point in Hawaiʻi.

Because it’s 13,796 feet above sea level with low humidity and low light pollution, the mountain

is considered an almost ideal spot for this new telescope. However, the mountain is much more

than an ideal construction site. The construction of TMT will impact Native rights, ecological

aspects of the mountain, and it would be another moment in history where colonialism took

something away from a Native and Indigenous group.

The protest of itself started back in 1968 when the University of Hawaiʻi was granted

land on Mauna Kea to build a small telescope for astrological and cultural research. The promise

of only one telescope turned into 13. As years went by, the University of Hawaiʻi abandoned

these telescopes and refused to deconstruct them. Now, the University is working with

constructors and big groups like UC schools and international astronomy and science research

institutes in hopes of using new land on the mountain to build an 18-story high telescope.

Recently, the construction was put on hold for two years in hopes that Native Hawaiians

will end their protest. The protest is still going on and the support for Native rights have been

overwhelming. Political leaders from around the world have joined in the effort, and even

officials from TMT have announced that they could to build the telescope in the Canary Islands

in Spain, but even that plan b was not ideal for everyone.
 A clear, perfect solution is not feasible right now, but we can help spread awareness and

educating others right here at La Salle. Many other universities have clubs like the Pacific

Islanders Club or Natives People Club. Through cultural protests and ceremonies, petitions, and

conversations, we can inform people, Hawaiian or not, about the history and issues of Native

Hawaiians and indigenous people. If the support for the protest can spread further around the

nation, then maybe the government will be pressured to figure out a solution to satisfy everyone.

Building the TMT on Mauna Kea is desecration of sacred land and Hawaiians are not the only

Native and Indigenous group facing problems like this. People should be informed and educated

about this because Native rights and protection is a prevalent issue, and their voice and support

can make a huge change.

To Native Hawaiians, Mauna Kea is sacred land and the center of Hawaiian culture.

Mauna Kea means the mountain of Wākea. Wākea is the sky father, and the Mauna, or mountain,

is where he lays with Papahānaumoku, earth mother. The mountain is where life comes from.

But whether you are in Hawaiʻi and are Native Hawaiian, or if you are thousands of miles away

and not a Native Hawaiian, this issue has an impact on people from all over the world. A

University Wire article written by Annie Cheng talks about the TMT protest being held at UC

Berkley. Berkley is one of the UC Institutions that are investing and support the telescope.

Corrina Gould, a representative of Indian People Organization for Change, told Cheng, “Our

sacred places are becoming smaller and smaller. We have to stand right now to protect the sacred

sites, the places to which we are tied; otherwise, we, as humans, tend to lose altogether.” (Cheng,

para. 7) Although people like Corrina Gould are not Native Hawaiian, they are joining in and

supporting the protest because Hawaiians aren’t the only group that has lost something to

colonialism. For example, the building of the Dakota Pipeline over Native American protected
land was protested by people of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. This protest started when young

Native Americans undertook a cross-country run from Standing Rock to Washington D.C.

Through peaceful protests to sharing the #NoDAPL on social media, the support to protect the

land increased dramatically. Fighting for Native rights and protection is something that all Native

and Indigenous groups can connect with and support.

Another University Wire article that was written by Hunter Wiggins, was about Native

Hawaiian students at Montana State University. These students were writing letters, petitions,

and holding peaceful protests and culture ceremonies, in hopes of convincing institutions and

government to stop the construction of TMT. MSU, like the UC schools, are involved in the

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and is helping to fund the building of

TMT. Kaʻaumoana Ahina is currently a junior at the University of Montana and president of the

Pacific Islanders Club at the university. In an interview, Ahina told Wiggins, “Where there are

Hawaiians or indigenous people in the world, we are impacted. It doesn’t matter if we are

physically on that mountain. Our spirit, our ancestors, our every being of our soul of who we are

as indigenous people are rooted there, or are there, as we speak.” (Wiggins, para. 5) It doesn’t

matter who or where you are in the world. For me, I am 5,000 miles away from home, but my

heart is on Mauna Kea with my Native brothers and sisters. I am impacted by everything that

happens on that mountain. As a Native Hawaiian, I believe that Mauna Kea is a part of who I am,

physically and spiritually. And no matter how far I, or anyone, goes away from home, Mauna

Kea is still a part of us. However, not only does TMT have an effect of Native people and

culture, but it also has a potential for big ecological impacts.

The new thirty-meter telescope will take up at least 1.4 acres of land, and another 5 acres

for the entire project site that includes a new parking lot. Although officials have made promises
about not damaging the environment and Native species, there is a history of mismanagement by

the University of Hawaiʻi and TMT which has caused previous ecological problems. A 2010

environmental impact statement written by the Office of Mauna Kea Management, and approved

by the state, concluded that the TMT project would have a very minimal impact on biological,

visual, cultural, archaeological and geological resources of the mountain. However, in an article

published on Honolulu Civil Beat, which is an investigative news site for the state of Hawaiʻi,

refutes that impact statement. Anita Hofschneider, who is an award-winning journalist and

reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat, wrote that her own research findings and analysis concluded

that the telescopes have altered the mountains geology, squeezed animal habitats and affected

cultural practices. Hofschneider references the same environmental impact statement written by

the Office of Mauna Kea Management and she says, “The observatories have a history of

accidently spilling sewage and chemicals including hydraulic fluid and propylene glycol.”

(Hofschneider, para. 15) Hofschneider also mentioned mercury spills and thousands of gallons of

sewage seeping into the mountain in 2008. She also cites that the impact statement planned a

road extension for TMT that would curtail the habitat of the Wekiu bug, which is an indigenous

insect that just got off of the endangered species list. Another article that was published in the

Honolulu Star Advertiser Newspaper, was written by Dan Ahuna, a trustee for the Office of

Hawaiian Affairs. Ahuna talked about how the University of Hawaiʻi was given land to build the

telescopes on, but part way through the project, they gave up and stopped taking care of the

telescopes. UH has ignored the legal contracts that would hold them responsible for the

telescopes and the resources on Mauna Kea. Officials and management of TMT can say that they

won’t harm the environment or the animals, but historical records show that there shouldn’t be
another telescope when TMT and the University of Hawaiʻi cannot take care of what they are

supposed to.

Most of the people who are in support of the thirty-meter telescope are scientists,

astronomers, and people who are not Natives. According to an article published by the

University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, Mauna Kea is the most ideal location for a new

telescope. The atmosphere on the summit is extremely dry, which is important when measuring

infrared and sub-millimeter radiation. Because the tropical inversion cloud layer is well below

the summit, there is little to no light and air pollution. (University of Hawaiʻi Institute for

Astronomy, para. 4) TMT will be one of three behemoth telescopes under development

worldwide. The other two, the Giant Magellan Telescope and the European Extremely Large

Telescope, are being built in areas where some parts of the universe will not be visible. But you

can see those parts on Mauna Kea. (New York Times, para. 7) Despite Mauna Kea being so

perfect for the new telescope, TMT officials have acknowledged and signed the permits that will

allow them to move construction to La Palma, a mountain on the Spanish Canary Islands.

Astrophysicist and chair of Harvard University’s astronomy department, Avi Leob, told CBS

News that La Palma has similar air quality to Mauna Kea because of the laws protecting the sky.

Leob reminded CBS News that scientists and researchers can adjust the telescope to compensate

for the small difference between La Palma and Mauna Kea. (CBS News, para 2-16) Moving the

construction site is the biggest solution to the TMT protest, but educating others and supporting

Natives is a small yet big way to help.

In conclusion, people should be informed and educated about this because Native rights

and protection is a prevalent issue, and any voice and support can make a huge change. Building

the TMT on Mauna Kea is desecration of sacred land and not only does it affect cultural aspects,
but ecological and personal as well. Supporting the protest can be as fun as creating a Pacific

Islanders Club here at La Salle, and it can be as simple as telling your family or friends about it

and sign online petitions. Or, if you are like me and your heart tells you to, then you can go to

Mauna Kea and experience the power of the protest yourself. You don’t have to be Native

Hawaiian or from Hawaiʻi to understand the issue and to educate others about it. Just remember,

conservation, not desecration.

 Works Cited

“About Mauna Kea Observatories.” About Mauna Kea

Ahuna, Dan. "UH Fails to Address Longstanding Mismanagement of Mauna Kea." Honolulu Star –
Advertiser, Jun 28, 2017. ProQuest,

Cheng, Annie. "Protesters at UC Berkeley Demand UC Divestment from Telescope Construction on

Mauna Kea." University Wire, Jul 22, 2019. ProQuest,

“Hawaii or Spain? Why Experts Say Location Might Not Matter for World’s Largest Telescope.” CBS
News, CBS Interactive.

Hofschneider, Anita. “Does the Thirty Meter Telescope Pose Environmental Risks?” Honolulu Civil Beat,
18 Dec. 2015, www.civilbeat.org/2015/04/does-the-thirty-meter-telescope-pose-environmental-risks/.

“Land Use.” Office of Maunakea Management, www.malamamaunakea.org/management/land-use.

Lapier, Rosalyn. "Mauna Kea and Colonialism on Public Lands." High Country News, Sep 02, 2019, pp.
25. ProQuest,

Tolan, Sandy. "THE NATION; in Hawaii, a Battle for the Heavens; Native Elders and Allies Protest
Plans for a Huge Telescope atop Mauna Kea." Los Angeles Times, Aug 15, 2019. ProQuest,

Wiggins, Hunter. "Close to Home, Mauna Kea Affects Faculty and Students."University Wire, Oct 23,
2019. ProQuest,