Should UH manage Mauna Kea's summit?

[rainyjim]

Many thanks dear sir.

[MarkD]

Yes, thanks for explanation.

[leilanidude]

I for one would like the Visitors Center to be as far as you go without a 'special use permit'.
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That sounds like another recipe for more union county jobs...

[rainyjim]

I think people should be able to access the summit, but I am surprised access to the observatories isn't behind a gate or somehow separate from public viewing access.

I agree with this comment on CB: "The only reason they would seek to remove Maunakea from the list of public lands is if they intended to deprive the public of access to that land."

[geochem]

Have a look at today's paper - there clearly is an intent to restrict access to the summit under the new management and require trips to the summit be paid excursions only (excepting, of course, "native practitioners"). Under government management (jobs program) which will be managed with typical State government efficiency $$$$, and reliability (better bring good hiking shoes, survival gear, and a sturdy stick for the hike back down)...

[kalakoa]

require trips to the summit be paid excursions only

Perhaps they can simply extend Hele-On service to the summit.

[oink]

How do I make reservations for the night parties at the visitor center?

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Kapoho Joe]

quote:

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Originally posted by geochem

Have a look at today's paper - there clearly is an intent to restrict access to the summit under the new management and require trips to the summit be paid excursions only (excepting, of course, "native practitioners"). Under government management (jobs program) which will be managed with typical State government efficiency $$$$, and reliability (better bring good hiking shoes, survival gear, and a sturdy stick for the hike back down)...

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Sounds good to me.

[TomK]

This is just my personal opinion and I know it isn't shared by everyone including some observatory staff.

I have no problem at all with free access to the public to the summit area including the area around the summits. It's part of the reason people want to visit. The observatories themselves are fairly secure and we know very quickly if someone is trying to gain access to them, even those operated remotely. When we used to operate UKIRT with a night crew at the summit, I actually enjoyed interacting with the visitors when I did my usual stroll around at sunset, although the questions did become a bit tedious after a while (have you ever seen a UFO? Do black holes really exist? Can we see your telescope?).

It's a special place, full of beauty and discovery and should be shared with everyone. Any plan to limit access or have paid access to an incompetent state-run organization would be a disaster in my opinion and could possibly lead to even more problems than we have now, including ending Mauna Kea's reputation for the best place on the planet for astronomy.

I do, however, quite like the suggestion of the area being taken over by the National Park system, but that would also create problems and people would still need to pay for a summit experience. And I doubt it will happen in the near future.

There are a lot more pros and cons I can think of right now, but trying to keep this as short as possible.

[rainyjim]

I like the idea of it being a national park. I could see it being adopted into Hawaii volcanoes national park, due to it being on Hawaii and a volcano...it would certainly simplify the transition (as opposed to creating a entirely new park entity). It also makes sense that the park system can manage these resources well - they already have a similar installation in place on Maui - Haleakala National Park system which also has observatories.

I would be OK with paying an entrance fee if it Mauna Kea was made into a national park. I would not be OK with paying a fee to OHA.