TMT - Contested Case Hearing Status - Hilo

[kalakoa]

don't see any protectors stopping the saddle road construction

Let's make a list, shall we?

Starting with "cesspools"...

They'd better get back to Standing Rock right away, too:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ener...pipelines/

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

better get back to Standing Rock

In another few months, attempting to advance an agenda based on an acre or two of non-endangered lichens will begin to look old-timey and quaint, like a man trying to tell you how crystal clear and in focus half the world has become ever since he started wearing his monocle.

"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms

[Justin]

Excellent point. I wonder if anyone in the new administration will get involved if/when they hear about a major opportunity leaving the US for Spain, including the loss of jobs and reputation.

[Jimbo2017]

Eric Hansen needs to go back to school. What is his argument that the plants and lichens are unique to that area, and what is his data? When asked about how he got his information, he was like "Cuz I was on my knees looking at it". Doesn't sound very scientific.

Mauka Hilo-side

[TomK]

"When asked about how he got his information, he was like "Cuz I was on my knees looking at it". Doesn't sound very scientific."

It certainly wasn't, and the repeated "hands and knees" claim was one of the overly-defensive behaviors I was referring to. It didn't help when he had a go at his "boss" who, unlike Hansen, is a qualified research scientist.

[Guest]

The many rare lichens and mosses should probably be studied and protected much like the once considered to be endangered Wekiu bugs.

https://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/arc...05_20.html

Some local astronomers have recently claimed the Wekiu bug is currently thriving around the summit region. Yet, I have not been able to find any recent studies or data that would validate this.

Can anyone provide a recent Wekiu bug study that would suggest they currently are thriving like some local astronomers claim?

When and Why was the Wekiu bug taken off the considered to be endangered species list?
What data or study was done and by whom to prove the Wekiu bug no longer deserved to be on this list?

[Guest]

Mahalo Glinda for the important correction. So the Wekiu bug never was on the endangered list and was only being considered some years back. Can we trust the managements involved and what studies did they make this convenient decision from?

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/1...date-list/


Mr Harry Fergerstrom took the stand in the contested case hearing and he was not in a very good mood.

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2017/0...testimony/

Why was Mr Harry Fergerstrom so angry or disrespectful of Ms Amano at the end of his testimony?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Can we trust the Office of Mauna Kea management and what studies did they make this convenient decision from?

You don't have to trust the Office of Mauna Kea Management, because as stated in the article for which you provided a link, the endangered species list is overseen by:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered Species Act – or ESA
Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the current status of the world’s many creatures.

The Office of Mauna Kea Management does not conveniently, or inconveniently decide whether to list, or not list the Wekiu bug.

"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms

[leilanidude]

From the link you provided...

It seems more than one agency likes what has been going on around the summit!

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the current status of the world’s many creatures....

...The federal service says the removal of the Wekiu bug is based on the successful management of the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Survey work resulted in more than doubling the number of sites where this species is found. The protection and monitoring of the Wekiu bug provided through the management plans for Mauna Kea has precluded the need to list this species, say officials."

[Obie]

Gypsy

Do you read anything that you link to ?
From the link you provided.

"Fergerstrom was in a bad mood that day. Moments before taking the stand, hearing officer Judge Riki May Amano (ret.) blocked one of Fergerstrom’s witnesses, Williamson B.C. Chang, from being cross-examined. Amano denied the offer of proof, ruling that Chang’s testimony – which challenged the state’s territorial subject matter jurisdiction over Mauna Kea – was not an issue in the hearing. Fergerstrom had flown Chang into Hilo to testify."