TMT construction begins Monday 15 July

[Old Croc]

Gary Hooser is essentially saying, "Golly, there are so many protestors that we have no alternative but to let them have their way."

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Golly, there are so many protestors that we have no alternative but to let them have their way."

“80% of success is showing up.” -Woody Allen

“100% of success in Hawaii is just showing up.” -HOTPE

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

It's not just the cows anymore.
Shouldn't whoever is in charge (ha, ha) of Mauna Kea Access Road update the signs with the message:

_____________________________
Beware of
Invisible Rules
Rules & Regulations on Mauna Kea
Are Often Invisible in Darkness
and/or Fog and/or Broad Daylight.
Use Extreme Caution
They Can Appear At Any Time!
They Can Change At Any Time!
_____________________________


https://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/file...24x768.jpg

[macuu222]

Who knew Maui would show up. I'm guessing Aquaman and President Obama won't be far behind.

[TomK]

Gemini technicians were finally allowed access to the summit last night to fix the urgent problem at the observatory. Since then, access has again been denied. The news release from Maunakea Observatories:

"Less than 24 hours after having been denied access to fix a critical issue at the Gemini telescope, two technical staff were able to successfully gain access to the summit facility at approximately 10:00 p.m. Access assurances from activists were offered in advance through law enforcement and the Office of Maunakea Management, provided the observatory could send its technicians immediately.

Observatory personnel were notified at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23 that a window of time for road access had been offered, extending only overnight. After risk assessment and careful consideration, Gemini leadership elected to send the two-person crew to attempt the technical work. The crew departed from the Hilo base facility at approximately 10:00 p.m. and successfully entered the Maunakea Access Road at the base of Maunakea at 10:45pm.

Gemini Observatory uses compressed helium - a non-toxic inert gas that exists in the atmosphere naturally - in a cooling circuit to maintain stable low temperatures for two highly-delicate instruments used in astronomical observations. The cooling system needed urgent repair, which required specialized technicians to shut down in order to prevent damage to the instruments and the cooling circuit itself.

The small crew successfully executed their plan to shut off the compressors, shut down and start warming up the two at-risk instruments, disconnect specific joints in the cooling system, and perform a standard facility inspection that is usually conducted on a daily basis during normal operations. The crew concluded their work just after 2:00 a.m. and returned to Gemini's Hilo base facility after 3:00 a.m.

The Observatories hope to return as soon as possible to long-term reliable access to our facilities so that we can resume operations and safely return to scientific observations each night. We are grateful to law enforcement for facilitating safe access for this critical repair work, preventing significant damage to the complex instruments. We are proud of and grateful for the efforts of the two observatory personnel who completed the delicate technical work under such unusual conditions."

[Punatic007]

Seriously Tom? You guys need to ask permission to come and go from this aberrant group of misfits who do not even come close to representing the majority of Hawaiians on the island? Why aren't the observatories suing the county and state? Can't they get the Feds to help?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Gemini technicians were finally allowed access to the summit last night to fix the urgent problem

Thanks for posting.
Finally some good news.

[TomK]

Punatic007 - yes, it's a ridiculous situation, but can assure there's an awful lot going on behind the scenes that I really can't comment on here. As for suing, well, yes, it has certainly come up in discussions, but there are some serious hurdles. I think ironyak commented on one example earlier, but one other example is if the state was sued, then because some observatories are owned by the UH, then the state would be suing the state, which really isn't going to fly...

[kalakoa]

if the state was sued, then because some observatories are owned by the UH, then the state would be suing the state

Protest and roadblock are on DHHL land, sue DHHL.

State will get theirs when it turns out that "Rule of Law" and "permits" and "court rulings" aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

[TomK]

DHHL is still the state.