trash on Mauna Kea

[TomK]

"Pro TMT supporters went up and cleaned up part of the trash.

https://www.kitv.com/story/41582294/comm...pment-area"

Note that the MK Observatory staff do regular environmental cleanups of the summit region which is why the summit area is kept clean. The mess they clear up is mostly from visitors to the summit and not from observatory crews. The MK rangers inspect the area as well, do cleanup themselves and send reports to the observatories regarding the cleanliness of the area surrounding the observatories.

[kalakoa]

It was not a willing shut-down

As in "forced" shut-down...

all the manua Kea tour companies had to shut down and lay off their staff

Didn't one of them go out of business?

[TomK]

"Continued disrespect from current working Astronomers atop Mauna Kea like "TomK" who continue to view or publicly belittle a portion, the so called "minority" of the island or state's residents who are "currently" against further astronomy develpoment on their sacred or treasured Mountain. Even if they have voices, concerns and reasons."

I'm commenting on a group of people who are quite happy to leave trash on Mauna Kea while saying they are there to protect it. I haven't stopped them from having voices, concerns or reasons for doing what they are, but think I also am allowed a voice in saying that their behavior has been somewhat hypocritical.

[kalakoa]

Hopefully the TMT supporters were respectful when removing one man's junk, another man's belonging's and treasure's.

Owners of the removed articles should feel free to file a police report and request an investigation into the theft of their property. (Read: I would pay good money to see this.)

[TomK]

"Hopefully the TMT supporters were respectful when removing one man's junk, another man's belonging's and treasure's."

1) Any chance you can drop all the unnecessary apostrophes as they make your posts indecipherable?

2) If protesters brought up treasures to the protest site and then abandoned them, then surely it's up to them to make sure they don't get removed in a cleanup that was called for by the protesters themselves?

[kalakoa]

a cleanup that was called for by the protesters themselves

If the protestors could process cohesive logic, they would be occupying OHA and DHHL instead of blaming the TMT.

[randomq]

Much like the TMT site, those abandoned tents no doubt contained hidden iwi and natural ahu indistinguishable from the surrounding rocks. The whole camp should now be considered a cultural preservation area and never disturbed again, so that future generations can come visit the ruins of their wise ancestors that protested a telescope.

[Guest]

Randomq,
These so called ancestors have protested much more than "a" telescope, as you put it.

I believe folks with NASA and the Military may need the TMT more than most. NASA and the Military may need the TMT project in the Northern Hemisphere "Mauna Kea" for several reasons they probably don't care to elaborate on.

Would the TMT need to be in the Northern Hemisphere so we can have a giant "EYE" on Russia?
What types of scrath your back projects would NASA and the military plan to use the TMT project for?
How much time for how much $$$ is set aside for the likes of NASA once they invest?
The Over or under line is 25% of the viewing time.

I read somewhere that the Government of the Canary Islands had said this TMT project has valid permits and a green light. So why not save face and move on with this project already?

[ironyak]

Dreamcatcher88 - Would the TMT need to be in the Northern Hemisphere so we and our "Allies" can have a giant "EYE" on Russia?

Please explain how a ground telescope can be used to spy on Russia from Hawaii. Perhaps check a globe if the nuttiness of this idea still doesn't make sense.

[PaulW]

D88, I think you'll find that a telescope that peers into the distant universe has zero military usefulness.