In her last ditch effort before she gets canned, the Lingle crony Laura Thielen the chair of the DLNR, and the BLNR approved the Conservation District Use application of the Institute of Astronomy to build the 14 story telescope on Haleakala....see the latest press release from UH-Manoa.
Kilakila o Haleakala and Haleakala National Park, and thousands of Kanaka Maoli are AGAINST the project....Kilakila o Haleakala has filed for a contested case
hearing....Solar astronomy on Haleakala means desecration of our sacred mountain!
Land Board approves Haleakala Management Plan and ATST University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
On December 1, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the Management Plan for the University of Hawaiʻi's Haleakala
High Altitude Observatory Site and a Conservation District Use Permit
(CDUP) for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST). The plan will
serve as the guiding document for the UH Institute for Astronomy's
management of the 18-acre astronomy precinct on Haleakala. The CDUP
defines the terms and conditions for the construction and operation of
the ATST there.
The $298 million ATST will be funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the National Solar Observatory (NSO) through the Association of Universities
for Research in Astronomy. Construction will begin in 2011, and when it
becomes operational in 2017, ATST will be the world's largest solar
telescope and will enable solar scientists throughout the world to study
solar activity in exquisite detail. These studies will provide
important clues to the origin and development of solar storms that can
affect on life on Earth.
IfA Director Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki stated, “December 1 was an important day with a very important decision. This is a milestone for future astronomy in
Hawaii, and also for education in Hawaiʻi due to the unprecedented
commitment by the NSF to make available $20 million over ten years for
an education program at UH Maui College that will cultivate and
reinforce the intersection of Hawaiian culture and knowledge with
science, technology, engineering, and math."
Dr. Kudritzki expresses his sincere appreciation to all groups and individuals who took the time to participate in the more than 50 formal
and informal meetings and consultations associated with the plan, the
CDUP, and their accompanying environmental documents. He hopes that
those who have participated in the NSF's ATST Native Hawaiian Working
Group meetings will continue to do so. The ATST Native Hawaiian Working
Group will continue to consult with the NSF, NSO, and IfA on important
cultural matters related to the construction and operation of the ATST.
Dr. Kudritzki also thanks outgoing BLNR Chair Laura Thielen, the members of BLNR, and the staff of the Department of Land and Natural Resources'
Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands for their diligent and
comprehensive review of the more than 1,800 pages associated with the
Conservation District Use Application.
For more information about and picture of the ATST: http://atst.nso.edu/
For more information, visit: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/Haleakala_MP.shtml
Replies
I have written this twice, this is my third time.
I keep going off to the side to do something else and for get to press Add Reply
Need to connect the kilo's Haleakala and Ka'ala to develope a talking relationship, so that all that one have worked for can continue on to counter the 1,800 pages of surface talk.