Mauna Kea Oral History Appendix - Office of Mauna Kea Management

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Yes, I’m happy here.
When you go to those places, and I know them very well because I’ve been there before
on sabbaticals, etc. everybody in these states is proud about Astronomy. They love it,
they defend it. I was at a meeting with the Citizens of Tucson, Arizona, where a new
development was proposed at the foot of Mount Hopkins. On top of Mount Hopkins is an
observatory, that’s south of Tucson. And vehemently, all of the Citizens spoke against
this development because it would jeopardize Astronomy on top of the mountain
because of light pollution and things like this.
Interesting.
Enormous support. In Texas it’s the same, whenever you are in Dallas International
Airport, and you mentioned you had to do something with McDonald Observatory, they
smiled and would ask questions. Wherever you are in the world, that’s the case. And of
course in the long run, I thought that it must be possible here. Maybe that’s very, very
naïve, maybe you have to wait fifty years until this happens. But I thought, if people had
the impression that what we do is done in a proper way, they would feel proud if they
could say that the best research in the world, in this field, is done here.
Sure and involving Hawaiians.
Yes, that’s the other thing that we want. I wanted a future where we could have more
colleagues like Paul Coleman, being in this institute as Hawaiians who went into Science
and got the education and finally made it here. Who work here and do science. That’s
another long term goal. You need to be quite an optimist, and you need to have a lot of
vision if you think about these things in the situation like the present one, of course.
Where you are in all these controversies. On the other hand. I already had so many
positive conversations also with people. When one takes the time and really has a deep
conversation about these things, and how one feels about them. I always realize that
there is an understanding, and that there might be a possibility to work together.
What you’re sharing with me, based on the conversations and things that have gone on
is important, and it’s going to be a matter of demonstrating that the actions speaks louder
than the words. The words are good, but do they have action behind them. That’s going
to be very important, and the patience that will be required to expand the knowledge on
both sides. So that there is this sense of respect, mutual respect, but also respect of
place. It is interesting when you talk about going to the Northern Plateau section for the
30-meter, as an example, you go beyond Poli‘ahu into the Päpalekökï area which is the
traditional name of that cluster of cones on the northern side. The idea is doing it in a
way, and involving the Community early on in the process, I think to maximize retention
of the cultural landscape. Again, participation will be the key.
Yes. And in a sense I realize already now, what we have to do, because some of the
opposing groups already are distributing some misinformation of these plans. You can
see on the web sites and in the emails that they start, they talk about the telescope taking
on something like thirty-six acres, which is way off. If such a telescope is ever built, at the
site which is foreseen now, it would need no more than two acres, probably only one. Of
course if somebody hears, thirty-six acres, he or she must think “are these Astronomers
crazy” It’s very difficult to work against this because it’s easy to spread these things out.
It’s really tough to convince people it isn’t true.
So your actions will speak louder than words
Yes.
And it’s just demonstrating the ongoing relationship. If we may, let’s come back for a
moment. You shared with me, that in the ‘70s, you were taking your children, a son and a
daughter I believe
Yes.
Mauna Kea– “Ka Piko Kaulana o ka ‘Äina”
Kumu Pono Associates LLC
A Collection of Oral History Interviews (HiMK67-050606) A:668