In the above video – filmed last Thursday, March 26 – Lanakila Mangauil talks about rushing to the defense of Mauna Kea the moment he heard heavy machinery was moving into place on Monday.

by David Corrigan

MAUNA KEA – As the Mauna Kea Acces Road blockade continues into a second week, we recount the efforts of Lanakila Mangauil to halt the billion dollar Thirty Meter Telescope project; an effort that began one week ago.

Mangauil is the same Hawaiian cultural practitioner who single-handedly delayed the groundbreaking ceremony for the TMT project on October 2014 until reinforcements arrived to stop the event.

Mangauil sprang into action last Monday, he says, after hearing that heavy machinery was being moved up the mountain. The machines will be preparing the site on the Northern Plateau of the summit area for the construction of the TMT. Mangauil has been a leading figure in the effort to protect the mountain from further development by the astronomy industry. He has also been using social media to rally the TMT opposition, documenting his efforts earlier this week with his cell phone and posting the video to Facebook.

Mangauil has spent some cold nights on the mountain, but his support has grown over the last week. The invigorated opposition instituted a kapu aloha on the access road, which prevented construction crews from making it to the TMT site on Monday. Things were quiet today (Tuesday). Reports from Mauna Kea say the construction crews stood down today. Police issued a warning to the group blocking the road that they must keep the access to the summit open, for everyone.

Big Island Video News will have new video and interviews from the Mauna Kea blockade later today.

Lanakila Mangauil recounts his week on the mauna.