Approaching the mountain on the Mauna Kea Access Road (July 2015)

CONDITIONS

• Mauna Kea Access Road: Open (4-Wheel Drive Only). The Visitor Information Station remains closed and no services or facilities are available.

TMT / Ku Kia’i Mauna

• UPDATE – VIDEO: DLNR Gives Third Notice On Mauna Kea
• Lā 121: One hundred and twenty one days since the start of the blockade on the Mauna Kea Access Road by opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
• DLNR warnings: On Thursday, the self proclaimed protectors of Mauna a Wakea got their second day of notice from Department of Land and Natural Resources officers concerning the emergency rules passed by the land board and signed by Governor David Ige that restrict access within one mile of the Mauna Kea Access Road.
• OHA meets: Protectors – including Lanakila Mangauil – testified during the Office of Hawaiian Affairs meeting on Thursday on Oahu. OHA trustees expressed concern about the state’s enforcement of the new rules on the mountain and administration said they would be bringing forward an actionable item for the OHA Board of Trustees to consider in the future.

ASTRONOMY

• Earth 2.0: NASA’s Kepler mission announced the discovery of the first near-Earth-size planet in the “habitable zone” around a sun-like star, located 1,400 light years away. The W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea helped confirm the find. (MORE…)
• VIDEO FEATURE: The third annual Pacific Astronomy and Engineering Summit is taking place this week. Thirty-one students and teachers representing each of the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory partner countries are gathering in Hilo. (MORE…)

POHAKULOA

• Hunting Hiatus: Hunting will be on a hiatus at Pohakuloa for three weeks as “Army staff focus on enhancing U.S. Army Garrison Pohakuloa’s hunting program,” according to the U.S. Army Garrison PTA. The hiatus runs July 18 through August 3.
• Hunting survey: The public is invited to take an online survey about hunting at Pohakuloa. The community can complete the survey online through Aug. 21. It takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. (MORE: PTA Hunting Survey)