As the standoff over the Thirty Meter Telescope continues atop Mauna Kea, public access to a large portion of the mountain’s summit may soon be restricted.
As the standoff over the Thirty Meter Telescope continues atop Mauna Kea, public access to a large portion of the mountain’s summit may soon be restricted.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has drafted new rules that, if passed as is, would prohibit certain activities within one mile of the Mauna Kea Observatory Access Road.
“No person shall at any time bring in to the restricted area or possess or control in the restricted area any of the following items: backpack, tents, blankets, tarpaulins, or other obvious camping paraphernalia,” the draft rule reads.
The proposed rules would also prevent people from entering or remaining in the restricted area between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., “except to the extent the person is transiting through the restricted area in a motor vehicle on the Mauna Kea Observatory Access Road.”
The state Land Board is schedule to consider the proposed rules during its meeting Friday in Honolulu.
DLNR spokesman Dan Dennison said the department had no comment about the proposed changes, and that the state Attorney General’s Office was handling the matter.
See Tuesday’s Tribune-Herald for more about this story.