Page 28 - aruba-today-20190701

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 1 July 2019
Controversial telescope to be built on sacred Hawaiian peak

HONOLULU (AP) — After line. It is a telescope to look
years of protests and legal into the very origins of life in
battles, officials have an- the universe," Ige said. "We
nounced that a massive have worked a long time
telescope which will allow to hear each other and to
scientists to peer into the make a choice as a col-
most distant reaches of our lective community. To the
early universe will be built many who support this proj-
on a Hawaiian volcano ect, let us always hold all
that some consider sacred. views as one. Let us always
The state announced a touch the mountain as we
"notice to proceed" for the gaze out beyond the sky."
Thirty Meter Telescope proj- Plans for the telescope
ect at a news conference date to 2009, when scien-
Thursday. tists first selected Mauna
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Kea. The project won a se-
it was the final legal step in ries of approvals from Ha-
a long, often contentious, waii, including a permit to
process, and that construc- build on conservation land
tion is expected to begin in 2011.
sometime this summer. Protests disrupted a ground-
"We will proceed in a way breaking and Hawaiian
that respects the people, In this Aug. 31, 2015, file photo, observatories and telescopes sit atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest blessing ceremony at the
place and culture that mountain and the proposed construction site for a new $1.4 billion telescope, near Hilo, Hawaii. site in 2014. Construction
make Hawaii unique," Ige Associated Press stopped in April 2015 after
said. "We are all stewards of 31 protesters were arrested
Mauna Kea. The state has efforts, said officials were treated?" Pisciotta asked. A spokesman for the state for blocking the work. A
an obligation to respect only allowing astronomers Pisciotta said an overnight attorney general's office second attempt to restart
and honor the unique cul- through and blocking the solstice ceremony was said in an email that offi- construction a few months
tural and natural resources road to the summit for ev- planned on the moun- cials will not restrict access later ended with more ar-
on this special mountain." eryone else, including Ha- tain and worried that they for that event. rests and crews retreating
Scientists say the summit is waiians who asked to go would be denied access. The new telescope will al- when they encountered
one of the best places on pray. The Department of The group was also plan- low astronomers to reach large boulders in the road.
Earth for astronomy. The Land and Natural resourc- ning to honor an elder who back 13 billion years, to the Hawaii Attorney General
telescope would be three es said one person was ar- recently died. time just after the big bang, Clare Connors said the
times as wide as the larg- rested by county police for "They know that we go up and scientists say it will help state Supreme Court rul-
est existing visible-light tele- obstruction. during solstice and equi- answer fundamental ques- ing must be respected, but
scope in the world, with Native Hawaiians have nox," said Pisciotta. "We tions about the advent of that people's right to free
nine times more area. Sev- used the structures for were preparing to head up the universe. speech is also protected
eral telescopes and obser- years, Pisciotta said, and tonight for the solstice and "The world is not black and and that the conversation
vatories are already on the she considers the removal to honor him." white. This is not an oil pipe- should continue.q
summit. of the structures to be des-
But opponents say the ecration and discrimina-
telescope will desecrate tory. Beagles sniff out snails in luggage at
sacred land atop Mauna "What's the argument for
Kea, the state's highest taking them down? It's Atlanta airport
peak and a place of reli- completely discriminatory.
gious importance to Native It's hostile to the Native Ha-
Hawaiians. waiian people," she said. ATLANTA (AP) — Two dogs,
State and county officials "These are places of wor- part of the U.S. Customs
arrived at the summit early ship and the places where and Border Protection's
Thursday morning to re- we lay our offering and our "beagle brigade," sniffed
move Native Hawaiian prayer." out two Giant African Snails
structures that had been She said their rights to reli- in the luggage of a passen-
built on land where the gious freedom are being ger arriving at Atlanta's air-
telescope will be construct- violated. port from Nigeria.
ed. "If someone went into a The Atlanta Journal-Consti-
Kealoha Pisciotta, a Na- church and took down the tution reports the beagles,
tive Hawaiian activist who crucifix or you know the named Candie and Chip-
has led some of the protest cross, how would that be per, were alerted to the
passenger's checked bags
at Hartsfield-Jackson Inter-
national Airport on Friday.
A Customs agriculture spe-
cialist found the snails in a This photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
suitcase, along with prohib- shows two Giant African Snails that were seized at Hartsfield-
ited fruits and vegetables. Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The snails were turned over Associated Press
to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, while the food classroom exhibits as pets because they consume at
was destroyed. The USDA's or for food. They're also de- least 500 types of plants, re-
website says such snails scribed as "one of the most produce quickly, and can
are illegally imported for damaging" in the world cause meningitis.q