Incident Report Details Problems on Mauna Kea

The State of Hawai’i Board of Land and Natural Resources is hearing testimony on proposed emergency rules to limit access and restrict camping atop Mauna Kea on Friday during its scheduled board meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, the Office of Mauna Kea Management, headed by the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, released logs of incident report excerpts recorded by rangers and the information station in its “Maunakea Visitor Information Station Event Log.”

The lists, which date back to March, include dozens of incidents that grouped into three main categories: safety (trespassing and interference with official function), resource management (threats to natural, historical and cultural resources, damage/defacement of property, and conlicts over resources), and social impacts (harassing/hostile/intimidating comments or gestures).

Among the many instances reported on in the log are those of “unwillingness to cooperate,” “harassment,” and “vandalism.” In one instance, reported on April 7 before a star tour was being done, a ranger reported that a “protester shouts from across street that ‘all people associated with TMT should be crippled’.”

Most recently, on July 7, despite claims that protesters are not camping out on Mauna Kea, rangers noticed that a “very large tent” was put up, the largest put up in the time that the protectors have been on the mountain. Attorney General Douglas Chin testified during Friday’s BLNR meeting that he personally saw the tent erected during his visit to the mountain.

Rangers have also noted on many different occasions that meetings with protesters have gone well, including one meeting on June 11 which was described as “pleasant and informative.” There were several days earlier in that month where there were no incidents to report and, in one instance, was friendly.

Review the full log here. To read a summary of events, also released by the University of Hawai’i, click here.