Big Island Now Poll No. 17: What should be included in a new Maunakea management plan?

In five years, the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, a new state agency established by state statute last year, will assume full responsibility for the management and oversight of about 11,000 acres that includes the summit atop Hawai‘i’s tallest mountain.

During the transition of stewardship from the University of Hawai‘i, which has managed the area since 1968 under a 65-year lease with the state, the new authority’s board is tasked with creating a new master plan that will balance culture and environment with astronomy and economic benefits.

Part of developing that plan, according to the board’s chairman John Komeiji, will be the gathering of public input — with voices that might not have been heard in the past in regard to Maunakea, which is sacred to many Native Hawaiians and revered as one of the best places in the world for astronomy.

So we want to know what you think the blueprint for the mountain should look like.

Leave a comment here or on social media to let us know why you voted the way you did — or if your answer is not on our list, let us know what it is. Results will be posted July 2 on Big Island Now.

You can also find the results from our previous poll asking “What’s the biggest issue facing the LGBTQ+ community on the Big Island?” by clicking here.