Hawaiian Activists Block Mauna Kea Summit Over Telescope Project

FEATURING KEALOHA PISCIOTTA – A standoff between those calling themselves protectors of the Mauna Kea, and advocates of a major telescope project continues in Hawaii. Astronomers have planned a massive 30-meter telescope to sit atop the summit of Mauna Kea – one of the two mountains on Hawaii’s Big Island. Already that summit is home to a number of telescopes in partnership with the University of Hawaii. But Hawaiians – who consider Mauna Kea one of the most sacred places in the world – have opposed this latest telescope project.

Kealoha Pisciotta is a practitioner of traditional and customary cultural and religious practices relating to Mauna Kea. She worked at the observatories for more than 12 years. She is also the President of Mauna Kea Anaina Hou (MKAH), the group that has brought multiple legal challenges against the TMT.