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Posted: Saturday, March 27th, 2010 6:40 AM HST

Management plan for Mauna Kea summit approved

By Associated Press

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has given final approval to the University of Hawaii's comprehensive management plan for the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Last April, the board approved the plan on the condition that the university develop four sub-plans relating to public access, cultural resources, natural resources and telescope decommissioning. The sub-plans were approved Thursday on a 6-0 vote. Big Island member Robert Pacheco recused himself. The university's Institute for Astronomy leases more than 11,000 acres of state land at the summit, which is home to about a dozen of the world's most advanced telescopes. Opponents say the management plan should remain in the hands of the board, not the university. (Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved)