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Posted: Monday, March 29th, 2010 4:49 AM HST

Mauna Kea summit gets new management plan

By Associated Press

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Mauna Kea's summit is sacred to Native Hawaiians and beloved by astronomers for the high-quality star-viewing it offers. The University of Hawaii now has a new plan for managing its natural and cultural resources. The state land board last week unanimously approved the plan. The 6-0 vote by the Board of Land and Natural Resources clears the way for organizations to seek the board's approval for plans to build new telescopes at the summit. One such group would be a consortium of California and Canadian universities that hopes to build the world's largest observatory -- the Thirty Meter Telescope -- atop Mauna Kea. The board voted Thursday after a four-hour meeting during which supporters greatly outnumbered opponents. (Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved)