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Native Hawaiian leader seeks construction pause at sacred summit

Department of Land and Natural Resources officers arrest a Thirty Meter Telescope protester at the telescope building site on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hilo, Hawaii, on April 2, 2015. Department of Land and Natural Resources officers arrest a Thirty Meter Telescope protester at the telescope building site on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hilo, Hawaii, on April 2, 2015.

By Associated Press April 3, 2015 1 min read

HONOLULU — A Native Hawaiian leader is calling on the state and the University of Hawaii to adopt a 30-day moratorium on telescope construction at a mountain summit Hawaiians consider sacred.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Peter Apo’s call Friday comes one a day after protesters were arrested for blocking construction vehicles from reaching the summit.

Apo says he’s asking Gov. David Ige and University of Hawaii President David Lassner to bring people together during the moratorium to work out a long-term solution.

Ige Chief of Staff Mike McCartney says the governor’s office is involved in discussions but must decline comment to protect the integrity of the talks.

University spokesman Dan Meisenzahl says the school welcomes all calls for more dialogue and is actively addressing the issue at the highest levels.