Newly inaugurated Mayor Kimo Alameda has joined the board of the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.
The MKSOA is the state body formed in 2022 to eventually take over management of the Maunakea Science Reserve, the land on the summit of the mountain where the Maunakea telescopes are located, from the University of Hawaii in July 2028.
The authority’s governing board is made up of 11 voting members, one of which is the Hawaii County mayor or the mayor’s designee. Under the previous mayor Mitch Roth, that seat was filled by Doug Adams, former county Managing Director.
But under the new county administration, Alameda is taking that seat himself. The mayor introduced himself to the board at the MKSOA’s December meeting on Thursday.
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“On the campaign trail, Maunakea has come up almost every time,” Alameda said. “So I’d like to share that I bring a lot of information from the community regarding Maunakea, astronomy, (the Thirty Meter Telescope) … all the observatories.”
Alameda said he had urged Roth, during his administration, to take the seat himself, “because it’s our island … it’s special to me, it’s special to all you folks.”
MKSOA Executive Director John De Fries said Alameda’s “intimate knowledge about different parts of the island will prove to be vital in how we engage the community going forward.”
Meanwhile, the Authority’s transition of power is still coming along slowly. Greg Chun, executive director of UH’s Center for Maunakea Stewardship, told the MKSOA it has a written inventory “thousands of pages long” of CMS assets that may be transferred from CMS to MKSOA.
In a presentation, Chun recommended that MKSOA begin the transition process by first shifting UH’s various land agreements over to the state “because those are probably going to be the most challenging and complex to figure out how this assignment and transfer process works.”
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These agreements include UH’s general leases for the 19 acres on which sits the Hale Pohaku mid-level facilities and the 13,300-acre Maunakea Science Reserve, the university’s easement for the Maunakea Access Road, and subleases with all Maunakea observatories, including the Thirty Meter Telescope. They also include various land use entitlements, scientific cooperative agreements and site development agreements, which all cover a wide variety of conditions governing the relationships between UH and each specific observatory, Chun said.
Transferring any one of those agreements, Chun explain, will require untangling which parts of the agreement are UH-specific and which would be taken over by MKSOA as it assumes its duties.
Only once that morass is dealt with, Chun recommended, should MKSOA begin taking over actual UH assets, including Hale Pohaku and UH’s observatories.
All of this, Chun said, assumes that MKSOA’s various management plans and administrative rules are actually in place, which they currently are not. De Fries mentioned that the development of MKSOA’s own Maunakea Master Plan to replace UH’s remains in development.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
At UH Hilo, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is not simply a subject taught in classrooms, it is a living language that connects us to this place, to one another, and to the generations who came before us.
This column is by Pelehonuamea Harman, director of Native Hawaiian engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. In her columns, Pele shares Native Hawaiian protocols on the use of ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), cultural traditions, traditional ways of Indigenous learning, and more. This column is on Mahina ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month), celebrated every February to honor the Hawaiian language.Pelehonuamea Harman
Each year, the month of Pepeluali marks Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, a time dedicated to celebrating and uplifting the Hawaiian language. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is not simply a subject taught in classrooms, it is a living language that connects us to this place, to one another, and to the generations who came before us.
While Pepeluali gives us a focused moment of celebration, the Hawaiian language should not live only within a single month. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi thrives when it is used every day.
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One of the simplest and most meaningful ways to begin is by pronouncing the words we already encounter daily with accuracy and care. Hawaiian is an oral language carried through voice and relationship. When we take the time to say words correctly, we demonstrate respect for the language and for the poʻe (people) who have worked tirelessly to ensure its survival.
Across our own campus, we have opportunities to do this every day.
Let us honor the names of our places by using them fully:
An attendee at celebrations on May 6, 2023, takes a photo of the new Edith Kanakaʻole mural by artist Kamea Hadar. The mural is located at Edith Kanakaʻole Hall, named after beloved educator Aunty Edith, on the campus of UH Hilo. (Photo: UH System News)
Kanakaʻole Hall, not “K-Hall.” (Formally Edith Kanakaʻole Hall, named after our beloved kumu.)
Waiʻōlino, not “CoBE,” for our College of Business and Economics. (Formally Hānau ʻO Waiʻōlino; waiʻōlino literally means sparkling waters, alluding here to bringing forth waters of wellbeing and prosperity.)
These names are not merely labels for buildings. They carry ʻike (knowledge), history, and meaning. Speaking them in their entirety acknowledges the stories and values embedded within them.
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Using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi does not require fluency. It simply requires willingness. Each of us already knows words we can begin using more intentionally.
Greet one another with aloha.
Express gratitude with mahalo whenever possible.
Small choices like these help normalize Hawaiian language in our daily interactions and strengthen UH Hilo’s identity as a place grounded in Hawaiʻi.
One of the most common questions I am asked is: How do you respond in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi when someone says “mahalo” to you?
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Here are three simple and appropriate responses:
ʻAʻole pilikia — It’s no problem.
He mea iki — It is just a little thing.
Noʻu ka hauʻoli — The pleasure is mine.
There is no single correct answer. What matters most is participating in the exchange and allowing the language to live through conversation.
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Aerial view of the UH Hilo campus with Hilo Bay in the distance. UH Hilo’s commitment to Native Hawaiian success and place-based education calls on all of us to help create an environment where ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is visible, audible, and welcomed. (Archive photo)
UH Hilo holds a unique and important role as Hawaiʻi Island’s university. Our commitment to Native Hawaiian success and place-based education calls on all of us to help create an environment where ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is visible, audible, and welcomed.
You do not need to wait until you feel ready. You do not need to know many words. The language grows stronger each time it is spoken.
So during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and throughout the entire year I encourage the UH Hilo ʻohana to:
Use the Hawaiian words you already know.
Pronounce names and places with intention and care.
Greet others with aloha.
Share mahalo often.
Because when we use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, we are doing more than speaking words, we are helping to perpetuate and uplift the native language of our home.
E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Let the Hawaiian language live.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Tread Rosenthal, Trevell Jordan and Louis Sakanoko put up a triple block against BYU Cougars Trevor Herget during Wednesday’s NCAA men’s volleyball match at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
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Kainoa Wade came on strong to lead another balanced Hawaii attack with 16 kills and the third-ranked Rainbow Warriors responded to a rare set loss in a big way to defeat No. 6 Brigham Young 27-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18 tonight.
A Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,800, who showed up for a match scheduled just three weeks ago as a late addition to the schedule, saw Hawaii (13-1) drop the second set despite hitting .538.
UH had full command of the rest of the match and finished the night hitting .460 as a team. Louis Sakanoko added 15 kills, six digs and three aces and Adrien Roure had 14 kills in 24 swings.
Middle Travell Jordan posted a season-high seven kills in 11 swings with four blocks and Ofeck Hazan, who came into the match to start the third set, had four kills and two blocks.
Trent Moser had 18 kills to lead the Cougars (13-3), whose previous two losses came in five sets against No. 4 UC Irvine.
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UH’s loss in the second set was just its sixth of the season and third in its 13 wins. Hawaii has won 10 matches in a row.
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The two teams will play again on Friday night at 7.
