The Friends of Haleakala National Park is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 1996 to assist Haleakala National Park in various ways and to monitor actions that might impact the park and its ecosystems.
Last August the Friends of Haleakala National Park voted to strongly oppose locating the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope project on Haleakala. The project may be good but the location is bad.The entire mountain of Haleakala is a visual, cultural, biological and geological resource that must continue to be recognized as being of great significance and vital to our visitors, to our local residents and to our economy.
One of the missions of the Friends of Haleakala National Park is to preserve Haleakala’s unique ecosystems, scenic character and associated Hawaiian culture and spiritual resources.
The ATST project is so huge and intrusive it will adversely change Haleakala forever, causing irrevocable loss of natural, cultural and scenic resources.
This project may be worthwhile but the location is unacceptable. Haleakala may be the best spot in the whole wide world for this telescope, but it cannot be built on Haleakala. Go back to your maps and find another location. Please!
Mary M. Evanson, Vice president
Friends of Haleakala National Park
Makawao
