Environmental assessment for the Outrigger Telescopes Project : Mauna Kea Science Reserve, Island of Hawaii

Author:

NASA Office of Space Science, Pacific Analytics L.L.C.

Title:

Environmental assessment for the Outrigger Telescopes Project : Mauna Kea Science Reserve, Island of Hawaii

Periodical:

Outrigger

Year:

2002

Subject:

Astronomical observatories environmental aspects Mauna Kea Environmental impact analysis Mauna Kea Environmental monitoring Mauna Kea W.M. Keck Observatory Outrigger Telescope Project Wekiu bug Nysius wekiuicola

Summary:

The Mauna Kea Science Reserve is located on the summit of the tallest mountain in Hawaii, (13,796 feet). Within the reserve are the world's two largest optical telescopes, constituting the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO). Directly adjacent to and below the WMKO is a unique natural environment that supports the Wekiu bug, a rare insect found only in the extreme habitat of the Mauna Kea Summit. Current plans call for expanding the Keck Observatory by adding four Outrigger telescopes. These new telescopes will enhance the capabilities of telescopes by using a technique known as interferometry. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), together with the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA) and the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), have made a commitment to protect and enhance Wekiu bug populations and habitat concurrently with construction of the new Outrigger Telescopes. To that end, these collaborators have sponsored a Wekiu Bug Mitigation Report from which they developed the Wekiu Bug Mitigation Plan. They are also the sponsors of this Wekiu Bug Monitoring Plan. Monitoring will help to assure all stakeholders that mitigation activities associated with the new construction will be beneficial to this rare insect. Environmental monitoring is the scientific investigation of the changes in environmental phenomena that happen over time. This Wekiu Bug Monitoring Plan describes the procedures necessary to implement an investigation of changes in Wekiu Bug population and habitat adjacent to the WMKO during and after Outrigger Telescope construction. This Monitoring Plan includes an Overview of Monitoring in Section 1 of this document. Comprehensive discussions of the monitoring Questions of Interest are divided into Compliance and Effectiveness in Sections 2 and 3. Data management, analysis, and reporting of monitoring findings are discussed in Section 4. A schedule may be found in Section 5. Protocols for data gathering are in Section 6.

Collection:

EIS