S.C.R. No. 178 Summary

• Requests additional protections for the Mauna Kea summit from 6,000 feet (saddle road) to 13,796 feet elevation due to its religious significance and important cultural and natural resources.

• Recognizes Mauna Kea as sacred to Native Hawaiians, serving as a wao akua (home of gods), a place of worship for the snow goddess Poliahu and other deities, and the piko (navel) of the island.

• Documents approximately 11,000 acres of conservation district land containing rare and endangered species including the Palila bird (endemic honeycreeper), native plants like Āhinahina (silversword), and unique arthropods such as the Wēkiu bug endemic to Mauna Kea's northern plateau.

• States that new development on Mauna Kea conservation land would adversely affect fragile cultural and natural resources and violate the State's constitutional obligations to protect public trust, natural resources, environmental rights, and Native Hawaiian customary and traditional rights.

• Requires transmitting certified copies to the Governor, Board of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Homes Commission, University of Hawaii System leadership, and Office of Mauna Kea Management.