Dear President David Lassner:

We, the undersigned, recognize the reverence that Native Hawaiians have for Mauna Kea as a sacred cultural realm with a unique ecology that sustains the natural cycles of rainfall and waters for Hawaiʻi.

We acknowledge the severe impact of the proposed TMT on the pristine and rare ecosystem – 18 stories tall, two stories deep, across five acres in the Mauna Kea Reserve. Construction will excavate 20 feet into the mountain across eight acres.

We condemn the arrest of revered kūpuna, knowledge bearers, cultural leaders who stand firm in their commitment to protect Mauna Kea.

We join the MAUNA KEA PROTECTORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I in urging that you take these immediate actions:

1. Call upon the Governor to immediately revoke the declaration of a “state of emergency.”

2. Urge the Governor to withdraw all law enforcement personnel, and stop the confrontation against protectors of the mauna who include UH students, faculty and staff.

3. Cancel the sublease to TMT International Observatory.

4. Halt all construction activities for the TMT on Mauna Kea.

5. Uphold ethical research and pono science -- desecration of land and the arrest of kūpuna and Hawaiian protectors of the mauna are an unacceptable and unethical cost of research.