EnVision Maunakea has announced the 10 members who will serve on its Hui Hoolohe volunteer committee.

The Hui Hoolohe is responsible for EnVision Maunakea’s efforts to gather a wide range of perspectives on the future of the mountain to inform policy and regulatory actions that will deeply impact Maunakea.

Community-based EnVision Maunakea seeks to nurture conversations across the Hawai‘i Island community regarding the future of the mountain. With an emphasis on listening sessions, or aha kuka, the process will facilitate open, constructive conversation and purposeful collaboration. The EnVision Maunakea working group, organized by Hawai‘i Island-based nonprofit Friends of the Future, will support the Hui Hoolohe as they discover common narratives surrounding Maunakea.

The confirmed community volunteer Hui Hoolohe members include:

Rob Pacheco

Noe Kalipi

Michael Chun

Kanoa Withington

Kuulei Bezilla

Don Mitchell

Kihei Seto

Grant Hill

Reggie Lee

Bobby Hickcox

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“We are honored to have these community members step forward to implement the EnVision Maunakea Aha Kuka sessions in the coming months as we strive to collect a broad range of hopes and visions for the future of Maunakea,” said Susan Maddox of Friends of the Future. “We know the dedication of, and collaboration with, our Hui Hoolohe will be critical in ensuring many community voices are heard, understood and included in the final written document that will be shared with policy and decision makers.”

About Hui Hoolohe

The role of the Hui Hoolohe is to oversee the collection of broad community perspectives through aha kuka, community sessions that will provide a safe, respectful and inviting forum for community members to share their perspectives. The Hui Hoolohe will identify major themes emerging from the aha kuka and create a written summary that reflects and articulates community supported uses of Maunakea, as well as the conditions under which those uses can coexist.

About EnVision Maunakea

EnVision Maunakea was established in 2015 in recognition of the need for civil, productive dialogue about the issues surrounding Maunakea, what the mountain means to the island community and how the various perspectives can move forward together. The Office of Maunakea Management is responsible for implementation of the Maunakea Comprehensive Management Plan under the direction of University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The EnVision Maunakea process is endorsed by Chancellor Straney of UH Hilo and overall project funding comes from multiple sources including grants and charitable contributions from the UH Institute for Astronomy, OMKM, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and Canada-France-Hawai’i Telescope (CFHT). EnVision Maunakea will be coordinated through Friends of the Future, a Waimea-based 501(c) 3 community organization with a history of facilitating community dialogue around controversial issues.

For more information, go online.

About Friends of the Future

Since its formation in 1991, Friends of the Future has provided an organizational home to more than 60 programs and community initiatives. Friends of the Future’s purpose is to embrace the future in ways that unify, empower and strengthen the individuals’ and organizations’ ability to flourish.

To learn more about the work Friends of the Future does, go online.