Researchers at a Hawaii observatory say they are attempting to continue important research even as protesters demonstrate against the construction of a new facility in the area.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that protests have forced scientists at the East Asian Observatory to miss some use of the observatory's telescope by blocking a road to the facility, a tactic that has cost the researchers four weeks of viewing time so far.

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The observatory, located on Hawaii's tallest peak, is crucial for observing parts of outer space and has this year missed out on 2,000 hours of viewing due to the protests, according to the AP.

Demonstrators outside the facility are reportedly attempting to block the construction of a new telescope on the mountain, which is considered sacred to some native Hawaiians.

Efforts to continue construction on the new telescope reportedly began Friday, with the observatories providing demonstrators with a list of construction and other vehicles going up the mountain in an attempt to break the stalemate.

A spokesman for the American Astronomical Society told the AP that the facility was the site of some of the "most critical" research about space today.

“Some of the best observational astronomy being done today, some of the best and most critical scientific research, is being done on Mauna Kea,” the spokesperson said.

The chief scientist at the facility's Keck Observatory added that the missed work would likely have ended up in science textbooks some day.

“I can guarantee you that some science that would be in a textbook 10 years from now did not get done,” John O’Meara said.

One protester told the AP that it was wrong to blame demonstrators for the cancelled viewing time at the facility, claiming that the group was unarmed and nonviolent.

“They chose to close down for fear of protesters who are unarmed and nonviolent,” Kealoha Pisciotta told the news outlet.