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28 Sunday, December 24, 2017 STARS The Maunakea Visitor Information Station has served as the gateway to the mountain for more than 30 years. It offers a place to rest and get acclimated before ascending the steep, winding road to the summit, a small retail shop, as well as free stargazing tours several nights a week. But as the popularity of the mountain as a tourist destination increases, so has the pressure on this humble 1,700-square-foot building, situated about 9,000 feet above sea level. “It’s become a tourist destination when that’s not what the goal was,” said Janno Scheer, VIS manager. UH’s Office of Maunakea Support Services operates the VIS with a staff of 13 full-time and part-time workers and numerous volunteers. It costs about $2 million a year to operate, with funding coming from the observatories, permitted tour operators and retail sales, according to Stewart Hunter, MKSS general manager. Hunter said the VIS’ role remains ensuring the safety of visitors and educating them about the mountain, including the cultural and natural resources. But the increasing popularity of the mountain does make that a challenge, he acknowledged,. “We rival (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park)” on travel sites, Hunter said. He said traffic has increased significantly following improvements to Saddle Road, which prompted rental car Gateway to the Visitor Information Station helps public experience ‘amazing’ views of space By TOM CALLIS Hawaii Tribune-Herald See GATEWAY Page 29 Visitors peer through a solar telescope at the Maunakea Visitor Information Station. HOLLYN JOHNSON/ Tribune-Herald Hawaii Tribune-Herald


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