HILO, Hawaii — A state Circuit Court judge on the Big Island has dismissed a challenge to the University of Hawaii’s management plan for land atop Mauna Kea volcano where the school hosts about a dozen telescopes.

Judge Glenn S. Hara of the 3rd Circuit Court ruled a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental groups failed to prove they were adversely affected by the approval of the plan by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
Hara issued his ruling last Tuesday.
The Sierra Club’s Nelson Ho says the groups are disappointed but they could appeal Hara’s decision to a higher court.
Others involved in the case include Kahea, The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, and Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, an organization with family and religious ties to the mountain.
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Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com