4 - Managing the mountain

Summary

Administration

Kitt Peak National Observatory was dedicated on March 15, 1960. Its founding organization, the Association for Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), has evolved in its mission since that time, including the establishment of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) which manages Kitt Peak National Observatory; the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile; and until recently the National Solar Observatory with facilities at Kitt Peak and Sacramento Peak, New Mexico. NOAO is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

Tohono O'odham Nation

Kitt Peak is located on the Schuk Toak District of the Tohono O'odham Reservation, and is under perpetual lease to AURA for “as long as the property is used for astronomical study and research and related scientific purposes.”

Situated in the Quinlan Mountains, Kitt Peak is one of several nearby mountains sacred to the Tohono O'odham people. The Tribe's consent was necessary prior to the construction of telescopes and support facilities. Preliminary talks between astronomers and tribal elders led to a demonstration of what was being proposed for construction on Kitt Peak. After the Tohonos' viewed the moon and stars from the 36-inch telescope at Steward Observatory in Tucson, they dubbed the astronomers “people with the long eyes” and gave consent for the mountain's use.