Feds look to button up air tour regulation across 24 national parks
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking for public feedback on proposed air tour management plans for 24 national parks.
Today, the agencies published the plan details and meeting dates for Everglades, Death Valley, Olympic, and Mount Rainier national parks.
To encourage broad public participation, the agencies will livestream the meetings on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Comments may be submitted through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website. Updated information on meetings and comment periods will be announced through the publication of notices in the Federal Register.
“The purpose of the air tour plans is to ensure that park resource values, including natural sounds, wilderness character, visitor experiences, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources, are protected in national parks where air tours occur,” said Ray Sauvajot, Associate Director for Natural Resource Stewardship and Science in the National Park Service.
Wind River Air in Grand Teton NP
Closer to home, scenic aerial tours have become contentious as one local pilot continues to operate the only such business in Grand Teton National Park. During the application phase of Tony Chambers’ Wind River Air to fly over the Tetons and Grand Teton NP via his Robinson R-44 helicopter, opposition was voiced by the Jackson Hole Airport board, some town councilors and county commissioners, and various other individuals in the community.
Wind River Air was eventually approved to operate in Grand Teton in April 2020, and Chambers has continued to run tours despite some dispute over the routes he has taken.
National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000
“Public feedback is vital in developing proposed air tour management plans for national parks across the United States,” said Kevin Welsh, Executive Director, FAA Office of Environment and Energy. “The FAA looks forward to working in partnership with the National Park Service, tribal leaders and community groups.”
The agencies hope to complete all air tour management plans by the end of August 2022. The schedule is part of a plan approved by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the agencies to comply with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 within two years.
An important part of the process is the inclusion of Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. The agencies are consulting with Tribes that have tribal lands within or adjacent to national parks with air tours, and with Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations that attach historic and cultural significance to resources within these parks.
Please visit this NPS site and this FAA site for detailed information about air tour management plans. Links to meeting notifications, recordings, and slide decks (where applicable) will be posted to the NPS site.
The 24 parks:
- Arches National Park, Utah
- Badlands National Park, South Dakota
- Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
- Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
- Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah
- Death Valley National Park, California
- Everglades National Park, Florida
- Glacier National Park, Montana
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; Arizona, Utah
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Tennessee, North Carolina
- Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii
- Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Arizona, Nevada
- Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
- Muir Woods National Monument, California
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
- Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
- National Parks of New York Harbor Management Unit; New York, New Jersey
- Olympic National Park, Washington
- Point Reyes National Seashore, California
- Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California
