Reader Participation Day: Do You Believe There Should Be Overflight Tours of National Parks?

Published Date

August 5, 2009

This June 2007 map highlights air tour roots over the Grand Canyon. The green-shaded areas reflects proposed wilderness. For a larger, higher resolution map, visit http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/airoverflights_documents.htm.

Have you ever had the itch to fly over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter? Do you want a bird's eye view of Crater Lake? Or do you believe the airspace over national parks should be reserved strictly for, well, the birds?

That seems to be a burning question these days, as outrage is smoldering over a helicopter tour company's desire to fly upwards of 300 scenic tours a year over Crater Lake National Park, and as the Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service try to figure out just who has jurisdiction over the air space over Grand Canyon National Park.

Those are the just the two latest hotspots in the park system that are grappling with overflights. There are dozens, literally dozens, more. So what do you think? Should the air space over the national parks be off-limits to air tours, or is there a role for these excursions that should be accommodated?

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Reader Participation Day

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Comments

Submitted by admin on August 6, 2009 - 10:36am.

Kurt, my opinion is they should be allowed with many restrictions. Limit the number of flights, the types of air craft and helicopters, and most importantly limit the noise. Make it tough on the operators by requiring some sort of ultra quiet standard so they are not disturbing the park any more than a bird flying over. And maybe tax the crap out of them so the taxes collected go to parks directly.
Dave Crowl

Submitted by admin on August 6, 2009 - 12:48pm.

I agree with Dave completely. If they're going to take away from the park (peace & solitude), then they damn well better be giving back (pay for back logged repairs at the park) Tax the heck out of em'

Submitted by [email protected] on August 6, 2009 - 4:03pm.

Check out this article, posted on Oregon Live

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/08/conservation_gro...

Several conservation groups today sent a letter to federal officials warning that a proposal to allow helicopter tours of Crater Lake National Park could be illegal. Noise from the helicopters would shatter the peaceful beauty of Oregon's only national park, and could further disturb nesting areas of endangered spotted owls, the group says.

"Oregon needs to do a better job of protecting our natural treasures," said Erik Fernandez, wilderness coordinator with Oregon Wild, which joined with Umpqua Watersheds and the Crater Lake Instititue in submitting the letter to the National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The federal agencies are considering a permit request by Bend-based Leading Edge Aviation to fly 300 tours yearly within 1,000 feet of the crater rim.

The permit request quickly came under fire.

Owen Hoffman
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Submitted by robmutch on August 8, 2009 - 12:54pm.

Blue silence, O lake of silent blue, -
within your sapphired deeps the gods have fought
titanic battles. Now an azured peace
broods over your bestudded, jewelled breasts;
a peace that only those can know who cease
to struggle after cataclysmic waves
engulf their burning, cratered hearts. The rush
of molten lava filled the fissures where
the crush of titans wracked your battle-tortured soul.
Yet here, today, beneath cerulean, nimbused sky,
you lie so still in torquoised dreams, you lure
my mind to rest upon your sculptured loveliness
and see your deep serenity become my constant goal.
--- Crater Lake, Wesley La Violette, Nature Notes, Vol. 6, No. 4, Sep. 1933

Regular helicopter flights over Crater Lake National Park would be one more step away from the feelings the author expressed in this poem. Thanks so much for the posting Owen and for your positive outlook, encouragement and hard work.

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