The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are seeking public feedback on a draft Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) proposed for Olympic National Park.
The agencies encourage anyone with an interest in or concern about commercial air tours over Olympic National Park to review and comment on the draft ATMP. The proposed plan would authorize up to 64 air tours per year on a defined route. There were on average 64 air tours per year reported at Olympic National Park from 2017 - 2019. This plan does not cover military overflights.
The NPS and FAA will host a virtual public meeting regarding the Olympic National Park Air Tour Management Plan on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021 from 5:30-7:00 pm PT that will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/lSW9867qHiA. Members of the public who wish to observe the virtual meetings can also access the livestream from the following FAA social media platforms on the day of the event: https://www.facebook.com/FAA, https://twitter.com/FAANews or https://www.youtube.com/FAAnews.
Public feedback can be provided through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website from July 29, 2021 through Aug. 28, 2021. The NPS and FAA will consider comments to help inform the final ATMP for Olympic National Park. The project website is available at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/OlympicATMP.
“We encourage anyone who is interested in commercial air tours over the park to share their thoughts on the proposed plan," said Sarah Creachbaum, Olympic National Park Superintendent. “The draft plan is based on current operations and reported air tour levels at Olympic National Park. Its purpose is to ensure that park resource values, including natural sounds, wilderness character, visitor experiences, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources, are protected."
Olympic National Park is among 24 parks of the National Park System developing air tour management plans in cooperation with the FAA. 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 American Indian Tribes. The agencies are consulting with Tribes that have tribal lands within or adjacent to Olympic National Park, and with Tribes that attach historic and cultural significance to resources within the park.
Please visit this NPS site and this FAA site for more 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:
1. Arches National Park, Utah
2. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
3. Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
4. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
5. Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
6. Canyonlands National Park, Utah
7. Death Valley National Park, California
8. Everglades National Park, Florida
9. Glacier National Park, Montana
10. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; Arizona, Utah
11. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
12. Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Tennessee, North Carolina
13. Haleakalā National Park, Hawai’i
14. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi
15. Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Arizona, Nevada
16. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
17. Muir Woods National Monument, California
18. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
19. Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
20. National Parks of New York Harbor Management Unit; New York, New Jersey
21. Olympic National Park, Washington
22. Point Reyes National Seashore, California
23. Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah
24. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California
Tags: pepc public comment period olympic national park commercial air tours air tour management plan
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
