Officials seeking input for Olympic National Park air tour plan
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are seeking public feedback on a draft Air Tour Management Plan 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 plan, one that 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 to 2019, according to NPS officials.
The plan does not cover military overflights, they said.
The NPS and FAA will host a virtual public meeting regarding the Olympic National Park Air Tour Management Plan from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25. Access the meeting at facebook.com/FAA, twitter.com/FAANews or youtube.com/FAAnews. The meeting will be livestreamed at youtu.be/lSW9867qHiA.
Public feedback can be provided at parkplanning.nps.gov through Aug. 28; the project website is available at 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,” Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum said in a press release last week.
“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, park officials noted. The agencies are looking to complete air tour management plans by the end of August 2022 as 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.
