OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration are seeking public feedback on a draft plan for air tours over Olympic National Park.
The proposed Air Tour Management Plan would authorize up to 64 air tours per year on a defined route, according to Penny Wagner, park spokesperson.
The plan does not cover military overflights.
Public feedback can be provided through the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/OlympicATMP through Aug. 28.
Written comments also can be submitted to National Park Service; Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division; OLYM ATMP; 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 100; Fort Collins, CO 80525.
Comments will be used for the final plan.
A virtual public meeting is set from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25. It 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.
“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.”
The proposed plan deals with frequency, duration, altitude and routes in accordance with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 that Congress developed out of concern that noise from tour aircraft could harm national park resources and experiences for visitors, according to the plan website.
All commercial air tour operators must apply to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the authority to fly over national parks, and the FAA must work with the National Park Service to establish an agreement for each park that covers areas within and one-half mile outside of the park as well as up to 5,000 feet elevation.
Right now, Rite Bros Aviation Inc. has the interim operating authority for 76 flights over Olympic National Park annually, but its yearly average from 2017 to 2019 has been 24 commercial air tours.
It flies small aircraft on one route within the park on 49 to 52 days each year, the park service said. Altitudes range from 2,000 feet to 3,000 feet above ground level between the hours of 6:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The present plan does not place restrictions on route, time of day or altitude and does not have a provision for no-fly periods.
Two federally threatened or endangered species — marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls — are present in the project area.
The NPS and FAA anticipate a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determination that the tours may affect or are not likely to affect the species, according to the website.
Agencies are consulting with tribes that have lands within or adjacent to Olympic National Park, and with tribes that attach historic and cultural significance to resources within the park.
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.
