Thought maybe some of you could help out if you have a little extra time.
Thanks GT


New Mexico State Park Seaplane Ban
Write Instructions for New Mexico Seaplane Ruling

Members looking to help be sending in a written letter that urges New Mexico should not pass the ban on seaplanes in the state parks (which contain most if not all of the usable water in the state) should follow the instructions below:

Written comments and oral comments will be accepted at the public hearing on October 17, 2012 and written comments will be accepted until October 31, 2012 at 5:00PM by mail or e-mail. Please mail written comments to April Alvarado, EMNRD, State Parks Division, 1220 S. St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 or submit them by e-mail to [email protected].

It would appear that invasive species and public safety are the angles that the state is concerned with. SPA's position is that there is no significant threat of spread of invasive species in New Mexico for several reasons:

#1 New Mexico has tens of thousands of boating operations per year including a large percentage that come from out of state, conversely there estimated to be far less than 1,000 seaplane operations per year making the amount of seaplane traffic insignificant in regards to invasive species spread.

#2 Boats are not inspected for or decontaminated of invasive species at most locations that they can be launched from, again exposing the waters to a much greater risk from the large number of boaters that utilize the waters.

#3 The low humidity, relatively high ambient temperatures and long distances between bodies of water in New Mexico make the carriage of mussel larvae highly unlikely due their susceptibility to dehydration which effectively kills the larvae.

#4 SPA makes its "Don't Move a Mussel" invasive species training DVD available for FREE to anyone upon request, and the video is also available online. SPA supports invasive species training and urges its highly educated members to be good stewards of America's waterways by taking appropriate measures to prevent the spread of invasive species.

#5 How did you determine that seaplane posed a significant threat to the spread of invasive species in New Mexico and what were the sources of that data?

In regards to public safety:

#1 Instances of seaplanes being involved in collisions with boats are extremely rare, conversely unlicensed boaters are responsible for thousands of boat to boat collisions per year nationwide.

#2 Seaplane pilots are highly trained and licensed... Boaters are not necessarily trained in most cases, and thus pose a much greater threat to other boaters and the general public.

#3 Seaplane pilots (ie. pilots in general) can not operate a seaplane within 8 hours of consumption of alcohol; this is not the case for boaters and alcohol is a contributor to a extremely large percentage of boating accidents.

#4 Boating accidents pose a much larger threat to the general public than seaplanes just due the sheer number of boating oprations, vs the extremely small number of highly trained & licensed pilots engaging in seaplane operations.

#5 Show us the prove of the hazard, what metrics did you measure and what were the sources of your data.

#6 Seaplanes can be used to great effect to fight wild fires, and the BLM has expressed a concern for the loss of life and property that could result if they are prevented from utilizing amphibious seaplane fire fighters in the future.

The Seaplane Pilots Association would like to extend an offer to train all of the stake holders including the staff of the state parks that would come in contact with seaplanes, the Army Corp of Engineers staff and BOR staff that would have any interaction with seaplanes within the state. These workshops would be educational in nature and be conducted with a spirit of being partners with all of these organizations as a technical and educational resource since most employees of these organizations would have had little opportunity to learn or understand the facts surrounding seaplane operations.

Members with further information and/or questions or that would like to offer support are urged to contact [email protected]

Congratulations, you are one step closer to becoming NJ. Although in Jersey it is any non-tidal body of water, doesn't have to be a park.

Merry Christmas for a little bit of success for everyone who fly's and especially for everyone who took the time to help!!

Good On Ya

The State of New Mexico has abandoned plans to ban seaplanes from landing on lakes in its state parks, thanks, it would seem, to a lobbying effort among seaplane pilots. Faced with significant opposition, the New Mexico State Parks Division issued this statement: "The Division proposed adding a new section prohibiting the taxiing, landing, or takeoff of seaplanes or floatplanes in state parks. The Division received hundreds of comments opposing the implementation of this rule. Based upon the comments received, and given that the Bureau of Reclamation and United States Army Corps of Engineers already have regulations addressing seaplanes and floatplanes, the Division did not adopt the proposed rule."

As we reported in October, the parks department based their proposed ban on noise and pollution concerns. However, a concerted effort by the Seaplane Pilots Association and SeaplaneForum.com to rally float and amphib flyers appears to have paid off.

Some times it works
GT

Great news.