We only have till 6/24 to comment please read below and take a few moments to comment. 8 wonderful airstrips depend on your support.

There are several airstrips in Colorado that are in the public comment phase for a RMP with the BLM. While the strips have been given recognition as a whole, there are 4 alternatives to the Travel Management Plan. The Alternatives suggest road closures that could affect some of the airstrips if the airstrip in considered part of the trail. The only alternative that doesn’t affect any of the strips is Alternative “A” which is not the preferred alternative but rather the current alternative that is in place. We desperately need comments to the below addresses stating that you are a pilot that enjoys the outdoors for recreational purposes you support Travel management alternative “A” or you would like to see the following airstrips excluded from the proposed travel management Alternatives since the airstrips are small slivers that coexist alongside the trails but are not part of the trails themselves.

Dolores Point http://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/7708400862/
Hubbardhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/8949406606/
Little Doloreshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/9086602404/
West Creek Bluffhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/7630511030/
Arrow Head Camphttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/7704577256/
Calamity Camp Airstriphttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/8950527644/
Flattop Mesa Airstriphttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/8955123624/
Blue Mesa Airstriphttp://www.flickr.com/photos/backcountryaviation/9084415275/

Make sure to add that personal touches that include why you like aircraft access to the outdoors. That most pilots are responsible and follow outdoor ethics guides, and that aviation is extremely low impact compared to many other forms of outdoor recreation.

Comment Form: here http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/ ... 20Form.pdf

· By email: [email protected]
· By fax: 970-244-3083
· By mail: BLM – GJFO RMP, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO, 81506



If you have any questions please feel free to contact Patrick Romano at 5122891989 or by email at [email protected]

Thank you Patrick!

The airstrips listed above all sit near the Dolores River and are simply breathtaking locations for solitude and camping. I know Patrick has been working hard with the BLM for almost 2 years, and now is the time to take action.

Please, take a moment today to put a letter in the mail and fire out an email. We simply don't want to leave any doubt in the minds of BLM officials that these airstrips aren't cherished.

Matt

Faxed mine in.

Here is a sample letter I wrote. Please don't copy verbatim as it will be considered one letter.
I have been following the draft RMP closely and was very excited to see the verbiage of "Backcountry Airstrips" included in the draft. However after close consideration of the Travel management alternatives I have a few concerns. Several of the airstrips sit along routes that have some form of limitation depending on the Alternative. I would like to see the airstrips that do sit along such routes as independent entities. The roads/trails/or routes in most cases travel alongside and do not include the strips themselves as in the case of Dolores Point, Westcreek Bluff, Calamity Camp, Blue Mesa, North Arrow Head Camp, and Flat Top Mesa. Hubbard and Arrowhead camp seem to be unaffected by routes in any form. Perhaps this exclusions of airstrips already exist, but we can't be too careful and I can't find the specific language that does protect these important points of history and access. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast and do support rehabilitation, however I would like to point out that these Airstrips are a very small footprint when considered with the rest of the route system and provide a low impact form of access for a variety of actives. At less than 2000 ft in most case the strips are a fraction of a typical point of access for recreation. In the event that they cannot be excluded from the current routes as their own entities I strongly support Travel management alternative "A"

These strips are also a large part of our western history as rich as the mines and ranches these served. In the process of researching these strips I found that many of them were made for medical evacuation of injured workers, or were used to bring in equipment for rescue in the event of a collapsed mine. Today they are largely used for recreation for access points for camping, hiking, fishing, and historical research. They too could perhaps be uses for points of egress as well if the need ever arose.

In addition to small footprints and reduced wear and tear for points of access, pilots are rigorously trained and are typically very responsible and respect their privileges immensely since they are federally licensed and regulated.

Thank you for your consideration that the airstrips would be their own entity separate from any of the route closures in any of the alternatives if at all possible. In the event that an exclusion cannot exist then I strongly support Travel Management Alternative "A"

Done.

The following is my letter sent to the BLM.

As a general aviation pilot who enjoys access to backcountry airstrips across Colorado and the Western United States, I strongly support alternative plan A for the Grand Junction BLM Resource Management Plan. I would also suggest including airstrip protection above and beyond what is currently listed in the RMP revision. Defining each airstrip within the Grand Junction BLM district as unique and separate from current trails or roads is a must.

Backcountry airstrips not only serve a purpose of recreation and enjoyment, but are also a safe haven for pilots in distress. The airstrips in question are in a primitive and remote location and could be a life saving alternative to the rugged terrain in the event of an in flight emergency. These established mining airstrips are native to the area and were built decades ago; the historical aspect is also something to consider. Accessing the backcountry by aircraft is a green, low impact mode of transportation and brings a positive economic impact to the local communities. In addition, Colorado has a strong pilot network that would maintain these airstrips via volunteers and donations, resulting in no burden to the tax payer.

Once again, please consider stronger protection and advocacy for the following airstrips: Dolores Point, Hubbard, Little Dolores, West Creek Bluff, Arrow Head Camp, Calamity Camp, Flat Top Mesa, and Blue Mesa.

Best Regards,
Matt S.

mountainmatt wrote:Backcountry airstrips not only serve a purpose of recreation and enjoyment, but are also a safe haven for pilots in distress.

Damn it. I didn't think to put the safety part in mine.

thank you guys it is greatly appreciated and every letter helps.

Sent mine. Hopefully I'll get to see these places someday.

Faxed

Here is mine....
lc


Dear Sirs & Madams,
I appreciate the opportunity you are providing to weigh in on the closures of these back country airstrips.

First I would like to bring to your attention the fact that back country airstrips provide access to remote areas with the least amount of impact of any/all other forms of public access with the exception of hiking. The rutting/runoff issues are a minimum due to the small footprint of the airstrips in relation to the areas they provide access to.
Maintained airstrips provide not only access to the public, but also to government agencies when wildlife research/studies are needed, medical emergencies happen, and area fire suppression is necessary.
Maintenance of these airstrips to keep them usable to small aircraft is being done in many areas by volunteer organizations with little or no cost to the associated government agencies.

These airstrips are a contributor to the economy of the local areas. Pilots stop to buy fuel on the way in and/or out, and small commercial charter flight operators get business providing access to the strips for hunting, fishing, hike & trail access, plus other recreational activities.

I am in my mid 60’s, and over my lifetime a large percentage of the areas I went to as a kid camping, hiking, and berry picking have been closed to access by the public by closing logging roads, forest service roads, and closing motor access to numerous areas. Now on the radio I hear advertisement about "Come to the forest near you", and "Find out the wonders of the forest" etc. Well, when the vast majority of the logging roads and trails in the wilds have been closed over the last 60 years, greatly limiting the areas available to the weekend campers and Rvers, to where when you go camping you are cooped up in campgrounds with significantly more noise pollution than in ones own home, and the "quiet" experience of communing with nature is only available off season when the boom boxes, generators, and hopped up motors is mostly gone, yet the weather is way more likely to be hostile-does not make for frequent visits to nature.

A lot of seniors no longer are able to backpack into remote areas due to medical conditions which are too numerous to mention here. We greatly appreciate the areas that we can continue to visit through exceedingly low impact activities.

Another valuable use of maintained airstrips is for the use of aircraft in distress due to mechanical issues or weather being worse than predicted. "Any port in a storm" as the old saying goes. These strips can be lifesaving on a repeating basis over time. Be aware this is a benefit to the various agency government workers who fly in small planes as part of their occupational responsibilities.

Done. and BUMP.

Would be terrible to lose these strips.

Done! Thanks guys.

Comment form submitted.

Good work and many thanks to those of you that have already submitted letters and emails.

A few dozen comments will help, but a few hundred will change the entire backcountry here in Colorado. Once the airstrips are written into the RMP we can continue to work with the BLM to start the EIS process and return the airstrips to the their original state. (As you can see in the pictures, some are overgrown and need attention).

This all starts with you supporting our efforts. I a̶s̶k̶ ̶ beg you to take five minutes to submit a letter or email to the Grand Junction field office in support of the airstrips listed above and keeping them a separate entity from roads and trails. The next few days determines the outcome of these 8 airstrips for the next 20-30 years!

We are committed to see this through to the end, but we need your help!

The deed is done.

Done!

Done this AM, CC'd you Patrick. Hope it helps.

Done

Take a few mins to send a personalized letter with your comments, these efforts really do affect how land managers accomplish their work.