From Bill Ables:

WE NEED YOUR IMMEADIATE HELP---PLEASE TAKE ACTION NO LATER THAN AUGUST 15

Background: The USFS is in the process of revising their Land Management Plan for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa Whitman National Forests. These 3-Forests have numerous airstrips within their boundaries that many pilots frequently use for recreational, commercial and public safety purposes. The term “airstrips” or “aviation” is rarely used in the DEIS and proposed plan. The USFS Introduction of the Plan says that it is a guide for the future management of natural resources on these three forests for the plan period, approximately 10-15 years. The USFS Introduction also says that it will honor the continuing validity of private, statutory or preexisting rights.

The United States Forest Service (USFS) is seeking public input to help inform and shape the development of this Land Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for these three Forests. Comments can be submitted electronically or by mail.

Public input is important to this process, and the USFS encourages participation with your comments, either written or electronically.

I’m not familiar with all the airstrips located in these 3-Forests, but some that you maybe familiar with are Lord Flat, Red’s Horse Ranch, Memaloose, Ragar, Ellingston, and Cinnabar Flat to name a few. If you know of others, please let me know.

Comment period ends: August 15th

The USFS desires comments be submitted electronically, which may be done by clicking on the URL listed below:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/BlueMountai ... onComments

Or Postal comments can be mailed to:

Blue Mountain Forest Plan Revision
P.O. Box 907
Baker City, OR 97814

Fax to: (541)-523-6392

Here are some key points you can build on while drafting your comments:

Write from the point of view of your own experiences, values, and use of aircraft for recreational access for yourself, friends and your family. Emphasize your own prior experiences and how they fit into the objectives of the USFS to provide a great outdoor experience for the widest variety of recreational users.


Pilots should have the same access as vehicles & other ATV’s.

• Aircraft are a form of transportation just as vehicles and ATV’s and should receive the same consideration for access.
• An aircraft landing on a dirt strip has far less impact than an off road vehicle traversing some 20-30 miles of dirt road to reach a site.
• Aircraft provide a light environmental impact, and the landing area is usually about 75 ft. wide by 1500 ft. + in length constructed of native material.
  
• If you have landed at airstrips in these forests before, comment on your thoughts on the safety of the strip.
  
• Most backcountry airstrips have some slope and/or swales and provide little problem for landing and taking off.
• Many of these airstrips have existed more than 50 years and are historically significant.”
• These airstrips provide convenient access to handicapped and/or the physically challenged without enduring a grueling drive by road.
• Many of these airstrips are a perfect staging area for search and rescue and provide a quick med-evac option.
• USFS personnel can fly into these airstrips from their headquarters in nearby towns rather than drive, horseback or hike saving many hours of travel time.
• These airstrips provide economy of time and expenses for administrative and management activities as well as more timely visits for monitoring projects.

Hints to make your comments effective:

• When you write your comments, put them into your own words. Form letters and mass emails that are all the same are usually not counted as individual responses.
• Be courteous and give constructive comments. USFS planners have worked hard to make their revision the best they can. We’re helping them see items they have overlooked.
• Be sure to email or mail your comments ASAP. Again, no later than August 15th.
• Be aware that this revision process DOES NOT include the Hell’s Canyon Recreation Area located within the Wallowa Whitman Forest and it’s airstrips.

Any Questions?

Contact Bill Ables @ bjables [at] eoni.com

Done. I am thankful for the efforts of the RAF and other organizations that have helped keep the places we like to fly open for use. Any support, even if it's as simple as submitting a letter the Forest Service, is well deserved.

Done

Done

Done! Thanks for posting!

Done!

Hello and thank you for the opportunity to express my viewpoint and concerns.

I currently live in Northern California, but I spend several weeks a year in the forests which will be affected by the Blue Mountains Management Plan. I would like to specifically address the backcountry airstrips within this area.

As a frequent user of the backcountry airstrips I would like to advocate for their continued existence within our National Forests. I regularly use the Reds Horse Ranch, Memaloose, and Lord Flat airstrips as wilderness trailheads, flying into them so that I can backpack, hike, hunt, fish, or boat within the region. They are not playgrounds for pilots, they are valuable and economical access points to the backcountry we all enjoy. Some people think owing a small airplane is a rich person's game, but I'm proof it's not. Owning and flying a small airplane is no different than owning a motor boat or a couple of ATV's or a new pick-up truck. In fact I could go to town and easily find a dozen different used pick-ups that cost more than my airplane does. Backcountry aircraft travel is something normal folks do on a regular basis and we deserve the same consideration as other forest users. Not only that, but backcountry airstrips are one of the lowest impact accesses available, and I'm frankly puzzled that there aren't more of them.

An airstrip takes a small fraction of the real-estate a road requires, and airstrips do not contribute to the sedimentation of streams. These historic airstrips require minimal maintenance and almost never require earth moving or intrusive measures to keep them operational. Given the opportunity, volunteers will happily do the vast majority of the maintenance on the airstrips. Once an airstrip is covered in vegetation (which they pretty much all are at this point) they become nearly indistinct from a meadow or field and create valuable wildlife habitat, as they provides an edge in the forest which is naturally attractive to wildlife. Airstrips like Lord Flat are so well integrated into the landscape that even though I've landed there many times, it's hard to find it from the air.

While some people perceive "unimproved" airstrips to be hazardous, they are not at all dangerous if approached with appropriate caution and knowledge. Almost any pilot can safely use these airstrips with preparation and study…something the Federal Aviation Regulations require for a pilot using ANY airport. A pilot who does not do the necessary preparation and research prior to using these airstrips has no excuse. He or she is clearly in violation of the regulations governing flight, not to mention the common sense of good pilotage. Many pilots, myself included, are much happier landing on the forgiving grass and gravel of a backcountry airstrip than the unforgiving pavement of an "improved" airport. Even the fuel consumption to fly into the backcountry is a fraction of the fuel needed to drive. Airstrips are truly Green.

Some folks don't like the noise signature of aircraft in the backcountry, and it's a legitimate point. But in all fairness, any significant noise impact is limited to the take-off and is brief in duration; less than a minute for a person standing in any given location. Also, while the noise may be annoying to some people, it's part of the compromise that makes up our great country. As an avid backpacker I'm not at all happy with the condition of trails after horses have been on them, or the increase in bitting flies where horses have been picketed, or the increase in noxious weeds where horses travel, but I understand that horse packers have a right to use the backcountry just as I do. I'd be happier if they weren't there (as would most other backpackers), but like everyone else, I get to compromise.

In addition to providing low impact access to our Federal Lands, backcountry airstrips provide valuable access points and staging areas for the work of managing the forests. Everything from forest fire fighting to botanical studies and fish counting can be enhanced and made more efficient and cost effective with the network of airstrips. Removing them or failing to protect them would be a mistake.

Backcountry airstrips have become increasingly important to me recently. My father is a great lover of all things outdoors. He's not a scenic overlook sort of man, but rather someone who spent his summers studying grizzlies and his winters back country skiing. He still has a sharp mind, but he is in deteriorating health. Recently even extended vehicle rides have become difficult for him to endure. With my little 1956 Cessna 170 I am able to take my father into the backcountry and give him access to the land that he loves. It's frankly the only way he can still access the wilderness, and it means more to him, and to me, than words can say. We're not alone in that regard. Over the years I've met many people who use their airplanes to provide backcountry access to people who could otherwise not enjoy our great national lands.

So I beseech you to respect and protect the backcountry airstrips currently in the National Forests, and to give consideration to re-opening neglected airstrips or even creating new ones.

Thank you,

done

Done to the link, and our letter

Wednesday, August 12, 2014

We live in the mid Willamette Valley of Oregon. We use our airplane as transportation to access many parts of the three forests' that are involved in the land management plan.

Red's Horse Ranch, Memaloose, Lord's Flat are some of our favorite places to go to camp out, go fishing and hiking and just generally enjoy the back country.

Our airplane has a very small footprint compared to other modes of transportation.

We would ask that these airstrips that have existed, some for more than 50 years, be recognized for their importance and left open for all to enjoy.

These airstrips also help the local economies. They are great access points and need to remain open.

We thoroughly enjoy enjoy the back country, camping, hiking, fishing and wildlife viewing.

Please keep us on any list for possible notifications or changes that may come about in the future.

Sincerely,

John McKinney and Lora Lee Schmidt

EXCELLENT Hammer!

G44