Special Flight Rules Area for Grand Canyon National Park

Helicopters take tour groups to view the splendor of the Grand Canyon. But what about those of us who'd like a little silence with our awe of nature? NPS has released a draft EIS containing several proposals for flight rules in Grand Canyon National Park. photo by Jim McCarthy

Draft Environmental Impact Statement Available

After many years the National Park Service has published the Draft EIS for flight rules in the vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park. The stated purpose of management plan is to complete and implement a recommendation through this EIS to substantially restore natural quiet and experience at Grand Canyon National Park. The value of quiet and the intrusion of aircraft noise will be self-evident to those who have visited the park in recent years. The document runs over 800 pages, but the executive summary in Volume One provides an outline of the four alternatives considered.

Alternate A: The no action alternative, essentially maintains present policy.

Alternative E: Places a number of restrictions on flights relative to the present practice.

Alternative F: A variation on the no action alternative.

The NPS Preferred Alternative: Restricts flights, but not so extensively as Alternative E.

The document is available.

The preferred mechanism for the public to comment on the plan is explained at the start of Volume One. The deadline to submit comments is June 20. Your voice is needed.

After a Record of Decision (ROD) has been signed, the NPS will provide a recommendation to the FAA for implementation through rulemaking. Additionally, in coordination with stakeholders, the NPS will develop a detailed plan for monitoring and adaptive management.