Bad News for Idaho ??

Received this email today:

4th December 2003

To: Montana Pilots' Association Recreational Airstrip e-mail Group

Subject: Idaho Big Creek Four

The following is from our friends in Idaho.



Good Morning IAA Members,
I want to bring everyone up to date on what is happening with the FEIS.
Bob Martin, (Idaho State Aeronautics), Kurt Becker, Dick Thompson and I had
a meeting with Mark Madrid and Quinn Carver (FS) yesterday. We were informed
that the Forest Supervisors of the four involved forest have signed a ROD,
(Record of Decision). Even with the large majority of comments in favor of
Aviation they are declaring the Big Creek Four Airstrips Emergency use only.
There were 440 comments pro aviation and 149 against aviation. There were
255 comments that pertained to rafting and water use and didn't comment for
or against aviation.
We had some idea that the FS may use this method to force a court
decision on aviation use in the Frank Church. Idaho Aeronautics and the IAA
will be appealing this decision with the Regional Forest Office. If we win
that appeal then the Wilderness Society may likely take it to court to try
and swing the issue in their favor. Most of the comments against Aviation
were by members of that organization. They have argued for years that the
Frank Church is not a pure wilderness by the Act of 1964 and have tried to
change character of the Frank Church as set up in the original legislation.
This battle is a long way from being finished and your organization with
your support will continue to use every available option to support our
position.


Robert ( Bob) Patrick

President of IAA

Dave...

What four strips are they?...

Mile Hi, Dewey Moore, Vines, and Simonds.
They want to close them except "emergency" only which will essentially make them unusable. I think the Forest Service boneheads in ID must be related to the Connecticut clan in AK. On out trip to ID last fall I was surprised to find no local love for anyone in the forest service ..........but they all like that federal money when it happens by their way.

Update received this morning on ID strips:

IAA Members;

Here is an update from Bob Patrick and Bob Martin, Director of Aeronautics on the FEIS debacle.

For Bob Patrick
Larry Robinson
IAA
=============================
Good Morning IAA Members,

Progress is being made. The following is information put out by Bob Martin our Idaho State Aviation Director. It resulted from a conference call with Jack Troyer, Region 4 Forest Service, Salt Lake City, UT. Your IAA President sat in on the call and I feel we will eventually be able to settle this issue in a way that has a positive outcome for aviation. Lets standby and have our pens ready to contact folks if needed.

Bob Patrick
Pres. IAA
-----------------------------------
>From Bob Martin;

I just got off the phone with Jack Troyer (Regional Forester). He agrees that the FS did not fully understand the impacts of their decision and said they are willing to talk about it. He believes the ROD is now at the printers. If so, he will attempt to stop the printing and have the definition of "emergency use only" removed from the document. If it is too late we will have to go through the appeal process to have it removed. We discussed removing all language and having the strips open to the public for general use. He was not willing to do that. We then discussed the flawed logic that was the basis of their decision and the option of classifying them either as "warning" or "hazardous" airstrips. He did not reject those options but said that would have to go through the appeal process and be discussed there.

Bob Martin
Director, Idaho Division of Aeronautics

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