Call to Action on Stovepipe Wells Airstrip Closing - Urgent! you CAN help!

Managers of Death Valley National Park in California are seeking public input regarding future use of the park’s Stovepipe Wells Village. One of the park’s proposals is to change the Stovepipe Wells airstrip into a dedicated night sky viewing area due to the prohibitive maintenance expense of repaving the runway. This is due to the park’s perceived lack of visitation to the strip, combined with a growing interest in attendees in night-sky astronomy. With this change, the airstrip is in danger of closing entirely to light aircraft visitation.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) believes that pilot activity and stargazing can successfully co-exist with minor changes to existing infrastructure, and we are urging members to submit comments to the park in support of both pastimes.

Death Valley National Park is more specifically proposing the following change (the following text was captured from the park’s official Facebook page):

• Night Sky Viewing to Replace Airstrip: night sky viewing events in the park regularly attract over 250 people, and very few people use the airstrip at Stovepipe Wells. The park proposes changing the airstrip into a place where astronomical societies can set up and camp with their large telescopes, while providing an opportunity to experience the park’s spectacular dark skies. The Furnace Creek Airport, 18 miles away, would still be available for small planes.

If the Park Service does not receive at least 400 comments from the pilot community regarding Stovepipe Wells, they will ignore the pilot’s input. WE NEED YOU TO COMMENT BEFORE DECEMBER 23.

Additional details and comment submission form can be found at the following link:

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=297&projectID=72747&documentID=107887

The RAF suggests the following talking points for members who wish to comment:

· Pilots support stargazing. This is a very successful combination of compatible pastimes. This has been proven at Havana, Illinois, where fly-in stargazing events draw many campers both by air and car. The Blue Canyon airport at Nyack, in Tahoe National Forest is another perfect example.

* Current facilities at Stovepipe Wells are at about 1/2 mile hike away. The airstrip will see a significant increase in visitation should facilities such as a dedicated camping area, as well as toilets be provided to visitors to the airport.

· At 3,260 x 65 ft and a significant existing visitors area, there is ample room for both activities at Stovepipe.

· Providing for under-wing camping at the airstrip helps disperse usage, and puts no additional strain on the NPS campground.

· Its daylight use by small planes minimizes impact to campers and star gazers.

· This airport has historical value, having been established in 1948.

· Stovepipe Airstrip provides another feasible way to access this special land. For many, driving to Stovepipe Wells represents a huge investment of time, and access by small plane opens up that opportunity.

Thank you in advance for your support of this RAF Call to Action! The RAF will be following up with final comments on our website in the near future.

Questions may be directed to CA State Liaisons Rick Lach: rlach@theraf.org and/or Katerina Barilov: kbarilov@theraf.org.

Steve - thanks for posting this. SW is a great destination and we'd sure hate to see it go away.

Stovepipe is back on the chopping block. The NPS has released its preliminary environmental assessment. The NPS's preferred alternative is to close the airstrip and turn it into a designated night sky viewing area--as if it can't serve that function perfectly well right now. There are no lights or night ops out there. PLEASE send your comments--again!

The comment period closes February 28. Here's the link for commenting: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.c ... tID=118017

There will be a public Zoom meeting on February 9 at 6 p.m., PST. Here's a link to the page with the meeting link: "https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MeetingNotices.cfm?projectID=72747

Sounds like our friends at Caltrans have not helped:

The National Park Service received comments suggesting the park consider multiple uses at the airstrip, maintaining the current use of the airstrip and also using the area for programming, such as night sky viewing programs. As noted in the description of alternative A, maintaining the use of the airstrip would require addressing deficiencies outlined in an assessment of the airstrip conducted by the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics on behalf of the FAA. Addressing the deficiencies would require expanding the development footprint of the current airstrip by an estimated 723,000 square feet. This level of disturbance is not justified given the current low use of the airstrip and the environmental impacts in a national park. In addition, as noted in the description of alternative B, trying to maintain two airstrips in such close proximity to each other makes securing the funds necessary to address the identified deficiencies and complete any repairs less likely. Based on this analysis, the National Park Service has concluded that maintaining the use of the Stovepipe Wells airstrip would cause too great an environmental impact that cannot be justified given the low level of use.
It was suggested that the National Park Service charge an additional fee to pilots when they land at Stovepipe Wells to pay for maintenance of the airstrip. This fee, known as an expanded amenity fee, would be in addition to the standard park entrance fee. Given the low level of airstrip use, the cost of collecting the fee, and enforcing its payment would likely exceed revenues from the expanded amenity fee. Any monies received from the expanded amenity fee would be part of the general recreation fee funding the park receives and not earmarked for maintenance of the airstrip. For these reasons, this suggestion was dismissed from further analysis.
It was also suggested that the National Park Service open additional landing sites in the park, in places such as the Racetrack Playa, Lost Lake, Owl Lake, and Hidden Valley. All of these areas are in designated Wilderness. Landing an airplane in one of these areas or other locations in designated Wilderness is expressly prohibited in Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act. Landing an airplane outside of a designated airstrip at Death Valley National Park would also be a violation of 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 2.17, “Aircraft and Air Delivery”, which prohibits landing aircraft outside of areas designated by the Superintendent and the FAA; and 36 CFR 4.10, “Travel on Park Roads and Designated Routes,” which prohibits operating a motor vehicle except on park roads, in parking areas and on routes and areas designated for off-road motor vehicle use. Illegal activities cannot be considered as an action in this plan.
It was also suggested that night sky programs be offered at Mosaic Canyon. The expected level of use for any programming near Stovepipe Wells exceeds the capacity of the parking lot at Mosaic Canyon. The area around the parking lot cannot be developed for a night sky viewing area because it is in designated Wilderness. The park can provide access to programming within Stovepipe Wells Village with fewer resource impacts and without increasing the footprint of development. For these reasons, this alternative was dismissed from further consideration.

Yes. It's ridiculous to claim that the NPS cannot maintain the airstrip without upgrading it to current Caltrans specs. How many airports in California meet those specs? It's adding insult to injury, considering that the State continues to divert over 90% of aviation fuel tax revenue away from the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics to the general fund, when it is required by Federal law to be used only for aviation facilities in California. The airstrip is already a night sky viewing area. There are no lights there. Access is wide open.

There is a public meeting tonight, Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Here's the link: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MeetingNotices.cfm?projectID=72747

You'll need Microsoft Teams on your computer to attend.

Stovepipe Wells Airstrip Advocacy 2nd Attempt

The National Park Service is again trying to shut down the Stovepipe Wells Airstrip. There was a video call on 2022-02-09 at 1800 Pacific Time to discuss the Airstrip. The NPS is accepting comments about the potential closure until 2022-02-28. Please submit comments using your own words by 2022-02-28 using the link below.


Reference Links:


https://www.supercub.org/forum/show...e-Wells-Airstrip-Closing-Urgent!-you-CAN-help!


NPS project information / comments about Stovepipe Wells Airstrip:
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=297&projectID=72747&documentID=118017



Comments and Questions about the video meeting:


- Speakers:
Chief Ranger: Rob Wissinger
Meeting emcee / Volunteer Coordinator: Matthew Yarbrough
Management Assistant: Abby Wines, 760-786-3221, abby_wines@nps.gov
Acting Superintendent: James Woosley (acting Superintendent for Mike Reynolds, permanent Superintendent)


- There were 32 attendees online for the meeting on 2022-02-09 as stated by Abby Wines.


- What happened to all the comments that were submitted a year ago on the airstrip closing? Why is this proposal being reevaluated? It should have been a closed issue over a year ago.


- Who is making the determination as to whether the airstrip survives or not? Is there a board with voting members to make the determination with a pilot on it? I recommend a board be appointed with at least 1 person with an active pilots license to vote. Pilots are the ones being hurt by your efforts to shut down this airstrip. There should be a SPW Airstrip board (or Friends of SPW Airstrip) to oversee maintenance / airstrip issues. Let them help you.


- The airstrip is compatible with night sky viewing. This is an excellent example of dual use / compatible use activities Leave the airstrip alone like Chicken Strip. Why is it being selected for removal? Allow other groups (such as theRAF.org or others) to maintain it to reduce it to a no cost or reduced cost expense. The NPS has not investigated all the means available to improve the airstrip. Let others help you achieve a worthwhile goal.


- By removing the SPW Airstrip, you are removing a low cost infrastructure capability that can be used in an emergency and can be routinely used by tourists to access the park without impacting the roads.


- 18 air miles from Furnace Creek to SPWs is a long way to travel in the desert. The driving distance is 26 miles on a 2 lane highway in some of the most inhospitable and dangerous terrain in the country. There are no rental cars or mass transit transportation available at Furnace Creek. Having an airport available at SPWs makes it available to pilots.


- According to the NPS, they have never done a night sky viewing activity at SPWs!


- The NPS states in the "Submit Comments" section that "you should be aware that your entire comment (including your personally identifiable information) may be made publicly available at any time." I am requesting from the NPS that all comments that were made involving the SPW Developed Area Improvement including all personally identifiable information be publicly released.


- The Chief Ranger, Rob Wissinger, gave the presentation on the SPW Airstrip portion of the briefing. He stated that some pilots have complained to him that the runway was rough and because of that, he favors removing the airstrip. This decision does not make sense and is illogical. The logical conclusion of resolving a "rough airstrip surface" is to either improve the surface or file a NOTAM with the pilot community that the surface is rough.


- The Caltrans study appeared to only concern itself with vegetation removal. There is hardly any vegetation to remove in that part of the park and could easily be performed by volunteers such as theRAF.org. Please visit the airstrip to confirm this statement.


- The airstrip was created in 1948 and is 74 years old. As such, it qualifies as a historical structure. I propose designating it a National Historical Landmark. This will help to qualify it for additional funding opportunities.


- Comment to the NPS: Please quit trying to close down airports in the Death Valley Park (and other locations). This is the second airport the NPS has tried to close . The first was Chicken Strip. Aircraft are a very low impact activity.


- The NPS effort is titled: "Stovepipe Wells Developed Area Improvements" but advocates elimination of an infrastructure capability - the removal of the SPW Airstrip. This is a capability reduction, not an improvement. This airstrip should be improved, not removed. Solicit funding to resurface and improve it, not remove it, or at least, let it gracefully degrade into a Chicken Strip level of performance. Please, just leave it alone if you can't improve it.

FYI comments close at 11:59 MST tonight.

In reviewing proposed alternatives for SPW strip site:

A nite sky viewing facility:

”proposing removal of asphalt runway and construction of a barrier to minimize automobile headlights from nearby hiway”

Comment submitted!