Sightseeing tours over national parks are not new. But the flights have been controversial since the first plane infuriated backcountry hikers who had gone to considerable trouble to get away from civilization and its noise pollution.
The issue is back on the table for Mount Rainier National
Park, and park officials are asking for input by May 16 on four proposed plans for commercial air tours.
The Federal Aviation Administration is required to work with national parks on those plans.
The current and proposed rules do not apply to military and general aviation, park biologist Barbara Samora said.
The alternatives are: banning air tours, limiting tours to the currently allowed 114 flights a year, limiting tours to the actual number flown in 2010 (55), or limiting flights to an alternative route, with restrictions to season and time of day.
Studies elsewhere show that aircraft can affect wildlife, Samora said, although no studies have been done at Mount Rainier.
And the noise does affect humans, too, who complain to park officials.
“Oh, yeah, we get complaints all the time. It’s a wilderness, so any aircraft can be an intrusion. But it’s hard to tell whether it’s commercial, or military or a private plane,” Samora said.
Existing flights fly as low as 2,000 feet.
For details, go to www.tinyurl.com/3ocgboo.
And still it falls: Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia has extended its spring ski season through May, thanks to this season being on the verge of becoming the second snowiest on record. That should bring the ski, bike and golf crowd together.
The cumulative snowfall is more than 49 feet, and the alpine base has about 145 inches.
Marmot monitors: Last year more than 80 volunteers, hailing from as far away as Los Angeles, participated in a citizen-science monitoring program of marmots at Olympic National Park. Volunteers, capable of hiking and camping in remote areas, are again needed. A few day hike assignments are available.
The Olympic marmot is the official endemic mammal of the state with about 90 percent of its habitat inside the park boundaries.
For more information, go to www.tinyurl.com/4gwzqcg. Deadline for application is May 1 but may close early if the volunteer slots are filled.
Don’t miss this: The famous prints of the Birds of America series by John James Audubon are coming to Lakewold Gardens in Lakewood, near Tacoma. On display will be 30 vintage prints from Toni and Jerry Gibbs’ private Birds of America collection, including the pileated woodpecker, the horned owl and many of the ducks that he painted.
Vintage frames from the 1800s (Audubon’s era) highlight all of the pieces. Learn about the life and history of Audubon and how it relates to the development of the U.S. from 1785 to 1851. This display documents his accomplishments and his contribution to history through art.
Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., this display can be viewed at Lakewold Gardens, 12317 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, Lakewood, from Thursday through May 1. Admission is $7, free to children younger than 12.
Up for the count: About 60,000 bird-watchers of all ages and skill levels participated in February’s Great Backyard Bird Count, creating a snapshot of the locations of 596 species and 11.4 million birds.
Two species new to the count were a brown shrike and a common chaffinch, both well outside their normal ranges.
A brambling was seen at a feeder in Alaska, the only one reported in North America. And the bird count’s largest number of evening grosbeaks was reported after two decades of sharp declines.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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