Thank you for signing and continuing to pass forward! See full article in Hungry Horse News May 2, 2018, p.A2 http://hungryhorsenews.mt.newsmemory.com/ Last year, Glacier National Park visitors were treated to a rare experience - Quiet Skies. And visitors noticed. Friends for a Quiet! Glacier grew out of a need to help the Park make that permanent, just like the Glacier National Park Management Plan called for 19 years ago. Glacier's General Management Plan specifies the enabling legislation, defining the purpose of the Park as "…for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and should provide "for the preservation of the park in a state of nature...". Glacier has been trying to make that possible for two decades and Quiet! Glacier is committed to facilitating achievement of that goal and communicating three important points: •A small number of people taking scenic tour overflights are adversely impacting the experience for the majority of visitors. Everyone who visits the Park has access to Going-to-the-Sun Road by car, shuttle, or bus. Many scenic views are available by concessionaire boats. •The Director's Order #41 defines the number one NPS role and legal responsibility as "Visitor and Resource Protection". •This is a noise and visual pollution issue, not an aviation issue. April 5th marked the 18th Anniversary of the Air Tour Management Act, passed by Congress in 2000. This Act gave the NPS, working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the authority to develop an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) appropriate to each National Park with air tours. Glacier was among the first National Parks to initiate an ATMP, with the Management Plan to phase-out overflights, but its completion has been halted since 2004 by the FAA. In a Government Accountability Office report (GAO-06-263) it is stated the root of the impasse between NPS and FAA is "disagreements between FAA and the Park Service over how to implement NEPA in assessing the impact of noise on park units." In plain language, the FAA assesses noise based on tolerable levels around airports. Glacier and other National Parks assess noise based on the protections of all natural resources for the benefit and survival of the wildlife ecosystem and enjoyment of the American people, today and in the future. Last Fall, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed a complaint in Federal District Court, on behalf of 7 National Parks (including Glacier). The suit asks the court to require FAA to develop AMTPs as directed by law. Additionally, in February 2018, PEER filed a second legal complaint in the D.C. Court of Appeals, addressing FAA's unreasonable delay of action. These complaints ask nothing more than for FAA to follow a law they helped write to maximize air tour safety issues and allow NPS to address the sensitivities to the uniqueness of individual National Park settings. Last summer Glacier experienced unexpected relief from the adverse impact of scenic overflights. This and next summer, with the rebuilding of Sperry Chalet, there will be up to 220 administrative flights, but Glacier will be planning those flights as efficiently as possible, causing visitors as little disruption as possible, with an end in sight. More information is available every day about how humans need respite from noise. Glacier is a special place for that escape. It is the people's responsibility to protect that for future generations to experience. Quiet! Glacier (www.quietglacier.com) is a growing informational effort - this petition has support in all 50 states and US territories and 41 countries. We welcome organizations to join the Coalition. please contact us on the website here: https://www.quietglacier.com/ Many thanks! Please pass the word for others to join our efforts and return quiet skies to this natural oasis, where so many seek to experience the natural sounds, sometimes one chance in a lifetime.