Dear Quiet! Glacier supporters: Many thanks for continuing to share this campaign with other organizations, friends and colleagues, inviting them to join the Coalition, sign the Quiet! Glacier petition, visit Quiet! Glacier website and sign up for a more detailed update via email (send us your email address via the contact us page on the website). Here are a few highlights in the most recent update May 2019: 

• Recent development in PEER writ of mandamus. Three judges in the Court of Appeals, DC Circuit Court ordered Per Curiam, FAA & NPS must enter an appearance and file a co-response to the writ of mandamus petition by May 22nd, a recent extension was granted by the Court until July 1st.
• We are still working hard to help Glacier secure an Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) to permanently extinguish the temporary Interim Operating Authority (IOA) in accordance with Glacier National Park’s General Management Plan (GMP, supported by EIS and ROD), published 20 years ago.  The reasons to do so, are more relevant and compelling today than when the management decision was first determined. FAA has to date prevented this by refusing to cooperate with a National Park that determined tour overflights adversely affect the park's reason for being, negatively impact the visitor experience.
• "Scenic helicopter rides that originate outside the park boundary intrude on the natural soundscape over a wide area…Any significant degradation of the natural sound environment deprives park visitors of the chance to connect with and appreciate the natural scene.”  (from NPS.gov website)
• Helicopters rank especially high in causing undesirable noise. Eight different studies have found that the annoyance created by a helicopter does not correlate with the decibels it registers. The helicopter’s unique sound, created by blade vortex interaction, causes people to rate its sound level as much as 10 dB’s higher than it actually registers, doubling the noise impact. This would place perceived helicopter noise at around 97 dB.  Using the test methods outlined in FAR Part 36 Appendix H, the EPNdB of the Bell 412HP at flyover, for example, is measured at 93.4, according to the manufacturer, which is equivalent to a Boeing 777-200 at takeoff. (Hearing, Health & Technology Matters, Helicopter Noise).
• What is a decibel (dBA)? One decibel change is not readily perceivable by the human hear, but any addition to this difference could begin to impact listening ability. An increase of 1.1 dBA would reduce listening area for wildlife and visitors by 22%. For example, if a predator can hear a potential prey animal in an area of 100 square feet in a setting with natural ambient sounds, that animal’s ability to hear would be reduced to 78 square feet if the sound levels were increased by 1.0 dBA. Similar reduction would occur for visitors and their ability to hear natural sounds or interpretive programs. (Acoustic Environment and Soundscape Resource Summary Glacier National Park)

Please visit Quiet! Glacier website for a more detailed update by sending us your email address via the contact us page on the website.

Thank you!

(photo GNP webcam.  What do you hear when you look at this scene?)