A L E R T!  On extremely short notice, there will be a congressional hearing next Tuesday, Dec. 5 in the House Natural Resources Oversight Subcommittee 10:30 am.  The title: Limiting Access and Damaging Gateway Economies: Examining the National Parks Air Tour Management Program. Contrary to the title, the reality is that in the absence of Air Tour Management Plans, commercial operators have been taking advantage of little to no oversight for more than two decades, using and sometimes abusing National Park airspace to the detriment of visitors, wildlife and culturally sensitive Native American places, while the agencies were unable to follow the National Parks Air Tour Management Act passed by Congress in 2000. With the completion of Air Tour Management Plans (ATMP), that free ride is over, and aircraft lobbyists are not happy about it.  If you are from a state that has a congressional member on the subcommittee, please consider contacting them in support of ATMPs. 

House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversights and Investigations: Chairman, Paul Gosar (R-Arizona), Vice-Chairman, Mike Collins (R-Georgia), Matt Rosendale (R-Montana), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), Ranking Member, Melanie Stansbury (D-New Mexico), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), Susie Lee (D-Nevada), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona).

Special thanks go to the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Hawaii Coalition Malama Pono on behalf of the National Parks Soundscape and the American people, for their continued hard work.  Here is a summary of the most recent Progress Update from the FAA and NPS on the Petition for Writ of Mandamus, to the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC, filed 11/30/23 on Air Tour Management Plans (ATMP) for the 23 National Parks:

• 3 Parks completed and finalized ATMP in 2022 (Olympic, Mount Rainier, and Everglades was withdrawn)
• 10 Parks completed and finalized ATMP in 2023 (Glacier National Park, Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, Great Smoky Mountains, Golden Gate/Point Reyes/San Francisco Maritime)
• 1 Voluntary Agreement completed and finalized in 2023 (NP of NY Harbor)
• 3 Parks proposed completion of ATMP by December 31, 2023, (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Badlands, Mt. Rushmore)
• 2 Voluntary Agreements proposed completion in 2024 (Glen Canyon, Rainbow Bridge)
• 1 Park ATMP proposed completion January 30, 2024 (Haleakala National Park)
• 1 Park ATMP proposed completion March 31, 2024 (Bandelier)
• 1 Park Voluntary Agreement proposed completion Aug 31, 2024 (Lake Mead)
• 1 Park in public comment until December 4th with proposed completion date Dec 31, 2024 (Canyon de Chelly)

AND some more good news...

Whitney Wyche, a Mosaics in Science Intern at Glacier this year, presented "Soundscape Monitoring in Glacier National Park" in October, hosted by Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center.  She also presented to the Geological Society of America Conference. The presentation focused on continuing a baseline study started in 2004 to assess the natural soundscape of Glacier National Park and how it has changed over time. Here is a link to the to the presentation: GSA Connects 2023 Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (confex.com).  It was picked up in the national news right away too, Earth.com article: How much have humans changed the soundscape of Glacier National Park?