Heli-skiing proposal draws comments

By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has received considerable comment on a proposal for commercial helicopter skiing in the Whitefish Range, according to Stillwater State Forest unit manager Brian Manning.

In September, Valhalla Adventures and Triple-X Helicopter separately proposed heli-skiing on Stryker Ridge and on Coal and Winona ridges in the North Fork drainage.

DNRC took public comment through Oct. 10, but the comments need to be summarized, Manning said. DNRC also needs to look at how land agencies in other states manage heli-skiing and decide what kinds of regulations will be needed.

"The comments indicate this is a very complex proposal, and I doubt there will be any operations this winter," he said.

Manning said it was a legitimate proposal by businessmen that could raise revenue for schools on high-elevation land that sees little use, but the proposals will need additional research.

Glacier National Park superintendent Chas Cartwright weighed in with an Oct. 10 letter to the Stillwater State Forest.

"Note that the project area is not just the proposed skiing areas, but includes all areas that will be traversed by the helicopter flight paths to a distance that sound levels could be detected by wildlife," he said.

The proposed operating areas are in important wildlife habitats for federally-listed endangered wolves and threatened grizzlies, as well as state species-of-concern bald eagles, wolverines and fishers, Cartwright said. The area is also winter range for elk, deer and moose.

Wildlife in the area co-exist in Glacier Park, Flathead National Forest and state lands, Cartwright said, and "protecting and maintaining viable wildlife populations is a responsibility shared within and among the affected agencies."

Cartwright was also concerned about the impacts to resources used by human visitors in the Park, including "the natural soundscapes we strive to protect."

Noting that Federal Aviation Administration regulations don't address impacts to wildlife by helicopters, "the Endangered Species Act does restrict the harassment of federally threatened or endangered species and alterations to critical habitat for listed species," he said.

"The DNRC could be required to submit a habitat conservation plan for any 'incidental take' associated with the operations of the permit," Cartwright said.

He called for an environmental analysis that describes impacts to wildlife, soundscapes, socioeconomic resources, health and safety, wilderness, visual resources, and public use and experience.

Defenders of Wildlife has also called for more study — including a full-blown environmental impact statement. David Gaillard, the organization's Rocky Mountain Region representative in Bozeman, sent an 18-page letter to the Stillwater State Forest on Oct. 3.

"The Whitefish Range is one of the few areas of the Lower-48 states that still supports resident, breeding populations of lynx, wolverines and grizzly bears," Gaillard said, citing a report that said the area "may be the single most important basin for carnivores in the Rocky Mountains."

Gaillard also cited several studies that refer to the impacts of heli-skiing on wildlife.

"Numerous studies have shown impacts to wildlife from low-flying aircraft, including helicopters," Olliff and Kaeding's 1999 Greater Yellowstone Report states. "Exposure to helicopters increases energy expenditures, reduces fat accumulations, and/or changes an animal's physiological condition."

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park's 2006 Grizzly Bear Management Plan notes that impacts to wildlife by off-trail helicopter skiing are similar to those made by other motorized uses.

And researchers reported in the 2007 Journal of Wildlife Management that heli-skiing and backcountry skiing in British Columbia negatively impact wolverines.

It isn't just the helicopters that pose threats to wildlife, Gaillard notes — trails left by skiers can also negatively affect wildlife.

"Lynx need peace and quiet to successfully hunt their main prey, snowshoe hares," Gaillard said. "Studies have also shown that compacted snow may harm lynx by allowing other predators into lynx habitat."