AIRCRAFT Use 



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nized equipmenc, the building of fire roads, fire towers, fire 

 breaks or fire pre-suppression facilities where necessary and 

 other techniques for fire control. In short, anything necessary for 

 the protection ot public health or safety is clearly permissible. 



Provision was made in Section 4(d)( l) of the Wilderness Act to permit 

 continued use of backcountry airstrips in wilderness by light aircraft. 

 Such use can continue only at the discretion of the agency and. 

 although landing strips have not been closed simply because they are 

 in designated wilderness, some have been closed due to safety consid- 

 erations and to unacceptable impacts on other wilderness resources. 

 Agency decisions to close airstrips or otherwise restrict the existing 

 uses of aircratt are usually made in individual wilderness management 

 plans. 



The Central Idaho Wilderness Act modified existing legislative 

 direction /;/// applied only in thou ureas deuy^nated in that Act. Whereas 

 the Wilderness Act states that aircraft use may be permitted to con- 

 tinue where previously established, the Central Idaho Wilderness Act 

 stated that aircraft use of landing strips "in regular use" ihall be 

 permitted to continue, denying the agency the discretion to simply 

 close airstrips but allowing for such restrictions iS the agency feels 

 necessary Airstrips can be closed by the agency for safety reasons but 

 only with the concurrence of the state government. 



The impacts ot the continued use of airstrips -on wilderness, re- 

 sources can be mitigated by several means. Regular use can be discon- 

 tinued and the areas revegetated with a grassy cover so that emergency 

 use cf the fields is still possible. Existing improvements at these fields 

 not essential to their use as emergency landing strips (e.g. windsocks 

 and strip markers) can be removed. On landing strips where regular 

 use IS to continue the "minimum tool" principal should be applied to 

 achieve the managment goals for the facility with the least impact on 

 the wilderness setting. Airstrips can be kept free of rocks, ruts and 

 woody debris and grassy vegetation kept in check without resorting to 

 close-crop mowing. Existing landing surface dimensions and approach 

 clearings can be maintained while all other improvements not needed 

 for the safety of daytime use of the strips are removed. Airfield fences 

 can be removed except where strips are in close proximity to unfenced 

 grazing allotments. Maintenance work can be done by non-motorized 

 methods, with approval for motorized access granted on a case-by-case 

 basis. 



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