Helicopter skiing proposal rejected

By JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

The Stillwater State Forest, citing considerable public opposition, has denied a request to allow helicopter skiing on parts of the Whitefish Mountain Range.

Brian Manning, manager of the Stillwater and Coal Creek state forests, said his office received 316 comments, most of them opposed to helicopter skiing.

"Their concerns mainly include the noise and effects to winter recreation; the adverse effects to various wildlife species; low-flying aircraft effects to adjacent landowners and the potential for trespass on federal lands," Manning wrote in a letter to Triple-X Helicopter and Valhalla Adventures, two Whitefish businesses that proposed helicopter skiing operations on specific parts of the Coal Creek and Stillwater forests.

Commercially guided ski trips were proposed at Winona, Coal and Stryker ridges on the two state forests.

"Given the amount and breadth of the concerns that have surfaced with the proposed activities and the general nature of the proposals, DNRC will not consider any helicopter skiing operations this season," Manning continued.

The proposal may be reconsidered in the future based on continuing research into its "economic viability and compatibility with other forest management and recreational activities."

The state agency is "contacting other land management agencies in the western portion of the United States that have helicopter skiing operations to learn how the activity is managed and the challenges and benefits they have experienced," Manning wrote. "This effort will continue."

The owners of the two businesses could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Manning noted that the two state forests currently have a variety of winter recreation opportunities.

The Flathead Snowmobile Association grooms 57 miles of trail on the state forest lands. Valhalla Adventures has a cat-skiing operation. And there are two commercial snowmobiling guide services, two commercial dog-sledding operations and a Nordic skiing guide service.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com