Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council

On September 21, 2007, the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council was established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of this advisory council is to work collaboratively in implementing one of the highest priority items in the 2006 Backcountry Management Plan and EIS for Denali National Park and Preserve. The plan and EIS concluded that air travel remains an important access method to remote parts of the park and preserve for backcountry users and that scenic air tours are an important visitor activity for access to and enjoyment of Mount McKinley and adjoining scenic peaks and glaciers. At the same time, the cumulative impact of these tours plus the additional aircraft traffic must be mitigated to protect park resource values and the quality of the visitor experience. The purpose of the Denali National Park Aircraft Overflights Advisory Council is to advise the Superintendent, through the Secretary of the Interior, on mitigation of impacts from aircraft overflights at Denali National Park and Preserve. The Council will develop voluntary measures for assuring the safety of passengers, pilots, and mountaineers and for achieving desired future resource conditions at Denali National Park and Preserve.

Council membership contains broad representation of interested stakeholders and has a balance of local, state, and national interests.

The first Advisory Council meeting was held February 7, 2008, at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn in Wasilla, Alaska. Handouts and minutes from the first meeting are available through this link.

The second Advisory Council meeting, which was open to the public, was held on April 10, 2008, at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge in Talkeetna, Alaska. Minutes from this meeting are also available.  

The third Advisory Council meeting, which was open to the public, was held on September 7th and September 8th, 2008, at the Murie Science and Learning Center, Denali National Park and Preserve. Meeting notes for both days and the September 8th meeting transcript are available through these links.

The fourth Advisory Council meeting was held on December 4, 2008, at the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage. The meeting notes and the meeting transcript are available through these links.

The fifth Advisory council meeting will be held on April 7, 2009 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM at the National Park Service Fairbanks Headquarters (4175 Geist Road Fairbanks, AK 99709), or by videoconference at the Talkeetna Ranger Station (22241 South B Street, Talkeetna, AK 99676). The agenda for the meeting is available through this link. The 2008 Denali backcountry use information and sound monitoring information requested by the Advisory council is available through these links.

Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Plan and EIS

In 2006 the National Park Service initiated a 3-year integrated study involving biological, sociological, and transportation modeling components to evaluate capacity of the park road. The objectives and methodologies of the study are summarized here.

The EIS will evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of managing the park road in different ways.

The EIS will evaluate a no action alternative of maintaining the existing vehicle management system on the Denali park road including current bus schedules, vehicle allocation, and road capacity. Action alternatives will consider potential changes to transportation system components including road capacity (traffic volume and patterns), and allocation of vehicle use among shuttle buses, tours, inholders, professional photographers, and administrative vehicles. It will also consider changes to bus scheduling and spacing; the size and type of buses; tour services; educational opportunities and interpretive services; and wildlife viewing opportunities.