Aircraft & Landing Strips

For areas that were designated as wilderness by the 1964 Wilderness Act, section 4(d)(1) of that Act gives the Secretary of Agriculture discretion to allow the public use of aircraft and motorboats where such uses were already established, subject to such restrictions as the Secretary deems desirable. Most subsequent wilderness bills designating new wilderness areas incorporate this and other provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and extend this same discretionary authority to the Secretary of Interior as well.

The Secretary has exercised the discretion to allow continued use of existing airstrips in the Selway-Bitterroot and the Great Bear Wildernesses in Montana. The Secretary also could reverse this decision and close these airstrips. A key point is that continuation of pre-existing airplane landings is not guaranteed by the Wilderness Act. When pilots sued the Forest Service for preventing them from landing floatplanes on lakes in the Glacier Peak Wilderness as they had done prior to wilderness designation, the Secretary pointed out that it was within his discretion to determine whether to allow continued aircraft landings, and in that particular case the Secretary said No.

The 1980 Central Idaho Wilderness Bill contains specific language that allows continued use of pre-existing airstrips in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. This is the only wilderness outside of Alaska where airstrips must remain open by law. The Forest Service uses an airstrip within the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Oregon that originally was on private land that the agency later acquired within the wilderness. It is questionable on what authority the agency continues to use this airstrip now that it is part of the wilderness.

Neither the Wilderness Act nor the Central Idaho Act specifically limits use of airstrips to the level of use that was occurring at the time the areas described above were designated wilderness. However, both Acts provide authority to regulate the use, which indicates that the agency does have authority to impose use limits. However, this has not occurred and airstrip landings in most of these wildernesses have escalated far beyond the use that was occurring at the time of wilderness designation.

The most common uses are by hunters and commercial hunting guides in the fall, and by the increasingly popular activity among private pilots to “bag” wilderness strips. Touch-and-go landings and brief stops for picnicking are common. Pilots sometimes have to circle and wait because there are several planes ahead of them wanting to land. Unregulated aircraft use has negative impacts on wildlife, other wilderness visitors, and on wilderness character. One way the agency should limit use is by making non-motorized access one of the mandatory conditions for obtaining a special use permit to operate as a commercial outfitter or guide in the wilderness.

Where continued use of airstrips has been authorized by law or by the Secretary, the managing agency has authority to maintain the strips for safety purposes. This maintenance should be by hand tools only, with no motorized equipment involved. Herbicides should also not be allowed for clearing vegetation since it is an unnecessary intrusion of civilization and its technologies into wilderness. By definition, wilderness is to remain a place in contrast to civilization to the maximum extent possible. Additional developments should not be allowed at airstrips such as outhouses or picnic tables, except where these are associated with an existing administrative cabin.