A federal circuit court has upheld a recent prohibition on helicopter tours over Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park in South Dakota, rejecting motions from aircraft companies to repeal the ban.
In January, three aircraft tour companies — Badger Helicopters, Black Hills Aerial Adventures, and Rushmore Helicopters — petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to review the plan.
Two advocacy groups motioned for “intervenor status” on behalf of the federal agencies in February: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks. The groups were granted that status the next month.