FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jeff Ruch (510) 213-7028 jruch@peer.org
Mark Stechbart (650) 274.5193 mstechbart@msn.com

Noisy Coast Guard Copters Hover Over Golden Gate Park

No Permit, Noise Limits or Accident Response Plan for Training Exercises

Washington, DC — The National Park Service has allowed the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct helicopter rescue training within Golden Gate National Recreation Area for years without any environmental review, accident response plan, or even a permit, according to a complaint filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Copters hovering over cliffs at Mori Point in Pacifica have drawn noise complaints from park visitors but to no effect.

According to documents obtained by PEER, the Park Service approved these training flights back in 2002 but promised “we will inventory the cultural and natural resources in the area and determine what steps, if any, we must take to ensure their protection. At the end of the year, we will reevaluate this activity in light of our inventory.” This inventory apparently never occurred.

In response to a PEER document request, the Park Service admitted that it has not conducted any environmental reviews of these exercises despite an estimated 35 endangered or threatened species living within Golden Gate NRA. It also concedes that the Coast Guard does not have a permit, has never filed a flight plan, and lacks a response plan in case of accidents.

“The issue is not whether the Coast Guard helicopter training is valuable but whether the Park Service has done its job of preventing needless damage to park resources and disruption of visitors,” stated Pacific PEER Director Jeff Ruch, who today asked the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General to investigate the matter. “In this instance, it appears that the Park Service has dropped even the pretense of responsible oversight.”

The training sessions involve the use of two Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin helicopters which hover over Mori Point at full throttle for hours. Although the Park Service has never done a noise test, these training sessions are undoubtedly loud. Coast Guard personnel wear earmuffs but park visitors typically do not. Nor are flying hours publicly posted.

“It sounds like a war zone,” added Mark Stechbart, a frequent Golden Gate hiker, who has filed noise complaint over the years about the Coast Guard copters.  “This deafening racket is hard to avoid since Mori Point is a scenic vista on one of the park’s most popular hiking trails.”

Ironically, PEER is also suing the Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration over their failure to properly regulate the 2,548 commercial air tours per year across Golden Gate, Point Reyes National Seashore, Muir Woods, and San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, the 7th most air traffic in the national park system. That case is awaiting a decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

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Listen to the Coast Guard copters

Read the PEER complaint to the IG

Look at pending lawsuit on tourist overflights at Golden Gate NRA