Military helicopters - Liberty Bell Roadless Area

Joint Base Lewis McChord is proposing helicopter landings/training at several high elevation sites in the eastern North Cascades. In the Methow Valley area there are three proposed sites. One of them is very near the Pacific Crest Trail just south of Harts Pass, another somewhere in the Cooney Lake area in the Sawtooths and another in the Tiffany, Rock Mtn area.

These landings could occur anytime 24/7, 365 days a year and could potentially be used by other military bases thereby expanding the impact.

For TAY folks the landing in the Azurite Pk area could impact backcountry skiing/touring in a significant way.

Comments are needed by July 30th. Scoping document  here

Imagine a program designed to train pilots with the reasonable expectation that occasional crashes will occur in remote areas that will require extensive recovery operations and a high risk of starting wild fires in years like we are currently experiencing.

As the term "wilderness area"s used in describing practices in the "Fly Friendly Program" is not capitalized, this could then mean that areas other than designated "Wilderness Areas" could be avoided by these training operations.

The maps showing the MTAs is showing no USFS or NPS land designations to base the scoping information on.

Do the noise standards allow for wind carried noise?

A complete EIS should be required for this program that uses the resources of multiple agencies near a National Park and Wilderness Area.

No-action is the preferred alternative!!!

What next, Navy wanting to run subs in Ross Lake?

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What next, Navy wanting to run subs in Ross Lake?

The navy already has an extensive facility on Lake Pond Oreille and Ross Lake has nothing on that.

None of the proposed sites lie within designated wilderness. Since military helicopter s are used to rescue citizens from mountain environments stateside and soldiers in foreign mountains don't they need a place to train?

The navy already has an extensive  facility  on Lake Pond Oreille and Ross Lake has nothing on that.

None of the proposed  sites lie within designated wilderness.  Since military  helicopter s are used to rescue citizens from mountain  environments  stateside  and soldiers  in foreign  mountains don't they need a place to train? 

Up to seven helicopter at a time over a four hour period of landings and approaches. Just talking about the landing sites north of Lake Chelan - one is within spitting distance of a popular trail between Martin Lk and Cooney Lk in the Sawtooths, one (Azurite Pk area) is within the sound shed of the Pacific Crest trail and in mountain goat habitat (quite a few of studies showing impacts on goats from helicopters) and one near Tiffany Lake, a popular fishing lake and hiking area. Frequency is unknown as in the future other bases may use these sites also. Think there'll be any direct, indirect and cumulative impacts?

Knowing that military helicopters are used in civilian rescues in the Cascades and that the US military is active in other mountainous regions around the world can you suggest better alternative sites for training helicopter pilots in mountainous terrain? I agree that there are some serious issues to consider here but not proposing an alternative while saying no is just a NIMBY reaction.

I agree that there are some serious issues to consider here but not proposing an alternative while saying no is just a NIMBY reaction.

... well, as "No Action" is one of the alternatives on the scoping document...