On Tuesday night, the Haines Borough Assembly voted to reverse a decision made by the planning commission. The commission had granted a permit for Chilkat River Adventure to operate a heliport on its property, 24 miles up Haines Highway. The location was to be used as a staging area by the company for their heliskiing tours.
Voting means that there won’t be any helicopters landing there.
Five appeals were made to the permit board, mainly focusing on noise.
Jones P Hotch, Jr., Vice-President of the Chilkat Indian Village, spoke out about the need to preserve traditional life in the Valley and the animals that live there.
He said, “We have been a recognized tribal government by western culture since 1934. But we have had tribal sovereignty from time immemorial.” “We believe that there are already enough helicopters in our valley. We hope that the Haines Borough understands that the heliport will not be compatible with the surrounding land uses, which includes our traditional practices.
Jessica Kayser Forester, Chilkat Indian Village consultant, has cited studies on noise impact.
“The neighborhood’s ambient noise level was measured at 21 decibels. She stated that the measurements at the helipad exceeded 104 decibels. “Seventy decibels is the safe limit for human hearing according to the EPA or World Health Organization. A noise level of forty-five decibels can wake people within one mile. Residents living nearby will feel the impact of a hundred four decibels. This is undue sound, you cannot deny it. It will have enough of an impact on Klukwan to wake its residents in their sleep.
Kayser-Forester also cited additional studies that showed animals are more sensitive than humans to noise.
Riley Hall, a resident of the area, painted a picture showing the acoustic properties.
Hall stated that only distance and acoustic barriers can reduce helicopter noise. “This particular location does not have any of these. It is on flat ground with a mountain background. I joke that the mountain backdrop acts as a sound amplifier. If a duck farts at Klukwan, I’m going for it to be heard on my property.
Sean Gaffney, Chilkat River Adventure owner, took exception to noise studies. He claimed sound at the study area travels differently from River Adventure property.
After a half-hour discussion on noise impacts, the assembly voted 5-1 in favor of a heliport. Jerry Lapp, an Assembly member, was the one who voted against the proposal, citing the existing industrial uses within the area.
He said, “This area is approximately half industrial if you look at the parcel viewer.” “You’ve got the rock crusher here, the rock washer there, and another pit right down the road, right here on the highway.”
Mayor Doug Olerud stated that the November Decision of the Planning Commission emphasized the importance of establishing clear communication lines between Chilkat Indian Village (Chilkat) and Haines Borough.
He said, “To the people at the Chilkat Indian Village,” that he had said some things about meeting during the previous conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make those meetings because of the code. But as we moved forward with this, I would like to continue on working with you and find a way that we can have a government-to-government relationship that we can codify in some manner so as we go forward with things in the future, there is a mechanism for us to rely on.”
Sean Gaffney, the permit applicant, was not able to respond to a request. His company has several other helipads in the valley.
