Posts by Carmine Mowbray

The Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day period to receive public input on a proposal to re-open 2,500 feet of the dirt Taylor Flat Airstrip. The comment period ends April 3, 2025. The airstrip lies outside the Green River Wild and Scenic River corridor and the right-of-way would allow public aviation use for 30…

Dave Schuler of Apgar, Montana, lives very near Glacier National Park’s West entrance, and within six miles of the RAF’s Ryan Field. He and his wife Cindy are some of the few folks who call it home year round, as it gets pretty quiet when the Park closes for the season and heavy snows blanket the forest.…

The Bureau of Land Management issued their final decision on January 17, 2025, for Utah’s Henry Mountains Travel Management Plan (TMP), specifically naming thirteen airstrips as approved for recreational use.  RAF Utah Liaison and Utah Back Country Pilots Board Member Wendy Lessig has followed the lengthy planning process and said, “Thanks to all who submitted…

Washington State RAF Liaison Ray Ballantyne has secured another RAF grant, this one to help provide materials for a multi-purpose kiosk at Olympic Airfield between Port Townsend and Sequim, WA. RAF Oregon Ambassador Kevin Johnson aided by RAF Supporter Jay PerryCook, developed a prototype and budget for the kiosk, where visitors will be able to…

The RAF has awarded California Liaison Katerina Barilov another grant to help fund continued improvements at California’s Lone Pine Airport. This 2025 project will continue the upgrade to the original terminal building that serves as a pilot shelter, meeting room, and kitchen for visitors. The terminal building had fallen into disrepair over several decades. The nonprofit Friends of Lone Pine Airport, (FLPA) saw its…

On December 31, 2024 the BLM published the official Record of Decision that recognizes airstrips within the San Rafael Swell region of south central Utah.  In summary, the decision retains aircraft-only access to Hidden Splendor and McKay Flat airstrips; Cliff Dweller and Sagebrush Bench airstrips are open to aircraft and OHVs, since these airstrips are…

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) and the National Park Service (NPS) have renewed their cooperative agreement addressing maintenance on the three airstrips within Death Valley National Park for another five years. Originally inked in 2008 and renewed in 2017, this Memorandum of Understanding between the NPS and the RAF authorizes RAF volunteers to perform mutually beneficial repairs to…

The RAF is pleased to announce that as of now, you’ll find over 400 places to explore in the Airfield Guide, the interactive digital catalog showcasing great recreational airfields. In 2016, Arkansas pilots Dave Powell and Chip Gibbons created the Airfield Guide, and by 2023, it included over 300 listings. Powell said, “We’ve seen huge growth the…

RAF Arkansas Liaison Dave Powell received a Holiday card from The Nature Conservancy’s Arkansas Director Roger Manghan. The entire Arkansas staff had signed it, and Roger had penned the following message that we want to share with you: “RAF is such an important org and we are so very lucky for both your partnership & friendship! Thanks for all…

Did you know there are now 803 Wilderness Areas covering more than 111.7 million acres in the continental US and Alaska? The US Forest Service manages the majority of these areas, followed by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. There are even more Wilderness Study Areas, (WSAs) with…