Angelo Mantas <<email>> writes:

Mt. Baldy is a coastal dune site, in the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore, about an hour from Chicago. Flying has been going on there since the late '70s. After some initial issues, a club was formed and working through the Park Service, regulations were made allowing flight at Baldy. These regulations have worked well, with flying going on since then.

A few months ago, there was talk that changes were in store. I called the Chief Ranger, and he stated that use patterns had changed, and that, even though there were no accidents, that someone had registered a complaint of a "near miss" during a hang gliding landing on the beach. I tried to explain that we always like to top land, that landing on the beach is a rarity, and that even if we do land on the beach, we can maneuver to avoid beach goers, and that the current regulations restricted flying to intermediate or advanced pilots during the busier summer months. I stressed that we wanted to be included in any discussions on changes, and he said we would be.

A few weeks later, pilots with a current flying permit on file received a letter announcing the new regulations. (the letter is now posted in the files section under "Park service, Dunes") No one was called before hand, the new regulations were drawn up without our input. No one will be allowed to fly from May 1st, to the second Saturday in September. This is Chicago, things don't warm up here until April, and when you consider we need a cold front to fly Baldy these new regulations are so extreme, they basically eliminate flying at Mt. Baldy.

WE NEED YOUR LETTERS. May 15, pilot Rusty Breusch and I are meeting with the Chief Ranger to argue our case. Before we meet, we would like to get as many letters as we can to the Chief Ranger AND Superintendent. We don't want the ranger to say, "We haven't received any protests except yours".

Mt. Baldy is not a "big air" site, but on a good day, flying there is heaven, it's that nice. Even if you haven't flown Baldy, please send a letter saying that the new regulations are extreme, and that you support efforts to return to the previous regulations. The following is from a letter I sent to the local clubs;

The letter should start, “Dear Chief Ranger Bremer”, and then cover the reasons you think this policy is unfair. Some points you should cover;

We are also concerned with safety, but the proposed restrictions go far beyond what is necessary and will have the effect of eliminating flight at Mt. Baldy.

1) In the last 22 years, there has never been an injury caused by a hang glider pilot to a non-participant. We are not a “threat to the public” as the letter states.

2) When the Park Service letter states that access has changed, and that “beach goers are in close proximity to and underneath the established hang glider launch point”, this is wrong, the beach goers were actually closer to our launch area before the access was changed.

3) The previous regulations dealt with possible conflicts with beach goers by limiting the summer months to intermediate and advanced flyers.

4) We are popular with the beach goers, many times they will come up or watch us fly from the beach. Many have told us how they enjoy watching us fly.

5) Unlike most areas, Baldy is uniquely suited for hang glider flight, and is a unique resource.

6) Banning us from May 1st to the second week of September is extreme. When you consider the fact we need a cold front and north winds, and that most people don’t go to the beach when it’s 60 degrees with winds howling out of the north, we don’t see large numbers of beach goers until July. By that point, only more experienced pilots could fly under the previous regulations.

7) These new regulations are an extreme response to a perceived, not real, threat. The way to deal with issues is to talk with the flying community and work out solutions, not ban us unilaterally.

Send your letter to the following address;

Chief Ranger’s Office
1100 N. Mineral Springs Road
Porter, Indiana 46304

ALSO, this is very important, send a copy to;

Constantine J. Dillon
Superintendent, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
1100 N. Mineral Springs Road
Porter, Indiana 46304

I have reason to believe that the Chief ranger is behind this new policy, and rammed this through when there was a change in Superintendents, so I want to make sure he sees these.

Try to personalize these letters, but if you’re not good at writing, just copy the above and send it off, with your signature and return address. If you write your own letter, BE POLITE. Remember, we want to convince them, not antagonize them. It’s important we get as many letters in as we can, and the meeting’s just 6 days from now, so get this out right away!

No direct e-mail for either official. If you go to http://www.nps.gov/indu/ there is a contact page were you can respond by e-mail, but it doesn't give you the actual address, and who knows where that would go to.