VALUE OF STOVEPIPE WELLS AIRPORT DEMONSTRATED

The RAF thanks all who took the time to submit comments supporting Stovepipe Wells Airport in Death Valley National Park before the comment deadline closed on December 23. Your comments count, and we are awaiting the outcome.

RAF California Liaisons Rick Lach and Katerina Barilov learned of plans to close the airport and convert it to a dark sky viewing site, and issued an RAF Call To Action.

“We are encouraged by the significant outpouring of public support from RAF members as well as the general public,” Barilov said. “It demonstrates the immense value that airports such as this have to the pilot community and the public as a whole.” Many comments cited locations where aviation and stargazing are compatible activities and are successfully combined.

Lach and Barilov are having an ongoing, active conversation with park service officials to discuss potential ways to share the grounds with dark sky viewing while preserving aircraft access. Through the established cooperative MOU between the RAF and the NPS, the Liaisons can commit to ways to maintain access and mitigate NPS maintenance costs.

“We are hopeful that we can reach a suitable outcome for all parties involved,” Barilov said, adding, “The Park Service sees how cherished this access point is. It presents another way to visit the many recreational activities available in Death Valley National Park.”

Posted in News

ROB KEANE

February 24, 2026

FLORIDA AMBASADOR

HOWIE BOHL

February 24, 2026

CALIFORNIA AMBASSADOR

RAF AWARDS GRANT FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HCRC

February 24, 2026

Oregon RAF Liaison Bill Ables has been awarded a $5,000 RAF grant to retain RAF membership in and support the Hells Canyon Recreation Collaborative (HCRC) for the next five years. The HCRC was organized in 2016 at the request of Idaho’s Congressional Delegation as a framework for the various recreational user groups to collaborate with the US Forest Service within the 652,488-acre Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Ables, a past Director and current member of the group, explained that HCRC membership is a cross-section of user groups from both the private and commercial sectors, including river rafters and jet boaters, backpackers, horse packers, aviators, and governmental management agencies. Providing ongoing support ensures continued aviation representation. The rugged Snake River canyon region hugs the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, and includes nine backcountry airstrips within the Recreational Area. All are maintained by volunteer aviation groups in collaboration with the USFS: Cache Creek, Salmon Bar, Dug Bar, Temperance Creek, Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Lord Flat, Memaloose, and Big Bar. “Our support of HCRC, combined with the other involved aviation groups, ensures ongoing maintenance and improvements at each of these nine airstrips. It benefits general aviation by preserving access to enjoy the beauty of the Hells Canyon area, which directly speaks to the Mission of the RAF,” Ables said. For more information on Dug Bar, Cache Creek, Big Bar, and Memaloose, see the Airfield Guide . Pittsburg Landing, Sluice Creek, Temperance Creek, and Salmon Bar are not listed in the Airfield Guide at this time. Submitted February 24, 2026