10-22 FB Minnick Airstrips

Idaho Congressmen Minnick and Simpson Honor Backcountry Airstrips

 Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Mike Simpson and Walt Minnick have announced the House passage of their resolution in the House of Representatives supporting recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips on America’s public lands.

 They had a press release stating that “Aviation has become as important to the modern West as horses were to the early explorers, trappers and prospectors. There are too many benefits to backcountry strips to list them all.  They enable search and rescue, fire management, research, disaster relief and wildlife management.  In the event of mechanical problems or inclement weather, they serve as emergency landing sites when larger airports are out of reach. Here’s Congressman Walt Minnick talking about the importance of rural airstrips to ag: “ There is a group of 15-20 backcountry ranches that have no other access to the outside world except via these airstrips.”  They allow public access to some of the most beautiful, remote federal lands in America and they serve as efficient access points for tourists, who in turn contribute to local economies and small businesses.