There will be fewer air tours over Mount Rushmore and other well-known national monuments and parks in the nation as a result of new rules designed to protect the tranquility and beauty of iconic natural sites in the nation. At nearly two dozen national parks and monuments here, the implementation of new management plans has exacerbated the conflict between tour operators and visitors bothered by the noise.
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Recently, Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park announced one of their strictest regulations. Operators are concerned that starting in April, tour flights will be practically forbidden from approaching these South Dakota locations within half a mile.
Concern
Critics contend that the noise produced by air tours muffles the ambient sounds, impacting the experiences of local tribes and tourists alike. The National Parks Conservation Association’s Kristen Brengel casts doubt on the impact’s fairness, pointing out that the quantity of visitors below greatly outweighs the quantity above.