Haines Borough Assembly directs staff to require heli-ski flight logs after operators say historic files were discarded

The Haines Borough Assembly on Nov. 18 directed borough staff to draft changes to the borough’s heli-ski administrative policy that would require operators to submit electronic flight-log GPS files for every day they operate and to keep those records for future map committees and public review.

The motion, made by an assembly member and seconded during the meeting, followed public comments from Tom Eley and Eric Holly of Lynn Canal Conservation urging better, archived GPS information to support map updates and wildlife protections. Eley said the MAP committee had requested multiyear flight data and that operators “claim that they discarded that information,” making it difficult for future map committees to form a complete record. Holly said daily unedited flight-log data should be archived and publicly available for five years to help fine-tune maps and assess impacts on wildlife.

Managers and operators gave competing perspectives during the debate. Borough Manager Anne Fullerton told the assembly that weekly summary reports and other operational data have been posted on the borough website back to 2012, but that the raw electronic GPS track files have not been retained historically. Reggie Christ, a local heli-ski operator, said sharing GPS logs could reveal proprietary landing and route knowledge developed over decades, and cautioned that landing points alone do not fully show where operators ski.

Assembly members discussed technical feasibility, public-record obligations, and industry concerns. Harbor Master Henry Paul and others said the borough already performs GPS spot checks for compliance; some members argued storing GPX files is technically simple and would help safety and mapping. One assembly member moved to “direct staff to amend the heli-ski policy to include the submission of flight data for all days operated” and to return amended language at the Dec. 16 meeting.

The roll-call vote initially tied 3–3. The mayor cast the deciding vote in favor of the procedural motion, which carried; staff will bring proposed policy amendments back for the December meeting. The motion does not itself change code; it directs staff to draft specific policy language for later consideration.

What’s next: Staff will prepare amended policy language addressing submission format, retention period and public access and return the draft to the assembly at its Dec. 16 meeting for further action.