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Debate over heli-ski GPS data collection surfaces at Haines Borough Assembly meeting
Summary
The Assembly discussed administrative policy language that would require heli-ski operators to submit daily GPS track-log data into the borough administrative record; conservation advocates urged daily public submissions to ADFG while operators warned of proprietary and administrative burdens.
At the Dec. 16 Haines Borough Assembly meeting, the Assembly considered proposed administrative policy amendments that would clarify submission and handling of heli-ski GPS/track-log data. Manager Fullerton outlined the recommended language and highlighted three color-coded groups of edits: manager recommendations (yellow), Heliski map committee directives (green) and staff clarifications (blue). The green language would require operators to "submit all daily GPS track log data"; Fullerton said she supported clarifying the term but opposed automatic transmission of large datasets to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG).
Conservation advocate Eric Holly urged the Assembly to require operators to submit all daily GPS track-log data both to the borough and to ADFG, arguing the full daily logs (not limited annual spot checks) better support analysis of wildlife denning and habitat overlap. "Specifying the daily track log data clarifies the distinction between daily operations and annual spot checks," Holly said, adding that ADFG can overlay track logs on wildlife maps.
Heli-ski operators countered that their weekly reports and data shared with the borough upon request already provide operational transparency, and they warned that mandating daily public submissions would be administratively burdensome and could expose proprietary information. An operator who identified himself as Reggie Chris said operators "share 100% of our flight data with the bureau upon request" and asked the borough to form a subcommittee and consult experts before imposing new requirements.
Assembly members raised a range of concerns: some favored clarifying definitions and keeping InfoEx (industry safety reporting) requirements; others warned that collecting and publishing full daily track logs could duplicate weekly reports and spot checks and impose a heavy compliance burden. Manager Fullerton said submitted GPS data would become part of the administrative record and therefore subject to public-record request procedures and retention policy, but she crossed out language that would designate GPS data as automatically "public record and available on request" in the policy text, explaining the borough needs a coherent records-retention and request process.
Fullerton also asked the Assembly not to require staff to automatically transmit large datasets to ADFG without the agency first requesting them. The Assembly did not adopt final policy language at the meeting; the item remained under discussion for further refinement.
Next steps: staff and the Heliski map committee material remain the evidentiary basis for drafting final policy language and clarifying how GPS/track-log files will be stored, accessed and shared when requested.
