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Helicopter tour ban over Mount Rushmore, Badlands upheld

A helicopter flies just outside Mt. Rushmore National Memorial on June,14, 2023.
Lee Strubinger
/
SDPB
A helicopter flies just outside Mt. Rushmore National Memorial on June,14, 2023.

An effort to keep helicopter tours over Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park has been axed by a federal court.

This comes after the National Park Service moved to ban such tours late last year.

The National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 requires relevant entities to assemble plans to prevent commercial tours from disturbing wildlife or detracting from the visitor experience.

While the plans to cease helicopter tours went into effect this May, the Eighth Circuit court rejected attempts by air tour companies to stay the order this month.

Previously, as many as 4,000 helicopter tours passed Mount Rushmore yearly.

C.J. Keene is a Rapid City-based journalist covering the legal system, education, and culture