One sunken helicopter is all we need at Crater Lake

The News Review takes argues for the protection of Crater Lake National Park

The National Park Service rightly says that Crater Lake is like no place else on earth. We think it should stay that way.

Those of us who live here easily appreciate the Park Service's description: “No place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding cliffs, almost 2,000 feet high, two picturesque islands; and a violent volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty …”

We enjoy the relatively easy access to Crater Lake via highways that lead to its paved rim drive and hiking trails. We almost take for granted the simple pleasure that it is not scarred with billboards and little stores full of trinkets made in China. And we believe that the clear blue skies, and the quiet forest, should never be sullied by tourists swooping about in helicopters.

We agree with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who opposes a Bend company's proposal to offer helicopter tours of Crater Lake National Park. Wyden recently told Jonathan Jarvis, the nominee to head the National Park Service, that he would do everything in his power to prevent this commercial activity at the park.

It seems almost inconceivable that anyone would even consider intruding upon the experience that about 500,000 people a year currently enjoy so that a few people may peer down upon the lake from a helicopter and then fly off to pay their money for a quick ride.

There is a debate about the number of visitors to our national parks and whether families and their kids might not be trading annual visits to a park for computer games. Certainly those areas nearer to large populations have continually adjusted to not only meet the demands for glitz and action, but also to remain popular and visible attractions.

Crater Lake, however, embodies the best of what our national parks have been. As a result people travel from every continent to enjoy this natural spectacle unspoiled. Private boats, and even flotation devices, are not allowed on the lake, which helps preserve the purity of the intense blue waters.

Crater Lake mirror the skies in Oregon's high Cascades. The only reflection we want to see there are spectacular blue skies, green trees, rocky summits, the Pinnacles, shimmering sunlight and the eerie shapes of a small island known as Phantom Ship.

The only helicopters we are aware of in the area are those used for firefighting and a lone helicopter sunk in the icy depths.

And that is more than enough.

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