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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Forest Service has approved another five-year permit for a helicopter skiing company to operate in the Wasatch Range and nearby mountains.
The permit signed yesterday allows Wasatch Powerbird Guides to run helicopters and drop skiiers off on certain ridges from Weber Canyon in the north to Hobble Creek Canyon in the south.
Nearly 400 people and organizations commented on the plan before the decision, and many were opposed to renewing the permit, said Wasatch-Cache National Forest Supervisor Tom Tidwell.
Some backcountry skiing advocates don't like the practice because they have to compete for powder with heli-skiiers and find the helicopter noise disruptive.
Environmentalists were also concerned that it would harm the region's golden eagle population.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
