Date:  Thursday, March 12, 2009

Contact: Nisha Marvel, WSDOT Aviation Communications, 360-651-6310

Pilots are urged not to fly into or out of the Cypress Airstrip. The state airstrip has been decommissioned for over a decade and is closed to all aircraft operations.

Beginning in March, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to move an excavator to the airstrip to prepare the area for reforestation efforts. The excavator will be digging approximately 2,000 holes measuring roughly 12” x 12” x 12”. Soil will remain in the holes with some addition of compost. In March, 2010 the holes will be planted with small trees and protected from deer with plastic netting.

Though the airport is marked as closed with Xs, DNR has observed some illegal use by aircraft. WSDOT would like to reinforce the message that aircraft operations at Cypress are prohibited and dangerous, especially considering the upcoming reforestation work.

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