SAM Magazine-Telluride, Colo., May 9, 2008-You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need. Colorado's only heli operation didn't get everything it wanted from the Bureau of Land Management, but still received a preliminary nod from the feds for expansion.

Telluride Helitrax had asked the BLM for a ten-year permit to serve 37,000 acres with 16 landing zones and 600 service days in the mountains around Silverton. The BLM responded with its Preferred Alternative, which downsizes the area to eight LZs, 13,600 acres and 300 service days. The permit would also be limited to five years, after which the BLM would review the permit for extension and an increase in service days. \