BISBEE - The appeal of a planning and zoning decision to approve a controversial private airstrip south of Portal was denied by the Cochise County Board of Supervisors during Tuesday's meeting.

The Roark and Morgan families, who live near the 160-acre plot where the airstrip will be located, retained lawyer Fred Banks to present their case for the appeal. It was based on concerns of disturbing the remote character and tranquility of the area, disturbance of sensitive ecosystems, disruption of the eco-tourism business, safety issues and illegal trafficking. They also claimed many parcel owners were uninformed and that their property values would drop. Though the board listened to the opposition, the points they made did not prevent the granting of the permit by a vote of two to one. Paul Newman cast the dissenting vote.

Larry and Elizabeth McNeil were granted the special use permit to allow the construction of a 60-by-2,500-foot airstrip on 10 acres of their land, located on South Brittany Lane, seven miles south of Portal. To mitigate dust concerns, he will spread an aggregate on the runway.

He told the board that he spent time trying to find land in a remote area so that a private airstrip for his Cessna 175, a six-cylinder, unleaded gas burner, would not be a problem.

Many of his neighbors were there and they asked the board to grant the special use permit.

Delane Blondeau, who lives near the entrance to the raptor canyon, told the board, "That airstrip is not going to hurt land values or hurt the eco-tourism business. The only thing I see that might be aggravated are a few coyotes."

Dust has always been a problem, pointed out Phil Stewart, who favored the airstrip.

Some saw the opposition as another play for power from Portal's eco-groups, who, according to Ken Joens, want to control a 20-mile swath north and south of Portal. He claimed that these groups interfere with owners' property rights to use their land as they see fit.

"This is a close call," Newman said. "It's a spectacular area with pristine views. There are already several landing strips in the area. I have a problem with adding another one. I don't want to see the peace and quiet of the residents challenged. And I can't disregard the people opposed to it just because they're seven miles away. It's a birder's paradise up there."

For Supervisor Pat Call, the issue of noise and environmental impact was negligible. "Everybody has presented good arguments. But, we've had no complaints on the other airstrips as far as dust or noise or bothersome flying.

"The danger in the air is far less than that on the ground compared to road traffic as the area grows. The fact that there will be so few flights a month doesn't seem like a big problem to me. It seems like this has been blown out of proportion."

Because the county doesn't regulate noise levels of power equipment like chainsaws or recreational vehicles like four-wheelers, why regulate airplanes, asked Chairman Richard Searle. Furthermore, he saw no need to restrict the number of flights.