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Plane first in park since 70s

It came in low, it banked, it landed. It was probably the first time since about 1972 a floatplane has landed on the Tlell River. The blue and white plane drew a lot of attention Monday afternoon from people who were out for a leisurely stroll or fishing along the river When he saw the plane tied up on the riverbank along Beitush Rd. with the pilot alongside, Noel Wotten of Tlell thought there must be an emergency."I went up to the guy, as I was almost certain it was an emergency, but it wasn't at all," he said, "I'm not sure what he was doing there." Tlell resident Bob Crooks, who saw the plane while walking his dog, said "I haven't seen a floatplane on the river since the Nelson family had a fish camp in the area, before the Park was there."The Observer called Naikoon Park Headquarters to find out if the park has a policy on planes landing and taking off within park boundaries, but area superintendent Dan Bates was not available. But Lucy Stefanyk said "We don't promote any aircraft landing without a permit." The plane was still tied to the riverbank at nightfall on Monday. It apparently belongs to a Beitush Rd. resident.