Yellowstone Winter Use Up in Air
As someone who went on one of the first snowmobile trips from Flagg Ranch into the Old Faithful area in the mid-1970s, I've always been a fan of winter in Yellowstone. On subsequent trips, the last being to cover the Olympic torch relay at Old Faithful in 2002, I've taken snowcoaches into the park instead of snowmobiles and then cross country skied. Both methods were enjoyable in their own way.
That's why the situation for this season's Dec. 15 to March 15 winter season at Yellowstone is so interesting. Recent U.S. court decisions and another one from Wyoming to come have put the whole winter season in doubt.
According to Yellowstone National Park news releases,"the latest winter use plan and regulations allowing limited, commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel were rejected by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 15. Park managers and staff members have been carefully looking at options that would authorize oversnow access this winter in these parks. The National Park Service is beginning preparation of an environmental assessment and a proposed rule, which will be made available for a public review and comment period by early November. The National Park Service intends to have a final decision effective prior to the scheduled December 15 opening of the winter use season. Specifics on the use of snowmobiles, snowcoaches, and vehicle numbers have yet to be determined, as data analysis and formulation of alternatives have just begun. It is the intention of the National Park Service that any such temporary decision be consistent with the agreement providing for travel on the East Entrance road over Sylvan Pass, subject to avalanche and safety-related constraints."
The new rule was going to reduce the number of best available technology and commercially guided snowmobiles from 720 to 540 daily for the coming season.
Who knows what will happen?
I view this from someone who has both skied, used snowcoaches and snowmobiled. I never viewed the snowmobiling inside the park as all that great. Grooming was often poor and machines were limited to park roads used in the summer. And there is great snowmobiling on U.S. Forest Service lands in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana just outside the park boundary with not only over 200 miles of groomed trails but some "play areas" available as well.
That said, it is difficult to see how 540 commercially guided snowmobiles using the best, least-polluting technology will have any more impact on the park environment than the thousands of cars that roll over the same territory in the summer. The low number seems like a good compromise though, if I were snowmobiling, I'd enjoy the sport more outside of the park.
-- Tom Wharton
That's why the situation for this season's Dec. 15 to March 15 winter season at Yellowstone is so interesting. Recent U.S. court decisions and another one from Wyoming to come have put the whole winter season in doubt.
According to Yellowstone National Park news releases,"the latest winter use plan and regulations allowing limited, commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel were rejected by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 15. Park managers and staff members have been carefully looking at options that would authorize oversnow access this winter in these parks. The National Park Service is beginning preparation of an environmental assessment and a proposed rule, which will be made available for a public review and comment period by early November. The National Park Service intends to have a final decision effective prior to the scheduled December 15 opening of the winter use season. Specifics on the use of snowmobiles, snowcoaches, and vehicle numbers have yet to be determined, as data analysis and formulation of alternatives have just begun. It is the intention of the National Park Service that any such temporary decision be consistent with the agreement providing for travel on the East Entrance road over Sylvan Pass, subject to avalanche and safety-related constraints."
The new rule was going to reduce the number of best available technology and commercially guided snowmobiles from 720 to 540 daily for the coming season.
Who knows what will happen?
I view this from someone who has both skied, used snowcoaches and snowmobiled. I never viewed the snowmobiling inside the park as all that great. Grooming was often poor and machines were limited to park roads used in the summer. And there is great snowmobiling on U.S. Forest Service lands in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana just outside the park boundary with not only over 200 miles of groomed trails but some "play areas" available as well.
That said, it is difficult to see how 540 commercially guided snowmobiles using the best, least-polluting technology will have any more impact on the park environment than the thousands of cars that roll over the same territory in the summer. The low number seems like a good compromise though, if I were snowmobiling, I'd enjoy the sport more outside of the park.
-- Tom Wharton
posted by Tom @ 2:45 PM |
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