BlueRibbon Coalition Supports Final Rules For Yellowstone National Park

Snowmobile Use Will Be Permitted on New Clean Quiet Snowmobiles

December 11, 2003 (POCATELLO, IDAHO)

The National Park Service has today published in the Federal Register the final rule for winter use of Yellowstone National Park, as well as nearby Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway. As expected, the final rule is consistent with the previously published Final Environmental Impact Statement, and snowmobile use will be allowed, but under new restrictions on the numbers of snowmobiles allowed, the types of snowmobiles allowed, and requirements for the majority of snowmobiles to be part of a commercially guided group.

“We are extremely pleased that the National Park Service agrees with us that a snowmobile is a wonderful and appropriate way to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks during the winter” stated BlueRibbon Coalition President Jack Welch. “Many people feel they are more beautiful in the winter than any other time of the year, and a snowmobile allows an unmatched opportunity to truly experience winter in the park” Welch added.

“Air quality and sound level issues have been more than adequately addressed by the new plan, and all winter visitors to these magnificent national treasures can be assured of a wonderful visit to the parks this winter”, according to BlueRibbon Coalition Public Lands Director Bill Dart. “The new regulations also include provisions for extensive monitoring and adaptive management that we feel confident will prove that snowmobile use will not be harmful to wildlife, human health, air quality, or the soundscape of these parks” Dart concludes.

Under the new management plan and final rules, the National park service is requiring that new cleaner and quieter snowmobile designs be used by commercial outfitter/guides and that these will constitute 80% of the snowmobiles allowed in the park. Next winter, all snowmobiles must meet the stringent emissions standards the park Service has adopted. These standards are much more stringent than federal EPA standards that will go into effect nationally in 2006, and call for a minimum 90% reduction of hydrocarbon emissions over traditional 2-stroke models. Additionally, the NPS has adopted maximum sound level standards far below federal standards

The numbers of snowmobiles allowed in these parks will also be reduced over historic levels. Only 950 snowmobiles per day will be allowed into Yellowstone from all entrances, with 550 per day allowed from the most popular entrance through West Yellowstone, Montana. This is less than half of the historic weekend visitation numbers.

In spite of the stringent new standards, legal challenges to all winter visitation by snowmobiles, as well as snowcoaches, are pending in the federal court system. A hearing on two separate filings will be held on Monday, December 15, and a decision on whether the park will open to snowmobiles on December 17 as planned is likely. One suit asks for all snowmobile use to be banned, while the other lawsuit seeks elimination of all snow grooming, which would stop the use of snowcoaches, and end visitation to all of the most popular park interior attractions.

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Additional information on this release and/or other BlueRibbon media releases are available on our website at http://www.sharetrails.org/MediaReleases/index.cfm

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible recreation, equal opportunity and recreation access to all. The BlueRibbon Coalition works to "Preserve our natural resources FOR the public instead of FROM the public," and to promote cooperation among the various user-groups.