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Reversal for Yellowstone: Immediate Increase In Snowmobile Numbers a Setback for Public Health and Conservation of First National Park Yellowstone— Tuesday’s federal court ruling concerning Yellowstone National Park today triggered an immediate decision to allow more snowmobiles into the Park, threatening to reverse recent improvements in air and noise pollution levels. The court ruling and higher level of snowmobile use depart from what the National Park Service has twice concluded would provide the fullest protection for the health and safety of visitors, workers, and the Park’s wildlife and environment. "This decision is deeply disappointing for Americans who want to protect Yellowstone National Park so their grandchildren can enjoy it unimpaired," said Steven Bosak of the National Parks Conservation Association. "We need to move forward with increased snowcoach access; it is the clean, quiet means by which all Americans can experience Yellowstone's beauty in a way that doesn't harm visitors, staff, or wildlife." The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer, blocked the phaseout of snowmobile use underway in Yellowstone. In response, the National Park Service announced today that it would increase to 780 the number of snowmobiles allowed into Yellowstone each day. This decision reverses the phaseout of snowmobiles which the National Park Service’s own study concluded “best preserves the unique, historic, cultural, and natural resources associated with Yellowstone and Grant Teton National Parks” and “yields the lowest levels of impacts to air quality, water quality, natural soundscapes, and wildlife.”Today’s reversal of the snowmobile phaseout drew criticism not only from conservation organizations but also from area businesses who said that protecting Yellowstone is vital to the region’s economy. “I’m a small business owner. My business is hurt by the presence of snowmobiles in Yellowstone,” said Betsy Robinson a Yellowstone guide based in Bozeman Montana. “My clients value quiet recreation. They will stay away with the continued presence of snowmobiles.” “This is a setback for Yellowstone and for my community,” said Jackie Matthews owner Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana. “We have to quick playing ping pong on this issue. There’s no way any community can plan on anything if it continues to go back and forth. There’s just no question that Yellowstone has been moving in a healthier direction this winter and our community is adjusting. We’re seeing more people coming and enjoying snowcoach rides into the Park and we’re still seeing snowmobilers come to enjoy the adjacent National Forest.” Citizens across the country also have urged the National Park Service in overwhelming numbers to protect Yellowstone. This past fall, by a 99-to-1 margin Americans again urged the Administration to end snowmobile use in the Parks and make a full transition to public access with snowcoaches. These results echoed earlier comment periods. In 2002, for example, the National Park Service received, from all 50 states, more than 360,000 comment – the greatest outpouring of public comment on a national park issue in American history. By a 4-to-1 margin, Americans favored phasing out snowmobile use from Yellowstone and its sister park, Grand Teton. During the past two months, Yellowstone had started a transition to full snowcoach access. That transition, although just underway, had already resulted in numerous positive impacts on worker health and visitor enjoyment. For example, for the first time in many years, National Park Service rangers and entrance workers have not been getting sick from breathing snowmobile exhaust. Meanwhile, visitors have praised the reduction in snowmobile engine noise and commented that it is possible once again to hear geysers erupting and other subtle natural sounds in Yellowstone. Tuesday’s court ruling also is unusual in that it stands in direct conflict with an order issued by U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan. He ruled in December that the federal government has a responsibility to provide the highest protection for America’s national parks and those who visit them. Sullivan’s ruling blocked an effort by the Bush Administration to continue snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park and ordered a two-year phase-out of snowmobiles within Yellowstone. Colorado University law professor Charles Wilkinson, when asked by the Denver Post about the issue of having two competing federal court rulings, noted the strong custom for the second judge to defer to the initial court ruling: “That kind of defiance is extremely inappropriate and almost unparalleled,” he said. “We are confident that Tuesday’s ruling is only a temporary setback,” said Ken Miller, from Winter Wildlands Alliance in Boise, Idaho. “We believe that a higher court will ensure that Yellowstone is given the fullest possible protection, which after all is what Congress envisioned when it established Yellowstone as America’s first national park.” Contact: Steven Bosak, National Parks Conservation Association, 202-997-0875 Ken Miller, Winter Wildlands Alliance, 208-890-3944 Betsy Robinson, Yellowstone guide, 406-522-9825 Jackie Matthews, West Yellowstone business owner, 406-646-7642
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