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Natural Trails & Waters Coaliton**National Parks Conservation Association**Bluewater Network**Greater Yellowstone Coalition** Winter Wildlands**Earth Justice**Fund For Animals
November 12, 2002
YELLOWSTONE NEWS ADVISORY
DETAILS OF WINTER USE PLAN FOR YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK TO BE UNVEILED
PLAN CONTINUES TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT PARK RESOURCES, EMPLOYEES AND VISITORS
Today, the Bush Administration is expected to announce the first details of its plan to continue snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park.
This advisory includes links to the most recent news articles and editorial comment regarding this issue. It also provides background information on important questions that have been raised about the Administration's plans to keep snowmobiles in Yellowstone.
BACKGROUND:
The past week produced a pair of jarring stories from Yellowstone National Park.
First, on November 7, the National Park Service confirmed that employees in the world's first national park may be wearing hearing protection in addition to respirators as they work amidst thousands of snowmobiles this winter.
Then, on November 8, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Administration's plan to "limit" snowmobile use in Yellowstone could actually lead to more snowmobiles in the park, rather than fewer.
We believe that critically important questions have been raised around these developments. Accordingly, this advisory provides links to articles and editorials published over the past five days here in the Rocky Mountain States as well as from coast to coast.
Following these links, we have included background information on several key points. Please feel free to contact us for further information; see the end of this email for phone numbers.
RECENT NEWS ARTICLES AND EDITORIAL COMMENT:
Idaho Statesman (Boise), November 9, 2002
Snowmobile "compromise" is a loser for Yellowstone
http://www.idahostatesman.com/Search/Story.asp?ID=25106
Denver Post, November 9, 2002
Snowmobile plan all wet
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E73%257E979498,00.html?search
=filter
Great Falls Tribune (Montana), November 11, 2002
Park plan stinks, no matter how you cut it
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20021111/opinion/347644.html
Manhattan Mercury (Kansas), November 8, 2002
Snowjob at Yellowstone
http://www.themercury.com/stories/printer.8065.shtml
Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2002
Plan Backs Snowmobiles at Parks
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-yellowstone8nov08.story
Billings Gazette (Montana), November 7, 2002
Park rangers will get protective equipment
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/11/07/bui
ld/wyoming/60-rangersgear.inc
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The above coverage raised many important points including the likelihood of more, not fewer, snowmobiles in Yellowstone. Here is additional information about five specific issues that have been raised:
1. "The much-watered-down proposal to permit large numbers of snowmobiles in the two parks doesn't really consider the totality of the impacts that the machines create." --The Denver Post
BACKGROUND: When the Park Service recently analyzed the impacts of capping snowmobile use at Yellowstone's west entrance, but allowing increased numbers of snowmobiles to enter the park from its north, east, and south entrances, the agency determined that such a plan would:
* Spread the whine of machines over more of Yellowstone;
* Increase the likelihood of conflicts between snowmobiles and winter-fatigued wildlife across a greater portion of Yellowstone's 180-mile road network; and
* Emit more carbon monoxide and other pollutants into Yellowstone's air than multi-passenger snowcoaches.
2. "When it comes to snowmobiles and Yellowstone National Park, it seems to matter less what OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency say than what the snowmobile industry says." --The Manhattan Mercury
BACKGROUND: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined in 2000 that Yellowstone employees working amidst snowmobiles were exposed to unacceptably high levels of noise, carbon monoxide, and benzene. Last winter, park employees required respirators to alleviate headaches, nausea, watering eyes, and sore throats. The Park Service recently confirmed that this winter it will also supply rangers and fee collectors with hearing protection.
The Environmental Protection Agency, in April of 2002, recommended phasing snowmobile use out of Yellowstone in favor of multi-passenger snowcoaches as the best way to protect Yellowstone and the health of people within the park. As with its similar recommendation in 2000, EPA underscored that more than ten years of scientific study has demonstrated that snowmobiles are causing significant threats to environmental and human health.
Specifically, EPA said that snowcoaches offer "the best available protection to human health, wildlife, air quality, water quality, soundscapes, visitor experiences, and visibility while maintaining motorized and non-motorized winter access to these Parks."
3. "None of it--not the science, the medical problems, the potential damage to Yellowstone itself, public sentiment, not even the recommendation of the EPA--was enough to overcome the $500,000 lobbying effort by snowmobile manufacturers." --The Manhattan Mercury
BACKGROUND: On August 18, 2002, The Washington Post Magazine reported that in the year 2000 alone the snowmobile industry paid its lawyers and lobbyists more than $500,000 to block National Park Service initiatives to protect national parks from snowmobile use.
In its own literature, Polaris boasted in August of 2001, that the four major snowmobile manufacturers "have spent millions of dollars over the last year fighting" [a snowmobile phaseout].
More recently, disclosure of political contributions to the Federal Elections Commission revealed that the Blue Ribbon Coalition, which promotes off-road vehicle use, gave more than $44,000 to federal candidates by September 30 for this year's elections.
4. [The Administration's plan] "doesn't reflect the consensus that emerged during the newest public-comment period, in which 270,000 of 330,000 comments received urged a total ban." --The Denver Post
BACKGROUND: Since July 1999, the Park Service has provided five separate opportunities for the American people to express what they believe winter use management in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks should include.
The first three comment periods included 22 hearings held in the Yellowstone region and across the country and produced more than 65,000 citizen comments. Support for a snowmobile phaseout grew from a majority to a 2-to-1 majority to a 4-to-1 majority.
In siding with the snowmobile industry and delaying a snowmobile phaseout, the Bush Administration insisted that still more public input was needed, and it held two additional comment periods. In both, support for replacing snowmobile use with snowcoaches continued at a 4-to-1 margin and the number of citizens participating mushroomed to more than 360,000, the greatest amount of public comment on a national park issue in American history.
5. "What is compromised is the protection of the crown jewel of our national park system." --Idaho Statesman
BACKGROUND: The National Park Service determined in November, 2000-and the Environmental Protection Agency underscored this year--that continued snowmobile use would result in less protection for Yellowstone and people within the park. In short, with continued snowmobile use, the park will be burdened with more pollution, noise, traffic congestion, and pressure on wildlife than is necessary.
Allowing greater impacts to Yellowstone in order to accommodate snowmobile use would lower the bar of protection in the country9s and the world's first national park. Since the park9s establishment in 1872, the country's commitment to preserving Yellowstone has been underscored time and again.
Most recently, the 2001 update of National Park Service Management Policies stated: "The Park Service has an affirmative duty to prevent degradation of park resources and values--NPS managers must always seek ways to avoid, or to minimize to the greatest degree practicable, adverse impacts on park resources and values."
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jon Catton Greater Yellowstone Coalition 406-585-9781 joncatton@msn.com
Steve Bosak National Parks Conservation Association 202-454-3398 (desk)
202-997-0875 (cell) sbosak@npca.org
Kristen Brengel Natural Trails and Waters Coalition 202-429-2694
kristen_brengel@tws.org
Chris Mehl The Wilderness Society 406-586-1600 chris_mehl@tws.org
Hope Sieck Greater Yellowstone Coalition 406-556-2807
hsieck@greateryellowstone.org
Sean Smith Bluewater Network 415-544-0790 x-19
ssmith@bluewaternetwork.org
Ken Miller Winter Wildlands Alliance 208-344-8692
kmiller@winterwildlands.org
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