Court Rules Against Bush Plan to Allow Snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park
A federal judge has banned snowmobiles from Yellowstone National Park. He said that a plan approved by the Bush Administration to allow 500 snowmobiles to travel daily through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the winter months would cause damaging noise pollution, air pollution, and would also stress wildlife.
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Emmit Sullivan, the judge who presided over the case said, “According to the National Park Service’s own data, the (plan) will increase air pollution, exceed the use levels recommended by NPS biologists to protect wildlife, and cause major adverse impacts to the natural soundscape in Yellowstone.” Snowmobiles have been allowed in the park during the past few years, although data from 2006 suggests that the park averaged about 290 per day in the winter months of that year.
The decision is no doubt going to be controversial, and Wyoming’s Senators have already denounced it. They claim that national parks exist for the enjoyment of Americans, a semi-accurate claim, because the National Park Service mission also states that parks should not be impaired. Finding the balance is often a challenge, as these two goals can often be at odds with one another– as has been the case in Yellowstone for some time.
As someone who has worked for the National Park Service in many capacities over the past ten years in many parks, and as someone who has a lot of friends who work or who have worked at Yellowstone, I know that the issue is not simple. In graduate school I even heard of a study about how cross-country skiers in Yellowstone might be more likely candidates than snowmobiles to stress out large animals like bison. The reason: animals can hear the snowmobiles from far away, and move. But with people moving quietly on skis, animals can be approached quickly and without warning, adding a higher potential for stress when caught off-guard. I have not personally read the study, so I cannot comment upon its accuracy or methodology.
Here’s my personal opinion about the case of Yellowstone and snowmobiles. Can’t we have at least SOMEWHERE in the United States that is afforded the highest level of ecological protection? Isn’t it most appropriate that it is Yellowstone: our most famous park, our first national park, and one of the most splendidly diverse in its grandeur? There seem to be plenty of other places to enjoy snowmobiles that are in beautiful locations. Just my opinion of course, but come on. If you give a little wiggle room on everything, what will ever truly be protected?
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Photo Credit: ezioman on Flickr under a Creative Commons license
It seems to me that a large majority of the people that side in favor of banning snowmobiles from our National Park are elitist, I’ll explain. What of the people that would like to enjoy the park but are not capable. Not assuming that everyone that rides a snowmobile in Yellowstone is handicapped. But who are these people to say that if you can’t walk it you can’t enjoy it. If you ski the park you won’t make it even a quarter way through in a day, it’s freaking huge! I have been through the park in the summertime and enjoyed every minute. Experiencing Yellowstone on a snowmobile is something that is on my agenda this winter. There are speed limits in the park, you are supervised during the ride and it’s a great income for the local economy that depends on tourism at this point.
Making laws that limit access to parks for certain people based on elitist views of the world is disgusting.
“I have not personally read the study, so I cannot comment upon its accuracy or methodology.”
Then why are you talking about it?
I don’t snowmobile, but I can see how it is a convenient way to move through the Park, or any Park of that size.
Maybe a compromise would be a better solution? The park service could loan out (charging only for the cost of fuel and maintenance) their own fleet of snowmobiles that run on CNG, are equipped with better mufflers, don’t have carbide studs, are governed to run no faster than 35 mph, and could even have a GPS recorder to ensure the users stay on approved trails? It seems to me that this would allow responsible people to snowmobile in the park while addressing many of the concerns regarding protecting the wild aspect of the place.
Outrageous gas prices, carbon monoxide emission, an economy in the crapper and the planet losing more and more pristene wilderness daily, and these morons just HAVE to hop their lazy butts on a snowmobile and go blasting through a national park. Stupid.
So sorry, Charlie, no sleds for you.
No ATV/MX in the park during summer? No sleds during winter. Case closed, deal with it.
Oh yea, and basically all ATVs and most MX have been 4 stroke for years.
Argue that cars cause more pollution in summer? Specious and you know it. Try again.
Whine about how “woe is me, poor sled man, can’t ride nowheres nomore”, I say WAAAAAAAA! Grow the F up, lose a few pounds, grab a pair of snowshoes, and go see all the stuff that anyone on a sled never could.
Now that I’ve put you man-children in your place, I will say this: when fully electric sleds are perfected, allowing them into places like Yellowstone should be fine. And yes, they already exist and are pretty bad ass for alpha-tests. In a few years, and with a bit more energy density from batteries, you’ll be able to tour your fat, beer drinking ass in clean silence, all over God’s green earth.
FANTASTIC NEWS!!! Just for once the animals win against the humans!!! Yippppppppeeeeeeee
[...] smarting over a judge’s recent decision to scratch the Bush administration’s plan to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone, now Bush has said, “Damn it! If I can’t snowmobile [...]