Plan for snowmobiles satisfies green groups
But temporary solution will mean less business.
By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
November 5, 2008
Conservation groups have largely praised a temporary plan to allow 318 snowmobiles a day in Yellowstone National Park this winter as a good short-term solution.
Officials at the world’s first national park proposed the number Monday with only six weeks before the start of Yellowstone’s winter season. A court ruling required the temporary plan.
Industry representatives were less positive, saying the plan would reduce snowmobile trips from Jackson Hole by more than 20 percent. That would put increased pressure on business owners during an economic downturn.
Jeff Welsch, spokesman for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said 318 machines is still too many. But it works to keep business owners in gateway communities solvent as officials work on a permanent plan, he said.
“It was pretty important that these businesses had a chance to have a season this winter,” he said. “We were hoping for fewer, but this number is not that much higher [than the roughly 260 snowmobiles that many conservation groups proposed].”
Welsch said he hopes businesses will eventually transition to snow coaches. The temporary plan would allow 78 snow coaches a day.
“We’re looking for a phase-out of snowmobiles over the next few years,” he said. “We feel that is the best way to protect the park.”
Tim Stevens, Yellowstone Program Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association, called the temporary plan a “step in a better direction” from the 2007 document.
“It’s important to note that, for the longer term, the number of snowmobiles being proposed still exceeds the daily average and will still damage Yellowstone’s resources,” he said. “Every scientific study has demonstrated that Yellowstone can do a better job protecting park resources by providing public access to the park on snow coaches.”
Stevens said the Park Service’s proposal to allow the new plan to remain in effect for three years is ill-advised.
“The winter season is just six weeks away and it needs to go forward as a temporary one-year solution,” he said. “We don’t want to see that dragged out for another year or two.”
After participating in a conference call with park officials and concessionaires Monday, Jack Welch, former president of the BlueRibbon Coalition, said “there was a lot of teeth grinding” over the number of snowmobiles allotted to each company per day this winter. Most Jackson Hole businesses would see an allocation of nine machines per day with the exception of Flagg Ranch, which has a proposed allocation of 15.
“[Business owners] said it was impossible for any of them to run their business on nine a day from the south gate,” Welch said.
Yellowstone concessionaires depend on the week after Christmas when daily totals have historically surpassed 318 per day, he noted.
“Some people mentioned that they already had days signed up that far exceed their allocation,” he said. “It is not a good situation, especially if you are looking at an economy that is shrinking not expanding.”
