June 24, 2002

NATIONAL NEWS

The Public Overwhelmingly Supports a Phase-Out of Snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

According to the Associated Press, comments received by the National Park Service (NPS) on whether to ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks leans 4-1 in favor of the snowmobile ban. The public comment period on the latest environmental study regarding snowmobile use in the parks has drawn at least 350,000 comments - a record number received by the NPS on any issue.

Will the Park Service Protect Yellowstone?

On Tuesday, June 25, 2002, the National Park Service will host a meeting from 9 AM to 3PM in Cody, Wyoming with county, state, and federal agencies regarding the phase-out of snowmobiles at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

The meeting will be used as a forum to discuss the framework for developing a preferred alternative for the National Park Service along with discussions about upcoming deadlines. It is possible that the NPS could outline the major provisions of a new rule that would allow snowmobile use.

Going On in Congress
The misnamed "Wilderness Protection Act," H.R. 4620, proposed by Representative Butch Otter (R-ID) will undermine wilderness protection by instilling deadlines by which sensitive wildlands would be removed from protected status. If a Wilderness Study Area (WSA) has not undergone environmental assessments by certain timelines, Federal agencies would then be forced to allow any use on these lands, including unfettered off-road vehicle use. This bill, if passed, would jeopardize the protection of millions of acres of pristine forests, meadows, deserts, and other critical wildlife habitat. This bill is supported by congressman like Representatives Bob Stump (R-AZ) and James Hansen (R-UT), who have proposed bills that undermine protections for national lands from off-road vehicles.

TIMELINE
Both H.R. 4822 and H.R. 4620 are scheduled for markup in the House Resources Committee on Wednesday, June 26, 2002.

REGIONAL NEWS

Comment Period on Off-Road Vehicle Use in Algodones Dunes Ends this Friday
June 28 is the deadline to comment on the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) proposal to reopen approximately 49,000 acres of the Dunes to dirt bikes, ATVs and other off-road vehicles. This proposal goes against a November 2000 agreement between conservation groups, the off-road vehicle community, and the BLM to close this area until the Fish and Wildlife Service completes a study on the threats to endangered species. If implemented, this plan will reopen the Dunes without proper safeguards to protect these species.

Note: The Quechan Nation has come out to formally oppose the reopening of these closed areas due to the fact the Dunes are significant their history.

Changing Monument Boundaries - Unneccessary and Counter Productive
Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) has introduced a bill (H.R. 4822) that would redraw the boundaries of the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument by excluding private property in order to "protect" the rights of the property owner. The Monument, however, poses no threat to private property or valid existing rights within its boundaries and this bill provides no special protection for private property rights whatsoever. In fact, if a landowner chooses to sell land located within monument boundaries to the public, it automatically becomes part of the Monument and will be protected for all Americans. If this legislation passes, that same land will be located outside Monument's boundaries, with no certainty of inclusion.

Big Cypress National Preserve
Oral arguments on a case brought by the off-road vehicle community to reverse the protective Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan are scheduled for July 10, 2002. Florida is the only state where the Department of Interior has argued in favor for protections of a national park from off-road vehicles.

For More Information Contact:
Alix Rauschman, Communications Specialist
(202) 429-2672 phone
(202) 549-2860 cell
alix_rauschman@tws.org
www.naturaltrails.org

The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition includes conservation, recreation, hunting and other groups working to protect and restore all public lands and waters from the severe damage caused by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, jet skis and all other off-road vehicles.