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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
---------
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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