Yellowstone Winter Use Plan

A new winter use plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks would provide for limited, guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel, including over Sylvan Pass, this winter.The two parks are seeking public comment through Nov. 17 on the proposal, which was released Monday and replaces a previous plan that was rejected by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., in September.The 2008-09 winter season is scheduled to open Dec. 15.


“Neither snowmobiles nor snowcoaches can be allowed in the parks this winter without (adopting) a new plan and new regulation,” Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said Monday.The preferred alternative would allow up to 318 commercially guided, Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles, and up to 78 snowcoaches per day in Yellowstone.The preferred alternative would also provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and Yellowstone's East Entrance road, as agreed to this summer by the Sylvan Pass Study Group.Daily snowmobile limits in the new plan are slightly above last winter's average of 294 snowmobiles per day, but well below the 720 per day allowed the past four winters, and lower than the 540 snowmobiles a day that would have been allowed this winter under the plan rejected by the judge.The daily snowcoach limit is the same as allowed during the past four years.“I'm happy the Park Service and Department of the Interior are taking action to keep the park open for this coming winter season,” state Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody said Monday. He serves on the study group that worked to keep the east gate open in winter. The initial NPS decision was to close it for safety and financial reasons.“Regardless of the numbers they're using, something needs to be done to keep (the parks) open,” Simpson added. “They have used a number that was upheld in the 2004 EA, and I'm sure since it's survived judicial scrutiny once, it could do so again.”He added that he is pleased the agencies “are honoring the agreement on Sylvan Pass, which is the right thing to do.”In Grand Teton and the Rockefeller Parkway, grooming and motorized oversnow travel on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail between Moran Junction and Flagg Ranch would be discontinued.However, those interested in through travel on the CDST could transport their snowmobiles on trailers between these locations, Nash said.A total of 25 snowmobiles per day would be allowed to travel on the Grassy Lake Road, with no BAT or guiding requirement.In addition, 25 unguided BAT snowmobiles per day also would be allowed on Jackson Lake for ice fishing.The plan would be in effect for up to three winters in Yellowstone.“Park managers believe an approach including both snowmobile and snowcoach access reduces impacts of both to acceptable levels,” Nash said. “This environmental assessment addresses the impact concerns raised by the recent ruling of the U.S. District Court.”The Winter Use Plan's Environmental Assessment (EA) and an electronic form to submit comments can be found at http://parkplanning.nps.gov.Written comments, due by Nov. 17, may be submitted through this Web site.Nash said a proposed rule to implement the preferred alternative in the new plan will be published within a few days in the Federal Register, and also will be open for a 15-day public comment period.Once comments are analyzed, the Park Service will make a decision on the proposed plan, Nash said.If the preferred alternative is selected, the Regional Director of the Intermountain Region of the Park Service will sign a Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI) containing details of his decision.A final rule would have to be published in the Federal Register to implement the FONSI and provide for motorized oversnow travel in the parks this winter.The Park Service expects to have a decision on winter use prior by the Dec. 15 start of the winter season.Document requests also may be made by sending an e-mail to yell_winter_use@nps.gov or calling (307) 344-2019.(Carole Cloudwalker can be reached at carole@codyenterprise.com.)