Snowmobile Community Appeals District of Columbia Court Opinion on Yellowstone 12/17/2003
From: Ed Klim of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, 517-339-7788; http://www.snowmobile.org HASLETT, Mich., Dec. 17 -- The Snowmobile Community will immediately appeal an opinion issued by U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by Judge Emmet Sullivan, blocking the 2003 Yellowstone National Park Winter Use Plan. The State of Wyoming and the National Park Service (NPS) are expected to join the appeal. The Snowmobile Community, including individuals and small business owners in the Yellowstone gateway communities, snowmobile enthusiast organizations, and snowmobile manufacturers through the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA), will seek an emergency stay of the Judge's ruling. The stay requests that the opinion not be implemented while the case is being appealed. The court opinion blocks an NPS plan to allow continued winter use of Yellowstone's road system by snowmobiles. That plan, turned over by the Judge, would have required that only new technology snowmobiles be used and numbers of snowmobiles allowed to enter the Park be regulated. Left in place by the opinion is a Clinton Administration plan to ultimately ban snowmobile access and cut access 50 percent this winter season. The court stated that the NPS did not follow correct procedures in preparing a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) and these alleged procedural flaws require reinstatement of the Clinton-era plan. The 2003 Yellowstone Plan, the supplemental EIS, and related documents consist of thousands of pages of research. The appeal will state that the NPS and its Yellowstone staff worked diligently to prepare the plan so that reasonable, highly regulated snowmobile guided touring be allowed to continue. Contrary to the D.C. court's opinion, the NPS appropriately considered the new snowmobile technology and incorporated it into the new plan. Under the blocked 2003 plan, snowmobiles would remain restricted to the same road system used by over 1.5 million autos, trucks, SUV's, and buses during the non-winter months. In addition, only new, cleaner and quieter sleds would be allowed and all riders would be required to be accompanied by a licensed guide under a reservation system to limit entry to no more than 950 snowmobiles each day on the 180 mile groomed road system. According to the Snowmobile Community, blocking the plan at the last minute is causing serious harm in the gateway communities around the Park. Over 400 full-time family and school supporting jobs are threatened by the 50 percent cutback in access and many small businesses will suffer devastating losses as they will be unable to recover the investments made to prepare for snowmobiling under the NPS plan. Where are we now? -- Yellowstone remains open to snowmobiling this winter and access from West Yellowstone, Jackson, Cody, and Gardiner will continue under the 2000 decision. Despite the access curtailment, many visitors will be able to enjoy the winter splendor of the Park and its famous features. -- Snowmobiles will be required to visit the Park in guided tours. Arrangements can be made in the Gateway communities. -- Park entrance passes will be pre-sold as they have been in the past and entrance limits have been set. -- The Snowmobile Community is confident that on appeal the NPS' 2003 Plan will be sustained and the D.C. court exceeded its discretion in blocking the plan on procedural grounds. Snowmobile touring in Yellowstone began in 1963 and has been a widely accepted and popular means to provide for winter visitor use and enjoyment. Snowmobiling and related visitor activities are an important part of the economic engine that supports Park gateway communities including West Yellowstone and Jackson. Approximately 65,000 snowmobiles use the Park's road system each winter compared to over 1.5 million autos, trucks, and buses during the other months of the year. ------ International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association members include Arctic Cat, Inc., Bombardier Inc., Polaris Industries and Yamaha Motor Corporation. |