Yellowstone in Winter
The noise and stench of snowmobiles dominate the winter landscape in the country's first national park.
During a recent trip into a snow-covered Yellowstone National Park, I, along with board members and friends, cross-country skied to the Lonestar geyser-a magical three-mile journey along the Firehole River. We watched in silence as the geyser erupted, then ate lunch by the river along with a few grazing elk.
I have some strong images from that trip: snow-covered bison against a back drop of bubbling geysers; snow stained with the blood of an elk killed by wolves; and bald eagles soaring in a clear sky.
But as we circled back toward Old Faithful, the high-pitched whine and noxious haze generated by snowmobiles brought us back to the other realities of Yellowstone. Each winter the images of bison, wolves, and eagles are accompanied by the stench and noise of more than 80,000 snowmobiles.
Snowmobiles were to be phased out of Yellowstone during the 2002/3 winter season. The change was to be complete by 2003/4. The rule came about after years of scientific research and public comment, both of which supported the phase-out. The snowmobile industry sued the Park Service, and the Bush administration indicated it would not support the ban. Instead, the administration has launched a new process to reconsider the final regulation and will decide by early fall whether snowmobiles-more polluting than cars-will be allowed to continue in the park. At congested areas such as West Yellowstone, the winter air in the park can be as filthy as that over Houston, Texas, among the most polluted cities in the country. The noise and pollution generated by snowmobiles, as well as their effect on wildlife, are among the key reasons Yellowstone remains on our list of Ten Most Endangered Parks for the fourth year.
NPCA supports increasing appropriate access to parks and improving the visitor experience. But snowmobiles, which have been banned in Glacier National Park, are not an appropriate way to see Yellowstone. Until we are assured that the air will be clean, the noise silenced, and the wildlife protected, we will push to get snowmobiles out of the park. Many of our members agree. Dozens responded to an article in the November/December magazine that addressed this issue. Let the administration hear from you on this subject. The fate of the world's first national park is in our hands.
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