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Skiers Rally Against Recent Yellowstone Decision

More than 100 Protest Court Ruling Overturning Parks’ Snowmobile Ban

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2004

CONTACT: Ken Miller, Public Policy Manager, 208.344.8692 (c: 208.890.3944), .

» View photos of the rally.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana — More than 100 skiers from around the nation gathered in Yellowstone National Park to speak out against Tuesday’s federal court ruling that again allows snowmobile use in the park.

“We must preserve this park now, before it’s too late,” said Haidee Wilson from North Carolina. “This park is a national, possibly even an international gem, and we must do what we can to ensure that future generations can visit Yellowstone in its original state.”

The rally, hosted by Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) took place just inside the park’s West Gate, which is now the entryway for up to 440 snowmobiles per day. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer issued a temporary restraining order that suppresses a pending ban on snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Brimmer ruled that without the order, companies that rely on snowmobiling in the parks would suffer irreparable harm because of lost business. "I'm upset that [Brimmer's] decision completely ignores us skiers and snowshoers," said Mack Bray from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. "We stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and have money that is as green as anyone else's. But we can't recreate here in the midst of pollution and engine noise. Without a ban, there's just no point in us coming here."

A Dec. 16 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan reinstated a Clinton-era plan to phase out snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The effect of the court's ruling would have been to reduce snowmobile use in the parks this year by half and eliminate snowmobile use next year.

Many residents of the Park's gateway community of West Yellowstone expressed concerns that the Dec. 16 ruling would reduce winter tourism dollars. WWA's event was to be an attempt at re-introducing human-powered winter recreationists to the park. Many skiers and snowshoers avoided Yellowstone in the winter because it was previously considered to be a haven of motorized recreation.

Winter Wildlands expects the long-term effect of a snowmobile ban in the parks to actually be an increase in tourism dollars as more user-groups flock to a safer, quieter, more pristine Yellowstone, while snowmobilers continue to utilize the more than 1,000 miles of snowmobile trails just outside the Park. WWA officials estimated that the 105 attendees of their celebration pumped more than $40,000 into local economies.

"Skiers and snowshoers have told us they're ready to return to places like West Yellowstone and we're confident they'll play a key role in expanding the community's tourism base, once snowmobile use is banned from our parks," said WWA Executive Director Sally Grimes.

With a complete phase-out of snowmobiles still scheduled for next winter, Grimes said it is critical that the Park Service, Congress, local businesses and government leaders, and recreation organizations like WWA work together to find new ways to draw more winter visitors to West Yellowstone and other gateway communities. Winter Wildlands is calling for a modernization of the Yellowstone snowcoach fleet and better education of the public on the diverse winter recreation opportunities in and around Yellowstone.

Based in Boise, Idaho, Winter Wildlands represents more than 19 million skiers, snowshoers, snowboarders, and other non-motorized snowsports enthusiasts. It is the lone recreation group among the six plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit over the National Park Service's winter use plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

About Winter Wildlands Alliance
Founded in 2000, Winter Wildlands Alliance promotes and preserves winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports experience on public lands. By working with grassroots groups across the country on local issues and as the national public policy and land management regulation watchdog for skiers and snowshoers throughout the country, Winter Wildlands Alliance ensures that future generations will be able to enjoy a safe, quiet and pristine winter recreation experience.

For more information, contact Ken Miller, Public Policy Manager, at 208.344.8692 (Cell: 208 890.3944) or visit www.winterwildlands.org.

Photos by Dave Long (click to enlarge)

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