h2Contacts/h2Jack Welch, Special Projects Consultant, BlueRibbon Coalition br - Phone: (303) 279-8436 or Cell (303) 324-7185 br - Fax: (303) 279-8214 br - Email: a href="mailto:brjack_w@sharetrails.org"brjack_w@sharetrails.org/a br - Webpage: a href="http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#JackW"http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#JackW/a brbrDate: 04/14/2009 br br emby Jack Welch,br / BRC Special Projects Consultant/embr / br / Snowmobilers have completed another uninterrupted winter season of access to Yellowstone National Park. Let's review the events of the last few months and see what the future may hold for the 2009-2010 winter season.br / br / You will recall that anti-access groups challenged the 2007 Rule in federal court in the District of Columbia, and they prevailed in that case through the September 15, 2008 Order issued by District Judge Emmett Sullivan. The Order vacated the entire Winter Use Rule, apparently including the snowcoach provisions, as well as those allowing 540 best available technology snowmobiles per day to enter the Parks. The Order did not specify an interim remedy but apparently only remanded the rule to the National Park Service, which needed to undertake a new Environmental Assessment (EA) process and create a new rule to open Yellowstone to motorized access for the 2008-2009 season.br / br / This Environmental Analysis (EA) process was announced on October 2nd and included options that authorize some oversnow access, including snowmobiles, to the Parks for the 2008-2009 winter season. This EA was made available for public review and comment in November 2008. In response to this announcement, even the vigorous snowmobile opponents at the National Parks Conservation Association stated they would support daily entry of up to 260 best available technology snowmobiles through such a rule. The National Park Service announced its intent to have the final decision from the EA in effect prior to the scheduled Park opening on December 15, 2008.br / br / In addition to the EA process mentioned above, you will also recall that pro-access forces challenged the 2007 Rule as being overly restrictive of snowmobiling. These cases, filed by the State of Wyoming and Park County and joined by the International Snowmobile Association (ISMA), the American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA) and the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC), resulted in a request for a ruling from Judge Brimmer, who is a federal district judge in Wyoming. We asked the Court to join in striking down the 2007 Rule, and to establish an interim remedy reinstating the temporary rule that preceded the 2007 Winter Use Rule and allowed for up to 720 recreational best available technology snowmobiles per day in Yellowstone.br / br / Based on our request, Wyoming District Judge Brimmer issued an order that reinstated the 2004 Yellowstone rule in early November 2008. Under the reinstated 2004 Rule, motorized oversnow access was allowed this winter as it has been for the past four winters. Up to 720 commercially-guided, best available technology snowmobiles and up to 78 snowcoaches were allowed per day in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone's East Entrance and Sylvan Pass were open for motorized and non-motorized oversnow travel, subject to weather and safety constraints. Trail and off-road use of snowmobiles and snowcoaches was prohibited.br / br / The 2004 Rule also addresses snowmobile access in Grand Teton Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, including access along Grassy Lake Road and on Jackson Lake for licensed anglers.br / br / On December 9, 2008, in response to Judge Brimmer's order, the Park Service published a new rule to allow motorized access to Yellowstone for the 2008-2009 winter season. This rule provided visitors, area businesses, and park employees with a plan they could count on for 2008-2009 season that just finished. The reinstated 2004 Rule also allowed the National Park Service time to analyze public comment received on the temporary EA plan starting in October. In addition, the Park Service accepted comments on a new yet-to-be-developed, long-term plan for winter use of the Parks. br / br / The good news was that this new rule, published December 9th, allowed the 2004 Rule to be used to provide access to Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks for up to three years. The reason for the three year term was to allow the Park Service to complete a new long term plan and rule for winter use in the Parks. This provision should allow continued snowmobile access for 2009-2010 to Yellowstone and Grant Teton National Parks.br / br / A final note, no update on Yellowstone snowmobiling would be complete without current information about the unending efforts of anti-access preservationists to eliminate snowmobiling in Yellowstone altogether. This update is no different. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) and National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) continue to pull out every conceivable legal stop, which currently includes filing for reconsideration and an amended order before the Wyoming court, seeking limited remand from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and even filing a new lawsuit in the D.C. District Court challenging the December 2008 Rule. The ISMA-ACSA-BRC legal team is participating as needed in these developments. br / br / In closing, I understand that the fight over Yellowstone has been a long, contentious and complicated battle. Please remember that the fact Yellowstone remains open to snowmobiles represents one of the most profound victories over the anti-access movement in our lifetime. I hope you enjoyed a trip into the Park this last season. Please note, in the last forty years the Parks have opened their gates to snowmobiles every season, and I am sure Yellowstone Park will open their gates next season. For further updates on the litigation and the status of snowmobile access to Yellowstone for the 2009-2010 season, please visit and bookmark our dedicated Yellowstone website (www.saveyellowstonepark.com). I hope you will plan to visit and enjoy Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this next winter.img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/BlueRibbonCoalition/~4/hueWBnVgMx8" height="1" width="1"/
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