Snowmobile - Winter Controversy
Riding Yellowstone
A trip to the world's first national park reveals the crux of a winter controversy.
By Rachel Odell, Jackson Hole News 2-23-00
YELLOWSTONE - The scene is one of primordial beauty - shaggy bison brushing aside the blanket of snow to paw at buried forage.
Beyond, elk graze for a winter meal in the mist of bubbling hot pots and fumaroles. The magical scene in Yellowstone National Park recalls an Eden of ages ago, a place and time where elk and bison endure winter under the watchful eye of coyotes, bald eagles and wolves.
Park at a crossroad
Today the park is a crossroads of motor sports and Mother Nature. The sound track for the tranquil scene is the whine of snowmobile engines as some of the 3,681 President's-Day weekend visitors zoom past.
In the world's first national park, snowmobiles are the major form of transportation in winter. They bring in tourists, plus the added baggage of pollution and noise, and a big dilemma for the National Park Service that's struggling to balance the conflict.
Tourist alienation
As park officials consider restricting access, they risk alienating the likes of Gordon Winlow, a California resident who is on his 13th winter trip to Yellowstone. Last weekend's excursion included his children and grandchildren, a caravan of 12 people on seven sleds.
"We snowmobile here for the wildlife and the fun," he says. "I want to make sure they keep the park open to snowmobiles. They have got to be able to figure out a way to manage the crowds. If they can put a man on the moon, they can figure out how to deal with the people in Yellowstone in the winter."
Weekend warriors
From Saturday through Monday, 2,721 snowmobiles entered the West Entrance, according to park spokeswoman Marsha Karle. By 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning, snowmobilers arriving from West Yellowstone were 20 deep in line. The backup lasted throughout the morning as people flocked to the park during the busiest weekend of the season.
"I have lived here all my life and the draw for these people is Yellowstone," said David McCray, owner of Two Top Snowmobile rentals. "This is peak time, it is absolute peak and we are very busy."
McCray is wary of a park plan that could upset business in West Yellowstone. It calls for plowing the road from West to Old Faithful as a way to reduce air, water and noise pollution while keeping the park open for the American public.
Many environmentalists call for eliminating snowmobiles altogether while snow machine advocates want continued sled access to the park. Agency officials expect to release a final decision later this year.
Snowmobile community
Meanwhile, snowmobilers moved in droves through the park last weekend, clad in insulated black pants, florescent-colored jackets decorated with checkerboard patterns, bubble-shaped helmets, and gloves. They traveled in line, and stopped at lookouts together. They zoomed between formations of bison one by one. Saturday's included everybody from kids to senior citizens.
Fran and Ross Ingersoll brought their snowmobiles to the park from Eagle, Colo. "I really think it is neat we have to travel by snowmobile to get here," Fran said in the park's interior. "You feel free. I don't think I would have come here if we couldn't do it on snowmobiles. We have grandkids and we want to bring them up here on snowmobiles." Brandy Mason from Terre Haute, Indiana ventured for the first time into Yellowstone in the winter on Saturday
"Being on the snowmobile puts you right in the middle of nature," she said. "It is great because you can see so much and you have the speed."
Speeding toward change
Rangers say the most common violation is breaking the 45 mph speed limit. Sometimes thrill-seekers collide with wildlife, either killing the beast or themselves, said Bob Seibert, West District ranger for Yellowstone. "Violent conflicts are very rare," Seibert said. "Bison are quite tolerant if you are sensitive. But people have killed some animals on snow machines. Speeding, racing, and off-road driving are the most common citations." Seibert has been working on winter use in Yellowstone for the past nine years and is eager for the park to reach a decision that will reduce pollution. Business owners in West Yellowstone have already tried to make the air cleaner by using synthetic oils and biofuels in the sleds, he said. But the majority of the community wants the status quo to remain.
"The town hasn't been very responsive until they felt the hammer over their head," Seibert said. "I hate to say that, but that is what I have seen. This is a painful process driven by external pressure and we are coming to a change." Park City, Utah, resident Nanna Meyer wants the change to come soon. She did not like the snowmobile ride to Old Faithful and would not repeat it. "It was too noisy for me," she said. "There is too much nature here to have snow machines. I could see coming in with a sled or horses, or anything that is quieter. But that would be difficult because you would get run over by snowmobiles."
Bureaucrat babble
West Yellowstone snowmobile guide Scott Tenney said eastern bureaucrats who know nothing about winter in Yellowstone want to close the park.
"I don't see what the big controversy is," he said. "The animals don't care that we're here. I don't get where the people back east want to shut us down. I have guided people who are 90 years old into Yellowstone on snowmobiles. That's what's great. Anyone can come out and enjoy their park."
No peace and quiet
The Old Faithful parking lot at noon on Saturday was overflowing with snowmobiles. From the observation deck of the famous geyser, the high-pitched whine of the motors was audible as Old Faithful erupted.
Jackson cross-country skiers Bruce and Michelle Hanson said they could not find a quiet place to ski during the weekend. "You can hear them and now that we are down on the road we can smell them," Michelle said. "I can still hear the birds and the water but there is nowhere you can go without hearing the constant whine of the machines." Kae Dakin of Washington, D.C. entered the park by snowcoach to see Old Faithful for the first time. "Snowmobiles are too noisy, too much smell and too cold," she said. "The snowcoach was warm and quiet and they served a wonderful lunch. The trip would have been marginally better if there were no snowmobiles."
Economic disaster
But for shop owner McCray, no snowmobiles in Yellowstone spells economic disaster. "Without Yellowstone we would be just another community with trails," he said. "Nobody is saying we can have business as usual and we know that. But the American people want the freedom to stop where they want to stop. There is no good alternative to visiting Yellowstone besides snowmobiles."
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