Radical Environists Sue to Close Yellowstone National Park

On December 3, 2002 the Fund For Animals (FFA) and the Bluewater Network (BWN) filed suit in Washington, D.C. District Court in an effort to close Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to all users during the winter by banning the grooming of roads in the Park. The average snowfall in YNP is over 20’ per year, and these groomed paved roads allow the only access into the Park in the winter for sightseers, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, and other visitors who would like to witness the splendor of YNP in the winter.

“Fringe groups seem to conveniently forget that Yellowstone National Park was dedicated and set apart as a Public Park or “pleasuring ground” for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” said Ed Klim, president of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association. “And the Organic Act specifically states that all park units were created to conserve the resources therein AND to provide for public use and enjoyment.”

Winter recreation has been encouraged by the NPS since 1963, when snowmobile use first began in the Park. In 1968, snowmobiles were regulated by Winter Use Plans and were required to use the same Yellowstone road system used by cars, RV’s and other motorized vehicles during the summer season. This limitation left over 99% of Yellowstone off-limits to all winter recreationists. Now, using the same shrill ‘snowmobiles are destroying Yellowstone’ dogma, the FFA and BWN want to close the park off entirely in the winter. Interestingly, this would also offer no access for NP Rangers to patrol the Park: would YNP employees then become seasonal, since the Park would be closed for approximately 5 months out of the year? asked Klim.

“The snowmobile manufacturers believe YNP should be properly cared for, as it has been since its inception,” said Klim. “Along with caring for a park that was set aside for our use and enjoyment, we believe firmly the park should be adaptively managed and individuals should be encouraged to visit the park and learn from their visit. We believe reasonable snowmobiling in the park on groomed roadways is an important part of those visitation privileges. On Thursday, December 18, 2002, the snowmobile manufacturers requested to intervene in the lawsuit so we may support winter recreation in Yellowstone.”

Klim added that: “We are hopeful that the court will see this lawsuit for what it is and dismiss it as an affront on the American General Public. We hope to be joined by others who will help shine a bright light on these devious efforts concocted by truly fringe elements of the environmental movement. The FFA, BWN and others had nothing to do with creating these beautiful areas but they wish to determine who can go there and who cannot. This is not what the parks were established for, and it should not be allowed to happen.”

(22 March 2003 | 11:00PM)