Friday, September 30, 2011 - 16:08

Park Service to Implement One-Year Rule for 2011-2012 Winter Use Plan Yellowstone will open to Snowmobiles for this Winter Season!

Update: More good news from the Park Service. On September 29th the Park Service announced that the gates will open for the 2011-2012 Winter Season for snowmobile and snowcoach access to Yellowstone National Park. The opening date is set for December 15, 2011

What does the "Implement One-Year Rule for 2011-2012 Winter Use Plan" mean? It simply means that our combined efforts as part of 58,000 comments submitted on the DEIS made a difference! The Park Service has now determined that many issues need to be further analyzed before a new long range Winter Use Plan can be put in place for the 2012-2013 season and beyond. This additional analysis will be conducted using what is known as a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

I have attached the Park Service Media Release with more information on the "One Year Rule" and what are some of the major issues the Park Service wants to analysis. One of the most important areas to be revisited is "Opportunities for non-commercially guided access" which is very important to snowmobilers! Yes, looking at NOT requiring snowmobilers to hire a commercial guide to access the park! The other areas to be revised are variable preset use limits, air quality and sound modeling assumptions, proposed BAT for snowcoaches, adaptive management framework, cost of avalanche mitigation on Sylvan Pass, and 10:30 entry requirement.

As you can see these areas to be revisited that I listed above are the main issues our collective comments zeroed in on during the comment period on the DEIS! Yes, the Park Service listened and now we have another chance to comment during the SEIS process. Please review the Park Service Media Release and be prepared to join in the new SEIS process that will be starting after the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) and one-year rule in December 2011. Enjoy our victory and make your plans to come and enjoy Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this winter on a snowmobile!

Note: As additional information on items covered in this summary are announced by the Park Service they will be posted at our dedicated website (www.saveyellowstonepark.com).

February 1, 2012 11:27 AM
Yellowstone National Park - Winter Supplemental EIS Scoping Announced!

Yellowstone National Park - Winter Supplemental EIS Scoping Announced! Dear Interested Snowmobilers, I am sure many of you have followed the twists and turns of Winter Use Planning processes for the last twelve plus years.  There have been many.  In addition, the continuing legal battles in the Washington D.C. and Wyoming courts have yet to come to a conclusion that both sides will accept.

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January 31, 2012 1:47 PM
What an Adventure! Israelis, Floridians & U.S. Air Force Personnel Trek into Yellowstone Park by Snowmobile

Staff Column by Jack Welch

On Sunday, January 15th, I had the opportunity to join a guided group on the trek from West Yellowstone, Montana, to Old Faithful. Our guide was Gaylon Tibwell from Yellowstone Arctic and Yamaha Tours, one of the commercial trip providers from West Yellowstone, Montana. On my trek, I saw first hand how international visitors, fellow citizens and member of the U.S. Air Force from Utah enjoyed the snowmobile as a form of transportation to Old Faithful. The Israelis really enjoyed the adventure and took lots of pictures.

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January 4, 2012 10:31 AM
Yellowstone Park Opens To Limited Snowmobiles Access - Year End Snowstorm Increases Access By Snowmobile To The Park
Associated Image

Update: Yes, the gates to Yellowstone National Park opened to Winter Use on December 15th, with limited access to the Park. However, on December 29th and 30th a major snowstorm brought over a foot of new snow to the Park. This additional snow has allowed for increased over-snow access to the Park! Both the South and West Gates are open to snowmobiles and snowcoaches. As of December 31st, the only restriction to over-snow access is from the Northeast Gate. The Mammoth area allows only rubber-tracked snowcoaches.

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