YNP Announces Update to Their Winter Use Plan

Yellowstone National Park Winter Season Update
YNP Announces Update to Their Winter Use Plan

On December 14, 2021, the National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park sent out a news release (see release below) announcing a minor change to this year’s winter use program. As clarified by Ivan Kowski, Backcountry Program Manager & Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program Manager for Yellowstone National Park, the only change is to wildlife monitoring. The decision does not affect snowmobile or snowcoach use in the park or Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs) or permits for non-commercial groups.

Thanks, and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

Jack Welch
National Snowmobile Ambassador/Volunteer
BlueRibbon Coalition/Sharetrails
303-324-7185

Update to Yellowstone’s Winter Use Plan; Decision to suspend wildlife monitoring

News Release Date: December 14, 2021

Contact: Morgan Warthin, (307) 344-2015

  • Starting winter 2021/2022, Yellowstone National Park will suspend a wildlife monitoring effort because evaluations over the last decade have not substantially changed.
  • This decision is consistent with the park’s Winter Use Adaptive Management Plan, which stated the National Park Service would continually re-examine and adjust winter use monitoring strategies and management actions as new information became available.
  • This decision will not affect snowmobile or snowcoach use in the park or impact visitors.
  • This decision will inform the park’s interest in conducting visitor use impact monitoring in the summer due to record-breaking visitation.
  • Future winter wildlife monitoring will be informed by science and may be different than the recent monitoring methodologies.
  • In October 2021, the park sought comments from the public on the proposal to suspend one component of the adaptive monitoring plan for winter use, initially put in place to evaluate effects to resources from snowmobiles and snowcoaches.