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E. gate closure faulted - By Carole Cloudwalker
This document was published online on Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Rushing to meet a Jan. 5 deadline, Park County commissioners Tuesday reviewed draft comments on Yellowstone winter use.
The comments were prepared on the commissioners' behalf by consultants Ecocsystems Research Group (ERG) of Missoula, Mont.
The commissioners will each review the comments, make changes if desired, and submit them electronically to their administrative assistant in time to be typed and forwarded to the Park Service by the deadline.
Comments will focus on not closing the East Entrance to Yellowstone in winter, which is the Park Service's preferred alternative, with the rationale that avalanche danger and the high cost of combatting it make winter travel over Sylvan Pass not feasible.
The consultants made four strong points in their draft comments about such a closure:
€The rationale for the closure is unsupported and is based on overstated avalanche risk.
€Impacts to the county and the Cody area are understated, and local businesses already are affected by entrance limitations.
€There are no documented injuries or deaths related to avalanches on Sylvan Pass.
€The East Entrance provides public recreation opportunities and supports local independent businesses.
In addition to the draft ERG comments, commissioners also considered a draft cover letter prepared by commissioner Tim French that seeks changes to the preferred alternative.
Primarily, French asked the Park Service to keep the East Entrance open in winter, with 100 snowmobiles allowed each day, 20 percent of which would be non-guided by commercial guides.
Key findings drafted by ERG include portions of several alternatives the Park Service rejected when selecting their preference. Major concerns and recommendations in the draft document include:
€Allowing a limited number of non-Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles to use the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail and Grassy Lake Road.
€Allowing a limited number of unguided and/or non-commercial guided snowmobiles into the park.
€Continuing seasonal entry limits and flexible daily entrance limits.
€Allowing only BAT snowmobiles.
€Using a better method of determining economic impacts to gateway communities.
€Eliminating “manipulated” and “understated” visitation statistics.
€Eliminating use of “manipulated” East Entrance visitation statistics as the rationale for closing the pass.
€Correctly stating impacts to Park County as a result of East Entrance closure, especially those related to businesses near the entrance.
€Considering impacts of the administrative use of snowmobiles in the park in the range of alternatives.
€Improving National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) work on winter use documents.
The consultants add that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on winter use “over-dramatizes the health and safety issues related to avalanche conditions on Sylvan Pass,” and at the same time “demonstrates a safe program since control operations began in 1973.”
Consultants noted “only one minor incident,” involving a park groomer, took place that was directly related to avalanche danger.
The consultants added the “howitzer dud issue” (unspent ordnance remaining above the road on the pass) could be resolved by the use of alternative explosive delivery systems available with dud-tracking technology.”
ERG added that closing the pass to motorized use is “ironic” when skiers and snowshoers - who cannot escape avalanches as rapidly as people on vehicles - would be allowed.
“We highly recommend YNP utilize the ongoing Avalanche Risk Assessment being prepared by an independent consultant to develop safer and more efficient avalanche management program,” ERG suggested in its draft comments.
During Tuesday's discussion of the document, commissioner Jill Shockley Siggins said, “Worldwide, howitzers are the standard for avalanche control,” and should continue to work well on Sylvan Pass.
“They're using an outdated howitzer - they need to update it,” commissioner Bill Brewer added, while Marie Fontaine said in Canada “they use a remote process for avalanche control, so there are other alternatives.”
A public comment period on the NPS winter use proposal will be provided this spring, Yellowstone officials said.
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