Shut Out of Yellowstone
By Scott in Cody, Wy, Unfiltered 3-20-07
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For several months, the administration at Yellowstone National Park has been toying with the idea of shutting down the East Gate to winter use. This should trouble all communities surrounding YNP as well as any US citizen.
Here in Cody, WY (50 miles east of the nation's first National Park), we have been screaming for answers as to why the East Gate is being targeted for closure during the winter. Millions of dollars have been and are being spent on reconstructing Sylvan Pass, which you travel over upon entering or just before leaving Yellowstone's East Gate. Granted the pass is primarily a summer travel issue, but why go through such an extensive reconstruction to be used only a few months out of the year?
One issue that was first brought up was a danger of avalanches that exists on the pass. Park County (WY) had a hard time believing that. A firm in Montana was hired by the Board of County Commissioners and the firm found that not one injury or death has occurred on Sylvan Pass due to avalanches. When an avalanche did occur over the winter (by the way, no deaths or injuries), YNP thought they made their point, but as it turns out, they have not been using the Howitzer to control the avalanches as has been the proven best way for avalanche control. Instead, they have been using a helicopter, which is stated in policy as a supplement to the howitzer, as the primary vehicle for avalanche control.
Since locals have been challenging the notion of avalanche danger, park officials have changed their tune to budget issues. This would seem to me that money has been mis-managed somewhere if the East Gate cannot be maintained due to budget issues.The State of Wyoming and Park County, WY have offered to pay for the winter maintenance of Sylvan Pass, but the plan for next year's East Gate winter closure is still on the table.
There has been an inconsistent policy over the past few years regarding winter use traffic and the East Gate. This has triggered a drop in use of East Gate visitor entries.
Those opposed to the closure have brought up snowmobiling, economic development, and public access. I see the primary issue here as one of public access.
Those of us who are the neighbors of Yellowstone's East Gate want to know why Yellowstone National Park is seeking to close the East Gate to winter use next year. Official comments have been anything but forthcoming, but this Thursday, March 22, from 7-9 PM, there will be a public forum at the Cody Auditorium in Cody, WY titled "Shut out of Yellowstone." People scheduled to attend include former US Senator Al Simpson, Park County (WY) Commissioner Tim French, Cody Chamber of Commerce President Tim Mahieu, and Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis. The forum will be moderated by former CNN correspondent and now local radio personality Chris Turner. If you are unable to attend the forum in person, KODI 1400 AM will be doing a live broadcast of the forum.
Turn out and show your support for public access to public lands!
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Comments
I hope there is a huge turn out.
I too, hope there'll be a huge group that turns out in support of keeping the gate open.
I am hoping to be able to show up (the joys of working overnights) ready to make notes of what went on and post an update. If I can't attend in person, Plan B is to listen in on KODI.
By the way, for those that are planning to attend, I e-mailed one of the Carol Armstrong and she said to be sure to show up somewhat early; they are planning to go over prelems about 6:50 and going live on KODI 1400 AM at 7:03.
Hope to see lots of locals at the Cody Auditorium tonight!
I hope that they do close the east gate in winter to help stop the noisy snowmoblies and limit the number of them in the park.
And hopefully ban them all together.
Fact is that the howitzer has worked remarkably well on Sylvan Pass at preventing avalanches/snow slides. A 30 year history of no avalanche related injury or death seems to debunk a lot of the concern in many local opinions. I'll admit that I've also not been snowmobiling over Sylvan Pass, but I have been snowmobiling. It is an enjoyable way to see the wonderful Northwest corner of Wyoming.
Regarding "noisy snowmobiles," I thought the mandate was for quieter snowmobiles? And now, at least one extra snowmobile has to tag along in any group, so let's drop the complaint of noise pollution until locals that know well enough not to "stress" wildlife can actually go without a guide. Besides that, I don't like noisy tour buses and motorcycles, but I'm not about to advocate the closure to any gate in or out of Yellowstone for summer use.
Your logic can be easily spun the other way around and/or lead to dangerous conclusions:
*Close the east gate to Fishing Bridge? Why stop there and not go all the way over to West Gate. Oh, and you know, down on the south side of the park there is a much more dangerous portion of avalanche zone road that has trapped snow plows, not just snowmobiles, but YNP is going to keep that open without mitigation. We better close that too.
*Sulphur stinks too, but people still attend Yellowstone in great numbers.
*A skier might slip and fall and cause great injury to him/herself and/or others. We might want to look at banning them, or at least requiring a licensed guide.
Are you, sir, being a bit selfish by not wanting to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone?
I am sure this is a thinly veiled attempt to force Wyoming to maintain the road from Cody to Cooke City for the wolfers, and skiers.
If you've read any of Yellowstone's winter use EISs, the EPA doesn't seem real fond of snowmobiles. Most public comments favor banning snowmobiles. I feel like I'm in good company.
1) snowmobiled
2) been to Yellowstone in the winter
3) been to Yellowstone at all
4) been somewhere close to Yellowstone
5) been in the Rocky Mountains
OK, so I haven't been to Yellowstone in the winter, but I have snowmobiled in the Big Horns. My concern is that public comments should have some sort of survey attached with pertinent information (similar to the five points I mentioned a moment ago), and if you've never been snowmobiling and haven't been to Yellowstone (podcasts excluded) your comment doesn't hold as much weight as say, a 15 year resident of a gateway community that has been snowmobiling and visits Yellowstone at least once a year.
I would recommend contacting Clay Cunningham and asking him about his time as a Yellowstone Park ranger and the snowmobiles that they had back then.