Proposal: Relinquish East Gate Area to Wyoming

By Scott in Cody, Wy, New West Unfiltered 9-22-07

I have a proposal I'd like to throw out for your consideration. News hit today that the recommendation for winter use in Yellowstone would close the East Gate due safety or financial concerns, depending on what day you ask.

Former Senator Al Simpson (R-WY) predicted last March regardless of the decision made, a lawsuit would be filed from one side or the other. Well, it looks like it's going to be our side filing the suit. We may have taken a punch that we all saw coming, but as Rocky Balboa's coach would say, I ain't heard no bell yet.

As I thought about the issue, an idea came to mind. Why not lobby our delegation to form legislation that would relinquish a portion of Yellowstone back to the State of Wyoming to be used as a state park? The land would not have to be massive. Just large enough to get travelers over Sylvan Pass and away from large mountains and sharp turns so as to minimize any East Gate closures from road conditions, avalanches, and mudslides.

This has many benefits.
*It gives us a newly rebuilt road paid for by the federal government. I realize that it translates to yours and mine taxes, but hey, at least we get to enjoy the $52 million road year round.
*The state could stipulate that guided snowmobile excursions are at your discretion.
*It would ensure that Sylvan Pass would remain open for winter use. The state has been up in arms about keeping Sylvan Pass available for winter recreation, so we're not likely to start clamoring to close it once it's ours to maintain.
*There are a number of possible names that the park could get:
**Al Simpson State Park (for our retired U.S. Senator)
**Armstrong-Grdina State Park (for the co-chairs of the Shut Out of Yellowstone citizens' group)
**Howitzer State Park (for the crown jewel that keeps Sylvan Pass open)
**Pahaska State Park (for the neighbor, Buffalo Bill's hunting lodge)
**East Gate State Park (for being the new locale literally "just east of Yellowstone")
**Sylvan State Park (for the new pass)
**Craig Thomas State Park (for our U.S. Senator who recently passed away)

And that's just for starters! I encourage you to write our D.C. delegation and encourage them to look into having a portion of Yellowstone National Park relinquished to the State of Wyoming. After all, it's obvious that the National Park Service doesn't want it.

Originally published on Wyoming Vote Tracker, Sept. 20, 2007 [End of article]

How about naming it "Xenophobia State Park," or "Crank State Park" after Wyoming's well-named attorney general Pat Crank. If the NPS caves in and keeps the area open, you could call it the "Pork Barrel Pass" or "Bubblehead Playground."

Will the State of Wyoming offer a bounty on wolves shot by people riding on snowmobiles in Wyoming's Xenophobia State Park? Will Xenophobia State Park fees be waived if snowmobilers promise to disturb grizzly bear den sites?

The expense the libs claim is just a canard to stop snowmobiles from getting into Yellowstone.

Your proposal would be economically good for Cody and libs hate prosperity. They have ruined the winter economy of West Yellowstone and Cody is next on the list!

Daryl L. Hunter

Mr. Smith,

1) Pat Crank resigned earlier this summer.

2) No one in their right mind wants to mess with a griz during hibernation. . Coming across them when they aren't hibernating is risky enough

Mr. Hunter, thank you for the support from the south side of Yellowstone. As the saying goes, multiple use is the best use.

It's true that no one in their right mind wants to mess with a griz during hibernation, but you have to wonder about the state of mind of snowmobilers who get killed and win Darwin awards for "highmarking." I know, they're not normal snowmobilers, they're the extreme. "Normal" snowmobilers are perfectly willing to suffer from back pain and other problems due to riding riding on moguls--which makes you wonder if they're in their right mind. For more than a decade, snowmobilers lining up at Yellowstone's West Gate damaged the hearing of rangers and NPS personnel, not to mention their own hearing, which does not seem like the conduct of a person in their right mind. Let alone a person who gives a darn about their fellow human beings. Maybe the definition of a snowmobiler is a person who is not in their right mind.

Actually I think this idea has merit. If the state starts charging for all of the helicopter rescues of climbers, skiers, and snowboarders that manage to get themselves into trouble, that would help pay for the howitzer.
Spending the money on keeping Sylvan open would be better spent than on opening up the Beartooth in winter.
As for disturbing the Griz, I suspect skiers and back country hikers do far far more to disturb them both winter and spring than snowmobiles ever do. Those along the roads in summer seem far less disturbed by vehicles than they do by hordes of idiots approaching them on foot. Unfortunately they cannot even go into back country and escape, here come the hikers right behind them, packing pepper spray.
Excellent suggestion Scott, but the intention is to keep snowmobiles out and get rid of all but the elite asap anytime.

Thanks Marion! I agree that there is a movement to have severe limitations on access to Yellowstone, which is exactly what Yellowstone was founded to prevent.

The National Park System
Caring for the American Legacy

"...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

So in the 1800s the founding fathers of the NPS said Yellowstone was founded to allow snowmobilers access to Yellowstone's interior through the East Gate? The founding fathers would read that snowmobiles are audible 78% of the day at Old Faithful in Yellowstone's latest winter use EIS and say, this is what we meant by "unimpaired?"

Please, please, please respond by saying something along the lines of, "the founding fathers didn't anticipate Harleys or Honda automobiles either."