Ban on Vehicles at Parks Fought

The attorney general of Wyoming, the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Assn. and a motorized recreation advocacy group moved Wednesday to challenge a federal court ruling that reinstated a ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

A spokesman for the Bush administration said the National Park Service is considering an appeal of the ban.

Wyoming Atty. Gen. Patrick J. Crank said his office would appeal the Tuesday night ruling by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, while the manufacturers association and the BlueRibbon Coalition jointly filed a motion to stay the judge’s ruling.

“We’re disappointed, but the battle is not over,” said Bill Dart, the public lands director for the Pocatello, Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition.

“We can’t give up on it. It sets a bad precedent, and not only for Yellowstone. We are afraid that this would be a precedent to launch new attacks against snowmobiles across the country.”

Just hours before the start of the snowmobiling season, Sullivan ordered the park service to adopt a Clinton-era policy of phasing out snowmobiles in the parks.

In his ruling from Washington, D.C., Sullivan wrote that the park service’s own studies have shown that the machines are bad for air quality, wildlife and the health of park employees and visitors.

The judge rejected park service arguments that new snowmobile technology would greatly reduce noise and air pollution.

The phaseout plan, which was never put into effect, calls for greatly reduced numbers of snowmobilers this season. The machines are to be banned beginning with the 2004-2005 season. Snow coaches -- multi-passenger vans mounted on treads -- are not affected by the order.

Wednesday morning, hundreds of snowmobilers converged on Yellowstone and neighboring Grand Teton, armed with entrance reservations made weeks ago. However, the ruling meant that only those with commercially guided tours could enter the park.

Yellowstone officials said many people with reservations were turned away, but that they were offered refunds.

In West Yellowstone, Mont., the most popular entry point for snowmobiles, rental operators said the ruling left them and their clients confused.

Because of the mandated 50% reduction in snowmobiles allowed to enter Yellowstone, nearby rental shops were struggling to determine who among their clients could be served.

“I’ve seen grown men in tears,” said David McCray, who owns Two Top Snowmobile Rental. “I would like to ask the judge what he expects me to tell people who have booked for Christmas. I’d like for him to tell me which people go into the park and which will not. That’s my immediate problem.”

McCray said he was swamped with calls from clients around the country who had planned trips and were frantically trying to find out if they should still come.

McCray said merchants are concerned for their well-being. Some 92% of the town’s $2.5-million budget comes from resort taxes that visiting snowmobilers pay at hotels and rental outlets.

“This is devastating people’s lives,” McCray said.

Sullivan’s ruling also addressed a separate challenge that took issue with the park policy of packing and grooming roads in the winter.

The Fund for Animals and the Bluewater Network say the practice encourages bison and other wildlife to use roads to leave the park, where the animals are afforded special legal protection.

Sullivan directed the park service to respond to the groups’ complaint by Feb. 17.

“This part of the case could have broader implications,” said Ed Klim, president of the manufacturers association. “We are watching it closely.”