Groups defend reasonable Yellowstone access

The BlueRibbon Coalition and its partners renewed their pledge to defend reasonable snowmobile access to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. This statement follows the Nov. 4 filing of another lawsuit by the Fund for Animals over Yellowstone winter access. The fund’s latest suit comes days after the Park Service released its formal decision to authorize limited snowmobile access to the park and continues the fund’s familiar argument that the agency has now, for at least the third time, failed to adequately analyze the environmental effects of winter grooming of snow on selected park roads. It is along these roads that virtually all winter recreationists access Yellowstone, whether to appreciate the wildlife and natural beauty via snowmobile or snowcoach, or to use such mechanized transport to access desirable skiing or snowshoeing destinations.

President Jack Welch summarized the reaction of the BlueRibbon Coalition to this latest development in the long-running Yellowstone saga. “This latest suit surprises no one. Our opponents envision a Yellowstone without humans in the winter, and will never cease their efforts to substitute their vision for the reasonable view of the Park Service,” Welch concluded, “BlueRibbon and its partners in the snowmobile community are reviewing the fund’s legal challenge and will take appropriate legal action, as we have since the beginning of this controversy.”

Further information is available at www.saveyellowstonepark.com, including the latest updates on Yellowstone and winter access for this season to the parks.

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,100 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org.