Are snowmobiles and national parks compatible?
Not according to the Interior Department, which last Thursday banned them from nearly all national parks, including Zion National Park and Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and Dinosaur and Cedar Breaks national monuments.Snowmobiling will still be allowed in Alaska national parks and in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota because legislation that created them specifically protected snowmobiling there.
While snowmobile users and manufacturers are understandably upset with the new policy, it's not hard to understand the reasoning behind the Interior Department's decision. It simply got tired of trying to accommodate the intrusion of what Donald Barry, assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, called "antiquated polluting vehicles" in the National Park System.
Plus, the understaffed Park Service was unable to adequately monitor snowmobile use. That became evident when the Park Service sent a questionnaire to the 42 parks that previously permitted snowmobiling. The records were either incomplete or inadequate.
According to the Park Service, the two-stroke engines of snowmobiles allow up to one-third of the fuel entering the engine to leave the tailpipe without being burned. The Park Service also notes that snowmobile engines have poor combustion that result in emitting 36 times more carbon monoxide and 98 times more hydrocarbons per passenger mile than an automobile. Then, of course, there's the noise factor.
Snowmobile manufacturers deny their machines are damaging parks and say they are developing quieter and cleaner models.
But the Interior Department has to set policy based on the current situation, not on what may or may not happen in the snowmobile industry.
Given that backdrop, the ban is appropriate. However, efforts should be made to provide places of recreation for snowmobilers outside of national parks.
And, if there indeed is significant progress in reducing pollution and noise, then it would be appropriate to revisit the issue of allowing some areas of national parks to be open to snowmobiling.
For now, it's difficult to argue against the ban.