Life without snowmobiles will have a considerable impact on the residents of West Yellowstone, Mont. Some fear when the ban on these vehicles takes effect in Yellowstone National Park in 2003, the town will virtually disappear in the winter.
Almost a year ago the Interior Department decided that snowmobiles and national parks were not compatible. The Interior Department banned them from nearly all national parks, including Zion, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and Dinosaur and Cedar Breaks national monuments.
Snowmobiling will still be allowed in Alaska's national parks and in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota because legislation that created them specifically protected snowmobiling there.
The reasoning behind the ban was, simply put, a reaction to the noise and pollution caused by the vehicles. According to the National 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 noted that snowmobile engines have poor combustion that results in their emitting 36 times more carbon monoxide and 988 times more hydrocarbons per passenger mile than an automobile. Park officials also are concerned about safety. Eight deaths have been attributed to snowmobiles in the past 10 years.
Those are legitimate reasons that make the ban reasonable. However, as this page noted last May after the announcement of the ruling, efforts should be made to provide places of recreation for snowmobilers outside of national parks. And if the manufacturers of these vehicles find ways to significantly reduce pollution and noise, then it would be appropriate to revisit the issue of allowing some areas of national parks to be open to snowmobiling.
West Yellowstone residents say a number of steps have been introduced to reduce pollution, including the recent introduction of snowmobiles with a cleaner-burning four-stroke engine. The Park Service needs to consider those developments.
The Park Service plans to have snowcoaches chauffeur visitors around the park. A Park Service spokeswoman said many people may be waiting for the snowmobiles to leave before they feel comfortable enjoying the park by snowcoach. This may alleviate some of t he concerns of West Yellowstone residents.
The snowmobile policy needs to be reviewed on a regular basis so that if there is a time when it's determined snowmobiles and national parks are compatible, a change in policy to reflect that can occur.