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Wyoming Governor Calling For More Snowmobiles In Yellowstone National Park

Sep 11th - 14:24pm | Kurt Repanshek

Politics....?;-)

Sep 11th - 14:20pm | y_p_w

I'm just wondering what the point is in describing the impacts of snowmobile traffic on counties that frankly aren't affected by such visitation.

Sep 11th - 14:05pm | Kurt Repanshek

I guess I'm not sure of your question, y_p_w. Most snowmobile traffic does enter at West Yellowstone. Very little comes through the East Entrance. That would remain the case under the park's preferred alternative (which reportedly is being modified).

Sep 11th - 13:52pm | y_p_w

Kurt Repanshek How might closing the East Entrance to over-snow traffic affect the tax coffers of Cody, Wyoming, and its surrounding Park County?

Sep 11th - 12:13pm | Anonymous

I'm really conflicted over this issue.  I have enjoyed snowcoach trips twice from Mammoth to Norris and Canyon.  The snowcoaches are probably no more nor less noisy than snowmobiles.

Sep 11th - 11:40am | Kurt Repanshek

y_p_w, Here's your answer from an article we ran back in July: How might closing the East Entrance to over-snow traffic affect the tax coffers of Cody, Wyoming, and its surrounding Park County?

Sep 11th - 11:32am | y_p_w

I'm curious as to whether there's much of an economic benefit for Wyoming since the majority of the snowmobiles enter through Montana. I suppose they receive sales and hotel taxes.

Sep 11th - 01:05am | YNP4everyone

I just hope all can respectfully enjoy the park with reasonable options.

Sep 11th - 01:03am | YNP4everyone

What I find ludicrous is those still complaining about loud and smelly snowmobiles that haven't been allowed in the park since 2005 so it is obvious they haven't been in the park for a while. The current snowmobiles are all 4 stroke just like automobiles and don't burn oil.

Sep 9th - 11:34am | Aaron Lund

I don't understand why this issue is always inaccurately framed to make it look as if people are banned from Yellowstone in the winter.  You can go wherever you want, whenever you want, as long as you're willing to use your legs. 

Sep 9th - 11:05am | Brad

Public support for continued or increased funding of our national parks will decrease as the economy continues to worsen if regular folks are not allowed to actually use and enjoy the lands set aside for recreation.  Telling citizens "we want your tax money to pay for the upkeep of this land, but you cannot touch it" will get old fast.

Sep 9th - 07:23am | ed-123

I am assuming when [he] said. The bison passing close enough to us to actually touch as THEY passed, the snowmoblies were stoped but that may be LUDICROUS.

Sep 8th - 20:16pm | Bruce

SUBLIME: I decided i'm not coming to Yellowstone this winter because there is too much snowmobile exhaust so i will not be staying at any Yellowstone hotels or eating any food around there. Hope this doesn't hinder Yellowstone's economic recovery.  

Sep 8th - 19:41pm | ed-123

If 205 is the average, then 250 to 300 is not unreasonable,Not sure why uncertainty would keep the numbers down.Look i get both side of this,but if demand is only 205 machines a day then why propose 540? Split the difference.Shake hands and enjoy the park

Sep 8th - 15:55pm | Kurt Repanshek

The average number of snowmobiles per day during the 2008-09 winter season was 205. Wyoming officials say the numbers would have been higher in recent years if there hadn't been so much uncertainty over whether snowmobiles would be allowed in and under what circumstances.

Sep 8th - 15:44pm | ed-123

Whats the average daily use over the last 5 yrs? I was at YS in the winter i dont think i saw more than 100 snowmobiles in a day, for the 5 days i was there. i have to say 540 seems a little high

Sep 8th - 15:21pm | Jim d

The National Parks were not created to provide jobs or to create buisness oportunities.It is nice that people can make a living who live near parks but it is not the reason they are there.Also it is not the governments job to create jobs.The governor should know that.

Sep 8th - 13:36pm | Anonymous

I think that there's plenty of places around Yellowstone without having to up the number of snowmobiles. If animals outside of the park can not be provided the same protections as animals within the boundaries, the park service should be able to best decide what is most beneficial for the park and the inhabitants.

Sep 8th - 10:36am | Anonymous

This focus on snowmobiles and other loud, smelly vehicles as the sole driver of the winter economy around Yellowstone is short-sighted.  There is much to be gained from promoting the area as a place to slow down, not a place to go fast.  Try that for a few winters, and see what happens.

Sep 8th - 09:53am | Dick Gutierrez

 Two years ago my family and i did a snowmobile tour of Yellowstone and we really enjoyed it. We have been to YS 4 times in the past 3 years. It seems to me that for many of us the only way to see the park with only a few days in which to do it is on snowmobiles. We did not notice any adverse effects on the wildlife during our trip.

Sep 8th - 08:03am | Anonymous

I decided i'm not coming to Yellowstone this winter because there is too much snowmobile exhaust so i will not be staying at any Yellowstone hotels or eating any food around there.  Hope this doesn't hinder Yellowstone's economic recovery.

Congresswoman Bachmann Would Support Drilling For Oil In Everglades National Park

Sep 11th - 12:20pm | toothdoctor

One thing that I have not seen brought up -- surprisingly since it relates to and was covered by this site – to exemplify how Bachmann "goes off", is her single-minded drive to put a bridge through the St.

Naked Hikers Let It All Hang Out On the Summer Solstice

Sep 11th - 08:21am | JLA

NPS has no specific nudity regulation and any charges would be under the NPS "disorderly conduct" charge, or by assimilating a State law specific to indecent exposure.  At Golden Gate, NPS allows nudity because of a District Court ruling.  Rangers charged some folks at the north end of Baker Beach under the discorderly conduct reg. on the premise that the nude people were creating and maintaini

Sep 10th - 16:38pm | Rob

I have hiked many times in the Angeles Crest area above Glendale/LA. I have seen correspondence between the LA Sheriffs department, a naturist lawyer and the park ranger. They have agreed--sheriff and park ranger--not to arrest naked hikers in Angeles National Forest as long as they are not engaged in lewd conduct. I have met other naked hikers too and folks who wish they were naked.

Olympic National Park Officials Kill "Aggressive" Mountain Goat

Sep 10th - 19:29pm | Anonymous

Mountain goats may indeed be native to the Olympics: remember mammals especially are more mobile than plants, but both given time and climatic changes, do indeed move.  This old view the NPS has promoted that what was seen in the1850 biota or other magical date is freeze-framed and we must re-create it at Taxpayer Expense is total

Sep 10th - 06:00am | Leland22

I was on Hurricane Ridge the afternoon the hiker was killed-a very unfortunate accident for the family who deemed it necessary to sue NPS for not taking action against the goat.  Mountain goats are not indeginous to Olympic NP and were brought there in the early 1900's for hunting purposes. Talking to a retired ranger the next day, many would

Sep 8th - 20:58pm | Keeper

Hey Bruce, maybe try imagining being in the food chain as nature operates.  That Mountain Goat wouldn't be "habituated" if it viewed humans as what we are, predators.  It's not or ever will be, really, Disneyland.  Only in a fantasy.

Sep 8th - 20:02pm | Bruce

I am conflicted by this.  At first I was planning to be scornful, "aggressive mountain goat"?   Then, I noted the story about the man gored to death by just such a goat, and the size of this goat - 300 pounds.  Obviously, then, this is no joke and no idle matter if human safety is involved.

Canadian Charged With Spray Painting Names Over Famous Rock Outcrop In Grand Canyon National Park

Sep 10th - 12:17pm | The Kitchen Dispatch

I would think that he should incur all costs of removing his names. I'd attach a lien to his property, also his paychecks if that's what it took. It's obvious he planned this ahead of time --spray paint isn't the type of thing sold in the gift shop in the Grand Canyon.

Updated: Climbing Fees Rising At Denali National Park and Preserve

Sep 10th - 09:57am | AnonymousD

Access to all parts of a given park is not mandated to be universal. I agree with the second anonymous poster - this fee is a small fraction of what climbers spend on their recreational pursuits. Climbers of Denali constitute a high-maintenance group that should, in my opinion, pay more for the added (rescue) services they use.

Sep 10th - 08:33am | Anonymous

The fee of $250.00 should not be considered a barrier to climbing McKinley.  $250.00 is probably the cheapest piece of gear that any climber carries with him.  It should be considered a normal investment in climbing and hopefully a deterant to those who are not trained in mountaineering.

Sep 8th - 22:15pm | Anonymous

It's hard for me to see Patrols and Volunteers getting duffel bags of gear flown to 14 camp, when they could just carry it like any other climber. They still would be light and nimble because all the food is also flown in. I think the A-Star helicopter is the most expensive item out there and it saves lives at 20 000 feet.

Flamingo Lodge is No More

Sep 10th - 08:14am | Markdido

Two years after this comment was written, there is still no danger that the government will do anything. There are no labor unions or green jobs down there to fund.

Major Addition to Petrified Forest National Park May Hold Significant Features

Sep 9th - 18:55pm | K. Richardson

Nicely written. A link to an extended discussion of the details would be welcome.

Sep 9th - 10:15am | Jim Kirkland

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We in the paleontological communitee have been waiting for this to go through for years. Now please set up permenent some GPS base stations across park so that all future research can be intergrated into a 3D model of the Upper Triassic floodplain.

Reader Participation Day: Do Grizzly Attacks Have You Leery of Hiking in Yellowstone National Park?

Sep 9th - 10:13am | Linda Jo Hunter

And what does that mean? Did that mean that the volunteer thought pepper spray was ineffecive? There seem to be some gun advocates from the west who are afraid that widespread use of pepper spray will somehow infringe on their rights. . but I can't imagine how someone would recommend NOT taking a proven deterant into bear country . .

Sep 8th - 10:10am | Dick Gutierrez

My wife and I were in Yellowstone/Grand teton NP two weeks ago. In one day in YS we were lucky enough to see a wolf and two Grizz-- one with two cubs. What a thrill-- something we will never forget. The remote danger of attack is not a factor  in visiting as far as we are concerned.

Sep 8th - 07:07am | Timothy Gray

As a landscape photographer and outdoor enthusiast, the common sense side of me says the chances of seeing let alone having a grizzly bear encounter are slim.  However, there is still a part of me that is a bit apprehensive about venturing too far into grizzly country, be it Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, or any other national park which these magnificient creatures call home.  

Sep 7th - 21:43pm | Connie Hopkins

I thought this was very interesting and very informative!!! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/casey-anderson/becoming-a-skunk_b_947342.html

Sep 7th - 20:18pm | Anonymous

 I wouldn't place too much faith in the idea that you are safer traveling in groups... what was it here just a month or two back, seven young men were attacked and badly mauled. And carrying a big gun might or might not stop one. Your best bet is, carry a gun and bear spray, and know how to use them.

Many National Parks Get The Indian Story Wrong

Sep 8th - 12:25pm | Richard Smith

Overly critical?  Come on, settlers have not been there long, and the Native American history is of thousands of years, so no, overly critical it is not.  Aside from oral history, there is a vast suppy of archeological evidence to the oral history.  We also have written documentation of Native American history, written by the immigrants.

Travel In Style With National Park Foundation Branded Luggage

Sep 8th - 11:40am | Kurt Repanshek

Unfortunately, lonesome traveler, they don't release those kind of details. Though it'd certainly be good to know.

Sep 8th - 11:31am | lonesome traveler

How big a portion of sales goes to the Park Foundation? At $490 MSRP for a smaller-than-medium size bag, it better be more than a couple of bucks before I'd consider buying it.

Poll Shows Maine Residents Support Creation of National Park, Sustainable Logging From the North Woods

Sep 8th - 11:32am | Bill

Were any of these people polled north of Portland? I sure wasn't....

Birding in the National Parks: Fall Migration's On the Way

Sep 8th - 10:30am | Scott Simmons

Looking forward to it!

The Million Club: National Parks That Had More Than A Million Visits in 2010

Sep 8th - 09:10am | Rick Smith

Dear Anon of Sept. 7th-- This is a question that has puzzled park managers in the US and elsewhere for years: how many rangers per acre or hectare does one need to adequately protect the park and its visitors? Here are a few of the variables to consider:

Sep 7th - 23:37pm | Anonymous

Does anyone know if there is a requirement regarding how many Law Enforcement Rangers are to be on duty at these parks with heavy visitation? On a recent trip to the Arizona Memorial, none were on duty.

National Park Mystery Spot 28: A Natural Shape

Sep 8th - 00:05am | y_p_w

OK - what they heck. I could tell from the clues anyways. Delicate Arch at Arches National Park. Natural order probably refers to it being formed by the forces of nature. "Fine", "fragile", "soft", and "faint" are all synonyms for delicate. Seeing it close requires a 1.5 mile hike which can be challenging in the summer heat.ot sie

Sep 7th - 23:58pm | RoadRanger

Has to be Delicate Arch at Arches National Park. Am I bringing up the rear again?

National Park Travelers Club To Meet in Washington, D.C.

Sep 7th - 20:07pm | Anonymous

Join LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=4073540

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