Say this much for the feds' new policy on snowmobiles in Yellowstone: It could be worse.
The guideline allows no more than 540 snowmobiles a day into Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, starting in the winter of 2008. It's an improvement over the current limit of 720 snowmobiles a day, and a far cry from the noisy, smoky let-'er-rip days of the 1990s, when some 1,400 snowmobiles showed up daily.
But 540 will not end the debate over snowmobiles in America's first national park. This is a temporary fix - and for the Yellowstone gateway communities hoping to build a year-round tourist trade, it is cold comfort.
These communities should instead focus on promoting the abundant snowmobile country surrounding Yellowstone, near Idaho communities such as Island Park and Ashton. They can still market the Yellowstone winter experience by promoting snowcoaches, which take groups of tourists into the park and limit the impact on sensitive big game.
This is a sensible, sustainable business model. It beats fighting - year after year, it seems - to keep snowmobiles in the park.
Here's the short political history. The Clinton administration tried to phase out snowmobiles. The Bush administration has spent the better part of its two terms taking up the cause of snowmobile access. In a recent letter, 86 members of Congress signed a letter supporting a phaseout. On Nov. 14, the Idaho, Wyoming and Montana congressional delegations wrote a bipartisan letter urging the National Park Service to continue to allow snowmobile access.
See the pattern here?
Snowmobiling in Yellowstone, perhaps the most prized real estate in federal ownership, is a national environmental issue. The new Yellowstone winter policy will go into effect next year, within weeks of the next presidential election, depending on how early the snows come. It's impossible to guess how the next president will approach Yellowstone winter recreation - but it's safe to assume the next administration will have something to say on the matter.
This both is a political free-for-all and an emotional issue. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, whose 2nd Congressional District includes a sliver of Yellowstone, says Yellowstone snowmobiling is an "incredible" experience. "I don't even care if I go into Yellowstone in the summer anymore," he said Tuesday.
For some, like Simpson, snowcoaches won't measure up. We appreciate that - but we also think Yellowstone's wintering wildlife needs some respite from human traffic.
Simpson agrees local communities could do more to promote winter recreation outside the park. However, it's not going to happen as long as Simpson and his Western colleagues hold out hope that snowmobiles have a place in Yellowstone.
Yellowstone is special. That's one reason why the politicians fight over it. This is one place where the federal government should put preservation first - and encourage snowmobiling on public lands best suited for multiple use.
