Wyoming’s fight to open up Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to more snowmobile use, a classic battle over Western land rights, has been killed by a federal court, opening the door to even tighter restrictions.
“It’s nice to get a win on the eve of Yellowstone’s 140th birthday,” said Patricia Dowd, Yellowstone program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, represented in the case by Washington’s Arnold and Porter.
Wyoming and a local county had argued that limiting snowmobiles to just 315 a day killed tourism and cost the state $4.7 million a year. Some companies offer winter tours of Old Faithful for $97 on snowmobile.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t buy that argument.
Now, the Park Service will move to finalizing a broader and permanent limit or ban on snowmobiles traveling through the park during winter.
It ends an epic fight opened in 1997 that peaked in 2001 when a snowmobile ban went into effect. On one side are animal rights groups who argue that wolves and other animals are negatively impacted by the noise and pollution. On the other side are groups that claim they have a right to use federal lands.
