2003

December 16, 2003
Judge strikes down Bush plan for snowmobiling in Yellowstone! A federal judge has ruled the National Park Service must revive a plan scrapped by the Bush administration to ban snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The judge ruled in favor of a Clinton administration plan that banned snowmobiles in favor of mass-transit snow coaches, reduced pollution, and more quiet in our National Parks.

December 8, 2003
Almost all the people who commented on snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park were against it, according to a leaked National Park Service memo. A Park planner said 99 percent of the comments were opposed to allowing any snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. (KPVI.com, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

November 24, 2003
BLM doubles number of backcountry skiers allowed at Silverton ski area. "A Silverton entrepreneur has been allowed to double the number of skiers he can guide over avalanche-crossed slopes six miles north of the former mining center. ... [Some] say a 40-year permit is too long and that the operation is bound to scar the landscape."(Durango Herald, KUSA)

November 14, 2003
Snowmobiles don't have to add noise equipment. " Snowmobiles that the National Park Service earlier said would require special equipment to meet noise standards do not need the equipment after all, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis said Wednesday." (Salt Lake Tribune)

September 28, 2003
Backcountry Snowsports Alliance announces a new name for the BSA.

July 28, 2003
Mediators Send White River Forest Dispute to D.C. "Ski areas, four-wheelers and conservation groups all will have to wait just a little bit longer to find out where they can play in the contested White River National Forest." (Denver Post)

June 21, 2003
EPA Raises Concerns over Snowmobile Plan. "The Environmental Protection Agency says a new plan allowing for continued use of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks may cause more pollution than expected. " (Denver Post)

June 14, 2003
Forest Service announces proposed snowmobile resrictions. "Snowmobiles would be prohibited from an area of scenic Hope Valley south of Lake Tahoe throughout much of the winter, under proposed regulations the U.S. Forest Service announced Friday. ... It is the latest development in a growing conflict between snowmobile riders and cross-country skiers that is spreading to public land nationwide."(Reno Gazette Journal)

June 4, 2003
Rangers make rare bust for snowmobiles poaching land. "Forest rangers in Aspen know that snowmobiles regularly venture into prohibited areas of wilderness that surround the town. But until recently, they rarely could catch the culprits. ... [Aspen District Ranger Jim Upchurch] acknowledged that even when violators are caught, the $75 fine is little deterrence. ... Forest Service officials hope this bust will discourage other snowmobilers from making illegal trips in future winters, despite the measly fine." (Aspen Times)

May 4, 2003
Reno woman wants snowmobiles banned from Mount Rose. "[ District Ranger Gary] Schiff acknowledged that some snowmobile riders are venturing into prohibited areas. ... Where they are allowed, the machines still pose a safety hazard to sledders and others using the area, [Gail Ferrell, founder of the Coalition for Safe and Appropriate Winter Sports] said. And she said snowmobiles have trespassed repeatedly into the Mount Rose Wilderness Area and the Galena Creek drainage." (Reno Gazette Journal)

May 4, 2003
Drowning out Mother Nature. ""The wild is melting away like a snowbank on a July day," [former Montana congressman Pat Williams] declared, while "noise is slicing through where it has never been before." Wildness is overwhelmed by ever-growing numbers of thrill machines that run about on land, water and snow, or aircraft that give tourists a peek at natural wonders from above." (from the first part in an occasional series on noise and noise-related user conflicts in Wyoming) (Casper Star Tribune)

April 18, 2003
Keystone Backs off Jones Gulch Expansion. "I applaud them for pulling back on this," said Kim Hedberg, head of the BSA, which has lobbied the White River National Forest to preserve pristine forest threatened by ski area expansions. "We are very happy the area will remain nonmotorized and available for backcountry skiers and snowshoers." (Denver Post)

April 6, 2003
Colorado State students enter Clean Snowmobile Challenge. " Building on last year's success at the international Clean Snowmobile Challenge, Colorado State University engineering students have developed an improved entry for the 2003 competition that decreases pollution by more than 99 percent compared to typical snowmobiles while also cutting fuel consumption over 35 percent and reducing noise to below conversational levels. The smaller and lighter 2003 model also matches or exceeds the power of today's top-performing commercial machines." (Summit Daily News)

March 25, 2003
Forest Access Battle Taking Shape. "As winter yields to spring and the roads and trails of the White River National Forest start to thaw, a debate over access for off-road vehicles is heating up. ... A well-funded national organization called the BlueRibbon Coalition has established itself as a leading voice for motorized recreation in the travel management fight. ... A large amount of research shows that roads and trails fragment ecosystems and have a detrimental effect on wildlife, [Sloan Shoemaker, conservation director for the Aspen Wilderness Workshop] said. Groups like the Blue Ribbon Coalition "always scream about their right but they never talk about their responsibilities," Shoemaker said." (Aspen Times)

March 22, 2003
No to Snowmobiles in Yellowstone. "Snowmobiles damage preservation efforts and are not necessary for anyone to see and feel the wonder of Yellowstone. If anything, their noise and fumes seriously detract from that experience. No one has the right to operate a snowmobile on land that is being held in trust for all Americans, present and future. There is no constitutional right to pollute a national treasure." (Salt Lake Tribune)

March 15, 2003
Renegade snowmobilers targeted in wilderness. "With high-powered machines and a dose of extreme sports fervor, there's little terrain where snowmobilers fear to tread. And that's getting them in all kinds of trouble. Nearly 20 citations - with penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000 - have been issued in the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe this season in a ritual played across the West as snowmobiles plunder virgin snow in the sacred turf open only to travel on foot and ski." (San Jose Mercury News - registration required)

March 9, 2003
Room for everyone? "Modern snowmobiles can penetrate deeper into the region's famous powder stashes than ever before. But a growing legion of backcountry skiers and snowshoers wants to protect a piece of the backcountry where they can enjoy the relative peace and solitude of the winter landscape uninterrupted by the whine of snowmobiles." (Steamboat Pilot)

March 7, 2003
Snowmobilers Fined for Winter Trespassing in Wilderness. Forest Service officials cited seven snowmobilers for illegally riding in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness near Steamboat Springs this year. Officials said the problem of illegal motorized travel in federal wilderness is worsening in recent years, and other cases are pending (Denver Post)

March 3, 2003
Yellowstone Fog: Snowmobiles get to rule the routes, and ruin the air. "The National Park Service settled last month on a snowmobile plan for Yellowstone National Park that makes no one happy -- but the snowmobile industry has a lot less to be unhappy about than the the folks who had hoped to clear out the haze and restore some quiet in the country's premier park. ... Employees and visitors with respiratory problems will continue to suffer. ... And what should be breathtaking becomes a place where you can hardly breathe." (Detroit Free Press)

February 26, 2003
Snowmobiles are great, just not in Yellowstone. "... there are some places snowmobiles shouldn't be, and Yellowstone National Park is one of them. ... Here's an example of how incongruous the park's management can be: A few years ago, Yellowstone officials denied a request from river runners seeking permission to float streams in the park. Which activity is more intrusive, more offensive to other park users?" (Billings Gazette)

February 26, 2003
Trail Ridge to close to snowmobile recreation. (Rocky Mountain News)

February 20-21, 2003
The Silence of the Lands. Center of the American West hosts conference on "Noise and Our National Parks." (Daily Camera)

February 16, 2003
Skiers protest 'sleds'.Cross-country skiers don masks to rally against snowmobiles in Yellowstone. "I used to ski here but had to quit after two seasons," said Mack Bray of Jackson Hole, Wyo. "I came here for the peace, quiet and solitude. Except for the (snowmobile) stench and noise, it was beautiful. ... This isn't a case of skiers versus snowmobilers," said Sally Grimes, director of the wildlands alliance. "This is a case of a dirty, noisy and environmentally harmful technology being allowed unbridled access to Yellowstone National Park at the expense of the park itself and all other visitors." (Billings Gazette)

February 2, 2003
No-snow woes: Warm winter eases argument over Turnagain Pass parking. "Turnagain Pass was partitioned in 1975. Snowmobilers got the west side. Skiers got the east side. The compromise, Hennig said, has been generally well accepted and seems to work well." (Anchorage Daily News)

January 31, 2003
Report Concludes Snowmobile Ban Is Best for Parks. (New York Times - registration required)

January 21, 2003
Feds hire a mediator for forest appeals. "The U.S. Forest Service has enlisted a professional mediator to try to settle numerous appeals that threaten to derail parts of a new management plan for the White River National Forest." (Aspen Times)

January 1, 2003
Rabbit Ears terrain- sharing woes linger. (Denver Post)