The Yellowstone
Net Newspaper Friday December 5, 1997 Vol. 1 No. 25 |
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Publisher Editor-in-Chief Staff Writers |
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. (YNET) -- The stretch of road between Canyon Village and the Tower-Roosevelt area is one of the most breathtaking of all the roads in Yellowstone. The road itself tops out at nearly 9000 feet on Dunraven Pass. It is one of the last roads to open in the Park for the summer seasons. Those who traverse the road in their automobiles watch spectacular mountain and valley scenery unfold before their eyes. At times, there is virtually no shoulder on one side of the road, as automobiles travel just a few feet away from sheer dropoffs of hundreds of feet. The Dunraven Pass road is a favorite of wildlife watchers, as grizzlies are often spotted from the road. And the road passes by the most popular trail in Yellowstone, the Mt. Washburn trail. At times, thirty or more automobiles will be crammed in and around the trailhead parking space. 10,243 foot high Mt. Washburn offers a grand view plus oftentimes affords a chance to see bighorn sheep. However, for all it's popularity, Dunraven Pass road is dangerously narrow (from 19-22 feet wide) and winding and is need of repair. A Park study indicates that the high volume of traffic on the road, coupled with the presence of large motor homes, makes the road hazardous to users. On the other hand, officials have no desire to keep visitors from driving the road. The study suggests two possible options for managing traffic on Dunraven Pass road. One option is to widen the road to a consistent 24 feet in width and to prohibit vehicles longer than 30 feet from traversing the road. The second option under consideration is to repair the road but to retain the current width and to prohibit vehicles longer than 22 feet from traveling the road in peak periods of activity. In addition, the study also calls for prohibiting bicycle traffic from the road, as bicyclists (especially going uphill) delay traffic considerably because of the narrowness of the road. Either option, according to the study, would entail moderate costs. |
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. (YNET) -- In the wake of increasing concern over the large amounts of pollution that snowmobiles create in Yellowstone during the winter months, fuel suppliers and snowmobile rental shops in West Yellowstone (located just outside the western boudary of the Park, and the main gateway city in regards to snowmobile rentals) have agreed to start using gasohol in order to reduce snowmobile emissions. Other gateway cities may follow suit. Gasohol can reduce emissions by more than one-third that of regular gasoline. This decision signals a first-ever concentrated effort by the snowmobile industry in the Yellowstone region to be environmentally friendly. The decision takes place two months after the National Park Service announced plans to study the effects of snowmobile usage in Yellowstone. Snowmobiling in the Yellowstone region has grown steadily in popularity since the early 1980s. Snow machines are the only way (other than crosscountry skiing) to experience the interior of Yellowstone in the winter months. ---------------- Following several months of friction between National Park Service officials and government officials in nearby states and communities of the Yellowstone region, the NPS recently granted "cooperating agency" status to the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in an environmental study to assess the impact of the winter use of Yellowstone. In addition, Wyoming's Park and Teton counties will have the opportunity to participate in the study. The decision is a reversal of the NPS' previous position which stated that it was unnecessary for the states and gateway communities to be involved. Business leaders in gateway communities fear that the proposed winter closure of the road between Canyon and Fishing Bridge would significantly and negatively impact the winter economy of the gateway communities. Estimates on the actual impact of the closure vary. However, environmental groups fear that by raising economic issues in regards to the environmental impact study, the study itself will result in a biased impact statement. |
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