Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., encourage residents who care about public access and recreation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to let their voices be heard on how the park should be managed. The National Park Service is ready for public review and comment on the draft environmental impact statement to guide the winter use management of the parks.
The National Park Service has put together seven plans that range from a snowcoaches only plan, a mixed use plan that closes Sylvan Pass, a plan to return to 2007 levels of 720 snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches per day and several more.
Electronic comment forms can be submitted at the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell by picking Winter Use Plan/EIS, then clicking on the ‘Open for Comment’ link in the upper left of the page. Comments may also be submitted by mail to Yellowstone National park Winter Use DEIS, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. 82190, or in person. Comments will not be accepted over the phone, by fax, or e-mail.
The comment period will be open for 60 days and will end mid-July.
There will be six public meetings:
June 1 – Jackson
June 2 – Cody
June 7 – West Yellowstone, Montana
June 8 – Bozeman, Montana
June 21 – Denver, Colorado
June 23 – Washington, DC.
Two webinars are also scheduled for June 21 and June 22. Further details on meeting times, locations and instructions for the webinar will be released soon and updated at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell under the “Winter Use Plan/EIS” link.
When it comes to Yellowstone winter use, the Wyoming delegation has fought for years to increase snowmobile and snowcoach access, provide certainty for winter use policy, and keep the East Entrance of Yellowstone open. Public comments and mass attendance at public meetings has helped and will continue to help ensure the park can be enjoyed by the people, its original purpose.