Yellowstone Temporary Plan Approved

National Park Service planners have announced that beginning Saturday, they will implement a “One-Year Rule” for the upcoming 2011-2012 winter season, in order to allow time to better address significant public input regarding the proposed long-term regulation. Park Spokesman Al Nash explains that the Park had received more than 58,000 responses during the 60-day public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the long-term proposal for winter management.  In order to review all of those responses, the Park will again impose the visitor quotas in place the past several years.  Nash says it was always the Park’s intent even if the long-term plan been adopted, to manage the coming winter season under the same limits and structure as they had under the temporary rules during the previous three winters.  The one-year-rule will allow up to 318 commercially guided snowmobiles equipped with the current best technology, and 78 commercially-guided snow coaches each day through March.  It will also permit motorized over snow travel over the East Entrance road and Sylvan Pass.  The guidelines took effect with the publication of the one-year rule today in the Federal Register.