From - Welcome to the BlueRibbon Coalition

Proposed Rule to Implement Yellowstone & Grand Teton Winter Use Plan Out For Comment!
It is now time to comment on the draft of the "Proposed Rule" that will implement the new "Winter Use" decision that will be made this fall 2007.
The National Park Service (NPS) has released a draft of a "Proposed Rule" to implement the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Winter Use Plan for public review and comment." This rule will implement the final EIS and Record of Decision that will guide management of winter use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on May 16, 2007, and is available for public review and comment for 60 days. The comment period will end at midnight on July 16, 2007.
BlueRibbon and its partners from the snowmobile community have reviewed the "Proposed Rule" and are recommending areas to comment on. The proposed rule, as written, would implement the preferred alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). It should be noted that the comment period on the Park Service's DEIS closed on June 5, 2007.
The NPS preferred alternative is similar to the temporary rules which have guided winter use in the parks for the last three years. In Yellowstone, it retains the same daily cap of 720 commercially-guided, Best Available Technology (BAT) snowmobiles.
The preferred alternative continues to require that snowmobiles and snowcoaches travel only on existing park roads which are groomed for their use. Trail and off-road use of snowmobiles and snowcoaches would continue to be prohibited.
There are two major areas of concern in the draft "Proposed Rule." These concerns are the maintaining of the commercially guided only requirement for all snowmobilers entering Yellowstone and the closing of the East Gate to snowmobile access totally.
The Park Service needs to allow non-commercially guided small groups to access Yellowstone by snowmobile. Through adaptive management the Park Service can allow for families to visit the park without hiring a guide. Likewise, closing the East Gate to snowmobile access after thirty years does not make sense. The effects of closing the East Gate on the community of Cody, Wyoming, will be very hard on local economics.
The National Park Service intends to have a final EIS, a Record of Decision, and a final rule guiding winter use in place before the start of the 2007-2008 winter season.
In closing, it should be noted that we are now in our tenth year of the battle over access to Yellowstone! Please remember that the fact that Yellowstone has remained open to snowmobiles during these last ten years represents one of the most profound victories over the extreme environmental movement in our lifetime. Enjoy the victory, and together we can make a difference during the current comment period.
To view the Proposed Rule:
http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/PL/Yellowstone_2007/NPS-2007-0126-0001.pdf
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
Comments WILL NOT be accepted by phone, fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, July 16, 2007. Because the comment period for the Winter Use Proposed Rule will run through July 16, 2007, we want to deliver these signed letters to the Park Service in mass. We are now collecting all the letters at the BlueRibbon Coalition Office. You can help by signing your letter at our Rapid Response Center at http://capwiz.com/share/home/.
PLEASE, IF YOU RECREATE IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, GET INVOLVED NOW!