NPS Winter Use EIS abstract

COOPERATING AGENCY REVIEW DRAFT: WINTER USE PLANS AND DEIS
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway

Winter Use Plans
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway
Abstract
The purpose of this project or planning effort is to ensure park visitors have a range of winter
recreation opportunities that are appropriate to the national park setting, and that these
activities do not impair or irreparably harm park resources or values. The need for the
project stems from issues surrounding the type, amount, and character of historical winter
access and recreation, and their impact on park resources, values and/or other visitors. The
fundamental guiding principles for resolving the purpose and need issues and deciding on a
winter use plan stem from the National Park Service Organic Act and other laws. This DEIS,
and a new plan, is designed to address inadequacies of previous planning efforts for the same
purpose, in accordance with recent court decisions.
Six alternative winter use management plans are evaluated in this DEIS. Alternative 1 would
put into place the provisions of the temporary winter use plan of August 2004, with some
modifications. Alternative 2 would prohibit recreational snowmobiling in the parks in favor
of snowcoach access. Alternative 3(A) would close much of Yellowstone to oversnow travel,
leaving the South Entrance to Old Faithful route open. A variation of alternative 3 (3B) is the
no action alternative. Alternative 3B closes all routes to motorized oversnow recreation.
This would be the outcome of the current temporary plan, should no new decision be made.
The other three alternatives (4, 5 and 6) would allow varying levels of snowmobile and
snowcoach access to continue in the parks. Alternative 6 calls for plowing roads in
Yellowstone to allow wheeled-vehicle access from West Yellowstone and Mammoth to Old
Faithful. The NPS preferred alternative is alternative 1. All six alternatives meet the
purposes and need for this Draft EIS. However, alternatives 2 and 3 would offer a more
limited range of visitor experiences in the winter, as compared to the other alternatives.
Alternatives 1, 4 and 5 offer a greater range of opportunities for visitors, while alternative 6
offers the most varied ways to access the interior of Yellowstone National Park. Use levels in
alternative 4 may discourage some winter visitors. The environmentally preferred alternative
is alternative 3B.
Address, telephone number, and fax number of where to send technical review comments:
Winter Use Plan
PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307)344-2025 (fax)
(307) 344-2019 (phone)
Date by which comments on this review draft must be received from Cooperating Agencies:
December 22, 2006

Abstract

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November 2006