CODY, WYOMING - The National Park Service says Yellowstone's east gate will remain open during the winter season. The final record of decision was released Tuesday afternoon.
It says the East Gate will be open when avalanche conditions aren't too dangerous. But, the ROD does not provide for manmade avalanche clearing, yet. The National Park Service's EIS preferred alternative would have kept snowmobiles and snowcoaches out of Yellowstone's east gate after this winter. Park officials said avalanche danger on Sylvan Pass was too great, and too costly to mitigate.
Sylvan Pass is about four miles up the Yellowstone highway, inside the Park. The Park Service's Record of Decision says after this winter "snowmobile and snowcoach travel over Sylvan Pass will be allowed when full avalanche forecasting indicates travel over the pass is safe, the pass closed when forecasting shows travel is unsafe."
Wyoming State Representative Colin Simpson of Cody said, "It has improved from the alternative that was in the final EIS. That was backcountry use only, no motorized vehicles."
Simpson is one of many Wyomingites who tried to convince the Park to leave the East Gate open to motorized use in the winter. Although the ROD doesn't provide for Avalanche mitigation, like the old howitzer cannon, or helicopter drops, Simpson explained, "We'll continue to negotiate those issues."
Park Spokesman Al Nash says "we will continue to work with Cody, the East Gate Community and the State of Wyoming on mitigation efforts for the future, but the pass will remain open."
How did the compromise come about? Simpson says there were a lot of "cooks in the kitchen", and told KULR 8 some help came from the administration. He said he didn't know who in the administration, but did say, "I got a couple of questions. One from the vice presidents office, a person from domestic affairs with the vice president's office."
If no agreement on mitigation can be reached, would snow conditions ever allow access without avalanche danger? Simpson told KULR 8, "Oh sure, I think there are times when it would allow a great deal of access." Nash agrees. He told KULR 8 "it is possible for us to have good snow and no avalanche threat, and for weather conditions to improve to reopen the pass if it is closed for avalanche threat.
The Record of Decision allows up to 540 snowmobiles and 83 snowcoaches in the Park each day of upcoming winter seasons. That's down from 720 snowmobiles a day this winter. Nash says the park will open on time December 19th, if there's enough snow.