November 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEMENT REGARDING
NOVEMBER 7, 2008 INTERIM
ORDER OF THE U.S.
DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
DISTRICT
OF WYOMING REGARDING
RECREATIONAL BAT
SNOWMOBILE ACCESS
TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL
PARK
On November
7, 2008, Judge Clarence
Brimmer of the U.S.
District Court for the
District of Wyoming
issued an Order
Implementing Temporary
Remedy in case no.
07-CV-0318-B, a
challenge to the
National Park Service’s
December 13, 2007 final
winter use rule
regarding recreational
snowmobile access to the
Parks.
The Wyoming
Court, which has
asserted continuing
jurisdiction over
the agency’s winter use
planning and review
process since its
opinion in Wyoming
Lodging and Restaurant
Ass’n v. U.S. Dep’t of
Interior, (2004)
first chastised the D.C.
Court (Judge Sullivan)
for issuing its Order in
a case in which it
should have respected
the Wyoming Court’s
jurisdiction, and for
stubbornly remaining
involved despite its
distance from the lands
at issue and the
impacted communities.
The Wyoming Court then
ordered the Park Service
to reinstate the prior
winter use rules
allowing for up to 720
Best Available
Technology (“BAT”)
snowmobiles per day in
Yellowstone.
In pleadings
filed with the Wyoming
Court, ISMA supported
the Court’s
reinstatement of the
2004 temporary rule to
govern winter use
pending the Park
Service’s next try at a
permanent rule. The
Court’s imposition of
the prior rule, raising
the numerical limit,
ensures the Parks will
remain open to
snowmobile traffic
pending the Park
Service’s release of a
new permanent rule.
ISMA
anticipates a further
ruling from the Court on
the merits of its, and
the other Plaintiffs’,
challenges to the 2007
winter use rule, at an
undetermined time in the
future.
Bill Manson
Executive Director
Michigan Snowmobile
Association
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November 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jack Welch, Special
Projects Consultant
Phone: (303) 324-7185
Email:
brjack_w@sharetrails.org
BLUERIBBON COALITION,
INC.
DRAFT EA RELEASED BY
PARK SERVICE ON
RECREATIONAL ACCESS TO
YELLOWSTONE
POCATELLO, ID
(November 5) - On
Monday, November 3rd,
the Environmental
Assessment (EA) on
continued winter
motorized access to
Yellowstone and Grand
Teton Parks was released
for public review and
comment. First announced
on October 2nd, it is
this EA process that
will determine options
that would authorize
over-snow
access-including
snowmobiles-to Grand
Teton and Yellowstone
National Parks for the
next three winters. This
EA can be reviewed at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
The comment period will
only be fifteen days.
The BlueRibbon Coalition
(BRC) is reviewing the
draft EA and its
preferred alternative of
only 318 snowmobiles
allowed in the
Yellowstone Park per
day. BRC plans to
provide comments on the
EA and recommendations
for comments to meet the
deadline of November 17,
2008. Please note the
goal of the National
Park Service is to have
a final implementing
rule from the EA in
effect prior to the
scheduled Park opening
on December 15, 2008.
After reviewing the 255
page EA, Jack Welch, BRC
Special Projects
Consultant, stated, "I
am pleased that the Park
Service is offering a
solution for the
challenges presented by
the upcoming season.
BlueRibbon remains
committed to a long-term
solution that will allow
for reasonable
snowmobile access to
Yellowstone in the
winter."
Welch continued,
"Remember, in the last
forty years, the Park
has opened its gates to
snowmobiles every
season. I am sure
Yellowstone will open
its gates this season
too. The main question
is at what level
snowmobiles will be
allowed to access
Yellowstone and Grand
Teton Parks this season.
The EA process is one of
the important steps in
that determination."
For further updates on
access to Yellowstone
this winter, please
visit and bookmark our
dedicated Yellowstone
website:
www.saveyellowstonepark.com.
# # #
The BlueRibbon Coalition
is a national recreation
group that champions
responsible recreation,
and encourages
individual environmental
stewardship. It
represents over 10,000
individual members and
1,200 organization and
business members, for a
combined total of over
600,000 recreationists
nationwide.
1-800-258-3742.
www.sharetrails.org
Bill Manson
Executive Director
Michigan Snowmobile
Association
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October 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ed Klim (517) 339-7788
Plan on Participating in
Take a Friend
Snowmobiling Week
The snowmobile
community is excited to
announce the Take a
Friend Snowmobiling Week
– which will be held
February 14-22, 2009.
This elongated week
celebrates friends and
family snowmobiling for
9 days including two
weekends. The snowmobile
week was introduced to
go hand in hand with the
Take a Friend
Snowmobiling campaign
and has been developed
to encourage all of us
to take our
non-snowmobiling friends
out snowmobiling. We
have all had many
conversations, telling
stories about how much
fun it is to take people
snowmobiling, and many
of us are realizing that
we have a lot of
non-snowmobiling friends
to take snowmobiling.
The event is really
designed to be simple.
There are a few
recommended guidelines.
They are:
- Safety training – make
sure to cover all the
safe snowmobiling
behavior with your
friend before taking
them out on their first
ride. Points to
cover should include:
a. Proper operation of
the brake and throttle
b. Shifting weight and
slowing down in curves
c. Staying on the right
hand side of the trail
d. Dismount the
snowmobile on the right
hand side of the sled
e. Make sure the vehicle
is in good mechanical
order
f. Make sure your friend
is appropriately dressed
and sober
A key ingredient to a
good time for a first
time snowmobiler is for
us seasoned riders to
make sure non-snowmobilers
are comfortable when
they first get on a
snowmobile. You need to
be cautious and ride
slow when taking out a
new rider. You should
plan on making numerous
stops and enjoying the
scenery. It is always
recommended that the
first ride be rather
short and include a stop
for a light meal or hot
chocolate or coffee and
a little camaraderie and
storytelling at the
local restaurant,
clubhouse or outdoor
barbecue area.
Clubs are encouraged to
participate in the
activity and try to hold
a special day or weekend
encouraging members to
bring non-snowmobiling
friends to the clubhouse
to go for a short ride
and discover what
snowmobilers do during
the winter.
This effort follows the
guidelines and
recommendations our
customer research
presented to us, which
showed us that non-snowmobilers
know very little about
snowmobiling. Most non-snowmobilers
don’t know where the
trails are, really don’t
know who builds and
maintains and pays for
the trail systems, and
have no idea of the
beautiful scenery that
we enjoy and the fun
that we have in the
winter riding our
snowmobiles. We also
know folks that don’t
snowmobile rate their
desire to go
snowmobiling a solid 9
on a 10 point scale. All
we need to do is ask.
We have all heard the
stories of snowmobilers
taking friends out, and
much to their surprise
the friends enjoy
themselves so much, they
end up buying a new or
used snowmobile to join
in the winter fun. What
a pleasant surprise that
is for all of us and why
not encourage our family
and friends to join us
outside this winter on a
snowmobile?
As a special incentive
to take non-snowmobilers
snowmobiling, the
manufacturers will give
away a new snowmobile to
a lucky individual who
registers online and
participates in the Take
a Friend Snowmobiling
Week event. Beginning in
December 2008, the Take
a Friend Snowmobiling
Week Registration Form
will be prominently
displayed on the Go
Snowmobiling web site:
www.gosnowmobiling.org,
the ACSA web site:
www.snowmobilers.org and
the CCSO web site:
www.ccso- ccom.ca. Non-snowmobilers
and their snowmobiling
friends need to fill out
the registration form to
be entered in the
drawing for a new
snowmobile. If a Club is
interested in organizing
an event, not only do
all of their club
members who participate
get to register to win
the snowmobile, but so
do their guests and the
club get to register to
win as well. The
registration form will
be easy to fill out.
Try to involve your
local dealer(s), ski
Hill, Chamber of
Commerce and local
restaurant. All of us
collectively can really
expand the idea and make
this week an annual
event.
So plan on participating
if you are going to be
snowmobiling from
February 14-22, 2009 and
make sure to register on
one of the three web
sites and take advantage
of this opportunity to
win a new snowmobile and
have fun doing it.
Bill Manson
Executive Director
Michigan Snowmobile
Association
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September, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ed Klim (517) 339-7788
Snowmobile Community and
outdoor recreationists
respond to Yellowstone
order by judge sullivan
(Haslett,
MI-September 16,
2008)The first round of
what is likely to be a
busy fall of litigation
regarding snowmobile
access to Yellowstone
this winter (2008-2009)
has finished. On
September 15, 2008,
District Judge Emmett
Sullivan of the U.S.
District Court for the
District of Columbia
vacated the National
Park Service’s December
13, 2007 Winter Use
Rule, which provided for
recreational access to
Yellowstone National
Park by up to 540 best
available technology
snowmobiles per day.
He vacated the entire
Winter Use Rule,
apparently including the
snowcoach provisions as
well as the snowmobile
provisions. He did not
put any substitute rule
in place and remanded
the rule to the National
Park Service, which can
consider whether to
adopt a new rule.
Judge
Sullivan’s ruling is
only the latest in a
long history of
litigation surrounding
the Park Service’s
Winter Use Rules for
Yellowstone National
Park, Grand Teton
National Park, and the
John D. Rockefeller,
Jr., Memorial Parkway.
A second related case,
challenging the Winter
Use Rule as being too
restrictive of
snowmobiling, is ongoing
in the U.S. District
Court for the District
of Wyoming.
While the
International Snowmobile
Manufacturers
Association - ISMA, the
American Council of
Snowmobile Associations
- ACSA, and the Blue
Ribbon Coalition - BRC
strongly object to Judge
Sullivan’s ruling, they
recognize that this
ruling is not the last
word on Yellowstone
winter use. Judge
Sullivan’s ruling does
not replace the vacated
rule with any other rule
for the upcoming winter
season, leaving open the
issue on whether and how
much snowmobile access
will be allowed. Oral
argument in the related
Wyoming litigation took
place before District
Judge Clarence Brimmer
in Cheyenne, Wyoming on
the same day Judge
Sullivan issued his
Order. ISMA, ACSA, and
BRC are parties to that
litigation as well, and
intend to ask the Court
to reinstate the
temporary rule that
preceded the 2007 Winter
Use Rule and allowed for
up to 720 recreational
best available
technology snowmobiles
per day in Yellowstone.
Judge
Sullivan’s ruling may
ultimately result in
there being no
snowmobile or snowcoach
use in Yellowstone this
winter, depending on the
Park Service’s response,
a possible appeal of
Judge Sullivan’s ruling,
and the Wyoming
litigation. At any
rate, Judge Sullivan’s
ruling represents a
radical departure from
established legal
principles and
interpretations of
governing statutes. His
broad-ranging and novel
interpretations of the
National Park Service
Organic Act and the
Yellowstone National
Park Act prohibit the
Park Service from
approving nearly any
visitor activity causing
impacts to Natural Park
resources. This has the
potential to bar a broad
range of visitor
activities in National
Parks year round,
including car, truck,
RV, motorcycle, and
other motorized vehicle
access during the
Spring, Summer, and Fall
months. It also has the
potential to do so
throughout the Park
System, not just in
Yellowstone and Grand
Teton National Parks.
Finally,
Judge Sullivan’s ruling
ignores the long history
of broad discretion for
the Park Service to
balance conservation
with visitor use and
enjoyment in its
management of the Park
System. By
second-guessing the Park
Service’s methodology
for evaluating the
impacts of the rule, it
also departs from the
well-established legal
principles requiring
courts to defer to
governmental agencies’
scientific and technical
judgments.
ISMA,
ACSA, and BRC are
dedicated to preserving
snowmobilers’ access to
federal lands, including
units of the National
Park System. ISMA, ACSA,
and BRC will continue to
pursue recreational
snowmobile access to
Yellowstone National
Park.
Bill Manson
Executive Director
Michigan Snowmobile
Association
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August, 2008
Snowmobiling: North America's
growing Economic Engine
By the
year 2020, tourism will be the
world's largest industry -
predicts the National Assembly
of State Arts Agencies. Today,
Travel and Tourism in North
America is a $2 Trillion Dollar
business and accounts for
millions of jobs and generates
billions of dollars in state and
federal tax revenues. Clearly
tourism is an important part of
North American's product
inventory and tourism overall
continues to grow.
A very
important part of that Tourism
growth is the snowmobile
community which includes the
products, the trails, the
resorts, the restaurants, and
the many great amenities
available for winter tourists.
A quick look at the snowmobile
numbers supports our claim as an
important part of the economic
engine of North America.
Registrations of snowmobiles in
the United States for this past
year are now over 1.625 million
snowmobiles - a 2.6% increase
from last year. In Canada there
are over 708 thousand registered
snowmobiles - a 1.5% increase
from last year. Miles ridden by
snowmobilers in North America
jumped 17% this past season.
The average snowmobiler rode
over 1040 miles this past
winter. Sales of snowmobiles
worldwide increased 2% to
163,753 units and notably Parts,
Garments and Accessories sales
increased over 17% this past
season vs. the season before.
Yes, 5 key measurement
indicators of the snowmobile
community reported positive
gains and as you can see, in
some instances double digit
growth.
We know
the record snowfalls reported in
parts of North America were
important related factors to the
increased riding activity and
registration numbers. Those
increased numbers are showing up
in new economic impact
statements from states and
provinces, reporting that Winter
Tourism spending overall was up
in 2007-2008 vs. the winter of
2006-2007. Much of the increase
can be attributed to an increase
in snowmobiling activity. Final
reports of sales tax collections
and room taxes are still to be
finalized but the reports are
positive. Tourism and Travel
Bureaus and Commerce departments
are consistently telling the
ISMA office that snowmobiling is
becoming a larger part of the
winter economic action picture
than ever before.
A
successful 2007-2008 winter
should be followed by a
successful 2008-2009 winter.
Average temperatures in North
America are falling and the
forecast is favorable for good
snowmobiling conditions. People
want to get out and enjoy
themselves escaping from the
stresses of a normal work day
and a less than entertaining TV
schedule, so snowmobiling with
friends fills the need.
The
manufacturers are working
closely with the American
Council of Snowmobile
Associations (ACSA) and the
Canadian Council of Snowmobile
Organizations (CCSO) in the
expansion and development of the
Go Snowmobiling - Take a Friend
Snowmobiling campaign. I'm
confident we will introduce many
new winter outdoor enthusiasts
to the great family activity of
snowmobiling this winter.
Land Use
Forum Meets in Washington, D. C.
A number of
national OHV organizations met
in Washington during July to
discuss land use issues. In
addition, we met with officials
from the Bureau of Land
Management and the Forest
Service. Stakeholders present
for the meetings were leaders
from the American Council of
Snowmobile Associations,
American Motorcyclist
Association, Americans for
Responsible Recreational Access,
BlueRibbon Coaltion, Motorcycle
Industry Council, National
Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation
Council, Off-Road Business
Association, Specialty Vehicle
Institute of America, Tread
Lightly!, and United Four Wheel
Drive Associations. The meeting
sessions were held in ARRA's
Washington office.
The purpose
of this meeting was to exchange
ideas, share war stories, and
talk about the challenges facing
us as we approach a new Congress
and Administration in 2009.
While there is a diversity of
views, interests and strategies,
we find that by periodically
talking and meeting with each
other, we can do a better job of
working together on those
interests that we share in
common.
Go there
now and sign up for your direct
link to ARRA.
http://www.arra-access.com/arra/home.html
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Ed
Klim
Yellowstone Winter Use Plan
Study Supports Snowmobiling
The recently conducted study on
Winter Use for Yellowstone National Park again
supports responsible, managed snowmobiling to
continue in the park. The recommendations from
the Park Service are consistent with the
statutory objectives of visitor use and
enjoyment, codified in the National Park Organic
Act of 1916. As demonstrated conclusively in
the Environmental Impact Study and comprehensive
underlying studies, continued snowmobile use in
portions of Yellowstone and Grand Teton road
systems have no adverse impacts on Park
Resources, including: Air Quality, Wildlife, or
Soundscapes, while providing visitors an
unparalleled opportunity to enjoy the winter
splendor of the park.
The proposal put forward by the
Park Service is supported by the International
Snowmobile Manufacturers Association and is also
supported by studies conducted by other related
agencies.
When reviewing the Yellowstone
Park issue, one must remember that Yellowstone
Park's famous road system was constructed in the
late 1800's and was first open to automobile
traffic in 1916 - as Congress enacted the
National Park Organic Act. Many thousands of
automobiles, busses, trucks, RVs, Motor Homes
and Motorcycles enter the park on a typical
summer day. Approximately 1.8 million vehicles
enter Yellowstone National Park each summer
season.
The National Park Service
recognizes the new technologies the snowmobile
manufacturers have brought to the market. The
new vehicles are environmentally sound vehicles
and exceed all standards put forth by the US EPA
and by the National Park Service Proposed Winter
Use Plan.
Many studies have been conducted
on the impact of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and
Grand Teton on the Bison and Elk Population.
Additional scientific studies were conducted on
sound and emission standards required by the
Federal Government and the Park Service.
Attached to this article are a
number of graphs containing information from the
Park Service, which depict the studies findings.
It is easy to view the graphs and
determine that snowmobiling does no
environmental harm to the Park. The government
studies support the use of snowmobiles in
Yellowstone as the preferred method to enjoy the
Park and view all the winter wonders that nature
has provided us in Yellowstone. Please review
the graphs which support the continued
responsible use of managed snowmobiling on the
road system in Yellowstone National Park.
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Previous Environmental
Release 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISMA
Burning Trees Pollute a Lot!
Ed Klim
I attend meetings discussing land
access and environmental issues across the United States, Canada
and into Europe. I am always amazed at the positions presented
by some of the "Green Elitists," so I will share a couple of
them with you here in this article.
I was recently in California and a number of
Environmental Extremists at the meeting were ecstatic the
Clinton Roadless Rule has resurfaced and it is their hope that
any road construction and/or maintenance on approximately 60
million acres of US Forest Land will be stopped. At the
meeting, I heard countless fire suppression experts talk about
the need to maintain roadways for firebreaks and for entrance
and exit to allow firefighters to fight fires. Also during the
meeting the Environmental Elitists spoke incessantly on how
fires in our forests are needed and in fact are good. I was
somewhat shocked at their comments since I have walked through a
burned forest and discovered literally thousands of dead, burned
animals. I also know that forest fires cause a huge amount of
air pollution, which I thought bothered the "greenies."
The California Air Resource Board (CARB) is
concerned with pollution caused by forest fires, and they have
developed a model that estimates the amount of pollution caused
by a forest fire. The data is quite stunning. A one acre fire
in a conifer forest emits one ton of particulate matter, 9 tons
of CO, 0.6 tons of HC, and 0.25 tons of NOx. So, a quick review
of EPA data shows that 1040 new cars operating normally for one
month (which is approximately 1250 miles of driving) will match
the emissions from a 1 acre fire.
The "Day Fire" which started in California on
Labor Day and was finally under control on October 2, 2006
burned over 160,000 acres of forest. Quick math would show the
recent fire in California generated 160,000 tons of particulate
matter and 1.4 million tons of Carbon Monoxide. The numbers are
pretty staggering. Pollution caused by the Day Fire alone
equals the emissions of 166,400,000 automobiles driving on the
road for one month. Wow! That is an interesting number to
remember, especially when you hear somebody say that forest
fires are good for the forest. Maybe we should harvest a few
trees and lower wood prices for our children.
Another issue that is often discussed at hearings
across the United States is the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
We know that the US House of Representatives passed legislation
that would have corrected the weaknesses of the ESA but the US
Senate failed to even vote on the legislation. It appears the
Big Breen Groups are staunchly against changes to the Endangered
Species Act no matter what!
I recently attended a meeting on this issue and
discovered that homeowners in Boiling Spring Lakes, NC were
fearful that the ESA might designate entire city neighborhoods
as "protected habitat" subject to restrictions to save a
threatened woodpecker. The individuals in North Carolina were
told that if their neighborhood was designated, their children
could be held liable for inadvertent violations of the
Endangered Species Act. That means that anyone convicted of
harming or harassing a woodpecker could face up to a year in
prison and $100,000 in fines. Reacting to the fear of losing
the ability to maintain their home site, landowners swarmed City
Hall for lot clearing permits and since then, the city has
issued 368 logging permits. The city fathers have watched with
dismay as lots across the area on Big Lake have been gradually
stripped to sandy soil. The homeowners determined that they
didn't want to have their neighborhoods designated, so they
removed the nesting pine trees that were around their homes.
Yes, it’s a pretty sad state when a poorly
written law can't be changed by the Senate and it causes
individuals to change their neighborhood to protect their homes
and their children from harassment and fines by the federal
government.
Sometimes, we just need to use a little bit of
common sense and honesty when discussing important issues that
impact us all.
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The Michigan
Snowmobile Association is a volunteer organization dedicated to the
improvement of the sport of snowmobiling in Michigan. |
