Winter rule to be published Friday

A rule implementing a plan to provide for limited, regulated snowmobile and snow coach access in Yellowstone National Park for the next two winters will be published in the Federal Register on Friday.

The interim rule allows up to 318 commercially guided, best-available-technology snowmobiles, and up to 78 commercially guided snow coaches per day in Yellowstone for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 winter seasons. It also continues to provide for motorized oversnow travel over Sylvan Pass and the East Entrance road.

During the next two years, the National Park Service will prepare a new environmental impact statement and a new long-term plan for winter use in the park.

Con’t…