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Show Wednesday, March 1, 2000 The Pa Record B-15 PA rejects park use plans T YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL NATION-AL PARK, Wyo. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency warns the National Park Service the options in its draft environmental impact statement on winter use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks fail to protect air quality. The EPA said six of the seven alternatives in the document do not protect the environment, as well as violating federal air quality standards stan-dards and a 1972 presidential order on snowmobile use in the parks. The Billings Gazette reported. Substantial changes to the preferred pre-ferred alternative or more options may be needed, said a letter from Cynthia Cody, chief of the EPA unit charged with reviewing impact statements. The EPA said the sole exception is the alternative calling for immediate imme-diate prohibitions on snowmobiles until they meet strict noise and emissions standards. That is the preferred alternative and the only one meeting clean air standards, the EPA said. The Park Sen ice is now analyz Skiers, snowmobilers fight over winter access to the mountains KETCHUM. Idaho (AP) Skiers are attempting to restrict snowmobile snowmo-bile use in the Boulder Mountain area in an effort to protect what they call pristine beauty and a peaceful setting. "I dorrt enjoy going up one of the most beautiful valleys toward Stanley and finding the hillside looking look-ing as if il been trashed." Hailey resident Brian Ross said Thursday. "If I splashed red dye all over the mountain, someone would complain to me that it s not aesthetically pleasing. pleas-ing. This is the same thing." Ross was among more than 40 backcountry and track skiers and a few snowmobilers w ho crowded into the Ketchum City Hall Thursday night for a public hearing hosted by the Nordic and Backcountry Skiers Alliance. Thev intend to identify areas that Resort might not be able to pay bill DENVER ( AP) The Winter Park Recreation Association probably will use; a provision of its contract with Denver to skip a $2.3 million mil-lion payment that Denver wanted want-ed to use for construction of the Commons Park near downtown, officials said. The private, nonprofit association associa-tion operates the Denver-owned ski area under a series of agreements agree-ments with the city, dating back to 1951. But association officials said that after two consecutive years of poor snow, they may have to exercise a contract option that allows for no payments under those conditions. "This may be the year that payment will not be made," said Gary DeFrange, president and chief executive officer of the association. He told the city council . recently that the chance it will be paid is "unlikely." ; Since 1994, the association has paid more than $13 million to the Denver Parks and Recreation ! Department. This would be the J first missed payment. Department spokeswoman i Judy Montero said the depart ii-ttii li JpH vjj Ui HANG-UPS If you've got em, we want 'em! 1240 Iron Horse Drive (Located across from the Lost Sock Laundry) RI6HT AN6LE PICTURE 649-3640 ing public and agency comments on the draft winter use document before producing a final version to decide winter activity in the two parks. Snowmobile exhaust sometimes obscures visibility along the busy corridor between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful, the EPA noted, and carbon monoxide emissions could threaten human health. The Park Service should take immediate action in the draft statement state-ment including limiting numbers and density of off-highway vehicles, vehi-cles, including snowmobiles. The EPA questioned why such measures meas-ures are not proposed in the preferred pre-ferred choice. EPA supports emissions and noise controls on OHVs, but any mechanical improvements would be negated by more vehicles, the letter said. Any Park Service decision on winter use must also live up to the Gean Air Act's mandate to remedy reme-dy reduced visibility from man-made man-made pollution in national parks, the EPA said. should be closed to snow machines in order to eliminate user conflicts between snowmobilers and skiers, snow boarders, snowshoers. cabin owners and other winter reactionists. reaction-ists. The issue has polarized the snow mobile and ski communities, but representatives of both groups have tried to reach a common understanding under-standing during the past few years. Sawtooth National Forest Supervisor Bill LeVere has asked skiers and snowmobilers to try to identify areas they think should be off-limits to snow machines bv October 2000. The Skiers Alliance would like to hammer something out by the end of the winter season. Andy Munter said. Ski recreation is a big draw in the v alley, with 3.500 people buying sea ment was counting on the $2.3 million . and .some, projects, may have to be cut if there is a shortfall. short-fall. Denver planned to use the money to pay off construction loans for Commons park, a project proj-ect promoted by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. City Councilor Polly Flobeck said that before the current payment pay-ment system was set up in 1994. Denver was lucky to get $7,000 a year from Winter Park. Winter Park's Front Range skier market has remained . strong. DeFrange said, while the number of skiers coming from out of state and staying overnight has been down. Winter Park had 1.04 million skiers in the 1998 ski season, its biggest year ever, but only 980.408 in 1999. Statewide, the ski industry had poor early seasons last year and this year, said Lisa Bremner, director of communications for Colorado Ski Country USA. the industry trade association. Visits were down 17 percent from last year, she said. DeFrange said Winter Park has felt competition from other Colorado ski areas, such as Vail. Breckenridge and Keystone, as 5 i. '1:.. '"" .. ?- f 'Ajtew' A I I '. i i fc. if j ' 'A1 v It also cited an order signed by President Richard Nixon in 1972, which allows off-road vehicles in national parks only if they do not harm their inherent values. It said snowmobiles are doing just that and the executive order requires the Park Service to restrict their use immediately. The Park Services preferred alternative would not require snowmobiles to meet noise and emissions standards until winter 2008. Although the EPA is scheduled sched-uled to propose national emissions standards for snowmobiles and other off-highway vehicles late this year, manufacturers will need several sev-eral years to meet those standards, the agency said. The EPA said that wait is unacceptable. EPA officials plan to meet with the National Park Service to discuss dis-cuss necessary changes to the draft statement. The EPA review has "brought up some very important points," said Yellowstone Park spokeswoman spokes-woman Cheryl Matthews. "We know there are laws we have to follow." son passes each year and 6.500 buying buy-ing day passes. Another 2.000 trek into a handful of backcountry yurts sprinkled through the mountains towering over the Wood River Valley. " In contrast. 620 snowmobilers claim Blaine County as their playground play-ground by designating their registration regis-tration fees go toward grooming Blaine County snowmobile trails. But they have become a much more v isible force in recent years as more powerful machines allow them to access terrain once used only by backcountry skiers. Skiers said most local snowmobilers snowmo-bilers are respectful. At the same time, they said, it is difficult for those snowmobilers to police other out-of-the-area snowmobilers w ho seem to cause the majority of problems. well as ski areas outside the state. Out-of-stateioompeution has also hurt many of the state s larger resorts, he said. Councilman Dennis Gallagher suggested that Winter Park market mar-ket itself more aggressively as a summer resort. He said the Ski Train, which runs from Denver to the ski area, could be appealing to Europeans used to traveling by train. But DeFrange said summer business could never match the amount of money made during the winter. We are saving a space for you... Senctyour letter or guest editorial to: Editor P.O. Box 3688 Park City. 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