Paddling Yellowstone Rivers bill a sham from a scourge
PUBLIC LANDS -- Paddling the idyllic streams in Yellowstone National Park would be a treat.
Laws have prohibited boats on most of the waters to adhere to the park's mission of protecting the fragile ecosystems and offering refuge to the wildlife away from the roads that handle millions of visitors.
So how should paddlers and other conservation-minded park visitors stand on Rep. Cynthia Lummis's proposals to force the Park Service to organize programs that would allow canoes, kayaks and rafts on more Yellowstone waters?
Firmly against -- for more reasons than one. Check out this commentary by Todd Wilkinson in the Jackson Hole News & Guide:
NPS can't afford cost of adding paddling to Yellowstone Park waters
Wyoming U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis paints herself as a fiscal conservative, which is hard to reconcile with her bill to allow paddling on the waters in Yellowstone National Park. The measure is expected to add $4 million to the park's already considerable costs in the first five years alone. Is she a friend to the outdoor community, or a foe? Look at her record.
