Yellowstone’s Open, Rally Declares Worried Businesses Fear Public Misunderstands Suit Over Trails
Hotels, motels and other lodges in this gateway town to Yellowstone National Park offered bargain rates Saturday night to boost a protest rally that the town’s business people are sponsoring today.
They hope to counter what they believe is a widespread misperception that the park is closed for the winter.
They blame the misunderstanding on announcements of a proposed settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Fund for Animals to force the park to re-evaluate its policy of grooming trails for snowmobiles during the winter.
As part of the settlement, the park is considering the closure next winter of one 14-mile stretch of road through the Hayden Valley. The proposed closure would help park officials determine whether groomed snowmobile roads change the winter migration habits of bison.
Possibly 80 percent of West Yellowstone’s 300 businesses stay open in winter, when snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and other recreationists take to the park’s trails, said Viki Eggers, executive director of the town’s chamber of commerce.
“We have gotten cancellations for the winter, and that has proved to be pretty frightening,” she said Friday. “We are beyond concerned. We are very concerned.”.
Today’s rally was scheduled for 1 p.m. in the chamber’s parking lot.
Most motels, hotels and other lodges agreed to offer rooms to tourists Saturday night for $25. Normal prices this time of year run from about $40 to close to $200 a night.
People have to ask for the special rate, said Dan Austin, who works the front desk at the West Yellowstone Conference Holiday Inn.
Business owners and other residents will speak at the rally on winter use of the park, said Bill Schaap, a rally organizer and manager of the Three Bears Motel.
Six to 10 reservation holders a night call to ask if the park is still open, and most can be convinced that it is, Schaap said.
“That’s not the problem. It’s the people who don’t call to make reservations.”
Fund for Animals biologist D.J. Schubert agreed that the group believes the Park Service should stop grooming trails for snowmobiles. But that’s not the likely outcome of the lawsuit settlement and forthcoming study, he said.
A more likely outcome might be closure of part of the park’s loop. That may be an inconvenience, but would not decrease tourism, Schubert said.
“The settlement agreement will not stop winter use of Yellowstone National Park,” Schubert said. “It’s blatant lies by these people to stir up emotion among snowmobile enthusiasts.”